I was raised--let’s say--in an unconventional Iranian family. Blasphemy was never a problem in our house. Even though my father fearlessly had no respect for any kind of religion and my mother’s tolerating religious beliefs never criticized his comments, the family knew whatever said in the house, stays in the house. In a country where every move and words are watched at school, on the streets or at work to make sure Islam is practiced, one just learns to lead a double life. That’s how I learned to never say my father doesn’t pray, or we have an illegal satellite TV. For example, when I was being interviewed for a competitive high school about my parents religious beliefs, I lied about them being devout Muslims, not because I believed it would increase my chance of getting in, just because that’s how every one lived those days. Ham rang-e-jama’t sho “Be like every one else if you want to survive!” In those days, any one who had lived in Iran or was familiar with the political and religious repression, in one way or another witnessed or heard of the notorious punishment of questioning religion. So, growing up with a fear of prosecution, I learned it’s normal to live a private life so different from a public life. And never thought I would live to see a day when Iranians would publicly say the things I only heard in private. This week when an Iranian artist, Shahin Najafi who lives in Germany started an uproar with his song, Naghi, I realized I was wrong in my predictions. Of course, the consequences have followed and a religious figure in Iran has issued a Fatwa of death on the artist. Also, many people were not happy about the song or the CD cover and…

Last week, this picture was the talk of the town among Iranians! Facebook, blogs and emails were being updated to make sure every one sees this photo. I believe this commotion around a picture sends a message beyond sarcasm or humoring a major political figure in Iran. The popularity of this image along with the cartoons and commentaries made about it shows the intellectual and awareness level of the Iranian nation who recognizes “dictatorship” is no longer justified. Making a holy symbol out of a leader and blindly following him are not accepted. And even though publicly disgracing the highest political and religious presence is punishable, not every one cares anymore.

Blaming the foreigners for interfering in Iranian matters is not anything new in Iranian foreign politics or domestic policies. Throughout the pre-revolution history, the Russians, the British, the French and finally the Americans have competed for power in Iran leaving a sense of distrust and paranoia on the Iranian psyche. The revolution of 1979, when a people’s revolt under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini ousted 2500 years of Monarchy, legitimized this fear even further and what some people thought in their heads now was publicly said. Ayatollah Khomeini called the US the "great satan" and turned his back to America. Since then, Iranian officials have continued to accuse USA of secretly plotting against Iran and its Islamic values from provoking the protesters of green movement to sending spy drones and impregnating Iranian women via Internet. What was once a political tactic, now has creeped into minds and lives in a form of a stereotype mixed with love of conspiracy theory and has made it easy to believe any rumor that evolves around the foreign powers’ hand in anything that goes wrong in Iran.

The finals week is approaching for some of us students and I thought to cheer us up and inspire us by humoring the education system, I Heart Iran style. A few weeks ago, Hamid Reza Haji-Babayi, Iranian minister of education proposed his brilliant idea. He called for further gender segregating the schools (in Iran only private kindergartens and some colleges are co-ed). Only this time, the text books for all grades and levels should be gender specific. Immediately after his remarks, Persian blog sphere filled with suggestion for Mr. Minster and his ideal text books. Here are a few: Math for Boys: 2+2=4 or even 5, who cares! Math for Girls: 2 stems of flowers added by two more becomes a bouquet that we will gift to our dear mother. Geography for Boys: If you hold your right hand toward the East and your left hand toward the West, the North will be in front of you, while the south is behind you.

Can you name the most essential thing you use on daily basis, so basic that you often take it for granted? Now, can you imagine you have to use that discreetly or in fear of getting arrested because the government bans it? In Iran, satellite TVs, among many other things are banned. However, government control does not stop the public from acquiring them. And I “heart” Iran because most of the time, these ways are funny and make me smile. This week, I decided to share with you this photo since it brings back memories of when in mid 90s, I was a school girl and satellite TVs were starting to become popular in Iran. People who owned a huge satellite dish, tried many different tricks to hide them from the local police searches or even occasional helicopters hovering above neighborhoods. But before hiding the satellite dishes, there was a mafia-like process of going through an underground business to buy the dish and receiver set. Today, these “illegal” satellite dishes are so common that no one any longer bothers to hide them. Iranians fearlessly put them on the roofs or balconies and even if the police confiscate one, another one is replaced almost immediately.

