MetaFilter posts tagged with iran

Parkour in the Middle-East

elgilito — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:32:31 -0800

Meet the Iranian Parkour Girls, the Gaza Parkour Team (while bombs fall) and the first Iraqi Parkour team.

America's 10 Worst Prisons

zarq — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:15:31 -0800

"'If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.' So goes the old saying. Yet conditions in some American facilities are so obscene that they amount to a form of extrajudicial punishment." Mother Jones is profiling "America's 10 Worst Prisons." Facilities were chosen for the list based on "...three years of research, correspondence with prisoners, and interviews with reform advocates." The List 1: ADX (federal supermax: "A federal isolation facility that's "pretty close" to hell.") 2: Allan B. Polunsky Unit (Texas: "'The hardest place to do time in Texas'—and then you die.") 3: Tent City Jail (Phoenix: Feds say notorious facility has a 'pervasive culture of discriminatory bias against Latinos.') 4: Orleans Parish (Louisiana: "'A violent and dangerous institution,' says the Justice Department.") 5: LA County Jail (Los Angeles: "And you thought the Rodney King beating was bad?") 6: Pelican Bay (California: "Where a Christmas card might land you in the hole.") 7: Julia Tutwiler (Alabama: "Prisoners fear 'that it's not safe to take a shower, that it's not safe to go to sleep...that you can be manipulated into sexual favors, it's really horrific.'") 8: Reeves Country Detention Complex (Texas: "An overcrowded, understaffed lockup—with health care bad enough to spark riots.") 9: Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility (Mississippi: "'A picture of such horror as should be unrealized anywhere in the civilized world.'") 10: Riker's Island (New York City: "New York City lockup has a "deeply entrenched" pattern of violence by guards, lawsuit claims.") The piece will conclude tomorrow with a list of "Dishonorable Mentions." Accompanying Articles (Some are older pieces covering the same topic) * Maps: Solitary Confinement, State by State: "An exclusive review of how state prisons use isolation to discipline inmates and weed out gang members." * God's Own Warden: "If you ever find yourself inside Louisiana's Angola prison, Burl Cain will make sure you find Jesus—or regret ever crossing his path." * The Silent Treatment: "Imagine serving decades in prison for a crime your sibling framed you for. Now imagine doing it while profoundly deaf." * Solitary in Iran Nearly Broke Me. Then I Went Inside America's Prisons: "We throw thousands of men in the hole for the books they read, the company they keep, the beliefs they hold. Here's why." (Previously on Mefi) * Life in the Hole: Inside a Solitary Cell: "A guided tour of the seven-by-eleven-foot space where inmates spend 23 hours a day."

Crossing the "Red Line"?

the man of twists and turns — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:45:13 -0800

Syria Options Go From Bad To Worse

As reports have surfaced of possible use of sarin gas in the Syrian civil war, calls by long-time proponents of U.S. intervention on behalf of the anti-Assad rebels have grown to a fever pitch. These same voices, both at home and abroad, have evoked the administration’s previously stated “red line” on use of chemical weapons. But even assuming that reports of WMD usage in Syria turn out to be true, the Obama Administration’s position may be far more nuanced than previously thought.

Why would the US get involved in Syria? Civilian deaths, chemical weapons use (and proliferation), and mounting refugee crisis, and unrest in Lebanon are reasons for intervention. But should it? Obama Appears At A Loss To Define The Way Forward In Syria Why Obama Doesn't Want To Intervene In Syria and Obama's Case Against The War In Syria. Sentors Graham and McCain respond: "There are many options at our disposal, including military options short of boots on the ground in Syria, that can make a positive impact on this crisis, which is destabilizing the region. The President must act now or risk squandering U.S. credibility in Syria and around the world." Is Barack Obama A Republican Realist? Various groups have attached themselves to factions in the conflict. Hezbollah announced that Syria has "real friends in the region and world" and that they support al-Assad. Opposition group the al-Nusrah Front has "merged" with Al-Qaeda In Iraq. Al-Qaeda's battle for control of Assad's chemical weapons plant - "A battle near a factory believed to be one of the Syrian regime's main chemical weapons plants shows just how close such weapons could be to falling into al-Qaeda's hands." Intervention isn't guaranteed to work. The "Libyan model" or "Malian model" for foreign military support may not be repeatable in Syria. Even With US Guns, Syria's Rebels Still Might Lose. But what might intervention look like? Drone strikes? Boots-on-the-ground? Safe havens? No-fly zones? "Decapitation strike"? Simply material support? Or are there just no good military options?

