4 models 3 countries

Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani 3

Helen Shaver, actress in an asana upon a desk.

Ireland Baldwin, model is daughter of Kim Basinger !!!! 



Ukrainian model Lena Filanea by Michael Reizlicht

 

a little story of Persian people

Iranian women remind me that many Iranians who call themselves Persians in the United States are Azeris, Kurds, or in some cases even Armenians.

Kim Kardashian blessed & empowered.

 

Remember our Ancestors in Beauty



Iranian beauty of Sara Lime.  



Ideal Woman's allure !!!!

 

In Persia

Persian girl with green eyes in rural Iran on September 9, 2007
reminds me that the homeland of the Persian people is the Fars province which is located in southern Iran.



Iranian woman with obvious nose job still sizzling, but an unpleasant reminder of a cultural twist in the aftermath of contact with the West. A few years ago I read the most nose jobs performed in the world were done in Iran. Iran! The country with arguably the most beautiful men and women to look at on the planet submitted to an ideal of beauty outside of a historical reference point centuries old. This either speaks to the power of Western thought or the weakness of an ancient cultural identity. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 9.28.15

 

in the Tradition of Judgment: Eva Braun, Sharia Law & Iranian women

Hitler & Eva Braun, photo AP

In Hitler's lifetime he was evil by all estimations. Most historically accounts divorce him from the intimate pleasures of sex, and vulnerability. The pictures of him with Eva Braun I never saw until I was well into my adult years. Schools in my era did not fancy depicting anything remotely attuned to sentimentality in relationship to Adolph Hitler. But, he like other men had women. There was a niece of his he obsessed over whom he allegedly liked to defecate and vomit upon, and there was Eva Braun, his love and lover, the only two I know of.

Hitler has been called a 'sick fucker' by a lot of people over the decades. It is a deserved moniker. But I am not here to denounce his life. I am thinking about him oddly in relationship to the hanging of an Iranian woman who allegedly killed Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former intelligence officer, for trying to rape her seven (7) years ago. The courts did not believe her statement.

Columnist, David Blair for the Telegraph reported: "... Miss Jabbari was sentenced to death in 2009 after what Amnesty called a “deeply flawed investigation”. She admitted stabbing Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former intelligence ministry official, but pleaded self-defence. On her account, she stabbed Sarbandi in the back as he was trying to rape her – but the victim was actually killed by another named person, who was never the focus of inquiry.

Amnesty said these claims “if proven” could have exonerated Miss Jabari. But they were never “properly investigated, raising many questions about the circumstances of the killing”.

Amnesty added that the judiciary had “pressured” Miss Jabbari to “replace her lawyer, Mohammad Ali Jedari Foroughi, for a more inexperienced one, in an apparent attempt to prevent an investigation of her claims”...

According to 2009 testimony Miss Jabbari purchased a knife two days prior to the stabbing. That can be read as a woman, or an American, or as a man. It was read and judged by men.

Her execution could have been avoided in the end had the victim's family accepted the offering of 'blood money'. They didn't, or couldn't or wouldn't forgive her. Probably in the spirit of deep grieving, and a need for retaliation they couldn't accept the chance to be merciful. What is troubling is that any of the women in the victim's family could easily have been in the same situation, or have acid thrown in their faces by a husband for reasons that are always judging and accessing the value of women's actions against the honor of a man and/or his family. This reality is integral to Iranian life, it seems, and its interpretation of the Holy Qu'ran.

The Tehran prosecution office rejected the claim of rape.  The evidence showed otherwise. I don't know the evidence the prosecution looked at, but with the name of the man who actually killed Mr. Sarbani the courts rejected following that line of evidence and bent itself into prosecuting Miss Jabbari to her death! That leads to a question: Who is this man she killed? Another logical question follows good reasoning: What is being protected in a severe male-dominated country like Iran? Is it the right to power over women's destiny and their bodies?

I was asked to participate in the Women's Federation For World Peace USA yesterday in Washington DC in a ceremonial capacity. As I shared before the assembly of mostly women from around the globe the deep feeling of honesty settled within me. In my words I shared several things, a story, and the drum. The first thing I noticed in the eyes of a few of the women when my wife and I entered the lobby was women just learning how to look in a man's eyes and smile. Sharing that insight in front of a room of women deeply involved in the many issues of world peace, inner strength and beauty of spirit and women's issues at the international level provided an elder's insight into the depth of what is treated, often, with trepidation and a fear of boldness in other circles.

