I was looking at YouTube videos and all of Iran was green. Flags of green were everywhere.. .and you only need minimal knowledge of Iran and the Islamic Republic to know that this green is the same green as the flag of Islam. Of course, that Mousavi’s first name was Hossein—a revered Shi’a martyred Imam—was of great help. In my mind, the IR was playing one of its epic Broadway shows. They had every modern-minded, atheist, Islamic Republic-hating, Persian illiterate eligible voter, voting, and waving the flag of Islam. Quite a canny trick I thought! To add to the irony, the flag wavers thought they were waving Lenin’s hat! Or the famous Banner of Kaveh—an iron-smith in Iranian mythology who freed the empire from the grips of the devil-incarnate King. Such paradox! And so much to gloss over if you were on the voting-change-the-system-artistic Mousavi high.

I was disappointed. Disappointed that the people still believed reformist change was possible. How many Khatamis does it take for us to know that these reformist candidates are just soothsayers to sedate an increasinglyfrustrated public? Ahmadinejad is definitely not my favorite politician—don’t judge me! But, I felt that another four years of Ahmadinejad, then the whole world would know and truly know that this regime is defunct, and up to no good for its people. I am sick of beautiful velvet frosting covering a rotten cake. And at the end of the day, which election in this Islamic Republic is not rigged?! Look at the last one: Rafsanjani was clearly emerging as a winner but in a run-off the candidate we were making fun of because our down-to-earth president!! That time, I saw Rafsanjani voters change their vote because the thought of having a layperson (non-cleric) president under the IR just had these voters growing wings!! Well we know how that turned out.

But what happened on Firday? When Ahmadinejad was announced to have won in a landslide—frankly I can see that he did have a chance to win majority, but not by that margin—I knew that disappointment would emerge. Then, for the first time, I saw public disparagement of the rival candidates. This is unprecedented in IR elections. Candidates are rivals, but at the end of the day, they went through the same vetting system and defend the same ideals of Khomeini’s revolution. With Mousavi calling the Ministry of Interior’s announcements a “charade,” many analysts were taken by surprise. It was with such public accusations by government-endorsed people—Mousavi and Karroubi, that the dissatisfied voters found strength to take to the streets and start opposition protests, rallies and campaigns. Iranians don’t settle for less. We saw some protest for Rafsanjani before. We saw the 1999 student uprisings, but at this scale… ? I am still baffled.
Again being cynical of this despicable regime, I was sure that this too was a game. An evil one to get all protesters out on the street and herd them straight to Evin… A cruel purging of sorts… This may still be the case, but as we come upon the fifth day of mass rallies, I am slowly letting go of that theory—one which I fervently believed in post-99 Student Uprising. Those were revolutionary uprisings, many were imprisoned, killed and purged.. then what? The system stayed as it was. But on this fifth day of mass demonstrations across Iran, even in rural cities, I am speechless… I still hesitate to see a golden sunrise at the end of this thirty year tunnel. What is quite different, unprecedented and bolstering to the protesting public is the following:

For one of the first times in the history of this Islamic Republic, we see public divergence of very high profile pro-regime politicians from the system. Top clerics within the system have publically brought Ahmadinejad under question—not just his win, his integrity (see Ayatollah Mohtashemipour), high profile clerics and members of the “Combatant Cleric Party” have been imprisoned, Ministry of Interior employees have been imprisoned by the tens, Rezayi—a candidate and former Sepah Leader—publically denounces the government response, Qom clerics publically (essentially) denounced the Guardian Council (see their proposal to start their own investigation). . . And people have been assassinated at the hands of the Basij, but nothing compared to what this system is capable of. This can’t possibly be a purge anymore.