The question has been, and remains: Does the U.S. have the capacity to end the violence, in any meaningful way, within the immediate future?

The conflict and the weapons of war aren't limited to Syria. Repercussions and implications extend through the region: The Syria-Iran Red Line Show Want to fix Syria? Talk to Iran Syrian Conflict Casts Long Shadow Over Iraq More Syrian Refugees Will Cause Crisis In Jordan as Jordan Weighs Syria Buffer Zone Israel Sees US Respons As Gauge for Iran. The Onion Goes To War

"Bin Laden cowered & hid. Mughniyeh spent his life giving us the finger"

zarq — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:56:29 -0800

It's been five years since the death of Hezbollah terrorist Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus. No one ever claimed responsibility for killing him. Hezbollah publicly blames Israel's Mossad, a charge they unsurprisingly deny. So, who killed The Driver? Mughniyeh’s Family Remembers their Enigmatic Son

Iranian Men Dress In Drag For Gender Equality

Blasdelb — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:59:36 -0800

Kurdish men are dressing in women's clothing in response to the punishment given to a convicted man earlier this month. He was paraded down the streets of Marivan in a woman’s dress in order to humiliate him. "Hiwa lives in Marivan. He took part in Tuesday’s protest.

Public humiliation has been used as punishment before in other Iranian cities, but not ours. Personally, though this man was a criminal [Editor's Note: he was convicted on charges of battery and disrupting the public order], I am against public humiliation. However, in this case, it’s the technique chosen to do this that upset me the most. This sentence is insulting to half of our population, that is, all Iranian women. Among those who protested on Tuesday were about a dozen women wearing red dresses, similar to the traditional outfit the guilty man was made to wear. They belonged to the Marivan Women’s Community, which is very active in our region. They fight for women’s rights, for example by protesting against honour killings. Residents of Marivan do not like being mistreated. We often protest to fight for our rights -- more than in most Iranian cities. I think this is in part thanks to the presence of Marivan University, whose students are quite active. For example, they recently organised demonstrations to ask the government to reopen the border with Iraq, which Marivan is close to, in order to boost our region’s economy. As far as I can remember, this is the first time in Iran that a man has been sentenced to being dressed in drag. [Editor’s Note: Along with the man who was paraded through Marivan on April 15, two other men received the same sentence, but in their cases, it has not yet been carried out]. I think that the fact that this happened in Marivan is no coincidence, but rather a way to try to scare a population deemed unruly. However, this has completely backfired!

Hajir Sharifi is an Iranian Kurd who lives in Europe. He took part in the Facebook campaign.

The fact that a criminal was sentenced to dress like a Kurdish woman is a double insult. Being a woman is not something to be ashamed of, as the Iranian courts would have you believe. And the fact that the dress chosen was a Kurdish one is also insulting to the Kurdish community, which is already stigmatised in Iran. I’m glad members of parliament condemned this sentence, but that’s not enough. The judge who made this call should be punished for this. I also think the MP from Marivan should resign as a sign of protest.

Massive earthquake in Balochistan

Area Man — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 06:13:18 -0800

Dawn reports that the largest earthquake to hit Iran in 40 years struck the Balochistan region along the Iran-Pakistan border. At least 45 people are dead, but that figure is expected to rise. Earthquaketrack says it was 7.8 on the Richter scale. At emptywheel, Jim White notes that two smaller Iranian earthquakes last year killed over 300 people.

