MetaFilter posts tagged with afghanistan and Iran

Choosing Central Asia for a bride

Abiezer — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:45:19 -0800

Fascinated by the Orient An exhibition of the letters, photographs and maps bequeathed to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences by the great explorer, archaeologist, geographer and Sanskritist Sir Marc Aurel Stein. Journeyer in the footsteps of Alexander, explorer of Central Asia and West China, surveyor of the antiquities of India and Iran; after a long life of journeying through and studying central Asia, Aurel Stein found his final rest in Kabul. He is also remembered for rediscovering the oldest dated printed book still in existence, a copy of the Diamond Sutra in the caves at Mogao. That the latter and many thousands of other manuscripts collected by Stein now reside in the British Library is of course, like his other 'treasure hunting', not without controversy.

Photo essay: Women at risk in central Asia's heroin highway

madamjujujive — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:30:33 -0800

House of Happiness - photos by Rena Effendi of women in the Ferghana Valley, part of central Asia's ancient Silk Route now known as "the heroin highway" - "a geographical and cultural mishmash where three countries and many ethnicities cluster." More about the photos. (Some photos NSFW) Rena Effendi is an Azerbaijan-born social documentary photographer focusing on post-Soviet and postwar melding of cultures and the oil industry's effects on people. Her site includes a generous sampling of selections from her book Pipedreams, a chronicle of lives along the pipeline in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Really, all the photo essays in her portfolio are well worth exploring - I particularly liked the Xinaliq wedding series, Twenty-something in Tehran and the powerful series on the Georgia conflict. Warning: As many photographer's portfolios are wont to be, her site is in flash so avoid it if that bugs you.

An Eye for an Eye: Justice or Injustice, Poetic or Barbaric?

davidstandaford — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:23:51 -0800

"At an age at which I should be putting on a wedding dress, I am asking for someone's eyes to be dripped with acid,"

Four years ago, a spurned suitor poured a bucket of sulfuric acid over [Ameneh Bahrami's] head, leaving her blind and disfigured. Late last month, an Iranian court ordered that five drops of the same chemical be placed in each of her attacker's eyes, acceding to Bahrami's demand that he be punished according to a principle in Islamic jurisprudence that allows a victim to seek retribution for a crime. The sentence has not yet been carried out.

If you're not familiar with acid attacks against women, you can start with Wikipedia.

Perpetrators of these attacks throw acid at their victims (usually at their faces), burning them, damaging skin tissue, often exposing and sometimes dissolving the bones. The consequences of these attacks include blindness and permanent scarring of the face and body. These attacks are common in Cambodia, Afganistan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other Asian countries.

Acid attacks are being used in Afghanistan against women and girls to as part of an effort to oppress them. Specifically, girls who attend school are being targeted to prevent them from getting an education. In India, Haseena Hussain, the victim of an acid attack, now works with the Campaign and Struggle Against Acid Attacks on Women (CSAAAW). In Pakistan, a cosmetics company is trying to help women who are the victims of arson and acid attacks. Nicholas Kristof wrote an article about acid attacks last month, "Terrorism That’s Personal" which discusses a Pakistani organization, the Progressive Women's Association: Fighting Against the Horror of Violence Against Women working to stop this sort of violence and an effort being made by the US Congress to pass the International Violence Against Women Act. [Previously on Metafilter, the story of Tat Marina a model/karaoke star who was the victim of a December 1999 acid attack in Cambodia.]

The Economist: The World in 2009

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:00:30 -0800

In 2009, a remarkably gifted politician, confronting a remarkably difficult set of challenges, will have to learn to say "No we can't", Guantánamo will prove a moral minefield, economic recovery will be invisible to the naked eye, governments must prepare for the day they stop financial guarantees, we will judge our commitment to sustainability, scientists should research the causes of religion, we will all be potential online paparazzi, English will have more words than any other language (but it's meaningless), Afghanistan will see a surge of Western (read: American) troops, Iran will continue its nuclear quest while diplomacy lies in shambles, the sea floor is the new frontier, we should rethink aging, (non-)voters will continue to thwart the European project -- but cheap travel will continue to buoy it -- though it has some unfinished business to attend to, and a Nordic defence bond will blossom.

The Economist: The World in 2009. Previously: 2008, 2007. How did we do last time around? And what will we probably be wrong about this time? Guest contributions: President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva seeks greater international cooperation and sees a growing global role for the larger emerging economies. Queen of Jordan Rania calls for education reform. Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd calls upon mid-size powers to be creative and effective with their influence. Prime Minister of Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero emphasizes the importance of transparency and solidarity in Europe. Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, wedged between Russia and the EU, cites historical precedent. Former Secretary of State of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Henry Kissinger argues America will be less powerful, but will still be the essential nation in creating a new world order. Mayor Boris Johnson of London argues against over-regulation. Elections to watch: Brazil, Chile, European Parliament, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan. Also: Russia will enter its first real difficult years under Putin, Brown might not make it, we won't ban nukes but we can pretend, Ontario will receive economic help from other provinces, Australians will grow ever more thirsty, and Britain needs to make stuff again. World in 2009 blog.

