April 24, 2008 9:30
Blogging in Iran
The Internet is wildly popular in Iran, and blogging has become a vital source of information and analysis due to the systematic rollbacks of press freedoms (such as they were) during the last few years. Censorship and self-censorship takes its toll, as does intimidation and imprisonment of bloggers. But how-to-blog sites are among the most visited by Iranians, I reckon an indication that huge numbers of Iranians feel they have something to say and are doing their best to say it.
That brings me to Omid Memarian, one of Iran's most courageous bloggers. A reformist journalist, he took up blogging in 2002 and has paid a heavy price, including arrest, imprisonment and torture. Lately he's been in the U.S. as a fellow at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, and I phoned him from Tehran last week to ask him about his blogging from there. He's been writing a lot about America and the U.S. presidential election campaign in both Farsi (http://www.memarian.info) and English. Here's a bit from our exchange. I'll have some other posts from inside Iran soon, but wanted to get this one out while we were still on the subject of Iran and the U.S. elections:
SM: Why are you doing the Farsi blog from the U.S.?
Memarian: Iranians love the U.S. Surprisingly, many Iranians differentiate between U.S. politics and American people or culture. People think that their government’s animosity toward America has done more harm than good. I’ve grown up with two myths about the United States: Ayatollah Khomeini’s depiction of the U.S. as “Great Satan” on one hand, and the idea of the American dream on the other. Many Iranians prefer to choose the second option. So I write about the myths of America and the real America. The Islamic government spends lots of money to create a dark, evil picture of the U.S. —the same picture that the Bush administration creates of Iran. I simply share my firsthand experience and write about different aspects of this country that people in Iran cannot see.
SM: Why are you writing so much about the U.S. elections?
Memarian: The Islamic government portrays the United States political system as corrupted with a huge amount of conspiracy, and magnifies its obstacles and shortcomings with regular basis via its powerful propaganda machine. But I think the U.S. political system is complicated, unpredictable and amazingly transparent, in a way that seems brutal for countries like Iran that suffer from a very unaccountable, nontransparent and corrupt political system. For many Iranian politicians and officials, the U.S. political atmosphere is an impossible one in which they could not survive.
I also think this election is very unique because of the digital nature of campaigns, which has brought extreme transparency to the political arena. This helps my readers see how simplistic the majority of remarks by Iranian officials about the United States are. I write about how, just like in any other country, Americans are suffering from race and gender discrimination, poverty, corruption and injustice, but there are incredible aspects to living in the U.S. which should not be ignored.
SM: What are you trying to get across to Iranians?
Memarian: I'm trying to explain how the major issues in this society are similar to those in many other countries, even Iran, but on different levels. People in the United States have an opportunity to talk about their political and cultural problems. I would like to show Iranians how the media works here, how bloggers criticize politicians and what makes America unique.
SM: What are you picking up from your reader comments about the election?
Memarian: Many Iranians are obsessed with Barack Obama. If he goes to Iran, I’m sure he could fill Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, which has a capacity of 100,000. To a large extent this is because of the nature of Obama’s message about change and hope. Iranian people truly want to change their situation, get rid of decades of marginalization and restore their reputation in the world. They feel connected to his message of change. They are tired of living under the threat of economic sanctions and military attacks. Obama’s remark about initiating a dialogue with Iran translated for many Iranians into hopes of normalizing the relationship between the countries and Iran rejoining the international community. For many Iranian women struggling for women’s rights, Hillary is incredibly inspiring. Senator McCain, on the other hand, they see as just as a third term of President Bush, and I see no reason for them to connect to him.
SM: How do you think the American election will affect U.S.-Iranian relations, or perhaps next year's presidential election campaign in Iran?
Memarian: I think the U.S policy toward Iran has been consistent over the past two decades. I believe that none of the candidates will tolerate a nuclear Iran. None of them will take the military option off the table, either. Iran should prepare to reach a compromise following the U.S. elections. However I do not think any of these candidates will do much before Iran’s presidential elections. They would prefer to talk to a new leader rather than President Ahmadinejad.
Iranian officials know that they should not take sides in the U.S. presidential elections because it is very risky for them. Imagine they show their desire for Senator Obama then he goes to the White House and proposes incentives for Iranians. There will be consequences if they are not ready to solve their problems with the U.S. To preserve the current no war-no peace situation, McCain will be the best option for Iranians.
--By Scott MacLeod/Cairo
About The Middle East Blog
Tim McGirk, TIME's Jerusalem Bureau Chief, arrived in the Middle East after covering Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Read more
Scott MacLeod, TIME's Cairo Bureau Chief since 1998, has covered the Middle East and Africa for the magazine for 22 years. Read more
Andrew Lee Butters moved to Beirut in 2003, and began working for TIME in Iraq during the Fallujah uprising of 2004. Read more
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Reader Comments (6)
Omid Memarian indirectly raises an interesting argument: would McCain's nomination to the Presidency ensure Iran's ascent to superpower continues? Most of the people who think like Bush and McCain fail to see how their sabre-rattling policies and war-mongering have made Iran powerful like never before. Had they the perception to notice, perhaps they would alter their policy.