Protests have not died down, the people are still fighting, students are out of school so they join in too. Those who saw the 79 Revolution see flashbacks with every YouTube video, or press announcement from an Iranian official. With tears in his eyes, a 60 year old Iranian said, “I cannot believe this. I never thought I would see a third revolution. I hope the fetters are cut. I do hope so.” For Iran, and specifically in these elections, whoever the ultimate victor is—by force, or by popular choice—we can without any doubt conclude that the Islamic Republic will forever change. Major pillars of its infrastructure have been shaken resulting in irreparable fractures.

Barack Hussein Obama’s reception, as represented in Iranian news media, is quite varied. In this analyses we cover domestic news media (heavily controlled by the Islamic Republic regime), as well as news media which is produced outside of Iran (presumably free of IR prejudice and influence).

If we were to step back to right before the election of Barack Hussein Obama, we would find domestic Iranian news sources’ overwhelming support and preference for him. Not only the so-called “enlightened” journalists in Iran showed overwhelming support for this candidate, but the conservative clergy also included his praise in their weekly Friday sermons. Barack Hussein is an Arabic name, and as such the Regime found vast common ground with this candidate over the other ‘Anglo-saxon—a woman, at that!’ Even before the chain of events that followed the 9/11 Attacks and the American response, heavily influenced by the GOP, the IR regime has long been a supporter of the Democratic Party. This party tends to have soft, if not condoning, policy towards the IR. The choice between these two candidates in the 2009 election was obvious. In fact the only point missing from IR’s Obama critique was his relevance to the country he will be president of—the USA. His only priority, as the IR claimed, was Muslims and the Muslim world. In summation, the irony of IR support as presented in the press for Obama, was that it often crossed political and ideological lines: the “enlightened” journalists favored him, as did the conservative clergy.

One of the most widely-read newspapers in Iran, Hamshahree (“fellow citizen”), overtly supported the streamline support of an Obama presidency until the 5th of November, 2008. Once Obama actually managed to win the elections, it took very little time for the newspaper, as well as IR streamline rhetoric, to criticize Obama as they have any other president of the “Great Satan” [a euphemism for the United State of America]. In one particular article, we read of Iran’s secretary of state, Manouchehr Mottaki, guiding and/or warning Obama of the “new Middle East.” “Reiterating a statement made in the Islamic Conference, Mottaki said, ‘The American government is in need of new Middle-East specialists.’” Accepting what is deemed as Obama’s apology for the past administration, Mottaki implied that diplomatic relations may be eased. However, upon further questioning on the topic of a new US policy in the higher IR circles, Mottaki took the same stance as the regime’s past quarter century, of doubt and caution. “We prefer to wait and see what actually happens in US foreign policy.” Again, the effects of an Obama presidency on the American people themselves seems lost in the many articles written on this topic.

Iranians is a bi-weekly publication, in Persian, for Iranians residing in the United States of America. It is one of the highly regarded news sources for Iranian immigrants—especially those who cannot understand English. Coverage of the Obama election in Iranians was heavily biased in his support. Rarely, if ever, would one find criticism of Obama in the past few months. Most articles mainly focus towards the consequences awaiting Iranian-Americans as the result of an Obama presidency. Generally biased towards “leftist tendencies,” the editorials in Iranians do sometimes voice a general distrust of politicians from either end of the spectrum. This may be easily recognized as a result of the questionable political activities many Iranian politicians were involved in during the course of the Islamic Revolutoin of 1979. (The revolting public, on more than one occasion, put its faith into a figure who betrayed their political allegiances: some would cite Khomeini as an example as well.) The editorials in Iranians also heavily address policy issues regarding the Iranian immigrant community. These topics include visa policies, or even the level of surveillance Iranians residing in the USA may or may not be under, given the political status quo.

One cannot make a generalization regarding Persian news-sources’ views on the Obama election and presidency. However, it is safe to ascertain a majority biased towards the success of the Democratic party, and Obama. Some may find this a natural sentiment to have by a people who think that the GOP only regards them as members of the “axis of evil”–wether this belief be a misconception or otherwise.