I hope in the past few months of I Heart Iran, we have learned that no one is spared from the "forced" hijab. Iranian education system and religious authorities use any tactic to implement the hijab policies and mold young minds into accepting it as a garment designed for the well-being and protection of women. Though I personally have no opposition to the hijab, forcing it upon women (in the case of Iran) is what makes me come back to this concept over and over again.

As an Iranian-American who is always trying to fix the ruined image of Iranians (by the mainstream media and politics), I wish I would wake up in the morning and miraculously find out that the whole world has changed its attitude toward us. In my dream, the American public knows that Iranians are a misunderstood nation that, unlike their despotic government officials, do not say hateful things about other nations. (For example, I enjoyed the love messages exchanged between Iranians and Israelis in the past week.) Also, in my dream, my audience have realized it is possible to laugh at ourselves, our politics, our governments and our officials--just the way Iranians are doing so in Iran as the only option left for them.

Only in Iran, the government makes a movie about cracking down on its protesters and shooting at them, then blames it on foreign spies and the people themselves. A new movie called Ghaladehay-e-Tala or The Golden Collars, premiered for the Persian New Year, is telling the story of the 2009 presidential election and its aftermath which led to what the West knows as the Green Movement. See the trailer here. Screening of this film at this time is significant since two other Iranian movies scheduled to be screened at the time of Persian New Year celebrations were banned while one in particular depicts the activities of Gasht-e-Irshad or Morality Police which harasses the Iranian youth for not following Islamic codes of clothing and conducts. As the screening of the movie have raised a lot of criticism and anger, this time, Iranians feel betrayed by some of their favorite actors and actresses who have played in the movie and call on the boycott of the film and its characters.

Nourooz Mubarak! That is what you are hearing these days if you run into Iranians or check out their websites, blogs or Facebook pages. Persian New Year, which marks the first day of Spring and the most celebrated and beloved holiday, is here. Though this holiday is not exclusive to Iranians and other nations and groups such as Afghans, Tajiks, Kurds and etc celebrate Nourooz as well, I'm going to speak about my only experience; Nourooz in Iran.

This week's I Heart Iran has everything to do with Iranians right here in our own backyard: Los Angeles! And of course like any thing else that has to do with Iranians, the buzzes around these people have not been few either. I am talking about the new Bravo TV show, Shahs of Sunset. The show is not even a week old yet and the anger and annoyance of the Iranian-American community can be heard from every corner of social media and Internet. Facebook posts, sarcastic videos in response to the show, and editorial articles and articles in New York Times and NPR are making rounds online calling the show every thing from “racist” to saying it “lies;” to some, it is “disgusting” and “misrepresents.” Of course, in light of the other drama — those in Washington beating war drums — the show is seen by some as “dangerous to the political tension between Iran and US.”

If you “heart” Iran, you should know by now that happiness doesn’t last long in that country. The joy of winning the first Academy of Award in Iran soon vanished when the parliamentary elections were held on Friday, March 2nd. You might be surprised to know that the first round of victory of the conservatives over the supporters of the president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was not the reason for this sudden shock of sadness.

This week’s reason to "heart Iran" is the man who made so many Iranians proud, brought tears of joy to their eyes and (probably like me) caused a great deal of throat pain from screaming so loud. Yes, Asghar Farhadi won the Academy of Award for the Best Foreign Language Film on Sunday, February 26. A Separation

Gerani or Gerooni is a Persian word that translates into English as “inflation.” But in the context of Iranian society, it means a mixture of the dearth and the expensive. It's a three-part blend of a troublesome economical situation, an "America-sanctions-us-again" political reality, and "the-price-of-dollar-rises-so-must-everything-else-in-Iran" mentality. Nowadays, Gerooni is the main thing Iranians talk about. Those who live in Iran complain to one another or remind those who live outside of Iran about how difficult their lives are getting day by day. Also, diaspora Iranians who are in contact with home wonder where this is going. Almost every Iranian blog I look at is talking about Gerooni and cartoons, sarcastic poems, jokes and slogans are circling the web and social media where Iranians have a prominent presence.

