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Cyrus the Great was walking in the bazaar in disguise to see how his people were doing.
He didn't want to forget that he, too, was from the same people.
Well go on...
At night he consulted with the Old Cup to find a way to directly communicate with the people.
At dawn he sent birds to four corners of Iran until people learned how to work with their birds.
Roxana sent photos of her pistachios so that people would buy some from her.
Khosrow Khan loved testing fast food.
"How's this one? Eew it's awful! Let me tell people..."
Faraj and Iraj's concert at Milad Tower has been canceled
and so they tell the bird to let people know the new venue.
Dekhoda, who was worried about the shaking buildings, sends a message to the king to stop the profiteers.
"Where do you think you're going good man?"
Now all the people have one of these birds.
Cyrus tells his hacker to write down in his Human Rights Declaration how
the blue bird simplified communications and helped to protect everyone's rights.
He said: "May it benefit you all and become one of the laws for the people."
Twitter...
... belongs to Iranians, for sure.
Poletik: A program from the dugout.
Hosted by Kambiz Hosseini
Program No. 35
Hello I'm Kambiz Hosseini and this is Poletik, people!
A show for the Hasan Rouhani Generation and beyond.
A generations sitting in the dugout and shouting demands.
Poletik says "No" to the continued imprisonment of lawyers representing prisoners of conscience.
Poletik says "No" to the deplorable physical condition of Mohammad Seifzadeh, Abdolfattah Soltani and other jailed lawyers.
Poletik says "No" to the lack of attention to Abdolfattah Soltani's medical condition.
Poletik says "No" to the Prosecutor's refusal to transfer a member of the Human Rights Lawyers Association to hospital.
Poletik says "No" to Prosecutor's Office and the Judiciary for unfairly and illegally keeping lawyers locked up.
Ladies and gentleman, there was a piece of news last week that the Health Ministry had decided to
reduce the number of female students accepted into medical school.
This means that from now on the number of female doctors will be less than males.
It's as if you've been born into this world and happen to be... A GIRL!
It was just an accident that you became a girl.
All your life you struggle and get asked the question:
"What do you want to be when you grown up, little girl?"
And you say, "I want to be a doctor."
You grow up and study and pass the university entrance exam
and you make the grade!
You take the test and write the answers and you pass!
And you qualify for medical school.
But they twist and twist and twsit the regulations in such a way
to allow only boys, but not you.
Yes, here's the news: Gender Balance in Medical Universities
If you're a woman, don't bother. You're better off staying in the kitchen.
What are you doing here?
Go on... go on into the kitchen.
There we go. Problem solved.
As far as us men are concerned, women should have white skin and a little bit fat... that's all.
And now that things have turned for the better,
I, as a victorious Iranian man, will take a break.
We will have no show this week because
we have won against the woman. It's over.
We will sit at home, close down the show, and watch TV.
Give me the remote control...
Bring some tea. I said bring some tea, woman!
What's this? I don't like chips. Bring some tea. Hurry up!
I'm wearing my pajamas and I'm going to sit here comfortably.
It's so hard living in a strange land. We're having a tough time here...
We're going to watch some TV from now on and... where's my tea?
What's going on? Women today are not the same as before.
Get out of here. Go home!
In the past when you asked women for tea they would run and bring it for you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
let's watch some TV and see how women are treated. Channel 3...
"If a woman sits on a chair and gets up,
a man should not sit in her place as long as the seat is still warm."
Yes, that would be wrong. There's no reason for women to be sitting at all.
"As long as her heat is on the chair the man should not sit there.
"This shows he doesn't want to be aroused...
"He does not want to awaken that instinct because it would be difficult to contain that monster."
Wow! I didn't know there was so much freedom to say such positive things.
Don't change the channel! This is great. Let me see what else he has to say.
"What Islam is trying to do is to prevent this monster from waking up. To prevent it from getting excited."
Of course! It's the women's fault. It they aren't around, we men won't get excited.
Women wake up the monster within men.
Do you know what kind of times we are living in?
