Word on the street is that Nasrin Alavi's book "We Are Iran: The Persian Blogs" is now out, at last. (See previous blog entry.) As the Amazon book summary puts it:
There are now 64,000 blogs in Farsi, and Nasrin Alavi has painstakingly reviewed them all, weaving the most powerful and provocative into a striking picture of the flowering of dissent in Iran. From one blogger’s blasting of the Supreme Leader as a "pimp" to another’s mourning for an identity crushed by the stifling protection of her male relatives, this collection functions not only as an archive of Iranians’ thoughts on their country, culture, religion, and the rest of the world, but also as an alternative recent history of Iran. Government crackdowns may soon still these voices — in February 2005, one blogger was sentenced to 14 years in jail — and We Are Iran may serve as the only serious record of their existence.
For those who do not read Farsi, Alavi's book should help bridge the language-barrier to the Middle East's most vibrant blogging scene.
This might also be a time to note that Iranian blogger Omid Sheikhan has been sentenced by the Iranian court to one year in prison and 124 lashes:
Omid was first arrested last year, confined for two months, including one in solitary confinement, and tortured, due to his blog which featured satire on the Iranian situation.
When he was brought to court on October 8 he faced different charges, due to the fact that even in the Iran judicial system it would have been difficult to convict him on charges relating to his blog. Instead, he faced, and was convicted on, charges stemming from "morals" violations, including "having unlawful relations, drinking wine, corruption of morals (for having a birthday party) and possessing satirical pictures of Iranian politicians."
Now this blogger in his early twenties will be beaten half to death...
It's probably a good time for you to sign the Free Omid petition.
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