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November 23rd, 2006

Shock and Tragedy in UCLA, Murder in Iran

Farid Pouya · 13:49 · Middle East & North Africa

According to reports in the media, Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a UCLA student, was repeatedly stunned with a taser and then taken into custody after he failed to exit the CLICC Lab at the Powell Library at UCLA in a timely manner. Community Service Officers had asked Tabatabainejad to leave after he failed to produce his BruinCard during a random check. Global Voices has already published video related to this incident, and now we look at what Iranian bloggers had to say about this incident. As usual their opinions are diverse and interesting.

Iranian-American Youth

IranianTruth has covered news and published many photos and video clips about student protest demonstrations at the university. He also mentions something very interesting about Iranian-Americans.The blogger says

I think relevant, but unreported, to Mostafa’s abuse, is not the abuse itself, but the activism evidenced by the Iranian-American youth. Generally, most of us are first generation Americans. The Iranian community in America is a young one, and most of us born here are born to families who were born, raised and lived in Iran till 1979. As such, most of our parents were unaccustomed to the political nuances of America. It has only been recently, as my generation has become older, that the notion of Iranian-American political activism is taking root.

(more…)

1 comment · »»

November 22nd, 2006

Central Asia & Caucasus

Jafar Rezai in his blog, From West, introduces Fayz Muhammad Katib,a 19 century Afghan historian, to us. The blogger adds Robert D. McChesney, a well-respected professor at New York University fell in love with the books of Fayz Mohammad Katib, a historian from Afghanistan. Robert D. McChesney not only translates Katib’s book, Kabul Under Siege: Fayz Muhammad’s Account of the 1929 Uprising, but as director of The Afghanistan Digital Library, digitizes Katib’s 900 000 words.

November 20th, 2006

Eastern & Central Europe , Middle East & North Africa

Ardeshir Dolat talks about an Iranian refugee family living which has made its home an airport in Moscow. According to the blogger, the Russian authorities now want to deport the family to Iran - something that the family is convinced will be devastating to their lives and safety.You can watch the video of the mother describing their situation.

Central Asia & Caucasus

Afghan Lord says about the presence of drugs in country. The blogger quotes NewsMax site “Policemen in Afghanistan are not happy with their lives. The highest-ranking officer makes about $80 per month, and the Taliban pay better, one policeman tells me.Would he go fight with them? “They haven't asked me. But I have to survive. If they asked me I would,” he replies.

November 19th, 2006

Middle East & North Africa

Thanks to Iranian Truth we can watch UCLA students protest movement for Taser incident where Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a UCLA student, was repeatedly stunned with a Taser and then taken into custody when he did not exit the CLICC Lab in Powell Library in a timely manner..

November 17th, 2006

Middle East & North Africa

According to Iraniantruth, Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a UCLA student, was repeatedly stunned with a Taser and then taken into custody when he did not exit the CLICC Lab in Powell Library in a timely manner. Community Service Officers had asked Tabatabainejad to leave after he failed to produce his BruinCard during a random check at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.

November 14th, 2006

Middle East & North Africa

Let's discover graffitis on Tehran's walls, thanks to Kamangir. The blogger considers the photo not very Islamic one.

November 13th, 2006

Afghan Whispers:War, Drugs and USA election

Farid Pouya · 23:46 · Central Asia & Caucasus

lingua → zht · zhs

According to media insurgent activity in Afghanistan has risen fourfold this year. Afghan Warrior says operations against terror should be expanded in Pakistan.He adds

for the first time the Pakistani Air Force conducted an air strike against suspected Taliban in Bajaur, a tribal area of Pakistan, which killed over 80 Taliban. Bajaur is a tribal region in Pakistan which has a joint border with the eastern province of Afghanistan, Kunar…This operation proved that there are many terrorist camps in Pakistan where they are recruiting people for insurgency and training them to learn military techniques in order to fight the coalition and Afghan forces… In my opinion only air raids will not be very effective and the terrorists will keep changing their locations and these air strikes increase risk of civilians deaths. But if they have correct information about the terrorist shelters then the air raid is an easier way to end up, so we hope the Pakistan army should also carry out ground operations against the rebels and control their tribal areas with their own troops and put more soldiers in suspected areas and establish checkpoints, patrols and house searches. This will be very effective.

It seems terrorism is not only problem that Afghanistan is facing. Opium is another major issue. Afghan Lord writes that attempts to legalize cultivation of opium poppy have failed. The blogger says

The committee of counter narcotics which was made by a group of parliament member rejected a part of the law on drugs that was legalizing (opium) poppy cultivation for research and medicines purposes.

It seems that life in Afghanistan is also influenced by foreign events. Dialogue 3 considers USA election has much more effect on Afghanistan that local amd national election within country [Fa]. The blogger thinks the victory of Democrats will have positive outcome for his country because Democrats pay more attention to Afghanistan rather than Iraq.

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November 12th, 2006

Middle East & North Africa

Reporters Without Borders has awarded two Iranian blogs, Kosoof and Tanine Sookoot a joint prize for the best blog defending freedom of expression, as part of an international blog competition organised by Deutsche Welle.

November 10th, 2006