BBC Persian TV is launching!

We finally had some good news: BBC Persian Service, the second professional news and television program, is slated to launch by the end of the year.

Many of the journalists and editors of PTV -- as the BBC refers to it-- are my old friends and colleagues and most of them have no TV background. But there is no need for panic, the BBC always offers the best (or one of the best) training programs. Almost all of the 70 PTV employees have now completed their courses on TV journalism. BBC Persian TV has only one rival: VOA Persian, news and feature programs run by VOA out of Washington. DC, but many experts believe the quality and content of the VOA programs do not meet BBC standards.

There appears to be a huge gap between the producers of VOA's PersianTV programs and the youth in Iran, who make up the majority of the population. Furthermore, VOA is considered to be one-sided and biasedin its reporting and pursues an approach toward Iran that is old fashioned.

The BBC Persian Service is considered to be conservative, but one that seeks to maintain its ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran. It has been criticized for not being impartial, even for being pro regime, or at least favorable to the reformist faction of the Iranian government. But the BBC's standards of neutrality, balance and responsibility in reporting require it to have a rational relationship with any government in Iran.

The BBC works hard to keep a correspondent and an office in Tehran. But requests by its Persian service to open an office in Tehran has been rejected many times. The IR has also banned the BBC Persian website, which has "millions" of visitors each month, mostly fromIran.

I remember when I was dispatched to cover a demonstration against Khatami in front of Chatham House in London; When I asked anti-regime Iranians for a short interview, most of them answered with anger and disappointment at the BBC Persian Service and blamed it for supporting the regime.

I can understand their feelings, but I cannot understand why they expect the BBC to act as a subversive media outlet. But I also know that most of those same Iranians living abroad check the BBC Persian Service website everyday and get most of their information from there.

In Iran, the BBC appears to be more popular, in my survey that I conducted last year, more than 90% of students who asked to said they would welcome BBC PTV as a new source of news.

In this survey most of the students said they use the internet and Persian satellite TV to access the latest news on Iran and international issues or even entertainment, while also watching IRIB news programs.

While some experts like Massoumeh Torfeh correctly believe BBC Persian TV may face challenge to Iran’s media market, there are many factors that can workin its favor to woo viewers and catch eyes on this new channel, including trust, influence and having a good relationship in Iran, we can also count on young editors in BBC Persian TV.

But it is obvious that these factors are not enough. The BBC needs to cover the different needs of its audience. In my survey, a majority of students suggested a 50-50 breakdown between news and non political programs.

From this point of view, maybe no TV background of almost all of editors come out, if they don't involve more TV people especially those who came from Iran in editorial and gate keeping system.

BBC Persian TV has an eye on its Arabic channel, and another on its competitors. but may be the only answer for knowing, making and involving audience is focus on research and survey, The BBC Persian radio service generally has no more than a 5% audience, and the website is completely filtered in Iran. So the only way for the BBC to find its way into the living room of Iranians is through satellite TV. By some estimates, more than 60% urban households have satellite television, though it is illegal.

I will write more on BBC PTV, while some blatherers in some notorious websites in Iran published my name as one of three cavalier of this TV (while I am not involve in any part of it), but I like the promotion compliment of being a cavalier of media!

So thank you!
...

Related:

The Long Story of My Critic on BBC Persian!
The Paradox of Iranian Media

...

Iran's Human rights violation in the shadow of nuclear issue

On the same day that Saeid Jalili, Iran's nuclear negotiator, was preparing two pages full of mistakes and silly plans for a nuclear summit in Geneva, an Islamic Revolution Court in Sannadaj, a large city in the Kurdistan Province of Iran, sentenced Hana Abdi, a 21-year-old student and feminist activist, to five years in jail in exile, in a small city near the border where political prisoners are held alongside common criminals.

Hana Abdi, captured 9 month ago, was accused of atheism, warfare, and activity against national security, but her lawyer has said there is no evidence in his client's file to back up the claims.
Abdi was arrested with Ronak Safarzadeh, who is still in Intelligence Minstery lockup. Similarly, Safarzadeh is accused of atheism, warfare, and terrorist plotting. Her confessions are the only evidence against her in her file. During her stay at the Intelligence Ministry, it was reported at least twice that she was transferred to a hospital, leading to reports she was tortured into confessing to crimes.

Iran's jails are the most dangerous in the world, not only for political activists, but for ordinary people as well, who are captured violating obligatory Islamic rules such as the mandatory wearing of the Hijab. Many girls have been beaten and raped in recent years, and some killed. There are lots of cases of "suicide" in jails; families believe the "suicides" are victims of rape and murder by interrogators.