I think he also is doing the mass media here a service by showing, perhaps, the true pulse of the Iranian people. A lot of times, I'll be watching Fox News or CNN, and when they talk about Iran, they show Ahmadinejad orating in front of cloaked women, the poor and destitute eating on their "sofrehs" on the floor, or rural areas of Iran where the mainstream of the culture does not necessarily resonate. The reality is that there is a strong American/European subculture thriving behind closed doors in people's homes. My Iranian cousins, never having stepped foot in America, write me e-mails that read something like, "Yooooo, what's up cuz? I just downloaded the new Kanye album..." When I was visiting, the women there were obnoxiously beautiful (the type where you actually get angry at them for being so pretty). Their headscarves (not cloaks) hardly covered their hair. They had extremely tight, form-fitting clothes. When we were stopped by the "morality police", I pretended like I didn't speak Farsi, and I eavesdropped (being that I do speak Farsi) and heard them say, "Poor guy... he's just an American, let him go." I was shocked when one of them, probably 17-20 years old, turned around and said in broken English, "Parees Heelton?" with a huge grin on his face.
The truth is, the biggest threat to the Iranian regime is the youth of the country. And if Israel and America were to play their cards right and stop solidifying this regime's place in the world, they might find themselves benefiting in the long run.
Posted by nk+ | April 25, 2008 1:05 AM
Let us not forget that US congress won't let a US president do anything he wants, currently there are dozens resolutions past or pending against Iran in congress and it's hard to imagine that they'll remove these resolution with such strong arm twisting by pro Israelis in congress. My prediction, Iranian will reelect current Iranian president if Clinton or McCain becomes a president, but if Obama do what he says after getting elected without regards to pressures from US congress, Iran might have a new president in 6 months after Obama takes over the office, "might" because they usually want to study US president in action for few years before deciding on a suitable person!
Posted by Joe | April 25, 2008 2:11 AM
The last sentence of the otherwise-good blog is confusing:
"To preserve the current no war-no peace situation, McCain will be the best option for Iranians."
I think you mean, "for the Iranian officials (who want to remain in power)." Not for the people of Iran, right?
Posted by Malcolm | April 25, 2008 9:22 AM
I am sick and tired of having to hear my Iranian client explaining to so-called International businessmen (and of course, not prejudiced by US media coverage)that Iran is not a country made up of terrorists but is a country ruled by idiots, who should be treated as such and so kindly but firmly ignored! Whenever, I listen to the man, I feel it is my professional and human duty to him to point out at such business meetings that Iran is not the only country run by idiots: examples being USA, UK and Italia all run by the 4Bs - Bush, Blair/Brown, Berlusconi/ Benedetto XVI
The biggest problem for us here in Europe is that these idiots do not understand that the rest of us mere mortals just want to live our lives in accordance with our fundamental human rights without prejudice. I have no doubt that the the mere mortals of Iran want the same.
Posted by legally abroad
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April 25, 2008 3:08 PM
Full disclosure: I've known Omid since 2003 when we met in Iran. I've followed his run-ins with the Iranian authorities, his arrival in this country and his writing success in California. He alerted me to this blog article. I do not have Iranian background, nor do I speak Farsi. But I have followed Iran for that period of time and have a reasonably educated amateurs' knowledge of that very complex country.
That being out of the way, I have a few comments on the blog entries above.
NF+ comments on the "cloaked women, the poor and destitute" to whom Ahmahdenijad appeals. This appeal is so successful that these people get employment in the Basij and in more official positions, to harass NF+'s friends. Their issues must be dealt with or their resentment will be a factor in Iran for a long, long time.
As an American, it would be flattering to think, like "Joe," that our presidential election will have that much impact on Iran, and I support Obama, including contributing to his campaign. But an American politician of a generation ago, "Tip" O'Neil famously said, "All politics is local." That is as true in Massachusetts where O'Neil lived, as Terhan. The Iranian economy will have more impact on the Iranian election than the US election will. And the rumblings there are starting. Will that be all? Stay tuned.
Agreed with Malcolm, that Ahmadenijad would prefer the "no war, no peace" current status. He needs the foreign "menace" as much as Bush does.
Finally, "Legally abroad" is of course right that the "Four Bs," especially the one on this side of the Atlantic, have created or enabled the current mess. But in order "to live our lives in accordance with our fundamental human rights without prejudice," occasionally this has to be defended with force. Bosnia anyone? And the Russian bear (Putin) is ready to stir the international pot as well. Don't just leave policing (and worse) to the USA. We don't do it very well.
Charles of Vermont.
Posted by Charles of Vermont | April 26, 2008 7:34 AM
Simply on a different note!
To all these folks involved in this discussion - including not conversant author - the English translation of the language spoken in Iran is Persian and not “Farsi”.
Do you say (in English), people in Mexico speak “Espanol” or Spanish? Germans speak “Deutsch” or German?
By using “Farsi”, are you trying to prove your (poor) knowledge about Iran, or rather your lack of knowledge - or perhaps your poor English!!!
Posted by rational | May 3, 2008 1:28 PM