Magnum Photos' two newest nominees

madamjujujive — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:29:44 -0800

American-Dutch photographer Peter van Agtmael and English photographer Olivia Arthur are the two newest nominees recently welcomed into Magnum Photos. Agtmael's images of Afghanistan and Iraq are very powerful - he discusses his work in Conscientious. Arthur's recent work has focused on women's experiences in what she calls the Middle Distance. "The Magnum Photos selection process for new members is legendary for its toughness. Becoming a full Member of Magnum Photos is a process that takes place over at least four years, with candidates evolving from the status of Nominee, to Associate, to Member, each evolution in status requiring a vote by the Magnum Photos Members." This year, member status was granted to: Antoine d’Agata, French (many images NSFW) Jonas Bendiksen, Norwegian Alec Soth, American

The Makhmalbaf Film House

sciurus — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:58:15 -0800

The Makhmalbafs are an Iranian family of filmmakers, although Samira tends to get the most press.

The House that Mohsen Built.
Limbs of No Body by Mohsen Makmalbaf [very long!] June 20, 2001
Last year I attended the Pusan Film Festival in South Korea where I was asked about the subject of my next film. I would respond, Afghanistan. Immediately I would be asked, "What is Afghanistan?" Why is it so? Why should a country be so obsolete that the people of another Asian country such as South Korea have not even heard of it? The reason is clear. Afghanistan does not have a role in today's world. It is neither a country remembered for a certain commodity nor for its scientific advancement or as a nation that has achieved artistic honors. In the United States, Europe and the Middle East, however, the situation is different and Afghanistan is recognized as a peculiar country.
A woman's place
Samira Makhmalbaf set out to make a film about a female president of Afghanistan. The hardest part was persuading someone to play the role, she tells Geoffrey Macnab
The Digital Revolution and the Future of Cinema - Samira Makmalbaf addresses the Cannes Film Festival forum.
Under the Chador by Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jeremy Lehrer interview with Samira Makmalbaf: God and Satan in The Apple. [more on The Apple here, most of the text is linked, although it doesn't look that way.]
Gerald Peary interviews Samira Makmalbaf about her film The Blackboard
During a stay in Kurdistan with my father, we found little topics, little stories, and I preferred this story: about the journey of teachers with blackboards on their backs as they traveled Kurdistan. My father gave me the outline of the story, and I drew up the screenplay as we went along.
YouTube clips:
- Samira Makmalbaf on the purpose of cinema
- Clip from The Peddler [unfortunately, no subtitles].
- Tabeh Nosuh by Mosen Makhmalbaf [no subtitles]
- Kandahar by Mosen Makmalbaf [pre-invasion Afghanistan]

There is a ton of information within the initial link, definitely worth digging throuh.

Asia: Full of Grace

euphorb — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 01:42:15 -0800

Asia Grace

WebWoman

hoder — Wed, 10 Mar 2004 03:01:59 -0800

WebWoman is a global, on-line community designed to promote professional development of Afghani and Iranian women.

thescoop — Wed, 06 Feb 2002 06:35:21 -0800

Chef says bin Laden fled to Iran. "Osama had three offers of escape," he tells the Christian Science Monitor. "One from Iraq, one from Iran, and another from some mafia types.... We received a lot of Iranian currency, and the commanders distributed it to the soldiers," he says, adding that he received 700,000 rials ($1,400) for his own personal use." He also says that bin Laden prefers quail for dinner.

slowlightning — Sat, 29 Sep 2001 00:16:22 -0800

MSNBC reporting 5 Americans arrested in Afghanistan near Iran border and that they are part of a special ops team.

lagado — Fri, 25 May 2001 00:14:57 -0800

A story that only gets stranger and sadder. A gold-masked mummy, whose sensational discovery last year sparked an ownership row between Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, has turned out not only to be a modern fake but also the apparent victim in a macabre murder mystery.

lagado — Tue, 26 Dec 2000 17:53:43 -0800

So have you heard the one about the Golden Persian Princess Mummy? Discovered in October by Pakistani police during a murder investigation of an antiquities smuggler, this story has only gotten weirder. Said to be 2,600-years-old, the body of a young woman has been preserved using the Egyptian mummification process but bears cuneiform inscriptions in Old Persian: "I, daughter of Xerxes, the great king, I am Ruduamna". Since its discovery, the governments of Iran and Afghanistan have each claimed ownership of the mummy and all three countries are now engaged in a bitter war of claim and counter-claim. Now some experts are starting to say that the whole thing looks like it's just an elaborate hoax.