Nowruz address: A happy? new year

On Sunday, President Obama delivered his third annual Nowruz address to Iranians. Nowruz is the first day of spring and marks the New Year for the Iranian people. It is a festival that has been celebrated for over 3,000 years.

Obama began his speech talking about other nations and then focused in on Iran.

The Iranian government has demonstrated that "it cares far more about preserving its own power than respecting the rights of the Iranian people," he said.

He then followed that statement by reminding Iranians that "the future of Iran will not be shaped by fear, the future of Iran belongs to the young people -- the youth who will determine their own destiny."

What President Obama neglected to realize is that Nowruz is a holiday of joy and happiness. It is a holiday to be care-free, addressing the values of peace, compassion, justice, and brotherhood. By insulting the Iranian government on this cultural holiday and festival, he was insulting the people.

Ayatollah Khamenei, in an address marking Nowruz on March 22, charged Obama and the US with hypocrisy.

"The real hypocrite is the US," said the Iranian Leader. "With regards to Egypt they said we are with the nation but they lied. They cooperated with the nation's enemy until the very last moment...Now the US president sends a message to the Iranian people that we support you."

This negative reaction didn't only come from the Iranian leaders.

Kazem Anbarlouie, editor in chief of the conservative hard-line daily Resalat felt that, "Either President Obama is misinformed by his advisors or he has got the true information and pretends otherwise...Iran is calm and people are enjoying their New Year's holiday...The American is over-generalizing about the whole nation from this half percent [the protesters]."

President Obama had good intentions with his Nowruz address but greatly missed the mark. Maybe it would've been better to skip the Iranian criticism's and considered that it was a holiday. There are 364 other days Obama can condemn President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his governing styles. Perhaps the day of the New Year's celebration isn't the right day to do it.

To globalize, or not?

The culture in Iran is a mix of pre-Islamic and Islamic culture. In the country’s early creation, it took influences from places such as India and China. Iran has, since making its mark in the Global World, in turn influenced other nations such as Western Europe, Africa, China, India, and the Roman Civilization.

The culture of Iran reflects the religion of Islam and the practices and beliefs it embodies. Islam influences the political system and social order of the country making change harder here than elsewhere.

Because Iranians are so set in their Islamic ways, globalization does not affect them as much as it affects other countries. Children are still out in the streets playing soccer and men are still praying at the Call to Prayer five times a day.

Globalization, being the huge phenomena it is, has affected Iran in terms of separating the rural from the urban. It has divided the country socially and economically, but the majority of people still rely on the old ways of conduct and life.

Some Iranians, living through an Islamic Republic, see globalization as “world arrogance” or simply put-imperialism. They refuse to interact in the arrogance and stick to the way of life they are used to. They feel that countries that have embraced globalization have lost a sense of vision and affection for their country and culture.



A few things that Iranians have accepted into their society are television, internet, and cell phone usage. They have recently been exploring different areas of the three venues, but the chance of publicizing and copying the shows of other cultures and nations is small.

The fact that globalization has minimally affected life in Iran is a little bit scary. Iran is a part of the world and if they keep themselves in the dark, they will lag behind. Luckily, as the years go on, things, people, and ideas are becoming more progressive. This will in turn hopefully have a positive effect on the global community.

Ousted: Iran's President of the Assembly of Experts

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

Former moderate Iranian president and opposition member, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has lost his position as head of the Assembly of Experts.

Rafsanjani was criticized as being too close to the reformist opposition and subsequently withdrew his candidacy as President of the Assembly of Experts, a position he has held since 2007.

Rafsanjani had a fall-out with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the 2009 presidential poll-the aftermath tolling dozens of deaths and hundreds of arrests.

Rafsanjani, a pragmatic conservative, publicly called for political freedoms and the release of political prisoners. He repeated his opinions on numerous occasions and is widely known to disagree with Ahmadinejad.

Is it any coincidence that in the midst of all of these Middle Eastern revolutions and riots, one of the last remaining moderates is ousted and his position is taken over by a Presidential choice? I think not.

Sailing the Suez is Now Over

Iranian naval ship Alvand

Two Iranian warships passed through the Suez Canal on Feb. 22. The objective: to train naval students, enhance ties with countries in the region, and to provide security across shipping lines in the pirate haven of the Gulf of Aden.

The bold move to sail Iranian flags throughout the Mediterranean initially evoked anger from Israel. The two ships, Khark and Alvand, docked a mere two days after their departure at the port of Latikia, Syria.

According to Press TV, Khark and Alvand, "carried the message of peace and friendship to world countries"

"The flotilla...has completed its mission successfully in the Mediterranean Sea and has returned to the Red Sea" said naval commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayari.

Citizens Shushed

In a rally calling for the release of Iranian opposition leaders in Tehran, citizens were tear-gassed by security forces. The protesters were seen singing anti-government slogans and comparing Iranian authority to the overthrown Tunisian president.

Iranian leaders and security forces tried to keep the people quiet in the midst of rebellions and revolutions occurring in surrounding countries. In my opinion, the people have a right to be heard and it is against instinctual human urge to stay quiet. What the government did is abominable and it's sad that no one could stop it.