When Iranian television censored the broadcast of the Brazil 2014 World Cup draw in last month due to host Fernanda Lima’s dress, soccer-crazed Iranian youth took to social media to express their anger – not towards the government censors but against the actress.
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Satellite dishes, bootleg VHS tapes, uncensored films, police searches, laughter, and fear. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran has imposed and removed bans on just about everything – soon such actions, says the new minister of Islamic Culture and Guidance says, will make everyone laugh.
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Iranian novelist Yaghoub Yadali responds to Philip Roth’s recent announcement of his retirement with a deeply honest letter addressed to the celebrated author. While Yadali understands Roth’s reasons for calling it quits, he explains why “for an Iranian writer, retirement is meaningless.”
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We look back at the most-read columns of 2013, featuring contributions from Tarik Günersel (Turkey), Bina Shah (Pakistan), Khet Mar (Burma), Israel Centeno (Venezuela), Hamdy el-Gazzar (Egypt), Tienchi Martin-Liao (China), Horacio Castellanos Moya (El Salvador), and Yaghoub Yadali (Iran).
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In light of the holiday season, Sampsonia Way’s international columnists share their 2013 reading recommendations. Selected by Israel Centeno, Tarik Günersel, Yaghoub Yadali, Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, Mesfin Negash, Hamd El-Gazzar, Bina Shah, and Tienchi Martin-Liao.
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Does a new viral YouTube video signal big changes in Iran? Entitled “New Voyager,” the music video, which has strong similarities with the Obama campaign’s “Yes We Can” video, is largely based on president Hassan Rouhani speeches, shows women singing, and portrays Iran’s diverse society.
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In a recent Gallup poll Americans rated Iran as their “biggest enemy.” Why is it like this? “Why do Americans believe all news that tries to paint Iran as an ‘enemy’ and a ‘terrorist’ only interested in building nuclear bombs?” Iranian writer Yaghoub Yadali attempts to dispel the widely held myths.
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