Do you? We are living in...
"We are living in a time that we have no choice but to get into situations that are very arousing...
"Such as our universities where young boys and girls intermingle. It's the kind of environment that excite us."
It excites us! Why? Because of women. How dare they come and excite the men?
Us men have nothing to do with this stuff. God forbid if men have any interest in women!
What does Imam Ali have to say about this?
"There's a saying you all know about. It's not from some wise man or religious authority. It's from Imam Ali...
"He said, 'I don't say hello to young girls because she might give a sweet response and shake my heart."
Just imagine a woman responding to our hello. It happens. All women have a sweet manner.
All of them!
But men always act like men.
So when you say hello to a women they arouse us and shakes up society.
That's what Abu Basir said!
"Abu Basir said, 'I was teaching the Koran to a woman. Then I joked with her'...
What kind of joke?
"Then I went to Imam Baqer. Imam Baqer said, 'why did you do that? Why did you joke with her?'"
What kind of joke did he play? What did he do?
"Abu Basir said, 'I was so ashamed that I covered my face with my hands to hide it from His Eminence'."
Why? What kind of joke did you play? What had he done?
He's saying some fishy things. Let's change the channel.
Question from caller: "What is Islam's ruling regarding women saying hello to men?"
"Thank you for your question. What is your answer?"
"We say hello to the dear sister. Some religious experts believe that it's wrong...
"... for a man to say hello especially to a young woman.
"But it's OK if she's you're aunt or mother-in-law."
"There may be nothing wrong with that."
"But some religious experts have stated that it's wrong to say hello to young women."
It's wrong to do that!
Do you believe in this man and the image he's portraying of women on TV and in society?
I believe in him! He's alright as far as I'm concerned! He's right about what he says about women.
You expect your sister to go to university and become a doctor?!
Where's your pride? What kind of a man are you? Women have no right to go to university!
When female university graduates...
"When female university students pursue higher degrees and take managerial jobs...
"... our boys lose their job security and will no longer be able to be the financial provider of the family."
"When women take over that role men won't have the desire to get married if they can't manage the family's finances."
It's amazing how Iranian radio and TV is respectful towards women. Truly!
This is the kind of respect men show towards women. Look how they treat women here and there.
Isn't it amazing. I don't know why I'm here. Should I go back to Iran and work for Iranian TV?
I've done research...
I myself have done research...
"I've done research..."
No, I've done research.
"I've done research..."
No! I've done research!
"I've done research..."
OK. She's done research.
"If four kind of sins happen too many times, there will be an earthquake.
"First, if there's too much adultery.
"Today when we look at a woman [who's not our wife or relative] we're committing adultery.
"We have a saying from the Prophet about this."
We have a saying from the Prophet!
"I've quoted that saying in my book.
"The eye commits adultery by gazing.
"Do you see how often men look at women?"
It happens a lot of times, Haj Agha. A lot of times...
"That's why there are earthquakes! The Prophet says that's why we have earthquakes."
"When there's too much adultery, when we look at women with your eyes, that's adultery."
Hey you women! Listen up! You want to go to university? Is that more important or people's lives?
When there's too much adultery the earth suddenly shakes. Listen to these words.
Let's change the channel.
Never mind. This guy is completely in another zone.
It's interesting that Iranian TV shows programs in English.
Let's see what else they're saying about women. Please show us.
"Please ladies, please pay attention. Not all, but more than 70 percent of women
"... who complain about their husbands staring at other women, or cheating and stuff...
"... are themselves at fault. The wives, and the family environment, are most often to blame."
He's right! Stop faulting men. You constantly put the blame on us but we don't say anything.
There on Iranian TV, which I respect, this man explains it all:
"You can lie to your wife..."
...
"... in order get a handle on her. When she says buy me some gold, ...
"... say of course dear, would you like 14 carats or 18?
"Don't say I don't have money.
"Don't say she knew you were a religious student when she married you.
"Tell her you will buy it for her. Say you will do it."
He's sitting there In broad daylight telling people how to play tricks. Why?