All attempts to investigate such claims of torture, rape, and murder in jails get blocked by the court system. Ronak and Hana [pdf] are not the only young girls accused of atheism and warfare; there are feminists, leftist activists, and students in jail on such charges. Some are kidnapped and disappeared for months; there is a deep fear that they may be killed at any moment.
While most of the news coverage of Iran is focused on the nuclear issue, finding reports on the daily and systematic human rights violations happening inside Iran is rare to the point of being nonexistent. The nuclear issue casts a deep shadow over international coverage, obscuring what is happening to 70 million Iranians, people who suffering from Iran's brand of political Islam.

President Ahamdinejad's government - which says Iran's people are getting happier - is at the same time trying to tighten the noose with heavy sentences like capital punishment around students, feminists, teachers, workers, and political activists.

On the same day Ahmadinejad was on NBC saying Iranians are lucky to live under a dictatorship, 29 young men were hanged in Evin prison, some of them younger than 20.
While Ahmadinejad was smiling and saying to NBC, "You shouldn't be worried about the Iranian people," eight young women and one man are awaiting a sentence of death by stoning for adultery.

While the world continues to focus on the never-ending nuclear negotiations with Iran, Iran's human rights violations should play a part in the discussions [pdf].

Published in: The Seminal

Persain Satellite TV,new challenge for I.R Iran

This is my research paper`s abstract has accepted to be presented in: Global Communication Confrence in Oman. 1

Persian Satellite TV, new challenge for IRI
Omid Habibinia
Media Researcher
IAMCR, IFJ, SJV (Switzerland)

Less than one decade ago, the first Persian Sat TV was received in Iran; but nowadays more than 35 Sat TVs are broadcasting different programs for Iran in abroad, mainly from US and still there will be more.

The appearing Persian Sat TVs channels brought up some socio/cultural changes in the urban areas. As the number of the these channels viewers lifted up to more than 50 percent, the gap between them and the Islamic values got wider and at the same time affected some aspects of daily life in Iran such as media habits, getting news and social discourse.

This study will take a look at the presentations of these channels in Iran and will review the process and the way they approach, facing a dynamic society in Iran; it will try to describe why this market/society needs more channels and alternative media.

the other hand, IRI´s media and specially IRIB are deeply affected by these Sat TV channels. However, since their appearance, they have encountered these channels in three phases: ignorance, enmity and now inactivating.

In Addition, we will take a look to some polls, which have been done by the researcher during last 2 years; these show how young audience, who are the potential viewers of Sat TVs dealing with alternative media and what they expect from them.
Some part of the questionnaires was spread in last summer among 1400 students in Tehran and some universities around the country regarding to expected BBC Persian TV channel. It shows most of them prefer alternative media to reach the news and information for dealing their socio/politics and cultural needs.

The study also tries to show the success and the weak points of the Persian TV programs together with their media policy and a society who is very dynamic and needs for diversity.

A society which has now nearly the most Sat TV channels in the world broadcasted in abroad.

Related Stories:

-The Paradox of Iranian Media

- Irananin Journalist Comments on Iran´s Media

-Media War in Iran

_______________________________________________________________

1-The paper has accepted to persented in the Seven Biennial Confrence on Iranain Studies At University of Toronto ,but I cant manage to present it myself, The Media pannel also canceld due the absence of speechers, This paper also accepted by Global Communication Confrence to be held in October in Universiyt of Oman.

Iranians supporting Obama?

A few months till US presidential elections, many Iranians think democrats will be the best choice for the US foreign policy toward Iran.



I know many Iranians and Iranian-Americans who support Barack Obama, not only because he is democrat or came from a minority but also he looks intellectual.

Comparing Obama to McCain or G.W.Bush shows how deep is the difference.

In my opinion many Iranians prefer democrats, they may remember what happened when Shah supported Republicans and Carter won, he insisted for freedom of speech in Iran which called in Iran” Open Political Era”, but regime was so corrupted so any open era couldn’t save it, we have the same situation with Islamic Republic that many believe no reform can not carry on.

When Obama, talked about Iranian Bloggers, many of 1.5 million bloggers repeat his words and welcomed mentioning by a democrat.