Grappling for survival

the man of twists and turns — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 07:33:13 -0800

Wrestling Out Of The Olympics - The Gods Must Be Crazy Mad

The whole lucrative sham of it all was exposed once again this week when the executive board of the IOC — Informal Motto: "Me Some Too, Yes?" — recommended that wrestling be dropped as an Olympic sport in the 2020 Summer Games, which are supposed to be held in Istanbul, Tokyo, or Madrid, depending on whose checks clear first, I believe. According to the board, wrestling is no longer a "core sport" in the Olympics and it will have to petition for inclusion in 2020 along with, and I am not making this up, sport climbing and wakeboarding. This is terrific. Why don't we just hold the Olympics in an REI outlet store somewhere?

Fight To Save Wrestling From Olympics Cut

The International Olympic Committee announced [February 11] at its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, that its executive board had voted to cut wrestling from a core group of 25 sports for the 2020 Games. That means wrestling, which has been in the modern Olympics since they started in 1896 and was part of the ancient games in Olympia, Greece, as early as 708 B.C., now must vie with seven other sports for one spot in the 2020 program.

IOC Drops Wrestling From 2020 Olympics. This has prompted a hunger strike by the Bulgarian coach and the return of two gold medals. How Wrestling Lost The Olympics Wrestling Goes For An Olympic Reversal

Meanwhile, the IOC's decision prompted an international outcry. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a committee to protest the decision and make a presentation at the May IOC meeting in Moscow. Quietly, but just as decisively, calls to action came from unlikely allies: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and novelist John Irving.

How Can Wrestling Stay In The Olympics? Let's Start With Vacations And Hookers

On Chicago Public Schools Censoring Persepolis's Images of Torture

Artw — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 15:25:25 -0800

Suffice it to say, Persepolis is quite a work. It’s a testament to the power of the graphic novel. The art’s simple linework helps the story feel unpretentious and direct. Persepolis was adapted as a 2007 French animated film, written and directed by Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud. Among other honors, it was nominated for an Academy Award. Why would someone want to ban such a book?

She Who Tells a Story

nangar — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:43:27 -0800

I feel creatively emboldened to personally say something on the subjects that I am documenting. In terms of how it is produced, intellectually I am more excited than I have been in years. I am envisioning so many more possibilities for the work ... I feel for first time empowered on my own terms. We are calling our own shots and have created somewhat of our own institution.

An interview with the six-woman Middle Eastern documentary photography collective Rawiya, whose name means "female narrator" in Arabic. The individual members' websites:

Tanya Habjouqa Tamara Abdul Hadi Myriam Abdelaziz Laura Boushnak Newsha Tavakolian Dalia Khamissy

Rawiya has ongoing exhibitions at Bildmuseet in Umeå, Sweden, and The New Art Exchange in Nottingham, England.

Lonely Planet photographer shares his work.

lonefrontranger — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 11:37:26 -0800

Iran as the West rarely sees it. reddit user mossikan shares lovely photos of modern-day Iran, with thoughtful captions revealing a vibrant culture generally at odds with its current "mainstream" portrayals in Western media. "It's hard for western media to get in there, and the govt. actually WANTS the country to look like a pit of chanting loons. What this adds up to the official Iranian news stations syndicating their footage to the west, who are happy to run it. Iranians are hands-down the loveliest people I've ever been around, and they are absolutely fucked right now." -- mossikan, on his time there while shooting.

Jon Stewart Gets Serious

rosswald — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:12:57 -0800

Funnyman Jon Stewart is taking a 12 week hiatus to direct a film adaptation of Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari's book Then They Came For Me. John Oliver will take over hosting duties in his absence. Daily Show clip of Jason Jones interview before Bahari's arrest. Post - arrest Daily Show interviews. Previously

It is not a true story

MartinWisse — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 03:20:04 -0800

"If nothing else, "Argo" is an exercise in American exceptionalism - perhaps the most dangerous fiction that permeates our entire society and sense of identity. It reinvents history in order to mine a tale of triumph from an unmitigated defeat. The hostage crisis, which lasted 444 days and destroyed an American presidency, was a failure and an embarrassment for Americans. The United States government and media has spent the last three decades tirelessly exacting revenge on Iran for what happened." -- Nima Shirazi explains what's wrong with Argo's depiction of the Iranian hostage crisis.