A famous Persian saying (poetry, actually), even though somewhat pessimistic, I can’t help but think
that it stands true for the fate of us Iranians living under the Islamic “Republic”. Living in Iran, on some
days, I would find myself in situations where I could not help but think, ‘You know what?! We deserve it!
We deserve living under such a brutal dictatorship because we’re no less than idiots in our social interactions,
morals and standards.’

Aside from that element of rage, I am even more angered to see supporting evidence for what I think
in my moments of passionate fury.

I remember just a few years ago when Micheal Jackson, the popstar, was on trial for possible pedophile and
such charges, I came accross articles by Reutors and AP of pictures of Jackson’s supporters.
Of all place… they were from Iran. Iranian, young and old, held candle light vigils for their dear
Micheal suffering in pain. . . I really dont know if this is saddening or maddening–definitly what
I would call pathetic.

More recently countless Iranians, within and without Iran, signed petitions after petition, called to the UN to
protest the fictional movie 300 made by Hollywood because it portrayed Cyrus not in the form they appreciated. Such mobilization is impressive for us Iranians because we’re quite the individualist hot–headed people.

Supporting Micheal Jackson was surely not what angered me, rather, it was the time, effort and belief
that these Iranians spent on Micheal Jackson which was far more than–at best, equal to–the care
they showed for other more important topics to protest and commemorate. I would hate to think that
the victims of September 11th got the same commemoration as Jackson…

Ramin Ahmadi–a famous Iranian activist residing in the States–also voiced the same concern on VOA
a few days ago. His comparison was so poignent it has taken me a few days to actually be able to
type up what he retold.

Ahmadi is originally from Kerman, a south eastern state in Iran. Kerman has seen many political activists,
infamous and not politicitans, and notable historical characters rise from its cradle. A prominent member of Mossadegh’s cabinet Dr Ahmad Razavi, the former president of the IR Ali Hashemi-Rafsanjani, Ahmadi
himself and most famous, Saeedi Sirjani. Sirjani was a laureate, a scholar with a firm voice and writing
style. He is unrivaled in Iran’s written culture in the current century. Of his more political pieces, was an
open letter to the Supreme leader of the IR, in which he wrote his own death sentance–for lack of a better
description. Sirjani was soon taken into prison, and mysteriously died a few years later. Some Iranians mourned
the loss of such a brave, strong and honourable personality in Iranian hisotry. I don’t remember candle light
vigils…

More recently, Ahmadi retold the story of a Kermani poet who fell prey to the hands of the IR. As Ahmadi
described him, he was a humble school teacher from a lower middle class family who wrote poetry as a
hobby. Not as voiced as Sirjani was, however he did write political poetry once in a while. Very recently,
one night, agents raided his small house to rid society of such corruption. The murderers are linked by
ex-pat organizations as related to the famous Chain Murderer bandit of Saeed Imami who killed at least 20 laureates in the late 90′s in Iran. They went in to murder this poet with a knife. In the midst of the midnight
raid his eight year old son, sleeping in the room nextdoor woke up to the scene of his father being stabbed
to death. It only took a second for the slaughterers to murder the eight year old, stab him to death with a
knife just like his father. The bandit left the house untouched to prove that this was a political murder and
not theft.

His wife, some time later, went to the local Kermani police to start an investigation. The police attempted and a few days later sent a notice to the wife that, “We have recieved warning from higher authorities that this case
may not be investigated.”

Where were the candle light vigils for the eight year old boy and his father who were stabbed to death?

In chat rooms? At the mall to buy the latest mobile phones? Watching Haifa’s latest show broadcasted
from Dubai’s MBC2?

Ours is what we bring upon ourselves…

For us, when we see the police, instead of feeling secure, we feel afraid. Why?

age marke lebasamon khareji bashe migiranemon… aghaie ahmadi nejad bod migoft ke moshkele mamlekate ma 10 c.m balatar ia paintar bodane mantoie 2khtara nis ama az farda 2khtara az tars biron nemiran ke nagiraneshon chon mantoshon momkene chand santi kotahtataro tangtar bashe..baiad khone neshin shim chon azadie entekhabe lebasamonam azamon gereftan…chera hishki hich kari nemikone?!chera hame faghat sareshono mindazan paino gosh midan?maha be jaie inke police o mibinim ehsase amniat konim ehsase tars mikonim?

