Posts tagged : "Society"

Kourosh Ziabari - Asia Times: As the Iranian economy crumbles under US sanctions, scammers are exploiting the popularity of state-backed game shows to swindle the middle class. For Iman Fard, a 30-year-old computer engineer in the northern Caspian coastal city of Rasht, it all started with a phone call from an unknown number. “They called me around 9 PM, saying that they represented a radio station in Tehran. They said I was one of 14 people who were chosen by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology of Iran to receive a cash prize of 50 million rials ($455) for my reasonable and responsible use of my cell phone,” he told Asia Times. “They said the ministry wanted to award me because I don’t use my cell...

Kourosh Ziabari - Asia Times: Iran is a country in which many aspects of public life: governance, education, foreign relations and even people’s lifestyles are peculiarly determined by ideology. The authorities ceaselessly preach to citizens about the importance of adherence to religious principles, and their resistance to anything that appears to be inspired by Western values has remained unbroken since the 1979 revolution. In a recent example of the government’s opposition to Western-inspired lifestyle habits, Tehran’s police announced that nightlife in the 8.7-million-strong capital will not be permitted, and businesses, shops and restaurants are not allowed to operate after 1 am. A member of the Tehran City Council said...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: The United States thrives on being a multicultural and diverse society that guarantees individual freedoms and rights to all its citizens. However, even though the brutal institution of slavery and the era of racial segregation are a thing of the past, there are indications that systemic racism hasn’t gone away and still haunts American society. In 1967, the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission, which was tasked by President Lyndon B. Johnson to probe the causes of the 1967 race riots and come up with recommendations for the future, concluded that the United States was “moving toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal.” Almost...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Why is reading so important? It’s a question that academics, governments and families have considered essential for children. Indeed, reading helps to broaden the mind. Those who read books experience stronger family relationships, improved communication and better critical thinking skills. Reading books is highly important for a child’s development. That is why there is so much investment on children’s literature and media. Aside from the psychological benefits for young people, reading helps to expose children to creative wisdom and assists in shaping their personality. Children’s reading skills are pivotal to their success in school since the act helps improve their communication and...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the US. It borders Mexico to the south, its capital is Santa Fe and its largest city is Albuquerque. The state is known for many reasons, including the detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb in the town of Alamogordo in 1945, as well as its large Hispanic population who make up 46.7% of the state’s population. An ethnically diverse community, Spanish is widely spoken in New Mexico. It became the 47th state in 1912 and has two official songs, one in English and the other in Spanish. It was inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years, and its yellow and red flag was first brought to New Mexico by Spanish explorers in 1540. The state is home to...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Iranian society is divided more than ever. Social fragmentation stems from a range of issues, including foreign policy failures, widespread corruption, a lack of transparency, restrictions on the media and the infringement of civil liberties. The US withdrawal from Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — aka the nuclear deal — has added to Iran‘s rifts by pitting a large group of people against the government and turning Iranians against each other. The result is that ordinary people are expressing themselves in ways that might sound irrational, such as fiercely clashing with fellow citizens on social media. For the people, there are not many reasons to be happy, and this public...

Kourosh Ziabari - Asia Times: Instagram, widely used in Iran among small business owners, students, influencers and even senior officials, is the latest social media application to come under scrutiny and a potential ban.  On 3rd January, BBC Persian quoted the Vice-Attorney General of Iran Javad Javidnia saying that a decree has been issued for banning the Facebook-owned application, with the members of the High Council of Cyberspace unanimously determining that the platform should be “filtered.” The minister of information and communication technology, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, was seemingly taken by surprise by the announcement.  “Assuming that the statements of the Vice-Attorney General are correct and that he...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Invisible Women of the Middle East: True Stories is a 2018 book by Moroccan author Sana Afouaiz, exploring the deepest layers of women’s lives across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region under the shadow of patriarchal culture. The book, which narrates true stories based on the life of several women in different MENA countries whom the author interviewed during her trips to these nations, illustrates how women grapple with misogyny and discrimination in various forms, and how gender realities are shaped across the region. Afouaiz is a gender expert and public speaker on women issues in the Middle East and North Africa, who touches upon a number of themes in her book and depicts the...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: With 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10 and 24, youth around the world face their fair share of challenges. Whether these challenges are in education or employment, they are highly important and need to be addressed. A proper response to youth challenges needs the involvement of young people themselves in decision-making and political leadership. During the tenure of Ban Ki-moon as the UN secretary-general, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth was created at the United Nations. It was mandated with bringing the voices of young people to the United Nations system and working with stakeholders and influencers in government, civil society, academia and media to empower youth and...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: The Congress of Young Europeans, organized and hosted by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, among others, was a unique gathering of 70 young activists and future politicians from across Europe. Held in Prague, Czech Republic, between August 30 and September 2, the event provided participants with a chance to discuss their concerns for the future of democratic institutions in Europe, as well as education, immigration and climate change. The four-day summit was an opportunity for young activists, mostly working with green parties in their respective countries, to engage in networking, debates, workshops, film screenings, Q&A sessions and talks with artists, politicians, authors, influencers and...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Iranians are unhappy for a number of reasons, like in all countries where people are sometimes more and sometimes less happy. However, the root cause of unhappiness in Iranian society is of a different nature: It’s ideological. There are different ways to measure and illustrate the extent of life satisfaction in different countries. International reports and indices are a good tool to gage why some nations are generally happier while others are less so. Iran is rich with natural resources and invaluable human capital but, at least according to the World Happiness Report 2018, it is a country where people do not smile effortlessly, ranked 106 out of 156 nations. A study by Kuba Krys, a psychologist...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Since the 1979 revolution, women in Iran have been denied entry to sports stadiums. The reasons cited by authorities are mostly religious. In a theocratic state like Iran, they are worried about “ethical values” in society which, they believe, might be undermined if women are allowed to do certain things, such as play athletics or watch football in stadiums alongside men. Now, after almost 40 years of debate and resistance by authorities, religious figures and activists, an important development has taken place: Iranian women were allowed to watch two FIFA World Cup matches featuring the Iranian national team. Thousands of Iranians packed the Azadi Stadium in Tehran, the biggest in the Middle East,...