Free Republic

For the first time, Iranian-Americans say, the post-revolution generation has seen the power of their unity unfold in masses. They say this has given Iranians at home and abroad hope that reform could be within their reach, if the ruling mullahs are willing to allow it. "We are seeing a rise of a new generation of Iranians who are not taking it anymore," said Dabashi. "This is no longer just about this election, this is full-fledged civil disobedience." "The big difference between these protests and the student riots of 1999 and 2001 is that we are seeing senior caliber officials...

A lawyer for the Fargo-raised journalist says the change could hurt their hopes for an acquittal or a reduced sentence. TEHRAN, IRAN - An appeals court hearing for Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist from Fargo, N.D., who was sentenced to eight years in prison on spying charges, is scheduled for Sunday, two days earlier than expected, one of her lawyers said Saturday. The lawyer, Abdolsamad Khoramshahi, said he had initially been told that the case would be heard Tuesday but was later informed that a mistake had been made. Although Khoramshahi said he was optimistic that Saberi would win either...

Just Heard B. Hussein O refer to jailed news-reporter Roxana Saberi as "Iranian-American" in a newscast hosted by Fox's Julia Banderas. So our new president think of American as hyphenated citizens.

One advantage of a big, media-focused convention is that so many shadowy campaign "insiders" seek the spotlight. In Denver, one of Sen. Barack Obama's closest advisers has been making the media rounds: Valerie Jarrett. Jarrett has been part of Obama's inner circle since his days as an Illinois state senator. She identifies herself as a Chicago businesswoman, but according to Obama campaign advisers, she is much more than that. She is Iranian-American, for one thing, and the Obama campaign has sought to keep her ties to Iran from press views, as it has also sought to keep her political background...

Sen. Barack Obama held a private session with a group of about two dozen Iranian-American donors shortly before a fundraiser this month in California after one of the participants said the Obama campaign would hold such a forum if local Iranian-Americans were able to raise $250,000. The forum -- which was not on Obama's public schedule and was closed to the press -- took place shortly before a fundraiser at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach, Calif., on July 13. That was less than a week before Obama's trip to the Middle East, where the U.S. relationship with Iran...

Like many in the world, Daniel Shayesteh closely watched this week’s U.S. visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.But his is a different vantage point.Three decades ago, the Iranian-born Shayesteh, 53, joined forces with those supporting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni to topple the Shah of Iran and install Islamic rule.“Generally speaking, my background is radical Islam,” he says.No more. After fleeing Iran because of a falling-out with the religious regime, Shayesteh says he underwent a conversion to Christianity.He now travels internationally to raise awareness about what he calls “the dangers of Islam,” and he puts Ahmadinejad squarely in that category.“He is just...

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Sept. 27 (AScribe Newswire) -- A growing American interest in Iranian language and culture is sparking an expansion on U.S. campuses of full-fledged Persian Studies programs, led by the University of Maryland and the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute. The new emphasis reaches beyond geopolitical concerns to focus on language acquisition, literature and other aspects of Persian culture. In response to this growing fascination among a diverse pool of students, Maryland's four year-old Center for Persian Studies - the first autonomous, interdisciplinary center in the field in the United States - will significantly expand its faculty, programs, research...

Iranian American: An Artist's Tortured Father August 28, 2007 PostGlobal Amar C. Bakshi Perhaps because he’s an artist, Behn Samareh speaks openly even though his story is not an easy or a safe one to tell. “They could grab my father whenever they want...and start torturing him again,” Behn says. Even from his home in Los Angeles, Behn fears Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Censorship transcends borders. Back in May before launching off to England, I visited Los Angeles, or “Tehrangeles” as some interviewees called it, to practice video-blogging. Hoping to go to Iran, I figured Iranian Americans could offer up some...

Authorities announced new arrests in the cases of two Iranian-Americans held on charges of conspiring against the government, saying Wednesday that an unspecified number of Iranians had been detained. State radio quoted Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Ejehei as saying that: "Internal elements related to these people have been arrested." Ejehei did not say how many people were arrested or give details on their purported connections to Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh. "We are hopeful their names and reasons of detention will be announced," he said. The Intelligence Ministry has alleged that Esfandiari and Tajbakhsh were seeking to set up networks...

However, I was soon put at ease. After speaking with numerous Iranians from all walks of life – lower and upper class, religious and secular, Westernized and traditional, government- affiliated and civilian – I became convinced that this vilified member of the "Axis of Evil" is actually one of the most welcoming places for Americans to travel in the Middle East. Indeed, all Iranians with whom I spoke shared a positive opinion of Ameri- cans. Iranians don't hate America. On the contrary, many of them envy Americans to an unrealistic degree and think of the US as a paradise, a...