Non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), more often than not, abuse their NGO image. They have a (wrong) image of neutrality and absence of governmental affiliation. They make use of this image to sometimes fool their audience into supporting them. As Dr Lahidji named them, these GNGO’s (Governmental Non-Governmental Organizations) are truly supported by invisible hands of Government agencies, parties, movements and opinion.

So let’s use a hypothetical example: Human Rights Watch, is an organization which claims to support human rights causes around the globe and also monitors human rights violations occurring in our societies. However , unbeknownst to the common donor of HRW, HRW receives great amount of funding from organizations—which on the surface—seem to be humanitarian institutions with a focus on Islam. These Islamist groups are particularly good at taking the one, or next to none, notable humanitarian acts done in the Islamic Republic and blow it out of proportion to advertise to the public—and thereby, gain sympathy for Islamist movements. The Human Rights Watch administration is obviously keen on keeping the Islamist donors happy so that they continue to fund them. As such, (in)directly, the process of appeasement taints the HRW’s neutrality stance and skews it towards supporting the Islamic Republic (however indirectly, as mentioned before). (If not support of the IR, support of the slow change reforms, rather than the clear cut movements requesting a governmental change). The common private donor of HRW who has a particular aversion to supporting the IR has to choose whether to abandon all support of HRW because of its blemished and slightly skewed stance, or bite its tongue and allow minimal indirect IR support while hoping to maybe balance it out with the once in a while “real” changes HRW brings along.

What do you think?!

IRIB news reports are brimming with local (nonesense) news, US/Israel bashing news as well as odd reports on the world’s longest snake or deepest crevasse (Guiness Book of Record-type things).

In Iran, IRIB offers the Iranian public 6 channels only. One of the channels being local to the state you live in. Of these six channels, I am almost sure that TWO have daily “Documantary” programs. Its sort of your Discovery Channel. Usually not historical documentary, rather nature programs. On penguins, sharks, ants, cockroaches and squirrels–how could we possibly forget them. If you’re not watching documentaries, you’re probably watching endless programs on all channels about usually foreign (/Western) movies and movie making critique/commentary/analysis. . . Clearly, IRIB feels that the public is interested in elongated prayer and Qur’aan recitations, endless football and wieghtlifting, and of course “news”.

The method with which a dictatorship conducts its media is quite interesting to follow. I’m sure there is one communications major somewhere who has researched the topic thoroughly. I’ve studied communications so I’m a bit informed. But more importantly, I’ve BEEN to Iran. So I Experienced “Media under Dictatorships”…

I’ve seen first hand how the Media under Dictatorships is commanded. Its not good. really, it isn’t. To expilcate a bit on the previous paragraph: The first time I came to Iran to live a few years ago, I was surprised at the level of “factoid”/common knowledge people had. The factoids I heard my friends regurgitate were pretty amazing to me. For example, “Did you know the gross domestic product of Iran is x in the Middle East.” or “The biggest rose flowers grow in such and such place.” or “The movie Meet Joe Black is, upon further analyses, a deep survey of some particular psychological phenomena.” I was very intrigued at such comments. I began to wonder where they were coming from.

Back then, I did and still do believe that the Iranian public living under the IR are generally not informed regarding topics Americans deem common knowledge. Nutrition, for example, is hardly a concern here unless you’re losing weight, so its just a means for calorie counting. Health, is definitely ignored. (Antibiotics, Penicilin and Lorazepam are daily routines.) Social Awareness is only mentioned in few particular closed circles of young neo-liberal, artsy-type groups. And even then, its more a blind imitation of Che Guavara, rather than deep self -initiated concern. The list is long.

