when just six words are worth a world

Ernest Hemingway once wrote a story in just six words and is said to have called it his best work:

"For sale:baby shoes, never worn."

source

Sunni vs. Shia

Sunnis & Shias: Lets understand each other

today, Iraq is depicting a very sad tragedy that nobody can pass on it with ignorance.

'why did US attack Iraq? was it good or not? what if Saddam were not executed? was this country a real threat to international security?'

these questions are yet to be answered, but I think that everybody would agree that US is not the sole cause of Iraqis' problems.

while considering other factors which might affect the current situation of Iraq (foreign intervention, globalized terrorist groups, etc.), the Shia-Sunni conflict is to be ranked within most important causes of chaos.

there may be many political debates in Sunni/Shia relations in Iraq, but it generally remembers me the very chronic ideological clashes between two groups; or at least there are some signs which show that the current problem in Iraq is not only political but also some old problems are in its root.

conflict between these two important parts of Islam's Nation throughout history has caused desperate results which not only affected several generations in many countries, but also paved the way for some foreign agents to achieve their malicious goals.

but what are the real problems between Shia and Sunni? is there anything unsolvable in its essence?

I don’t think so. though you can find Shia minorities in Sunni countries and vice versa (which means that these 2 groups have lived together for a very long time), there is a very wide gap between people. as I see, neither Sunni understand Shia, nor do Shia understand the other part.

there is a pile of mis-understanding between two groups which works as a very efficient mean to divide them and provide some others with the opportunity to rule. and I wonder why even distinguished scholars do not try to solve these simple problems. in many cases, these problems can be solved very easily, because they don’t enjoy even a bit of truth. these false beliefs which do exist in each side about the other can be solved in a collaborative work.

check out an example of these false accusations right here:

original resource
it's google cache

in this page (which seems to be the script of a recorded speech), Sheikh Muhammd Hassan (the famous Quran recitor?) says:

"فهم يعتقدون أن القرآن الذي بين أيدينا الآن قرآن محرف، ... وليس هو القرآن الذي أنزله الله على نبينا صلى الله عليه وسلم"

which means:

"then, they [Shia] believe that this Quran currently in our hands is distorted,... and is not [exactly] what Allah descended to our prophet (peace be upon him)."

then, what is the story if it is a false accusation?

there are some Hadith books of Shia scholars (like: Bihar-al-Anwar which means 'seas of lights'), which gathered too many so-called Hadiths, both true and false ones, and did not distinguished between original and fake quotes attributed to Holy Prophet and Shia Imams (indeed, there is a long story why these books were made, and why they did gather even those Fake Quotes). now, those who review these quotes in these books can accuse Shia of very stupid beliefs of this kind very easily, while No Shia believes in such stories.

and also we can find some other similar facts at the root of these accusations which are completely nonsense.

with regards to the fact that right now I am in daily contact with the world through web and also the other fact that I have lived for more than 2 decades in a Shia society, I feel that there is a hidden hand which tries to spread these words; which tries to divide and rule.

"people tend to live in peace with each other. they were born that way. when you see even a drop of blood, you should seek for the dirty hands of some politicians."

Stoning Cancelled

By the direct order of the head of Iran's Judiciary System, Ayatollah Mahmood Shahroodi, planned stoning of a man and woman got cancelled.

Morever, the head of Qazvin Province’s judiciary office emphasized on the previously published order of Ayatollah Shahroodi which had asked the judges not to sentence anybody to stoning.

official source: Farsnews (Persian)

Stoning news approved by officials

few hours ago, I read about 'planned stoning of a man and woman who committed adultery 12 years ago and had been in prison since then'. That was published by a 'Women's Rights Activists Group'.

Original Source (Persian):
http://www.meydaan.org/news.aspx?nid=391

Another (English):
http://www.mideastyouth.com/2007/06/19/breaking-news-man-and-woman-to-be-stoned-in-qazvin-iran/

At the beginning, I was suspicious if that was original or fake; called Takistan's local judiciary office (Takistan is located in Qazvin province), and to my surprise, they approved the news.

Just for those who want to call: the number mentioned in above sources (for local office) is not true. call this number, and its not busy: +98 282 523 0676

Atheist vs. Believer

Atheist: I don't believe in God.
Believer: Why?
A: cuz you don't have any proof for it.
B: then, you just believe in those things which can be proved?
A: yes
B: then, according to what Godel proved, you won't believe in some true statements forever, yes?
A: yes. I admit that there are some true statements in which I will never believe.