By the way, are there any other programs? What about TV series?
"Do you sleep with your headscarf on?"
Do you sleep with your headscarf on? Yes I sleep with my headscarf on. Don't you?
Everyone sleeps with their headscarf on.
Have you seen anyone not sleeping with their headscarf?
I haven't.
Have you?
Not me.
What about you?
Javad Larijani: "In Iran it's well known that we men are all oppressed by women."
How interesting. Yes Mr. Larijani. You're a man of justice. You were saying...
"We don't see justice in equality at all."
"Why should we look for justice in equality?"
Stop it. I don't want to play this role any more.
It's too hard to play the role of a scary Iranian man. I'm not even wearing a moustache.
I tried very hard to play the role of an idiotic man but it's really difficult.
Dear viewers, when Iranian TV creates this image of women it's no wonder officials reduce
women's quotas in medical studies and other majors.
This is how they present things on Iranian TV.
When there is no justice in equality,
when a woman's testimony in court is worth half a man's,
and many other things you all know about --
I don't want to moan and repeat them all --
I just want to say if you're a man, a real man,
and you're watching this program, this segment was made for you and only you.
Get up and put your jacket on.
I have mine on.
Your guest this week is Mr. Ahmad Shaheed.
Mr. Shaheed is the UN's Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. Here's his brief biography.
Mr. Shaheed was born in the Maldives in 1964.
He received a doctorate in international relations from Queensland University in Australia.
He was the foreign minister of the Maldives for two terms.
During that time his country joined nine international human rights conventions.
In 2011 he was appointed Special Rapporteur on Iran by the UN Human Rights Council.
Mr. Shaeed is a visiting professor at Essex University in the UK and teaches human rights, Islam and diplomacy.
Mr. Shaeed lives in the UK with his wife and children.
Hosseini: Mr. Shaeed, we're very happy to have you on the show.
Shaheed: Thank you very much.
Hosseini: You grew up in the Maldives? Tell me about your family and the environment you grew up in.
Shaeed: Let me first of all wish you a happy Norouz.
Hosseini: Thank you.
Shaheed: I grew up in a very happy home...
My father was a judge. My uncle was a judge. And my father's best friend was also a judge.
Hosseini: How's your judgement?
Shaheed: My judgement? I hope it's good, with three judges in my first childhood development.
So you know I grew up in an environment of justice and seeking justice.
Hosseini: That's why you like justice.
Shaheed: Who doesn't?
Hosseini: Some people in iran, they don't, as you know.
Shaheed: I think everybody loves justice. But sometimes I think power can blind people from justice.
Hosseini: Where did you go to school?
Shaheed: In the Maldives for the first ten years.
Hosseini: And then?
Shaeed: And then I went for higher education to the UK, in Wales.
Hosseini: What happened that you entered politics and became the foreign minister of the Maldives, right?
Shaheed: Yes, I did because my studies were in diplomacy, my PhD in particular.
And in the Maldives there were some problems with the human rights situation and so on.
The government needed someone to assist them to conform to world standards. So I stepped in, basically.
Hosseini: Now you can't go back to your own country. Is that true?
Shaheed: I think so.
Hosseini: Why is that. What did you do?
Shaheed: I tried to help the people. I made the country comply to human rights standards.
And those from more powerful parties ... in the country, the former power brokers,
lost influence and they blamed me for that.
Hosseini: Mr. Shaheed, I always wanted to ask this question from you when you took the Iran job:
Why Iran?
Shaheed: Well, you shouldn't ask this question because if you look around, Iran is one of the...
Hosseini: No, what attracted you to Iran?
Shaheed: For me? Well, I have an attachment to Iran from many angles. Let me mention a couple.
Firstly, in my undergraduate days in the university, I had as a flatmate, an Iranian student,
which I befriended very well. In fact I named my son after him.
Then in my PhD years in Australia I shared a room with an Iranian student
who is now a big professor in a university in Iran.
And of course, coming from the Maldives, we have ad admiration for the culture, for the refinement,
for the contribution to Muslims and Islamic civilization.