I had wrote about a draft for death sentence for Iranian bloggers last week and recently three political prisoner in Iran sentenced to death and at the same time Ahamdinejad interviewed with NBC talked about luckyness and happiness of people, people who in the heat of hot summer have no electricity and water for more than 5 hours, people who more than 45% of them are under of the poverty line, people who even can not choose what to wear,…

Many Iranians believe, we need more support by the world, voices like Obama in his historical speech in Berlin, will influenced more than some politicians like G.W Bush who seems to be more like cowboy than a president.

Cowboys can always do business and sometimes do stupid adventures, I really hope we have rational and close relationship between two nation after Obama.

Death Penalty for Iranian Bloggers

A few weeks ago, the Islamic Parliament in Iran approved a draft law which shocked the country and is at the center of current debate.

The draft law is asking for expanded sentencing for those who publish atheistic articles and pornographic materials and facing them to death.

In that draft, journalists, bloggers and intellectuals publishing such articles are considered same like crimes such as rape, sex slave exporters, banditry, prostitution, depravity, and kidnapping.

According to this draft, which was approved for faster review by the majority of Majlis [Iranian members of Parliament], the death sentence could be used against bloggers, journalists, artists, and intellectuals who can be easily falsely accused and convicted by intelligence services or the judiciary branch for publishing "articles against Islam."

Beside China, Iran is the most dangerous country for the bloggers and maintains one of the tightest controls over the Internet. Yet, more than 1.5 million bloggers write daily about their life, publishing about local news or criticizing government and mandatory Islamic rules. Based on Alexa, Iranian internet users are eager to read blogs as a source of news, semi-news, gossips, or entertainment.

Blog providers inside Iran are very sensitive to the content of blogs they host. If they find an anti-Islamic or pornography focused blog, they immediately delete it. If they ignore the blog, the filtering center in the Communication Ministry will delete it. My Persian language blog, like many blogs and websites criticizing the regime, is banned and filtered inside Iran by either the service providers or the government.

This new draft law, which brought waves of criticism against new conservative Majlis, including from major EU and human rights organizations, brings the prospect of harsh suppression of intellectuals and bloggers. The death penalty is an option.

To underscore the point, there are many political prisoners in the notorious jails inside Iran who are there because they have been accused of atheism or have been targeted by fatwas issued by top mullahs including the Supreme Leader Khamenehei. Under Islamic law in Iran, the sentences these people face include beheading, crucifing, whiping, executing and the cutting hands and feet.

Bloggers inside Iran believe the draft law is created to threaten youth and intellectuals, as well as suppressing freedom of speech and expression.

Published in: The Seminal

English Plz!

NYT reported that I.R.Iran has distributed a letter in 5+1+1 meeting in Geneva last week full of dictation and grammer mistakes, it seems nobody in Tehran do not take this meeting seriously!

There was nobody in the Foreign Ministry or Security Council of regime who can write an understandable letter?

Or they wanted to bewail western diplomates?

Of course in that cabinet there are a lot of Mullahs and fanatic ideologues who usually talk and write in Persian that most of people can not understand, we can  only understand Ahmadinejad`s speech and really laugh...

The brilliant tactic used to write that two-pages informal letter is the same as I.R. Iran`s leaders always doing, talk about something which is not demanded by audience!

BTW, noboday in Geneva didn't know how to rise Islamic Republic`s flag?

Or that was like IR`s letter a sign?

So it seems nuclear talks is going to be interpreted by linguistic and Semiotics instead of diplomatic language!

interesting... I like that move...!

I am Gaza Citizen too

A few months ago, when Gaza was in the siege and Israel cut fuel supply for Gaza’s power station, I wrote a personal note in Radio Zamaneh website in pseudonym.

I wrote about my friends in Gaza and Israel and tragedy over there the Title was: ”… and Gaza sinks in darkness”.

That was the night which about 1.5 millions of people spend in darkness. I wrote about Dr. Mona El-Farra and some of my online friends and all miserable people who suffered from hunger and sanction.

The article has got one of the most articles hits in the website and also the link in Balatarin, Persian version of Digg, was the top link of the week.

Although, there were some users asking me, why do you supporting Palestinians? They argued Islamic Republic spending a lot of money for them while there are peoples in Iran who need Electricity, roads and health services also.

I didn’t answer them, but I don’t understand why some young users believe Iran’s government send money to Palestinians, we may guess they support Hezbollah or all fundamentalists groups in the region including Hamas, but what to do with Palestinians people?

They don’t spend money to somewhere there is no benefits, so they just use them for propaganda.

In my article, there was some links to my Israelis and Palestinians bloger friends, I also send a message to Mona and ask her if she like to do an interview , but it was reasonable got no answer during the blackout.