"they did not know or expect that the evidence would point to Tehran."

the man of twists and turns — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 13:06:28 -0800

A Trail of Bullet Casings Leads From Africa’s Wars Back to Iran. Iran’s Cartridges & Their Quiet Distribution to Brutal Regimes and Many Wars. "Conflict Armament Research identifies and tracks conventional weapons in contemporary armed conflicts. Established in 2011, it was created in response to the growing need for informed, on-the-ground reporting on weapons proliferation in modern wars and insurgencies. " The "Small Arms Survey is an independent research project located at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland." Skirting The Law: Sudan's Post-CPA Arms Flows (PDF) Iran's Ammunition And Metallurgy Industries Group.

Free Sotoudeh

what's her name — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 08:55:07 -0800

Iranian Human Rights lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, currently serving a 6 year term in Tehran’s Evin prison, for ‘violating the Islamic dress code’ and ‘for acting against national security’ as ended her second hunger strike, when travel restrictions against her family were rescinded. Sotoudeh's children visit her in prison in June 2012 Sotoudeh was one of nine imprisoned women protesting by hunger strike. Sotoudeh's facebook support page. Ida Lichter explain why we should care about Iranian women prisoners. Previously.

The Golden Eye.

thylacinthine — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:07:25 -0800

In Shahr-i Shōkhta, near the Iran/Afghanistan border, archaeologists found the remains of a six foot tall woman who they speculate might have travelled there from the Arabian peninsula. What they do feel sure about, though, is that her golden prosthetic eye was produced there in Shahr-i Shōkhta, also the home of the world's oldest backgammon set; early evidence of brain surgery; caraway seeds; evidence of metal work; an important body of textile artifacts, but apparently no weapons. It is thought to suggest the existence of a major, non Mesopotamian culture. The Fox News link seems to be a reprint of an original Times ("London Times") article, which I wasn't willing to cough up the dough to read in full.

Solitary Confinement

homunculus — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 23:30:29 -0800

Solitary in Iran Nearly Broke Me. Then I Went Inside America's Prisons. "We throw thousands of men in the hole for the books they read, the company they keep, the beliefs they hold. Here's why." An article on solitary confinement (previously) by Shane Bauer, one of the three American hikers who were detained in Iran in 2009 (previously).

Argo and the Canadian Caper

never used baby shoes — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:42:38 -0800

Today marks the release of the film Argo, about the effort to smuggle out six Americans from Iran after the fall of the shah. The film is based on the actual events of the Canadian Caper, during which the Canadian embassy and staff in Iran sheltered the six Americans and, in cooperation with the CIA, provided Canadian identities and passports for the six. They were then smuggled out under the ruse of being part of the film crew for a science fiction film based on Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light. Over concerns that the film underplays the role of the Canadians, Ben Affleck invited Ken Taylor (the Canadian ambassador to Iran during the hostage crisis) to rewrite the movie's post-script.

Searching for Iran’s lost funk

furtive — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:52:17 -0800

"...it should be made clear that Tehran in the ’70s was not an equivalent to New Orleans, Chicago or Detroit. There was no funk haven per se, but within the Iranian pop world some tracks did appear, and those records are a rare treasure trove for funk aficionados." — Searching for Iran’s lost funk The CBC article coincides with the launch of Gian Gomeshi's biography 1982 about a UK boy of Iranian descent fixated on glam living in a tawny Toronto suburb and consolidates tracks from Secret Stash's Persian Funk collection, which contains a bunch more videos.

A New Kinda Satellite State

Chipmazing — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:41:46 -0800

The satellite man is typically young, with an entrepreneur’s zeal and a sense of adventure, often from the mercantile district of South Tehran, trained by colleagues in the black-market niche of satellite TV installation...

De-listing of the MEK

Blasdelb — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:53:32 -0800

The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), or People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, is an Iranian dissident group that has been formally designated for the last 15 years by the US State Department as a "foreign terrorist organization". When the Bush administration sought to justify its attack on Iraq in 2003 by accusing Saddam Hussein of being a sponsor of "international terrorism", one of its prime examples was Iraq's "sheltering" of the MEK. Its inclusion on the terrorist list has meant that it is a felony to provide any "material support" to that group. Now, in the with the support of A-list American politicians who have been handsomely compensated for their efforts, the MEK are being delisted. Glenn Greenwald draws Five lessons from the de-listing of MEK as a terrorist group

There is a separate justice system in the US for Muslim Americans.