So how did the people around me gain that knowledge? I consider TV responsible. Television has great influence in Iran. Those who live in the not so developed parts of Iran watch television religiously to inform themselves. I have not seen a single family that does not watch television. It is not really used for entertainment so much as it is used to feed the hugry cravings one inevitably feels living under such a closed environment. Iranian minds ARE hungry for more but they aren’t getting the right food. Just like I said before, TV in Iran is strewn with “science” documentaries, tons of movie analyses it makes Hollywood a religion. Once in a while a very good sitcom takes over Iranian living rooms. There are only a few at a time so almost everybody is watching and following the same program. The sitcoms, sadly, rarely enlighten the mind regarding social matters as much as they attempt to elleviate the stress from a days work. Sports of course has its own channel, which happens to be the best funded and most interesting. The good sitcoms are generally on this same channel.

The News Channel, is Channel Six. It is a 24 hour source of news. Newscasts in any dictatorship, is the best utility for brainwashing–needless to say. The most interesting news stories find their way to the headlines here–same idea as the world’s biggest rose-bud. Then there are a few particular programs I’ve noticed as of late. They are Foreign news/news commentary broadcasts selected with great care. Last night I listened to an interview of some BBC reporter who was going on for hours about how the Pearl Harbour Attack was really an American plan. The US government appearently paid the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbour. I really don’t know how that whack conspirocy theory worked out. What got me riled up was the fact that Iranians consume such information like it was the Holy Book. After all its BBC–even THIS closed society knows that non-IR news is more credible. This nonesense is really gobbeled up like no other. I find it ridiculous, and thats an underestimation.

So the other day, appearently Saddam was hanged!!! Channel Six was airing sports news when I saw BBC break the report on Sattellite TV. About three hours later. Channel Six was still broadcasting sports news and appearently, according to Channel Six nothing of great importance had occured in the world except the latest FIFA brawl!! My personal opinion regarding this lapse in announcement is that the IR still didn’t know what to do with this new change. Should they like the idea that he was executed–after all Iran was involved in the Iran Iraq War (!). Should they hate it because it was clearly something started by the Americans? Should they like it because truly deep down they didn’t mind an autocratic Iraq.

Four hours after Saddam Hussein was hanged, the hourly news decided that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to announce the execution. They announced it in a very normal fashion in the “News in Brief” section. First, there was a news bit about the Supreme Leader, the sign of God on Earth (Ayatollah), Khamenie. Then there was a bit about (our dear leader) Dr. Ahmadinejad (Honorary PhD, Traffic Management). The THIRD piece of news was about the execution. Very casually announced. The FOURTH piece of headline news in short was about a poll, (translated) “The president of the United States of America has again been voted as the most hated character that comes to Americans’ minds.”

I looked at the front page of The Washington Post on September 3rd to see this “Letter from Iran”: A Different Face of Iran .

Different Face of Iran started out with a picture of (very) smiling and happy students on an unknown college campus in Isfehan (one of the three major cities in Iran not counting Tehran). A picture below showed a few school children jumping and playing around. All seemed quite gay and jovial. Heaven on Earth, were it not only for the hijab (!) they were forced to wear.

I was actually so upset at seeing these pictures and the title of the article that I had second thoughts about actually reading the infamous article! My experience in Iran and what I had seen up close made me feel that I just wanted to see the absurd reporter of these piece and yell out, WHY? WHY would you commit such treason against a country you (seem to) have grown affection for?

Let me explain.

After my stay in Iran, which was a permanent move, I quickly understood that the realities Americans believe about Iran, and even Iranians who frequently visit their family in Iran are horrendously misconceived and incorrect–that’s an under-statement.

It didn’t take more than me applying to the best Law School in Iran at the National University (today renamed after a martyr of the Revolution), and my sister enrolling in a small private school that I was hit very hard by the realities of life under the Islamic Republic, under Big Brother, in the 1984 of 2006.