I really respect her and got some comments from Rami Almeghari a journalist in Gaza for the news (at that time I was news editor of Radio Zamaneh).

But a few days later checked her blog for news about ending blackout, I found a comment from a small group in Islamic Republic called themselves private news agency which actually running by government institutions.

Someone form the link of my article found her blog and wrote there we are supporting you and representing your suffers in our “Alternative” news agency!

Then they cut and past some lines of my article and my news from Radio Zamaneh to their website to show how an “Alternative” news agency works!

Usually we are calling Alternative media to whom are different from main stream or hegemonic, government’s media, But they also copy & past my comment there in their name again, and called themselves “Alternative” media.

The way they use Palestine conflict and Palestinians are like the way they use such terms like “Alternative Media”.

On the other hand, I,like many Iranians who have empathy with Israelis, have a lot of Israelis journalists and blogers friends, every time hearing about an attack against innocent children and people of Israel; I think what kind of ideology can make a tribe, a group or a band so violent and without mercy, how do they think with killing innocent people could dive directly to heaven?

I am happy the conflict with two side is seems calmed down now.

Although the situation in Gaza is not improved yet, But I am sure many people in that region know what is Islamic Republic’s propaganda for.

Media War In Iran

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Demo against death of a african asylum seeker in St.Gallen Switzerland 2003

IRAN News Photos :21 June 2006

A Killer near Us!
The general prosecutor and member of the Iranian delegation at the Human Rights Council Saeed Mortazavi talks to the press at Geneva, Wednesday, June 21, 2006. Iranian opposition criticises the presence of Mortazavi at the Human Rights Council, blaming him to be responsible for violations of human rights in Iran and the arrest of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, who was killed during her captivity. The
opposition demands his expulsion. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini) AP
An Iran fan holds a flag in the stands before their Group D World Cup 2006 soccer match against Angola in Leipzig June 21, 2006. FIFA RESTRICTION - NO MOBILE USE REUTERS/Damir Sagolj (GERMANY)

JLG OH

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This is a Video Clip wich has used as my 15 min.Persentation at OS Deutsch Class on:
Jean-Luc Godad.

IRAN News Photos :11 June 2006

Iran supporter with non Islamic Iran`s flag, cheers as she watches the World Cup soccer match between Iran and Mexico on a video screen in Frankfurt June 11, 2006. REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler (GERMANY)
Iran supporters without Islamic sign,cheer as they watch the World Cup soccer match between Iran and Mexico on a huge video screen in Frankfurt June 11, 2006. REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler (GERMANY)


IR Vice President and the head of the state's physical education organization Mohammed Aliabadi waves an Iranian flag in the crowd at the World Cup Group D soccer match between Iran and Mexico in Nuremberg, Germany, Sunday, June 11, 2006. Aliabadi, one of seven Iranian vice presidents, is in Germany to watch Iran play and is not representing hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a spokesman for his organization in Tehran said. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

An Iranian soccer fan wears an Israeli flag during a demonstration in Nuremberg, June 11, 2006. Some one thousand people protested on Sunday against anti-Jewish statements made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a rally organized by the Jewish cultural community in Germany ahead of the Iran v Mexico first round World Cup 2006 soccer match in Nuremberg. REUTERS/Toby Melville (GERMANY)

Participants in a demonstration against anti-semitism, carry signs, with the one on the left reading 'red card for Ahmadinedschad', which uses a soccer term signifying dismissal from a match, to allude to recent inflammatory remarks made by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the city of Nuremberg, southern Germany, Sunday, June 11, 2006. The national soccer team of Iran will play its first World Cup 2006 soccer match against Mexico in the World Cup stadium, in Nuremberg. (AP Photo/Christof Stache)

At their newspaper's office, two Iranian female journalists watch Iran's national soccer team match against Mexico during World Cup, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 11, 2006. Iran on Sunday lost 3-1 to Mexico in their soccer World Cup match, held in Nuremberg, Germany. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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IRAN:News Photos of First Week of June 2006

Mona Allpour-Dijvenjini (R) representing Iran and Maria Garrido Baez representing Spain at the 'Miss WM' contest pose for photographs before the final at the Europa Park amusement park in Rust June 1, 2006. 32 women representing nations that attend the FIFA 2006 Soccer World Cup take part in this competition on Thursday. WORLD CUP 2006 PREVIEW REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz (Germany)