The US government is not opposed to terrorism; it favors it.

"Terrorism" remains the most meaningless, and thus the most manipulated, term in political discourse.

Legalized influence-peddling within both parties is what drives DC.

There is aggression between the US and Iran, but it's generally not from Iran.

Previously, Previouslier

Israel 'prepared for 30-day war with Iran'

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 21:59:03 -0800

Richard Silverstein, an American journalist and blogger on Israeli affairs, says he has been given a leaked document which outlines a plan for an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. (BBC).

Prohibition

VikingSword — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 11:22:58 -0800

Iran confronts its alcohol problem. 'After years of denying the prevalence of illegal alcohol in Iran, officials are addressing the issue, while continuing to treat drinking as a sin and a crime.' 'Recently, two men in a northeastern province were given rare death sentences for drinking, as part of the country's three-strikes law. Each man had been convicted of drinking twice before.' 'More than 200,000 people in Iran are estimated to be involved in bootlegging, and about $800 million is spent annually on smuggling. The country's leading economic newspaper this year quoted border police as saying that the amount of confiscated alcohol had risen 69% in the last year.' 'In Iran, drinking has long been a deeply rooted part of Persian society, from the upper-class elite who hold discreet parties in their Tehran apartments to the blue-collar workers who drink the sometimes toxic homemade brews. The Islamic Revolution in 1979 attempted to squelch the custom, as part of a greater effort to erase the Persian culture in favor of an Islamic one.' 'Today, young people are increasingly turning to alcohol as an escape from their lives, which they feel are boxed in politically, socially and economically.' 'Alcohol's health toll in Iran is worsened because many people can't afford to buy what's smuggled in. A bottle of French wine can go for about $40, whereas a bottle of Iran-made alcohol sells for less than $6. Many rely on what's made in people's basements or gardens in unsanitary conditions. While drinking or making the alcohol, people have suffered from alcohol poisoning, blindness or death. The alcohol content of the homemade liquor is often higher than normal, supplemented with drugs or contaminated.' '"In the absence of other forms of leisure and amusement'", says Shahin, a sociologist, '"drinking alcoholic beverages is a way to vent your disappointment at the country's injustice, lack of jobs and decent life and future, and political disappointment."'

An unauthorized certificate could be used to spoof content, perform phishing attacks, or perform man-in-the-middle attacks. This issue affects all supported releases of Microsoft Windows.

mek — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 11:13:00 -0800

"Flame" is the name of a newly-identified malware program which utilizes a previously unknown MD5 collision attack to successfully spoof Microsoft Terminal Services, and install itself as a trusted program using Windows Update, Microsoft has confirmed. The program appears to have targeted computers in the Middle East, and specifically Iran; analysts have alleged it is likely created by the same entity that designed Stuxnet. Flame has been live and actively spying since 2010, but went undetected until recently, due to sophisticated anti-detection measures. While anonymous US officials have claimed responsibility for the program, officially both the USA and Israel have denied any involvement.

U.S. and Israel confirmed as the authors of Stuxnet virus

nobody — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:09:35 -0800

U.S. and Israel have been confirmed as the authors behind the Stuxnet virus. The program — codenamed "Olympic Games" — was started under Bush and accelerated under Obama. The virus was never meant to expand beyond the Iranian nuclear facility it targeted. (non-NYTimes link)

"Everybody that I've taught anything other than Tor to is in jail."

jeffburdges — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 02:16:30 -0800

An anti-censorship software package Simurgh, aimed towards aiding dissidents in Iran and Syria, has been circulated with a backdoor that reports keystroke logs back to a server hosted in the U.S. but registered with a Saudi Arabian ISP. All versions distributed by the the developer's site simurghesabz.net were clean, but versions repackaged with the backdoor were distributed via secondary sites. As an aside, there was an excellent talk by Roger Dingledine and Jacob Appelbaum at 28C3 that discusses Tor development and circumventing censorship in places like Iran.