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January 13, 2006
Weblogistan: The Blogoshpere Revolution in Iran
In the "Mullahs Verses the Bloggers," Ben Macintyre writing in the London Times gives a comprehensive picture of blogging in Iran as a counterpoint to the current repressive regime there. According to Macintyre, “Farsi is the 28th most spoken language in the world, but it now ties with French as the second most used language in the Blogosphere. This is the place Iranians call Weblogistan: a land of noisy and irreverent free speech.” What a fascinating fact that expresses the paradox of Iran and much of the Moslem world which still in many cases brutally represses women as well as the individual’s right to express oneself in a ways that might be contrary to a very narrow interpretation of Sharia or Islamic Religious Law.
Sahar Maranlou periodically updates the Minciu Sodas discussion group on the situation in Iran, particularly in relation to the perspective of women. She has a blog in "Weblogistan" I am caught by a simple statement on her blog in which she views herself as "An Individual Who Wants A Better World For All." The picture of Sahar on her blog only exposes part of her face. To me that has important symbolic significance in relation to the current reality unfolding in Iran and the larger Islamic world.
Sahar recently noted on Minciu Sodas that there are many stigmas against women in Muslim countries. However in Iran, more than 70% of Iranian population is below 30 years old. They are well educated young Iranians who want to have more benefits from development of Iran and many want a more liberal society instead of a more conservative and socially repressive one. Through their persistent everyday pressure the role of women in different aspects of Iranian society has been increased despite continued resistance from the theocracy. It seems their power of the mullahs on the everyday aspects of Iranian society is limited.
To give an example, it is interesting to know that 63% of university students are women. Nevertheless, Iranian women movement is faced with cultural and legal obstacles to reach gender equality including the election of an extremist conservative as Iran’s President. She also notes that women often use the more restrictive dress codes imposed by the theocracy on Iranian women (ensuring that their bodies are as covered as possible) as opportunities to design innovative and beautiful clothing.
Another Minciu Sodas member Bala Palai offers us a link to Ghada Jamshir, a Bahraini women’s rights activist who was interviewed on Al-Arabiya TV on December 21. This woman's http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/GrantSwank60103.htm">couragous effort to promote the women's liberation in Islam could be the major start of the crumbling of the Islamic cleric's barbaric hold on Islamic societies.
I noted the increasing frustration of many Iranian who feel they are being pigeonholed by many in the world because of the fact that Iran is governed by at theocracy that seeks to promote a certain image of Iran which is not rreflect of their own aspirations. And so I was intrigued by these pictures as it challenged my preconceived notion of what Tehran would be like.
In truth through the paradox is much bigger than a just an issue of Iran or Islam struggling with the reality of a modern global society…as that embedded residue of patriarchy is still very much in control even in the so called “liberal and open developed societies” that are leading the path to modernization. This paradox is also expressed on a larger or possibly similar level in terms of many of our feelings towards this new year both in relation to the challenges/obstacles/barriers to authentic human growth and development as well as the potential opportunities for that growth and transcendence that lie ahead not only in the coming year but the coming century. Contradictions such as seen in the reality of Iran today are in all of us as we face the future with a paradoxical mixture of fear, reluctance and excitement.
Oh, just on a related note. Take a look at Iranian Nader Kahili’s Cal Earth Institute. He has expressed an interest in helping his homeland by developing his ecologically responsible, earthquake proof building systems there.
Posted by jefbuder at January 13, 2006 08:49 AM