An illustration devoted to Basij members

My Basiji brother, you are from the people and with the people

The illustration invites Basijis to talk to the people instead of beating them in the streets. Mirhossein Mousavi the leader of the opposition in his last declaration letter addressed Basijis to be concerned about the roots of the organization. He warns them to be aware of the government’s strategy to use them as a repression machine against people. The opposition blogers are now trying to start a dialouge with Basij members, hopefuly, to decrease their truculence. They believe that the big change occurs also by educating the people who are members of Basij organization and informing them about the way they are being used by the government. The opposition believs that to avoid violence, diologue should be substituted,  by people approaching the Basij members.

I suggest you to read this article on The New York Times to have deeper understanding about Basij. Also this page on Wikipedia provides some information about the organization and the roots.

Filed under: politics, Social networking, Stories, Basij, green movement, iran, Iran election, iran politics, iran reformists, iran students, mousavi

What did I get from Mousavi’s decleration #15

Mousavi is a respectful leader for the Iranian green movement. In his declarations he has played rolls as  an affiliative, pacesetter and coaching leader. Sometimes the declaration letters carry out the message “come with me”, others declare the message that “people come first”. He has also suggested people to try an approach. In his last declaration letter (number 15) I assume that it holds the message of “try this”. He directly talks with Basij members  and it seems that he suggests people the message “do as I do now”. He encourages people to start dialogue with Basijies.

چه کودتاگران بخواهند و چه نخواهند رییس جمهور این روزهای ایران میرحسین موسوی است. وقایع چند ماه اخیر در کنار همه تلخی ها فرصتی به مردم عطا کرده تا  میرحسین موسوی را  در قالب یک راهبر محک بزنند و بسنجند که رییس جمهور برگزیدشان چگونه مدیریست و در عمل چه می کند. جدای از کاراکتر موسوی و حرف ها و نظراتش، موسوی را راهبری  موفق برای جنبش مردمی می دانیم .سوال اینست که چرا موسوی رهبر خوبی است

پاسخ در روش رهبری است. اول باید تکلیفم را با واژه رهبری مشخص کنم چون هر بار از این کلمه استفاده می کنم به یاد رهبر معظم می افتم و تعریف ایشان از رهبری به صورت پارازیت به مغز من ارسال می شود! منظور از رهبری صدور فرمان و حکم به این و آن  و به خودی ها تن علیل را نشان دادن و به صورت مردم پنجه کشیدن نیست. منظور از رهبر، عضوی است از اعضای یک تیم که مسئولیتش وارد نشدن به جزئیات و هم باد کردن و هم جهت کردن فعالیت هایی است که دیگر اعضای گروه در حال انجام آن هستند. وظیفه رهبر کسب اطمینان از همسو بودن اعضای تیم در جهت هدف و  نقشه خوانی برای رسیدن به اهداف کوتاه و بلند مدت است. رهبر نماینده خدا نیست بلکه نماینده یک تیم یا ملت است برای انجام وظیفه ای مشخص

میرحسین تاکنون راهبری موفق بوده است چرا که در یک روش رهبری درجا نزده. گاهی که دیگرانٍ متخصص، وارد عمل شده اند او حمایت و دنباله روی کرده . پرگویی نکرده و در هر بیانیه هدفی را دنبال کرده. گاه آنجا که مردم رفته اند، رفته و گاه  گفته که بیایید و گاه گفته که این کار را امتحان کنید . از نظر من، این آخرین بیانیه جوری است که می شود استنباط کرد که می گوید که این کار را شما هم بکنید. لا اقل چهار روش راهبری را تا کنون از موسوی دیده ایم و این نکته مثبت موسوی در هدایت کردن تیم میلیونی اش است. نباید فراموش کرد که موسوی در راهبری این جنبش تنها نیست. حضور خاتمی و کروبی در تیم رهبری بی نهایت موثر است. ترکیب کاراکتر موسوی با کروبی ترکیبی است بسیار موفق.  کروبی شیخی است با روشهای سنتی اش در ایستادگی و بی پروایی و در پاسخ گویی. رفتنش به جاهایی که می بایست یکی برود و گفتن چیزهایی که یکنفر باید بزند این بار را از دوش موسوی برداشته و خطر به حاشیه کشیده شدن را از وی دور کرده. حضور خاتمی نیز به طور حتم تاثیر مهمی در هدایت جنبش داشته و دارد

بیانیه آخر موسوی این ایده را متبادر می کند که مبادا باید انرژی بیشتری برای برقرار کردن دیالوگ با آنطرف دعوا (بسیجیان) گذاشت. سخن گفتن او با بسیجیان زمانی تاثیر کلان خواهد داشت که همچون قبل با حمایت مردمی دنبال شود. شاید باید همه نامه بنویسیم و مکالمه ای بزرگ را کلید بزنیم با مردمی که روحشان را آگاهانه یا ناآگاهانه به شیطان فروخته اند

لینک های خواندنی: مردم را نترسانید – عطاالله مهاجرانی ،    مروري بر كارنامه بسيج در سي ساله گذشته – سپهر سعادت

Filed under: politics, Stories, affiliative leader, coaching leader, Iran election, iran reformists, iran stories, iran student movement, leadership, leadership styles, mousavi, pacesetting leader

Neda, was killed in streets of Tehran

Filed under: Stories, ahmadinejad, green movement, iran, Iran election, neda, painting

How is it like to be an Iranian these days?