I want to make it clear right now that I am in no way trying to paint a bleak picture of the people or the culture of Iran. Iran and Iranians have always been very close to my heart, and as we say, their “praise always has a [permanent] place”.

I felt that in this article Steve Knipp wanted to show outsiders a more positive face to Iran, and maybe decrease the “Iran-hatred” some ignorant people seem to feel nowadays. Yet (hopefully by accident) he committed an act of treason and injustice to Iranians.

The falsity of the Article might lead one (ignorant person) to believe that Iranian youth are “ey okay” and not too unhappy with their situation. It makes one believe such things as, “Iran?! Well I heard pretty bad stories from that place, but now that I read this article, seems like its not too bad at all. Not bad at all.” Which, needless to say, are all very false convictions.

I wanted Steve Knipp to put a picture on the front cover of the conservatively dressed college student who was not allowed on campus to attend her classes for one week because the “Hijab and Islamic Morality Gaurd” at the door simply did not want to let her in (I think the Gaurd didn’t like something about her name which was not an Islamic one, it was Persian.)

I wanted Steve Knipp to show a picture of the elementary school girl who was given a failing grade because upon being interrogated by the school principle, she had let it slip about her parents not praying 5 times a day. She was afraid and lost control.

The school girl who was verbally and emotionaly abused by the Islamic Religion teacher because her parents had named her “Marmar” (Marble) and not an Islamic name. (The teacher, after offending her parents, announced that she should answer to “Miriam”, a religious name, from now on in that class.)

The image of a lovely, young married couple sitting in utter fear at the Morality Police Station because they were suspected of NOT being married and the officer took them in until their parents brought documentation. In those few hours they could only imagine what would happen once their employer found out they had ended up at the Station, they wouldn’t even think of how much suffer they had to endure to find another job.

The fear that made my hands shake if I saw a Moral police checking cars when I was driving at night with my Mother. I was afraid that they wouldn’t believe I had gone shopping with her and that we were not two girls out to get guys at 11pm. (A punishment deserving of lashing or at least more than a few fearful and emotionally crushing hours in the Moral Police Station.)

The image of the college student who was about to be expelled, had it not been for her friend who was a martyr’s daughter, because the two of them had giggled sitting on the campus bench having lunch.

These images of Iran are more telling than the two Steve Knipp allowed to be published with his article.

Steve Knipp allowed an image of “all’s alright and bearable” be announced to the readers of The Washington Post. An image that makes people who are not aware not feel as passionate about announcing the Islamic Republic as evil, unjust, and defunct as they should. Steve Knipp painted an incomplete painting of Iran and published it.

Steve Kinpp lied. He falsely led a people to believe that there is little pressure on the 70% young population of Iran, that the best-educated and smartest of the youth are crushed in the system and only encouraged leading the poor and lifeless existence rather than the vibrant life they deserved, that the System slowly but surely omits you from the stage as it sees fit, it fails you in background checks for your job because your cousin’s aunt, twice removed, has been reported by an unknown witness as a non-practicing Muslim. . . This Majority of Iranians are the people you owe an apology to, Mr. Knipp.