Message from the Persians and the Iranian-Americans: WE THE PERSIANS THANK YOU PRESIDENT BUSH FOR STANDING WITH US THE PEOPLE OF IRAN IN THESE HARD TIMES. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR MORAL SUPPORT. YOU ARE A MAN OF DIGNITY. MAY GOD BLESS GOOD HUMANS SUCH AS YOU MR.PRESIDENT. WE CHERISH THIS GENUINE FRIENDSHIP. Turn on your sound and click hereAlso see what 27 years have done to the people of Iran. Click here for 27 years of dictatorship.

WASHINGTON, July 4, 2006 – A former illegal alien from Iran who now is an American citizen is showing his love and appreciation for what his adopted country has done for him by building a memorial to honor servicemembers who have died in the global war on terrorism. Rocky Shifflett, 12, of Fairfax, Va., holds a sign along Route 28 in Manassas, Va., inviting passersby to attend a June 28 candlelight vigil honoring the fallen from Iraq and Afghanistan at the Silent Thunder Memorial for Freedom in Manassas, Va. With him is Kevin Roustazad, creator of the memorial. Photo...

MANASSAS, Va., July 2, 2006 – Under the cover of darkness, more than 100 people lit candles June 28 during a vigil at the Silent Thunder Memorial for Freedom here, which is being built to honor the fallen from Iraq and Afghanistan. Kevin Roustazad, creator of the Silent Thunder Memorial for Freedom, chats with Beth Jones, 17, a member of the Navy Junior ROTC at Osbourn Park Senior High School in Manassas, Va., where she's a senior. Jones is holding the folded American flag for a June 28 candlelight vigil ceremony at the memorial. Photo by Rudi Williams  (Click photo...

Senator Hillary Clinton yesterday accused President George W. Bush of mishandling the threat from Iran while she's been accepting money from supporters of the renegade Iranian regime. Wealthy businessmen Hassan Nemazee and Faraj Aalaei who are associated with the American Iranian Council, a pro-regime, anti-sanctions group, are vocal Clinton supporters and contributors. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Namazee has contributed $4,000 to Clinton's reelection while Aalaei contributed $1,000. Insight Magazine, published by the Washington Times, describes their lobby this way: "the American-Iranian Council [AIC], a pro-regime lobbying group [are] trying to get Congress and the Bush administration to...

Bakhtiar Joins Fox News as Correspondent By Michele Greppi Fox News Channel has grabbed former CNN family member Rudi Bakhtiar as a general correspondent. Bill Shine, senior VP of programming at Fox News, said in the announcement Wednesday that, "Rudi's experience anchoring and reporting from around the world make her a great asset to Fox." During the past decade, Ms. Bakhtiar's assignments for the CNN news group had included intern, video journalist, segment producer, anchor for CNN Headline News and contributor to prime-time CNN shows.

Four animal rights activists were arrested Wednesday morning on hunter harassment charges, including one man who allegedly told a state park ranger and a pair of hunters that he would "get my Arab friends and hunt you down." The arrests took place on a hiking trail in Wawayanda State Park in Vernon, an area where activists have been especially active during this week's black bear hunt. Since Monday, an unknown number of them have canvassed the woods, pledging to find and rescue any bears that have been wounded, but not killed, by hunters' gunfire. Those arrested were Angela Metler and...

Rally Against the Iranian Regime, on the U.C. Berkeley campus, Nov. 1, 2005 On November 1, a group of Iranian expatriates (and their supporters) held a rally and press conference at the entrance to the U.C. Berkeley campus, at Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue. The event was announced through an online press release and a notice on Yahoo news. The event was arranged as a response to the statements by Iranian president Ahmadinejad calling for Israel to be destroyed and "wiped off the map." Iranians in the United States -- many of whom fled here to escape the Islamic revolution...

Listen to an mp3 of Ken Timmerman's speech outside the UN this week during the protest against Ahmadinejad the terrorist leader of the Islamic regime of Iran Click here to listen!Ken Timmerman address Iranian protestors

Barry Rosen of New York, left, and Kevin Hermening of Wausau, Wisconsin, center, holding pictures of themselves taken while in captivity during the Iran Hostage Crisis, take part in a silent vigil outside Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005. The event protested the visit of the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, to the United States. A photograph of Bert Moore, right, taken while in captivity as a hostage during the Iran Hostage Crisis, is held by his son Bob Moore, who was at the vigil in memory of his father who died five...

Assets held by Iranian nationals residing in the United States reached $800 bln last year, said an economic expert. Bijan Bidabad told Fars news agency that the latest estimates by University of Massachusetts show that the Iranian American community held $600 bln in 2003. He further noted that restrictive laws have put investment security at stake in Iran, stressing that the country has failed to encourage investors to keep their capital at home. Investments usually seek places with adequate security, because capital always moves away from the insecure areas gradually, he noted, adding that when investors see their capital at...