To be honest with you, I had a very rough week. I talked to my friends and family in Iran (after many attempts since Internet speed was reduced as a part of preventing uprising in the anniversary of Islamic Revolution and the February 14 protests) and they all complained about the rising price of food and goods in as the result of the recent sanctions implemented on Iran’s oil and central bank. Then, I turned to the news and read rumors and predictions, that within the next six months Iran might face a famine. As if the scary rumors weren’t enough, when my best friend called, she said the stores in her neighborhood are hoarding their products so they could sell them for more expensive price later. Also, Israel's ongoing saber rattling about Iran really scared me this week when I read that the recent visit of a Mossad’s chief to America had been to pressure the U.S. to attack Iran. Can you imagine how the talk of war makes most people from Iran feel? The fear of witnessing another Iraq and Afghanistan, the fear of Iran’s retaliation, plus the human toll of any type of attack are among the many reasons that concern me and others like me.

Month of Bahamn (Jan19-Feb 21) is the month of celebration in Iran when the Iranian regime commemorates the return of Imam Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic revolution, from exile and what they dub as the victory of the Iranian people over the ousted Shah in 1979. Celebrations include cheery, celebratory marches, TV programs, and the revolutionary songs that are repeatedly played on radio and TV.

Since I haven’t had one of your favorite topics, Hijab propaganda ads, in a while, I thought we could take a break from all the crazy politics and the unfortunate and ongoing effects of sanctions on Iran to take a look at yet another Hijab poster: The Cultural Committee of Cleaning the Sea Program, The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance at the city of Mazandaran presents: My Sister! Refine the Beautiful nature of the Sea with your Hijab.

Iran’s recent crackdowns on Barbie dolls made me think about my first Barbie. Do you remember yours? Her hair color and her dress? Do you remember the first doll house you had for her, or her first car? Your memories must be very similar to mine. My first Barbie doll came from Germany, a gift from my grandmother. When I was growing up in the '90s, in Iran, Barbie dolls weren’t popular in my small town of Isfahan. But, the long way my first Barbie had to travel to reach me wasn’t because the Islamic Republic considered them un-Islamic, or an attack on "Iranian values." It was simply because the popular culture of consumerism that we witness almost everywhere else around the world did not fully exist in Iran's smaller cities. Barbies were sold for high prices in a few upscale stores. Today, however, Chinese production, make things cheap and accessible. Based on that, Barbie should be available everywhere in Iran.

Since the most recent, new sanctions on Iran were implemented, every American news corner you turn to, you'll hear talk of attacking Iran as though it is inevitable. Whether Iran would close the Hurmoz Strait or not has been the question experts are trying to predict. One of the economic consequences of all these war talks has been a drop in the value of Iran's Riyal (while, the price of the US dollar skyrocketed), leaving the ordinary Iranian people more and more under financial pressure. As always, Iranians-- who can't control or change much about the situation-- turn to humor. A picture which is going viral via emails that reads: "Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wins the The Prize of the Century in Chemistry for turning Riyal into cow dung."

If you’ve lived in Iran or are familiar with its politics, you know that every day a new government policy or a statement sends shockwaves through the public sphere. Yet, these often--ridicules exclamations are received with passivity or laughter by the people-- who are so used to being oppressed at this point that they can't do anything but let it just wash past them.

As I’m wishing you all a very Happy New Year, let me cheer you the way Iranians are cheering each other nowadays: Followed by a recent remark by the Chief of Cultural Heritage, who said “Instead of spreading the ominous news of the financial fraud, create happiness for people,” this cartoon made its way around the web. A group of dancing men dressed in traditional Iranian shower-wrap or Lung are leaving the bank which has turned into a Hmam (a public bath) while singing “two billion has been stolen” based on an old Iranian comedy film. Even bad news can be delivered in a happy way.

In the last decade, divorce rates have been skyrocketing in Iran. The shameful reality of divorce for an Islamic country, which insists everything it has done since its birth in 1979 are correct, is hard to swallow. It is very easy to detect government efforts to address this new phenomenon. For example, when one tunes into state media, various campaigns are taking place to educate the public on how to have healthy families and prevent divorces. Numerous talk shows features psychologists and marriage counselors, while seminars and work shops on relationship topics are offered in town and cultural centers. Banners on streets advocate for lowering the standard of lives for newlyweds, while religious figures deliver sermons on ideal marriage and functional families.