Queen Elizabeth's birthday party in Tehran

These photos were taken form the guests of UK embassy in Tehran who participated in the Queen Elizabeth's birthday party.

some of the guests didnt want their photos to be taken by reporters.

Bassij members stop some of the Iranian guests and ask them not to participate in the party.


"Guests of UK! shame on you."

Original photo report:
http://www.farsnews.net/plarg.php?nn=M249126.jpg

Everybody who saw this place, got happy

Once upon a time, an Arab Caliph got out of Baghdad. Riding here and there, he finally arrived at a very beautiful suburban area of Baghdad.
The beauty of the place was really amazing. He ordered to make a palace and a small town there, and named it: 'everybody who saw this place, got happy'.
*****
A history teacher in high school told us this story.
Right now, I wonder how 'Chaos Theory' is able to predict the 'Butterfly Effect' of that decision (the decision of Caliph to build a city right there).
If that king were sick that day, if his horse were not riding that way, if that day were within winter not spring, and too many more ifs, we might never see that city on the map.
Indeed, if one of these IFs had come true, that city would have been wiped off the map before its appearance!
One more question: if the Caliph were still alive in these days, would he name the city 'everybody who saw this place, got happy' again?
I'm not sure. Yesterday, this city saw again one of the most... sorry! I can't find a proper adjective to describe my feeling. Check news headlines for yesterday attacks on Samarra, in Iraq. The holy shrine of 2 Shia Imams got exploded again.
Waiting for a time to see peace brought back to Iraq, and see that 'everybody who sees this place, gets happy'.
God Willing
*****
Samarra: Medieval Islamic writers believed that the name “Samarra” is derived from the Arabic phrase, “Sarre men ra’a” which translates to “A joy for all who see”.

Who thinks US-Iran direct talks are really serious?!

Who thinks US-Iran direct talks are really serious?!

Zero-Degree-Turn and Ahmadinejad’s speeches; what they have in common?

It was about 4 months ago that I found this site which I hereafter call a kind of "collective effort in order to improve the situation in mideast, though not a very wide one".

At the very beginning, I was very eager to find a subject that might interest others and write about it as soon as possible.

Oh! Yes! I live in a country that makes enough hot news every second, especially when we consider the capability of our president, Ahmadinejad! Seismic effects of his every speech may be interesting enough for any reporter to write too many articles about them, analyze his attitude, predict the future, or even diagnose his mental health!

What about nuclear issue? Do we need or want it? What do ordinary people think about it?
Democracy? Women’s rights? Hijab crackdown? Fuel problem? Next parliamentary elections and its disputed date? Next round of sanctions? Would it solve the problem? A possible American invasion? Pre-emptive air attacks of Israel?

Why did I forget about Israel and wiping it off the map? Or our foreign minister's stance that "every elementary student knows a country can not be wiped off the map"?

Today, I was watching 9th installment of Zero Degree Turn; a new series aired by Iran's state TV and one of the most expensive series ever produced in my country. For a while, I felt that this movie is somehow similar to our president, Ahmadinjad. After a while, I found the similarity!

First read these articles about 0-Degree-Turn:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/866562.html

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/122651

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117966393.html?categoryId=14&cs=1

For those who may not be eager to read those articles:The story is about a romantic relationship between an Iranian Muslim (who lives in France & is an associate of Iran's embassy in Paris) and a Jew girl; and it happens nearly 60 years ago: right at the beginning of WWII.

Now, for all:This story may address several important issues about Jews, Holocaust, Israel, etc, either implicitly or explicitly, but its better not to overestimate its effect on public opinion. my relatives and friends pay attention to the romantic story, beautiful decoration, and depiction of somehow previously forbidden scenes (like an Iranian boy who flirts with some of his pretty classmates, obviously girls I mean!) much more than its semi-hidden political messages (if they even understand that there is a political sub-layer in this movie). The only political issue, to which ordinary people (may) pay attention, is that Iranians were not hostile to the Jews while they were suffering anti-Semitic attitudes in Europe.

Now, about Ahmadinejad: Ahmadinejad may speak about Israel every time he travels to a poor part of this country; and people may be so quiet while he threatens this and that or speaks about countdown to the destruction of Israel. But you should know that people (most of them) don’t either approve or even listen to first half of his speech. They wait for the 2nd half, in which he is supposed to bring the oil's revenue to their tables!

Conclusion: Ahmadinejad and his speeches may be compared to that movie; very few people (if any) in the depth of the society would pay attention to their political messages.

Ahmadinejad is just a movie which may not push any real action within (this) society in its political terms. I’m waiting for its happy end, God willing!