Visit my Persian blog to read the letter.

Filed under: Stories, ahmadinejad, iran, Iran election, iran students

What drives Iranians to participate in the election?

I would say: personal responcibility.

The above photo is added to this post on July 19th.

Filed under: Stories, ahmadinejag, demonstration, election, green movement, iran, Iran election, iran students, iran women, mousavi, protests, twitter revolution

Blackmail

I would say Ayatollah Systani (left) is going to play a key roll in near future for Iran. In my point of view he is the best person for being the religious leader of Shiat Muslim world. He believes in separation of politics and religion and is an Iranian who has lived his life in Iraq. He is capable of being the “Pope” of  Shiat.

Filed under: politics, Stories, iran, Iran election, khamenei, khomeini, politics, religion, shia, sistani

Entry for March 05, 2009

Rafsanjani, the former president of Iran and the chief commander of Iranian army in Iran-Iraq war is shaking hand with Iraqi commanders during his visit to Iraq. Watching this photo reminds me that how unable I am to share the experience of the war with my non-Iranian friends. I call it “the Black hole” of our communication.

Filed under: Stories, iran revolution, iran-iraq war, iraq, rafsanjani

Medal of honor!

Source Gooya news

Fatemeh Rajabi is showing her medals. She is the wife of the speaker of the cabinet (Mr Elham). She is one of the most conservative and religious women our political history has ever had. She often insults the reformists and is a representative of the hard line interpretation of Islam. She is showing the “three white amameh” medal (Amameh is a long white or black fabric that clerics make a hat out of it and wear it). How can we deal with these kind of people who firmly believe that people like me are evils and we are paid by U.S and all western countries intelligent services to damage Islam! These kind of believers existed in Iran from long before, but with the presidency of Ahmadinejad they came to power and now they are ruling the country. Oops! that’s so hard to deal with this kind of people. Believe me!

Filed under: Stories, green movement, iran, Iran election, iran reformists, mousavi, religious, shia, women

1997

I have written an almost long story about my teenager days. I used to live in Mashad, a city which is in the east of Iran. The holly shrine of Imam Reza (the 8th shiat saint) is located there. That makes the city a center of religion tourism and a place for conservatives to rule. I recall the first day that I met a very dear friend, Siavash who lived in an apartment next to our house. We totally lived out of the box and spent most of our times together. In my story, I recall the days that the reformist president Khatami announced his candidature for the presidential election of 1997. Young boys and girls of my generation spent a lot of time in the streets and helped his campaign to win the election. I belive at his presidency time, he could not do so much for us but the most valuable fact was that we felt confidence to ask for freedom and start building up a new lifestyle.

Filed under: Stories, iran, Iran election, iran politics, iran stories, iran students movement, khatami, reformists

I am a MIDDLE easterner!

People are experts on the domain of their experience. I have been living in Middle east for 28 years and my generation is expert of living in Iran with all of the restrictions. YES! WE CAN!

میدل ایست حق منه، سهم منه، طلاقش نمیدم

Filed under: Stories, iran, middle east

Culture is the collective programming of the mind

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Filed under: design, politics, Renovate me, Social networking, Stories, culture, iran

Looking for lines to cross

اینجا زیرزمینی نیست که در آن پنهان شوی یا چراغ شکسته کوچه ای که در زیر چتر تاریکی اش پناه گیری!
قانون شکستن هم دیگر صفای قدیم را ندارد

For those who have lived their life in Iran, life reveals its meaning and fun in underground. We enjoyed hiding and partying, hiding and having sex with our girlfriends, hiding and sharing our ideas, hiding and laughing. Hiding was an act that brought us privacy. We enjoyed walking in dark streets, driving long in the highways and escaping the cities and enjoy the comfort that nature gave us as a gift. Nature meant privacy, freedom and enjoy. When the laws of your country do not respect you, feeling alive means crossing the lines, breaking the limits and showing finger to the laws. Darkness, when you don’t have privacy, becomes a shelter. When there is no public life, and you dare to walk in the ugly streets of the city you love, beautiful and colorful houses means a lot to you. Friends mean a lot, music means a lot, dancing is a relief. I believe that we made it. With all the restrictions we made it. Nothing stopped us from enjoying our time having our wild-drunk parties, enjoying our relationships and moving all over the places you like. There was only one rule. You had to wise and be an expert of the place to live. Here, in Netherlands, laws do not show you the angry face which I used to deal with in Iran. Breaking the rules are no more enjoyable but still there is something in my blood, looking for lines to cross.

Filed under: Stories, iran, iran student movement, iran underground, netherlands, underground

Things to do

The things that need doing, that you see need to be done, and that no one else seems to see need to be done. Then you will conceive your own way of doing that which needs to be done — that no one else has told you to do or how to do it. This will bring out the real you that often gets buried inside a character that has acquired a superficial array of behaviors induced or imposed by others on the individual.

Buckminster Fuller. Letter to “Micheal” (16 February 1970) Micheal was a 10 year old boy who had inquired in a letter as to whether Fuller was a “doer” or a “thinker”.

Filed under: design, Stories, buchminster fuller, doer, things, thinker, to-do list