Monarchist`s National Iranian Television (NITV) President Zia Atabay poses in his Woodland Hills, Calif., office Tuesday, May 16, 2006. Atabay says his NITV satellite station is helping the U.S. goal of promoting democracy and thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions. To improve his station's service, Atabay is hoping to receive U.S. funding from the $75 million (euro58.6 million) requested of Congress by the federal government to spark regime change in Iran through broadcasting. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Iranian students shout slogans as they stand beside a fire in front of the main doors of Tehran University dormitory complex during a demonstration against recently published cartoons, early in the morning in Tehran Wednesday, May 24, 2006. Iran closed a state-owned newspaper and detained its chief editor and cartoonist for publishing a cartoon that sparked riots by ethnic Azeris in northwestern Iran, a sign of the hard-line government's concern over any sign of divisions amid its confrontation with the United States. (AP Photo)
Members of the National Council of Resistance for Iran, depicting a public execution by hanging, rally outside Britain's Foreign Office, calling for immediate United Nations sanctions against Iran, in central London, Wednesday May 24, 2006. Six world powers, the five U.N. Security Council nations and Germany, looked Wednesday at the London meeting, for common ground on rewarding Iran if it gives up uranium enrichment _ or punishing it if it doesn't. Among the issues being discussed was a compromise proposal for possible U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran should Tehran refuse to give up uranium enrichment, diplomats said.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

The Paradox of Iranian Media

Recently, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government notched up the battle against alternative and underground media and arrested more intellectuals, such as Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo .

A mosaic of Persian satellite TV channels ;

©2006 O.Habibinia

Currently, they plan to broadcast "parasitically" on Persian satellite channels, which are quite popular in Iran. Moreover, Sepah-e-Pasdaran (the Islamic Guard) is responsible for carrying out the mission. This is the usual tactic of the regime when urban unrest threatens. In recent demonstrations, they have broadcast on the same frequency as the Persian satellite channels, but the tactic was not successful, as they disturbed the whole frequency band and did not succeed even in covering all of Tehran.

SatelliteTV Access in Iran Iran: Some Facts Population: 70.7 million (UN, 2005) Capital: Tehran (over 11 million) Area: 1.65 million sq km (636,313 sq miles) Major language: Persian GNI per capita: US $2,320 (World Bank, 2006) Youth (below 35 years): 81 percent TV viewers: 97 percent (Based on national poll, 2005) Country's satellite TV viewers: 65 percent (Estimated) Tehran's satellite TV Viewers: 70 percent (Estimated) Internet users: 33 percent (Estimated) Rate of dissatisfaction with Persian satellite TV broadcasts: 77 percent (Based on an Internet poll by O. Habibinia, May 2006) State national TV channels: 6 State local TV channels: 19 Persian satellite TV broadcasts for Iran: 33 (mostly based in Los Angeles) Satellite TV stations available in Iran: 2,250 (including illegal access to paid channels) / Omid Habibinia

For the project, a $15 million budget is proposed to develop a systematic parasite broadcaster to all parts of Tehran. The planners believe that they can send parasites without affecting mobile lines or electronic instruments except the broadcasters.Actually, as the state media in Iran treat cultural issues as political, there has always been a normative gap between Islamic values reflected by such media and popular culture.After 27 years of Islamic propaganda, the majority of youths no longer set store by Islamic laws. A poll done in 2000 of Iranian teenagers' beliefs showed most of them did not want to observe Islamic rules such as obligatory Hijab or those dealing with the opposite sex (O. Habibinia and others, CARC, Tehran). Most of these youths had watched famous Hollywood movies, readily accessible in Iran, before being edited for the official screen.


Thirteen years ago, when I was in film school, our new professor, recently arrived from the U.S., excitedly described for us the premier of Robert Altman's Short Cuts, which was then his most recent film. He felt it a pity that we could not watch it in Iran. In response, we smiled and said actually that we had seen it the previous month! During the last 10 years, popular culture has influenced the state media more than the other way round. In Iran, more than 60 percent of urban families watch satellite TV. This forces Islamic TV (IRIB) to show more and more American and Western films and series at the same time. As lots of scenes and parts cannot appear on Islamic TV, they change the scenario or introduce special effects to make them suitable.This also happens to underground rock music.Whereas years ago no one could imagine an official rock concert by young local groups, now the government is forced to make exceptions for some that are not that dangerous!Of course, they continue to produce and broadcast religious series or programs, but the official polls show such fare attracts a smaller audience than any other kind of programming.On the other hand, about 35 Persian channels broadcasting from outside Iran cannot also satisfy a significant fraction of young Iranian viewers, who cannot fathom the political perspectives of old men answering phone calls on screen.
Some months ago, the New York Times published a report on such awful programs by Persian TV stations based in Los Angeles.In a recent poll, most viewers of Persian satellite TV say they do not trust the political perspective of these channels.This process encourages the development of inside alternatives and underground media to express the nature of daily life in today's Iran, such as rock groups, blogs, and underground videos. These media, which Islamic censorship would prefer not to appear at all, portray the dual face of Iran, which daily gets less deniable.

