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IRAN FRONT PAGELatest News and Views From Iran, Middle East and the World

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- Lifestyle
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Culture
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Home Blog Page 4890

Mending manuscripts is a precious act: Culture Min.

Emad Askarieh

December 15, 2014

Iran’s culture minister said that mending manuscripts, books and ancient journals is a precious and lasting act.

Ali Jannati made the statement during a visit to Tehran’s Malek Museum on Sunday.

“Experts in this field are great artists, who can receive orders for mending works from foreign countries as well,” Jannati added.

“Malek National Library and Museum Institution is home to historical works which are parts of our country’s history and civilization.”

The library is located in downtown Tehran at Mashq Square, which is home to several Qajar era monuments.

The building and almost all its artifacts were donated by the Qajar era tradesman Hussein Malek, to the guardianship of the shrine of Imam Reza (AS) to be converted into a museum and library.

Uselessness is part of contemporary art

December 15, 2014

Honaronline.ir has filed a report about a Tehran exhibition entitled ‘Useless Machines’ which opened on December 12 in Mah-e Mehr Art Gallery with Parviz Tanavoli, a well-known sculptor and the instructor of ‘Useless Machines’ workshop, in attendance. The exhibition which showcases a collection of artworks by Mr. Tanavoli’s students is intended to define the concept of uselessness for visitors. The following is a partial translation of the report:

“The artworks made over this 2-month intensive educational course are a combination of art with either industry or machine. In modern life machines have a major role to play and can be a source of inspiration. It’s worth noting that we did not seek to find machines with useful functions. Far from that; we planned on creating useless machines,” Tanavoli said.

“I supervised the whole project and Ms. Mona Pad, a graduate in industrial design, was in charge of all technical matters and the implementation of the project. In fact, she helped artists with the choice of machine structure and power,” he added.

“Such artworks are new in Iran. However, for five decades, artists elsewhere in the world have adopted machines in their works and injected mobility into them. We have done this project to take the first step in this field, letting Iranian visitors get familiar with moving sculptures whose movement is aimless,” he stated.

As for the importance of uselessness in the contemporary art, he said, “Uselessness has become so common in art and many artists are after it. Time is gone when art was in pursuit of moral or educational aspects; now artists want to present works which portray the useless aspects of life. We come across pointless matters in life on a daily basis which we put up with and leave behind. Such questions have a great impact on artists and thus throughout the world they take the concept of uselessness very seriously and base part of their art on it.”

On humor in artworks he said, “There is a great deal of humor in such works. In general, Iranians take a humorous look at useless tasks. […] Humor is part of Iranian character and that’s the secret to their survival in the face of hardship, because such approach helps them put up with problems.”

Recalling his past experience with machines, he concluded, “I used machines 50 years ago to make moving sculptures and such artworks still exist, but since then I have never used machines in my works.”

[…]

Among artists contributing to the exhibition were Farish Alborzkouh, Kourosh Ameri, Leila Taheri and Amir Mousavizadeh.

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Dec. 15

Emad Askarieh

December 15, 2014

News about the passing of veteran Iranian actor Anushirvan Arjmand due to a heart condition was on the front pages of most Iranian dailies, reformist and principlist alike, on Monday. The continuous decline in oil prices and ongoing protests in the US against police brutality also made headlines.

Afarinesh: The Iraqi parliament speaker is expected in Iran [Tuesday at the invitation of the speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly].

Afkar: “Iran has the latest generation of centrifuges,” said the director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

Aftab-e Yazd: With oil prices plunging to $57 a barrel, the government has problem with its development budget.

Aftab-e Yazd:[Former Vice-President Mohammad Reza] Aref has hailed President Rouhani, saying, “Your commitment to the promises you made about the Ministry of Science is praiseworthy.”

Arman-e Emrooz: [Former Tehran Prosecutor] Saeed Mortazavi has been disbarred for life.

Asr-e Eghtesad: Car production registered a 60 percent growth in the month to November 21 over the corresponding period last year.

Asr-e Iranian: The health minister has ordered deans of med schools to discharge hospital administrators who are not fully committed to their responsibilities.

Asr-e Rasaneh: The governor of the Central Bank of Iran has dismissed reports that the National Development Fund has been [illegally] tapped into.

Asrar: The minister of science has said that the presidents of 34 universities will be named soon.