Having heard that all student protests against the Islamic Republic rose from the heart of these universities’ the closest to a (somewhat) free public forum in the country, much excitement was anticipated. I grudgingly wore the mandatory hejab (Islamic covering for women, consisting of long, loose pants, long-sleeved, loose manteau/cloak, and one-piece scarf to cover the hair, neck, and chest.) I chose to play it safe by wearing dark colors and no make-up. Driving up the Danjeshjoo (Scholar) Boulevard, I felt National University’s aura of respect and discipline. Professor Shamlou knocked on the door, without the slightest delay the class grew silent and we all rose to our feet in respect. It was an honor to have Prof Shamlou teach our freshman class of Introduction to Civil Law. Our pens were ready to make note the second he started lecturing. He stepped down from the podium, in a very thoughtful pose,
The Holocaust, which you constantly hear about, is nothing but Zionist propaganda. It is what the Zionists, hand in hand with The West, feed us in efforts to brain-wash us. It is rubbish and lacks proper evidence. The Holocaust, was truly a well-intended plan of Hitler’s. During the 1940′s, the Plague and many epidemics similar, were on the rise. Hitler wanted to control the spread of these diseases. He would gather the ill merely to save the rest of the population. What was called “Concentration Camps” by Zionists, were really Rehabilitation Quarantines for the sick. Of course many of the ill would not willingly go to the Quarantine camps simply because they did not want to leave their family and Hitler forced them to leave for the betterment of the nation. And those so-called “Gas Chambers” were truly Oxygen Chambers for those with Lung Disease. The sick who died were buried in mass graves deep in the ground because Hitler did not want to bacteria-ridden corpses to be detrimental to those alive. I want you to know this because you are the top scholar’s of this Nation. Do not be fooled by the propaganda the West and the Zionists want you to believe. And now that you are all informed, we shall start today’s topic on Civil Law.

A war of whether or not to protest Prof. Shamlou was shaking me. My mouth was open with an expression of shock on my face. He looked at me and he knew very well what I was thinking. In between his unnecessary introduction, he was monitoring my facial expression and I could not hide it from his piercing glance. In my mind, Anne Frank, Solzhenitsyn, Life is Beautiful, Sophie’s Choice . . . paid me a visit in a frantic slideshow. I was screaming inside. What he said was completely unnecessary. It was not even related to our studies. He just felt like expressing his pro-Islamic Fascism opinion probably to get approval from the Morality (Komiteh) Club and a pay raise the next semester. The other seventy-something students, did not know any better. Being raised in Iranian suburbs and villages, they never had access to the Internet, Satellite TV or non-Islamic Republic sources of information. I walked out of the class still furious. My classmates didn’t understand why I was upset. They kept thinking I was Jewish. I told them I might not be Jewish but I’m their fellow human beings.

I could not let Prof. Shamlou slip. I needed to show at least the smallest struggle even though I knew I was power-less. It was the gesture, the symbolic thrash about that mattered to me, however fruitless. Knowing well my protest would be silenced, I still owed it to my Moral Conscience to do something.

The semester was near the end and I spent the three weeks in our apartment, buried in books. I would look up from the difficult texts only to eat, sleep and sigh. With all my studying, the Civil Law exam came easy. Out of 20, I knew I would at least get a 17. (remember: grade inflation!)

My revenge for Prof. Shamlou was an analogy, an allegory. Subtly, for one of his exam questions I added an example. I described the crimes Saddam Hussein had committed against the Iranians in the Iran-Iraq war, the Biological Warfare and the people who still suffer from it, even though it is an incident of the past. Memories Saddam’s Biological Warfare always pains Iranians. Many people lost loved ones. It is one of the most recent tragedies in Iranian History.

In a simple allegory, I imagined a denial of the crimes of the Iran-Iraq war. I bid my reader to envision the refutation of those who suffocated in that gassed atmosphere of the Iraq border. Those who are still born with deformed features because of a massacre many years prior. . .

In July, I went to check the Freshman Grade Bulletin Board in the marble hallways of the Faculty of Law at Shahid Beheshti University. I looked down the list of last names and grades. My friend who had studied with me received a 17 so I was sure my grade would be similar. I found my name at the bottom of the list, out of alphabetic order. It was a place in the section where failed students’ grades (those of 10 and lower) were recorded. Next to my name, I saw an 11. Besides that dreaded number was an inscription, “Out of respect for The International Student.”

Weeks later, after my shock beside the cold columns of the Faculty of Law, at a university renamed after a fanatic martyr Beheshti, I approached Prof. Shamlou to protest my grade. He pulled out my exam and without a pause, casually mentioned, I did not grade your exam. You might have answered my questions but you had expressed inappropriate opinions in class. You are an International Student and that is why I was lenient.