Remember how I always say nothing goes unnoticed in Iran? The fact that Iranian people are so critical of their own government, and are aware of the contradictions and hypocrisies of the government’s version of Islam forced upon them, must be held in mind when looking at Iran. As you might remember, followed by the attack on the British Embassy, the officials claimed that the act was carried out by a minority of angry students who had no ties with any religious, official or governmental agencies:

Did you think American conservative politicians are the only ones who say crazy things about closing the non-existent American Embassy in Tehran or about the Palestinians: the invented people? Or of gays who wish to strip families from their American values? The good news is that Iranians and Americans have more in common that they think. Last week, an Iranian clergy warned about American spies disguised as Madah, religious singers who recite mourning eulogies and epic poetry to the crowd in the month of Muharram. He claimed that their doomed goal is to creep into Islamic Iranian culture of Muharram in order to promote western values. I wish the two countries would stop hating each other and instead use these crazy, "common values" to open a forum for discussion and debate. Don’t you think the Iranian and American politicians could just sit together peacefully, cheerfully, and talk about the next crazy thing they can come up with?!

As we are approaching the end of Muharram, holy month of Shia Muslims, let’s mark the end by talking Iranian paradoxes. While mourning the martyrdom of an Imam who lived more than 1000 years ago seems to some outsiders outdated and too traditional, in Iran there is always a way to fuse the old fashions to modernity. When I was growing up in Iran, the only way of commemorating this religious holiday was watching the marching bands which passed the streets on the 9th and 10th of Muharram. The marchers held large banners displaying Quranic verses or religious poetry which mourned the loss of Imam Hussein and his 72 soldiers. Loud music would fill the streets as a group of religious, bearded men and young boys (some even barefoot) beat their chests with heavy chains.

Could you imagine searching a term on Google and waiting five minutes for it to come up? And when it comes up, half of the links you would like to click on were filtered? How would you feel if your access to YouTube was blocked? Do you know what’s like to look up an image and see a row of white boxes with X across them? That’s what using Internet in Iran is like. Terms such as "Filtershekan"--literarly Filter Breaker--and "VPN" are common in day to day conversations. There are endless How-To blog posts on tricks to increase the internet speed in Farsi, while at the same time, the government is restless and relentless about controlling the content and speed of the Internet.

You know how I always say “Iranian women get it?” Well, they continue to fascinates me when they talk about their position in the family and in society. Not only are Iranian women aware of the double standards applied to them, but also they are vocal about the inequalities. My generation of Iranian women know are conscious of living in a patriarchal society. Though It might not always be easy to challenge the stereotypes and conservative beliefs, these women do all they can to let others know they defy "traditional" views on the female body and female roles. One method, of course, is sarcasm (our favorite).  In this little prose, the female Iranian author uses the claims of religious figures and officials to make her point against them:

When I was a child growing up in Iran, there was only one type music to dance to: the illegal music out of Los Angeles. Pop singers, who in fear of persecution had fled the country after the 1979 revolution, produced tapes (remember those?) and later on their CDs would be smuggled into Iran where they were widely available. Last year when I was Iran, I heard songs whose singers I could not recognize. I found young boys and girls dancing to these songs and I heard the most cheerful songs, with somewhat inappropriate-for-an-Islamic-country lyrics played in restaurants, coffee shops and department stores. I was curious to find out how these public places don’t get in trouble with authorities for playing songs that openly speak of love, booze, flirting, checking out girls, disloyalty and etc. I asked around and Islamic Republic Produced Music was my answer!

Some months ago, a little boy appeared in a live children TV show, but little he knew he was going to be the symbol of honesty and truth in Iran. When the host asked the audience to name some of the activities they do on their own, Farnood, among others, innocently raised his hand. The microphone approached him and he said, “When I go to the bathroom, I wash my own wee wee.” Well, as you might not know, Iran is an Islamic country and since one cannot use such vulgar language on national TV, the host immedialty washed Farnood’s wee wee for him and said, “Oh, no, no, children should never turn the washing machine on their own!”