Now the reason why I chose to take this post on Iran, well you see Iran is one of the leaders of the Islamic World.
If you look at [President] Khatami's period, the most progressive discourse on Islamic Law
and Islamic Culture came from Iran.
Hosseini: You believe that?
Shaheed: Yes I do.
Hosseini: Among all the Middle Eastern and Muslim countries in the world?
Shaheed: Absolutely. Well maybe not today but if you go back.
I'm a Sunni Muslim, right? The main texts we believe in, like Bukhari,
these are people who grew up in Persia. They have Persian links.
There is a great role that Iran has played in the Islamic world
and it can play that role in the future as well.
Hosseini: Are you married?
Shaheed: Yes I am.
Hosseini: How many kids?
Shaheed: I have four.
Hosseini: How many boys and how many girls?
Shaheed: One boy and three beautiful girls.
Hosseini: Where do you live?
Shaheed: Iiive in the UK now.
Hosseini: [In Iran] they call you so many names.
We have this very nice gentleman in Iran. His name is Mr. Larijani.
He has called you names that I can't even mention here because it would be *** if I do that.
How do you feel about that? How do you feel about the way they call you, or the way they treat you in Iran?
All this news that you hear about yourself from the officials in Iran and the things they say about you...
How do you feel about that?
Shaheed: It's not about me, it's about them. If I abuse somebody it shows my own shortcoming.
So it doesn't affect me. What concerns me is if they mistreat their own people. Then it would concern me.
So, calling me names ...
Hosseini: They attack you, you know that, right?
Shaheed: I know that.
Hosseini: But you don't answer to any of the attacks.
Shaheed: No, why should I? Because I want them to engage on issues.
I know when they attack me it's because something that I've said has affected them.
Which means something I'm saying is right.
And I want them to go beyond the attack to address the issues.
Release people from prison. Treat them better. That's what I'm interested in.
Hosseini: The other question some people ask me to ask you is
how can you document human rights abuses from thousands of miles away?
Iranian [officials] always question the credibility of your work.
They always say you're sitting in the UK or the United States,
who are considered enemies in their mind. How do you do your work?
Shaheed: I'm not sitting in the United States. I live in the UK.
Now, I don't think the Iranian people ask those questions.
Because the Iranian people are among the most sophisticated people in the region.
They use the internet. They are in the 21st century. 21st century borders can be crossed by people.
I communicate quite extensively through the internet and other social media.
That is one way of reaching out to them.
And Iran isn't North Korea. Iran is a very refined society.
It's people talk and produce information, they produce literature, they communicate, they network.
There's tons of information that Iranians themselves produce.
Hosseini: Have you ever been in Iran?
Shaheed: Unfortunately not.
Hosseini: Would you like to go? I heard you would like to go.
Shaheed: I would love to go to Iran. Not just for my own work but beyond that.
There's so much to see in Iran. Any person, really, who wants to see a great civilization
and what it's left behind would love to go to Iran.
Hosseini: You said you love Iranian culture. Do you know anything about Iranian movies and music?
Shaheed: In popular music and popular movies, no. I've seena few movies,
the ones that have been more controversial recently.
But no, I've not actually had a chance to delve into Iranian culture in that sense.
Hosseini: Who's your favorite Iranian official?
Shaheed: Well...
Hosseini: Do you have any?
Shaheed: It's a difficult question about favorite officials.
I've met some diplomats who have been very nice.
They have been very refined in the way they talked to me.
I've got friends in Iran who are very different but... the word favorite would be a bad word to use.
Hosseini: Who do you like better than the others? Have you med Javad Zarif?
Shaheed: No unfortunately I haven't met Zarif yet.
Hosseini: What do you think about his discourse and Rouhani's discourse?
Shaheed: I think the discourse is excellent. I think what they say are fine and
I hope they will walk the talk because they would do justice for the people of Iran.
Iranians want progressive things for their country... Iranians are likable people.
When [officials] say they want to end discrimination, and they want to have people's rights respected,
that's what the people want. And that would be welcome.