Ebtekar: “A vast gas field has been discovered in the south,” said a senior manager at the National Iranian Oil Company.

Ebtekar: “Extension of nuclear talks came at the request of the Americans,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to the supreme leader.

Etemad: The Iranian Human Rights Commission has granted Health Minister Hassan Hashemi the medal of Islamic Human Rights.

Etemad: With oil prices plunging, the Iranian stock exchange shed more points.

Farhikhtegan: Hadi Shafiee, an Iranian scientist, has won the Bright Futures Prize in the United States.

Hadaf va Eghtesad: The minister of industries, mines and trade has said the Iranian automotive industry should bid farewell to assembly of foreign-made cars.

Hambastegi: “By securing seats in the next parliament, reformists will help the 11^th government [President Rouhani’s],” said Mohammad Reza Aref, President Khatami’s deputy.

Hemayat: Protest rallies against modern-day slavery have been held in New York and Washington DC.

Hemayat: The amount of loans banks provide to those involved in the manufacturing sector has shrunk.

Iran: “I’ll do my best to serve disabled war veterans,” said renowned Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami after paying a visit to Tehran’s Peace Museum.

Iran: “P5+1 have no choice but strike a deal [with Iran],” said the director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

Iran Daily: Iran gains 10 medals in Asian judo meet.

Javan: Pay-to-get-exemption is the best way for [football] clubs to keep [draft-dodging] players on the pitch.

Javan: “We want to build nuclear reactors and develop fuel rods,” said a onetime Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, who now serves as advisor to the Supreme Leader.

Kaenat: [Veteran actor] Anushirvan Arjmand has passed away.

Qods: A 30^th exhibition on the country’s nuclear achievements has opened.

Roozan: “Sometimes MPs have to pay bribes too,” is part of the comments of a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly about corruption in the country.

Sayeh: The British parliament wants the UK embassy in Tehran to reopen.

Sharq: “As many as 144 soccer players have been banned from leaving the country following a corruption scandal.”

Sharq: In Turkey 20 journalists and opposition members have been arrested.

Tehran Times: “No UF6 will be injected into IR8 centrifuges during talks,” said the director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

Erzurum to host Persian language, literature workshop

Emad Askarieh

December 15, 2014

Iran’s cultural attaché office in Erzurum, Turkey, will host a workshop of Persian poetry and literature for the first time.

The workshop will be held in the office’s Persian language and literature education center. Rahim Koushesh, a visiting professor at Atatürk University and a scientific board member of Urmia University, will be the instructor of the program.

The educational workshop will be held with the aim of introducing Persian poetry and Iranian literary scholars, the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization reported.

During the weekly workshop, which will be attended by Persian-language M.A. students of Erzurum Atatürk University, poems of Rumi and Hafez will be studied.

Persian traditional music was presented at the Iranology exhibition of the Belarusian University. The expo was mounted by Iran’s cultural attaché office in Belarus and Minsk’s Muslim Students Association in Belarusian State Medical University.

Chordophone and Percussion instruments of Persian traditional music were displayed at the event while classical Iranian poets and five contemporary Iranian scholars were introduced at the event.

On the sidelines of the expo, booklets of modern Iran were distributed. The pavilions of Iranian tribes were the event’s most visited and attractive sections according to foreign visitors.

The event will host lovers of Iranian arts and works by December21.

Nuclear talks cannot go on forever

Emad Askarieh

December 15, 2014

A German lawmaker said that negotiations between Iran and world powers over Tehran nuclear program cannot continue endlessly.

“We cannot continue the nuclear negotiations forever but should come to a conclusion at some point,” said Niels Annen, a member of the German Bundestag and the spokesman on foreign policy affairs for the Social Democrats (SPD).

He expressed hope for a deal between the two sides, adding that everything is ready for a “very good agreement.”

Iran and 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) have held several rounds of talks to hammer out a final deal to end a decade of impasse over Tehran’s civilian nuclear work.

They wrapped up seven days of intensive nuclear talks in Vienna on November 24 without securing a long-awaited comprehensive deal.

They decided to extend talks on Tehran’s civilian nuclear program for seven more months.

Tehran and P5+1 are scheduled to resume talks at the deputy level in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

Annen, who is in Tehran, said clinching a nuclear deal could be very important for a stable, secure and peaceful Middle East and for the mutual interests of Iran and Germany.

