Category Archives: Iran

A Gay Iranian Mullah Who is a Refugee in Turkey

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

This is a pretty remarkable story.

Posted in Iran, Islam, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues | Comments Off

Would We Be Living in a Better World if the Tyrants of the Past Had Never Existed?

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

When Someone is Driven to Murder, Where Does the Responsibility Lie? It’s been a very long time since someone called me a bleeding-heart liberal, a label that was never complimentary and always carried with it a connotation not simply of … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Religion, Writing | 5 Comments

Sa’di’s Most Famous Lines Hang on the Wall of the United Nations

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I am a few days late with this post because we had some renovation issues to deal with in my house last week and they left me no time at all to write. The extra time, however, did help me understand better … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Writing | 9 Comments

Say Nothing If You Cannot Say It Well

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I think this week’s Sa’di Says speaks for itself: A seasoned speaker knows his craft demands careful thought or his words will go to waste. Follow his example. Say nothing if you cannot say it well; make silence the voice … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Writing | 3 Comments

Thank You, Veterans

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Grace Annam

I wrote this on November 11, and then before I could get a thumbs-up from certain people to post it, life intervened. So, it’s a little late, but still worth saying. As GB Stern said, silent gratitude isn’t much use … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iran, Iraq, Korea | 38 Comments

Saleh Noh Mobarak! Happy Persian New Year!

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Eid Moborak! Norouz Pirouz! I am a little late this year in putting up a post for Norouz. Here is a lovely video of translations of poems by Hafez, one of Iran’s most important poets, that I found on The … Continue reading →

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Why I’d Have To Think About Who To Vote For, Barack Obama or Ron Paul

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Ampersand

Let me say, first, that I’m confident this is not a choice we’ll ever face. It’s going to be Romney versus Obama. (Unless Ron Paul decides to run as a third party candidate, which, from a Democratic point of view, … Continue reading →

Posted in crossposted on TADA, Elections and politics, Iran | 79 Comments

In his speeches, [Khameini] has often cited Lenin’s phrase that if an ideology is not supported by art it will die.

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

From an article called “The Secrets of Khameini’s Life,” written by Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Khameini, Iran’s Supreme Ruler, cares deeply about poetry and what I finnd interesting in this brief profile is the account of how poetry and politics … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Iran, literature | Comments Off

An Iranian Version of the Daily Show

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Edited to embed the full interview. These guys do an online show called Parazit that does to Iranian politics what The Daily Show does to the politics of this country. Unfortunately, the shows are in Persian and I haven’t been … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran | 1 Comment

Persian Poetry Tuesday: Ghazal 10 from "The Green Sea of Heaven," Translations of Hafez

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Khwaja Shams ud-Din Muhammad Hafez-i Shiraza, the acknowledged master of the ghazal form in the Persian canon, was born sometime between 1317 and 1325. He died in 1389. His poems are among the most popular in the Persian-speaking world, where … Continue reading →

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