Hosseini: Did they help you at all for your investigations about human rights in Iran when they took office?
Did they pave the way for you?
Shaheed: Yes. The new government is slightly more helpful than the previous government.
They are more warm towards me than previously.
Hosseini: Yeah. Zarif I think a couple of weeks ago he mentioned that
they want to start a conversation about human rights.
That means they want to start talking to you or...? What is your take on that?
Shaheed: Well at the end of the day they have to talk to a wide range of people
and if they want to engage with the UN well then I'm the lead person there
because I'm the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran
and you cannot pick and choose who you would talk to in that context.
Hosseini: People in Iran know the Maldives based on one memory we have
with your country and that's a football game that we beat the Maldives 17 to zero.
Shaheed: Eighteen!
Hosseini: Eighteen? Eighteen, really?
Shaeed: Eighteen.
Hosseini: Eighteen to zero. You did a lot of good things for Iranian human rights.
I thought that to return the favor we can spend a special envoy like yourself
to the Maldives to teach a little bit of football. A coach or something.
Shaheed: Oh sure.
Hosseini: Would you be interested in advocating something like that?
Shaheed: Yes, absolutely.
I think the Maldives and Iran can work closely in many areas, culture especially.
You see, Islam in the Maldives has come from Iran.
The words we use to describe our religious activities like "namaz" I believe are Persian, I'm told.
For fasting we say "rowzah" is also Persian linked...
There are a lot of historical link between them.
And there's a lot we can learn from Iranian culture, Iranian sports, and even education as well.
So I would advocate that.
Hosseini: That's great! Thank you so much Mr. Shaheed for coming to our show.
If you, like me, followed the news about the border guards taken hostage
you would definitely have noticed that last week something nice happened in Iran,
something that got lost in the cries of joy for the release of the hostages.
This opened our eyes to realities which we don't always see.
The reality is that the freedom of four Iranian border guards would not have been possible
without the mediation of Molavi Abdolhamid,
who is the Friday Prayer leader and prominent Sunni cleric of Zahedan.
In other words, without him stepping in, our weeks of worries and concerns could have
turned into a national tragedy for the people and the families of those
who were unluckily serving in the most insecure and unprotected border areas.
Molavi Abdolhamid who is respected from Zahedan to Tehran and even beyond the borders.
He is the person who noticed he was banned from travel when he tried to go to Saudi Arabia for a conference.
Nevertheless, when officials asked him to use his influence to help save the lives of the guards
he did not step back and did not let problems and obstacles facing
the people of Sistan and Baluchestan make him close his eyes in indifference.
But what is the real issue?
The real issue is that Hasan Rouhani
made no mention of the role played by this prominent Sunni cleric
in the statement he issued about the release of the hostages.
Also, Jomhuri Eslami newspaper went as far as crossing Molavi's name
and even accused him of trying attract officials of the Islamic Republic
for personal gains in return for using his influence on rebels during times of crisis.
Our main point in this program is that ignoring the role of Iranian minorities
in unifying the country is not constructive by any means.
Wُُُe should not ignore the unique and historic opportunity that lies in the empathy felt by minorities.
It is by including minorities in major debates and acknowledging their role
that we can reach a common language and understanding,
despite cultural and racial differences in Iran.
This will open the way for resolving the region's issues
which are so often ignored by people and officials.
Today the role of Molavi Abdolhamid in solving a national crisis was overlooked
and perhaps tomorrow the same will happen in regards to other minorities.
Our main point is that we should not forget how the soldiers were taken hostage
and what led to their freedom
and which people played a role in ending the crisis.
Forgetting all that would not only be sad and unfortunate, but also costly.
I'm Kambiz Hosseini and I think intelligent and respectful politics are good,
unlike tricks and deceit.
Until next week and another episode of Poletik, the hell with depression!
Because the world is not a place for sorrows, neither is it worth it.
Poletik airs right here every Friday night at 10 o'clock Tehran time.
Watch out for the person next to you, ladies and gentlemen.