Once a nuclear agreement is reached, the German lawmaker said, “We can significantly develop our mutual cooperation.”

No plan on Iran agenda to activate new centrifuges

Emad Askarieh

December 15, 2014

Iran’s nuclear chief says nearly 9,000 centrifuges are presently operational in the country, stressing that Tehran will not activate more centrifuges as a sign of its goodwill during its talks with P5+1.

“We currently have nearly 20,000 installed centrifuges, some 9,000 of which are operating and another 9,000 centrifuges are being installed but are not operational. As long as the negotiations are ongoing, we have no intention of activating the 9,000 additional machines,” Ali Akbar Salehi, the director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said on Sunday.

He said this is an “unwritten” agreement to which Tehran remains committed as a sign of goodwill to settle the nuclear issue, adding that the Islamic Republic does not seek to complicate the nuclear case.

He expressed optimism about a final nuclear deal between Iran and P5+1 over Tehran’s nuclear program, saying the two sides have come closer to the comprehensive agreement.

“There is no option left but to interact and [reach] understanding and the two sides must reach an agreement,” the AEOI head noted.

Salehi added that many topics have been discussed in the negotiations with P5+1 including Arak heavy water reactor, Fordow nuclear facility, enrichment and lifting of sanctions.

He said Iran and the six countries have narrowed down their differences in technical and legal aspects to some extent, saying the possibility of striking a deal is “very high” if P5+1 shows political will.

The AEOI head’s remarks came as senior officials from Iran and P5+1 – Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany – are scheduled to resume a new round of talks in the Swiss city of Geneva on December 17.

Among the thorny issues in the talks are the level of Iran’s uranium enrichment and the lifting of anti-Tehran sanctions.

Foreign meddling in Syria must stop

Emad Askarieh

December 15, 2014

A senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says foreign meddling in Syria must stop as a major step toward restoration of peace in the war-stricken country.

“Foreign interference is the most significant reason behind the lack of stability and… sustainable peace in Syria,” Ali Akbar Velayati said in a meeting with Niels Annen, the spokesman on foreign policy affairs for the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), in Tehran on Sunday.

Velayati said foreign militants wreaking havoc in Syria must leave the country as “the first step” toward peace and stability so that later measures can be taken to reach “proper solutions based on the public will” to the ongoing crisis in the country.

“The issue of ISIL and Syria are among the most important [issues] of concern which not only affect the region but the world,” Velayati, who is also the president of the Center for Strategic Research of Iran’s Expediency Council, said.

The Iranian official added that influential and powerful countries should strengthen cooperation to establish stability in the Middle East and across the world.

Iran has made utmost use of its capabilities to counter terrorism and would take necessary measures in the anti-terror fight, Velayati pointed out.

The ISIL terrorists control some parts of Syria and Iraq. They are engaged in crimes against humanity in areas under their control. ISIL militants have terrorized and killed people of all communities, including Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians.

The German politician, for his part, said Iran and Germany share common concerns, particularly on regional issues including ISIL, Syria and Iraq.

He pointed to the two countries’ good relations and added that exchange of visits between Iranian and German officials would improve ties at all levels.

Tehran electric motorbike show; a prelude to eco-friendly bikes

Emad Askarieh

December 14, 2014

Tehran Municipality held an exhibition of electric motorcycles on December 4-10, in hopes of phasing in the light, eco-friendly bikes and taking off the streets the old gasoline-fueled motorcycles which account for almost 25 percent of Tehran’s nasty air pollution. The weeklong expo, the first in Iran, was held in a Tehran park attracting each day up to 2,000 visitors. The show was extended by two days due to public demand.

The motor show could be a step toward a phase-out of old bikes which the municipality plans to implement to help reduce air pollution. The following is a partial translation of a report by Hamshahri daily on the expo:

The exhibition put on display different brands of electric motorbikes produced in Iran together with those imported from Germany, the US, Italy and China.

Heshmatollah Bastami, the exhibition’s executive director, said that bike owners who work in and commute to downtown Tehran made up for the bulk of visitors.

The show came as the city management planned to replace as many as 10,000 motorcycles with electric motorbikes in the capital each year. This was also echoed by Mohsen Sarkhoo, the chairman of the Transport Committee of Tehran City Council, who hoped the slow-paced measure could be given momentum to keep pace with what has been stipulated in Tehran Municipality’s second five-year plan.