Now that the news of the attack on British Embassy in Tehran is haunting the media, Iranians inside and outside of Iran are enraged and upset that such an unthoughtful and brutal act has been carried in their name. In the middle of all that, I thought we all could use a good laugh. And what better than some bad English? A protester is vandalizing the walls of the British Embassy in Iran...Or should I say, trying to vandalize it by writing "down with"...but his enthusiasm got away with him....

Saturday, November, 26 was the first day of Muharram, the first month of Islamic Calendar. In Islamic traditions this month is believed to be amongst the most scared months of the year. For Shia muslims in particular, this month marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, which is specifically observed on the 10th and 11th of this month. In Iran, this month is remembered by thirty days of mourning, banning of happy occasions such as weddings and parties and holding mass religious gathering and speeches in public and private places. On Saturday, however, Mr. Seyed Mohammad Sadat-Mansouri, a religious figure and Chief of Center of Answering Islamic Questions caused an uproar in Iranian social networks and made news with his suggestion on how Iranian media could better help commemorating this month.

A reason I Heart Iran is for its “sisters,” a term used to refer to women in a country where every thing is gender segregated: In this country your police “brother” tells you to cover up for your own safety. And, in this country even a cardboard cutout “brother” doesn’t bother to eliminate the problems and abuses you face on daily basis, instead telling you to not to be the source of troubles:  Dear Sister:

Each time I read Iranian blogs and newspapers, surf the pages of Facebook or receive emails from Iran, I realize just how aware Iranians are about their position in the world. They are so observant (and particular) about how the world perceives them and where they stand internationally. It’s almost like they know they are what I call “differently the same.” In the middle of the current international pressure and sanctions storming down on Iran, Iranians know how the world treats them. And the neuroses of that comes out in strange ways; sometimes Iranians can read a little too much into things. When I came across this image and the extensive commentaries and blog written on it, I could not help but recognize how quick Iranians are to point to perceived discriminations held against them, even if they may not be intended- or real.

Ayatollah Javaid-Amoli, a prominent Islamic scholar and hard-liner, is known for his odd time-to-time comments- taken seriously by some and not very seriously by others. Here is a quote from one of his visits with a group of architects and contractors: “Building houses with open kitchens wherein owners cannot be protected from the guests is not Islamic. When there are guests in the house, a woman must be able to do her work without being exposed to them.”

Another reason to choose Hijab--according to Iran’s propaganda machine: Caption: In this rainstorm of “looks” do not forget about the “umbrella” of Hijab

Iran is a country of ironies. Like most promises made in politics and during revolutions, the Islamic Revolution of 1979 has also failed to fulfill its promises. The following picture is a great example of everyday ironies that show the contrast between the promises made and the outcomes achieved of this revolution that had promised to take the hands of the poor and less privileged and offer them a better life.

Lake Urmia, a salt lake located in Northwest Iran, has been the subject of many protests and conversations for some months now. As the threat of the lake drying up and losing some of the rarest wildlife has risen, Iranians have come together in social networks such as Facebook- and even in the streets- to protest how officials have neglected this natural national treasure.

Growing up in Iran, every Mother’s Day (which, there, commemorates the birth of Fatemah, the Prophet’s Muhammed’s daughter), school officials would gift the girls whose names were Fatemah, Zahra, Marziye, etc. (there's over fifty on that list) As a little girl with a purely Persian name (those names were based on Arabic names), I would be saddened and felt discriminated against by the country's Islamic system.

Poetry is an important part of Persian culture. Not only it is popular among the educated, but also the less educated (unlike in the "west"); in Iran, even the illiterate understand the language of poetry. While we have a wide range of poets with different styles of work, from classic to more contemporary, people of all classes and backgrounds are familiar with a number of leading Persian poets. One poet whose poetry is cherished and recited on daily basis is Sohrab Sepehri. Known for his modern mystic poetry, Sohrab’s delicate view on life and nature invites the readers to constantly question their beliefs and views.The Water’s Footsteps in which he cherishes his simple life and appreciates what he has as well as questioning the most basics traditions and beliefs of his reader, is one of the most famous and widely memorized poems in Iran.