2006-05-17 08:34 (KST) ©2006 OhmyNews

FREUD

Iran:Photos of the day:1.May 2006

Bush,Dont Touch Iran!
Protesters stage a sit-in as they carry banners reading 'Bush, Don't touch Iran' during a Mayday demonstration in Kadikoy district in Istanbul May 1, 2006. Banners at left read as 'Bush should be tried' and 'Incirlik should be closed' referring to the Turkish-U.S. joint airbase in southern Turkey. Tens of thousands of Mayday demonstrators marched through the Istanbul's busiest Kadikoy Square, as a small group who tried to domonstrate in Taksim square were detained by riot police on Monday. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas

Zürich:Stop Mullahs!

A group of Iranian protesters shout slogans during a May Day rally in downtown Zurich, Switzerland, May 1,

2006. The demonstrators called for a release of political prisoners, and a stop to Iran's atomic programme. REUTERS/Andreas Meier

May Day in Iran: Against class disparity
yesterday hundreds of workers togeather with students demonstreated in Tehran against class disparity. Police had supressed them and arrest some of the protesters.workers of Bus Syndicate according to last strike are still in jail.

An Iranian worker holds a placard where says in Persian 'class disparity biggest threat to the Islamic establishment' during a rally to mark May Day or International Labor Day in front of the former U.S embassy compound in Tehran, Iran on Monday May, 1, 2006.(AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian)

Two Photos of Iranian Girls!
Two face of Iranian girls inside and outside of obligatory Isalmic rules.
First:Iranian women, who painted the Iran's flag on their faces and lips, flash the V-sign for victory during a football match between Iran 's women national football team and Germany's Al-Dersimspor at Tehran's Ararat stadium, 29 April 2006. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had announced 24 April 2006 that Iranian women can finally go to stadiums to watch sporting events, putting an unexpected end to a quarter-century ban.(AFP/File)

Second:Iranian wins Houston bikini contest(More Photos)

Nuke Iran`s T-Shirts!
Cafepress has presented Anti-Iran solgans like T-shirts.
"Fuck and Nuke IRAN!" and Iran is the next has written on them.It is said that the vice persident of Cafepress is also Iranian!
More Anti-Iran Solgans!

DIGITAL CITY 2

Our Last year Vist to Digital City in Seoul(Korea) organized by OhMyNews.

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Iran:Photos of the day,April 2006

Iranain Man tries to hide Satelite dish that is forbiden in Iran.
New Goverment palns to incrise fine and punitives for Sat TV users.
Some Media Experts stimated about 55% of puplation are the audience of Sat TV.


Related:Poll on Persian Sat TVs(Persian)

Islamic Republics Polic fighting against girl in Tehran!
They call them"Bad Hijab"!
Acctualy most of Iranian girls dont belive Hijab or other kind of Islamic rules.


In this pictuer by Reuters an Iranian coupl kissing each other before arresting by Police

An Iranian policewoman (back to camera) watches a couple kiss before restraining them on a street in Tehran, Iran April 22, 2006. REUTERS/Stringer
Reuters - Sun Apr 23, 5:25 PM ET


In these pictures Iranian girls take off obligitory hijab during eincent Persian Fest in Tehran`s Streets,called Charshanbe Sori that always have conflicts with Police.

Related Story:Iranian Women March for Freedom

Related Photos:1...,2...,3...,4...,5...

The flags of Saudi Arabia and the Iran are blacked out on a huge banner at the facade of brothel 'Pascha' in Cologne, Germany, Monday, April 24, 2006 after unidentified men had demanded the clearance of the flags of the islamic states by a threat of violence over the weekend. Words on banner read 'It's nice to be a Pasha'. The flags represent the countries participating in the Soccer World Cup taking place in Germany in June and July. (AP Photo/Hermann J. Knippertz)

AP - Mon Apr 24, 7:11 AM ET

DIGITAL CITY 1

Journalism Forum OhMyNews,Seoul June 2005

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