Under a decision by Tehran City Council, the capital’s municipality has been tasked with phasing out gasoline-powered motorcycles and replacing them with clean bikes.

Newcomers tarnish the image of veteran figures

Emad Askarieh

December 14, 2014

Legitimate freedoms should not be taken hostage by religiosity. This is what Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the late Imam Khomeini, told a crowd of political activists in Rafsanjan where he attended a function to mark the third anniversary of the passing of Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Hashemian, the Friday Prayer Leader of the city in Kerman Province. The following is the translation – in part – of his remarks on December 12 as reported by Aftab-e Yazd daily:

That today some people openly mention the name of [the late] Imam and support his ideals is a good idea. Talking about him today does not land you in jail, nor does it make you exposed to torture. That was not the case in the past [before the Revolution, though]. Past supporters did not have the slightest idea of what would come next, nor were they trying to get their hands on any position of authority or property.

Those who come on board after a triumph [a reference to Koranic words that those who joined the Prophet Muhammad’s army only after it secured victory did a good job, but it was not comparable with the belief of those who were with the Prophet when there were no material gains] are not necessarily bad people. Some of them are young and were not born when the victory took place.

However, some newcomers have launched publicity campaigns to sully the reputation of old, veteran figures. Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, for instance, is somebody.

He was only a few steps away from death, but came out unharmed thanks to the divine favor. Among Qom-based seminary school students, he was known as the Imam’s foreign minister because of his support for Imam. Disagreements may emerge, but it is not a good idea to doubt someone’s credentials from the start.

Imam championed a school of thought which sought independence, freedom and religiosity. Extra care should be taken not to let independence come at the expense of freedom, nor should religiosity be taken hostage by freedom and vice versa. Imam’s way of thinking includes these three aspects, but sometimes only one single aspect is highlighted.

We should be vigilant not to allow religiosity to be sidelined under the pretext of [exercising the right to] freedom and keep silent if legitimate freedoms are restricted only to serve religious causes.

Over the centuries, foreign powers have always held sway in Iran, but today political independence is one of the biggest achievements of the Islamic Revolution. Freedom should not be stifled under the pretext of independence, because the Islamic Revolution has brought about a big gain and that is freedom of criticism and speech.

Currently what matters is not to remove personal misunderstandings; rather, we should push hard to make all misunderstandings and feuds a thing of the past. In an Islamic society when people nurse grudges against each other, friendship will be damaged, and the absence of friendship marks the start of social disintegration.

We need to be sensitive to corruption no matter where it happens. As the Supreme Leader has put it, freedom of those who exercise “promotion of virtue and prevention of vice” is a requirement for such sensitivity. To that end mass media which have the power to publicize things should enjoy freedom. For a society to get rid of corruption it should practice self-control and its members should be vigilant about what problems the society they live in faces.

I made a mistake when I fielded my candidacy: Former Chief of Staff

Emad Askarieh

December 14, 2014

On December 14, Arman-e Emrooz, a daily, carried the remarks of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, President Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff, about his recent decision to qyuit politics in a bid to promote unity among divided supporters of the former president. What appears next is the translation of his comments in a meeting with a number of Ahmadinejad supporters:

If the Islamic Revolution Stability Front and other Hezbollah [Party of God] followers [a reference to a principlist faction at odds with the current government and Hashemi Rafsanjani] avoid backing Ahmadinejad just because of my close relationship with him, I am ready to distance myself from him as of today.

In the course of the past year, I decided to give up politics forever just to foster unity among advocates of Ahmadinejad. Unfortunately, division and disillusion which erupted in the camp of Ahmadinejad benefited Hashemi’s camp and we need to stop this trend.

The fate of the justice-seeking current should not hinge on one individual. That’s why I have distanced myself [from politics] forever, so that the advocates of Ahmadinejad could stay as one again. Today, when I look back at the developments of the last five years, I tell myself when the Supreme Leader wisely said that my position as vice president was a source of disillusion for Ahmadinejad supporters, it was not expedient to stay by the side of Ahmadinejad on the [political] scene, nor should I have fielded my candidacy for presidential election.

Ahmadinejad is an invaluable asset who should be saved for the sake of justice and the rule of religious jurisprudence. Hundreds of Mashaeis can be sacrificed to advance this cause.