I came across this little quote on a Facebook status update. It is a simple, yet accurate (I think), message capturing the attitude and ambition of Iranian women today: "The strongest person in the world is not a man who lifts 250 kilos in one attempt...She is the Iranian girl who despite threats, gang rapes, splashing acid in her face, morality police, catcalls and abuses on the streets, is still going to college, drives a car, works, falls in love, trusts, becomes a mother and teaches her child to be a decent person in this country."

Iranian people keep an eye on their own society and can sometimes be critical of themselves. A criticism I personally heard growing up in Iran is how passive and insensitive we could grow toward our country’s problems. This passivity and frustration increased after the brutal crackdown following the 2009 presidential election. A friend of mine recently posted the following piece on her Facebook wall. The interesting thing is that, finding it to be very well said, I ‘liked’ the post and asked whether she had composed it (or if it’s a joke going around the country). She was --I gathered--somewhat offended and commented on my question that “for someone who lives outside of Iran, it is a poem or a joke; for Iranians it is the truth of living in this country.”

In one of the October issues of Keyhan, a conservative Iranian newspaper, the headline read, "Supporters of Gaddafi Yesterday Are Claiming Libya Today".  Photos of four presidents and national leaders on the front page adorned the article about the "West's effort to take over Libya." The Iranian public, however, was quick to send out a viral email with the following photo called "The Picture Keyhan Left out"

Ayatollah Janati is known for being a hardliner and having conservative beliefs, often reflected in his somewhat daring comments. In the Nov. 29, 2008 issue of Sarmaye Newspaper, this appeared; A succinct and to-the-point quote for a nation whose women occupy 60% of universities and hold 80% of Math and Science degrees: “Ayatollah Janati pointed to the statistics showing an increase in the average age of marriage: Girls attendance in universities is one of [our] miseries.”  

In an Islamic context, "Hadith" are the sayings of the Prophet and the Shia Imams. The accuracy of them, however, is very difficult for the average people to prove. One must have extensive theological education to do so, and often only the clerics or those who study the Hadith could say whether or not a phrase truly belongs to the Prophet or Imams. I found this image of what seems to be a more religious, conservative Iranian woman participating in a march.   Her sign indicates the Hadith she quotes is from Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Mohammed. Or maybe she just made it up herself?:

The variety of paradoxes I come across in Iran can only make me smile and love Iran. Look at the name of a barber shop adorned by a picture of Mohamad Reza Golzar, an Iranian actor known for his looks- and lack of acting talents: Mahdi’s (May Allah Speeds Up His Return) Castle of Make-up Mahdi is the twelfth Imam of Shia Muslims. He is currently absent and is believed to be the redeemer of Islam. It is said that his coming alongside Jesus Christ will spread peace and justice in the world.....or a good makeover, depending on your perspective.  

A rather blatant grammatical mistake on this announcement is yet somewhat true and worthy of notice. An old trick in Iran when a couple are pulled over or questioned about their relationship is to tell the morality police or the Basiji that “we are cousins” or “we are family.” This is a widspeard and well known trick that sometimes works and other times doesn't. This piece of paper, placed on the front door of a business (perhaps a cafe or a motel) reads: “Followed by the orders of the Union, we can no longer offer our services to the families who are not related.” Can you imagine having “unrelated relatives?!”    

A confiscated car in Iran. The banner used to seal the car reads: “Confiscated due to bad-hijabi (improper covering) and referred to the judicial authorities.” I should point out that at the bottom of the banner, the signature belongs to “Chief of Patrol Police.” This branch of the police in Iran is exclusively responsibe for traffic and highway matters. To see that even they are inforcing what is known to be the duties of the "Morality Police" shows how widespread the control over women's bodies and the use of the Hijab has become in different cities.    

Remember the first Morality Police ad from my blog? I found another one on Facebook. This one is called “Clothing and Personality.” Besides the cartoon image which I think is brilliantly similar to what one could come across on the streets of Tehran. It is the text on the bottom which I think deserves recognition:

A young girl kisses her boyfriend as they are arrested and put in a Police Car....probably being in public together (and kissing).      

I have found Iranians to be some of the most nostalgic people, hanging on to their past a lot. They constantly compare their life before and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The state of cinema and television is one of the areas they often talk about in awe. This is an example of an actress before and after.    

Despite the increasingly tighter restrictions against women and what they wear in public, Iranian fashion continues forward, keeping color and style in Iranian women's lives as much as possible.