But in the Islamic world ideas of women's freedom are measured differently by men, and regarded fearfully (I imagine) by women in those Islamic run countries! The fundamentalist group literally scare the shit out me, and out of reason when you get right down to it and also create a growing desire to do something concrete in either the physical or the intangible worlds of power to disintegrate their power. But, this process starts with study and research into the belief systems and laws at work here. If you are not willing to do this and war seems to be the only option then these bloody wars will continue to add nausea to life. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 10.26.14

Iranian Reyhaneh Jabbari takes the stand at her trail in 2008

ISIS Points to Sharia Law to Justify Slavery of Women

While 126 contemporary Islamist leaders, including the executive director of CAIR, signed a letter denouncing the actions of the Islamic State, the letter also endorses sharia law.

BY MEIRA SVIRSKY

Mon, October 13, 2014

In the latest edition of Dabiq, the Islamic State’s slick, English magazine, the group offers a theological justification for capturing "infidel" women to be used as sex slaves. The brutal group is holding thousands of Yazidi women and girls and subjecting them to horrific violent, sexual abuse.

In an article titled, “The Revival of Slavery Before the Hour” (“Hour” referring to “Judgment Day”), the magazine concludes that since the Yazidi religion pre-dates Islam, its followers are to be dealt with according to the laws of the mushrik (polytheists). The article explains:

“Accordingly, the Islamic State dealt with this group as the majority of fuqaha [experts in Islamic jurisprudence] have indicated … Unlike the Jews and Christians, there was no room for the jizyah payment. Also, their women could be enslaved unlike female apostates who the majority of fuqaha say cannot be enslaved and can only be given an ultimatum to repent or face the sword.”

The magazine goes on to explain what happened when Islamic State fighters captured the Sinjar region of Iraq, which was inhabited by the ancient population of the Yazidis:

“After capture, the Yazidi women and children were then divided according to the Shari’ah amongst the fighters of the Islamic State who participated in the Sinjar operations, after one fifth of the slaves were transferred to the Islamic State’s authority to be divided as khums [the obligatory tithe of one-fifth of all war spoils that jihadi fighters must pay to the caliph].”

The article proudly announces the revival of the sharia institution of slavery of infidels, saying, “This large-scale enslavement of mushrik families is probably the first since the abandonment of this Sharia’ah law. The only other known case – albeit much smaller – is that of the enslavement of Christian women and children in the Philippines and Nigeria by the mujahidin [jihadis] there.”

The article reminds its readers that the legality of slavery is established in sharia (Islamic) law, saying, “Before Shaytan [Satan] reveals his doubts to the weak-minded and weak hearted, one should remember that enslaving the families of the kuffar [infidels] and taking their women as concubines is a firmly established aspect of the Shari’ah that if one were to deny or mock, he would be denying or mocking the verses of the Qur’an and the narration of the Prophet … and thereby apostatizing from Islam.”

Indeed, the Quran condones and justifies slavery in a number of verses, specifically in the context of war booty and concubines. Hundreds of the Hadiths (saying of the Islamic prophet Mohammed) deal with the jurisprudence of Islamic slaves. Both indicate the institution's clear sanction by sharia law.

Although 126 contemporary Islamist leaders and scholars recently signed a letter denouncing the actions of the Islamic State, the letter unfortunately endorses the Islamic State’s goals of rebuilding the caliphate, establishing sharia law and instituting the brutal hudud [punishments for the most severe crimes].

The letter, which was addressed to the self-declared caliph of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was signed and presented in Washington by Nihad Awad, executive director and founder of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The criticism of the Islamic State by the scholars that signed the letter is that the terrorist group is not “following the correct procedures that ensure justice and mercy.”

However, endorsing sharia law, point 5 of the letter states, “What is meant by ‘practical jurisprudence’ is the process of applying Shari’ah rulings and dealing with them according to the realities and circumstances that people are living under.”

The letter continues, “Practical jurisprudence [fiqh al-waq’i] considers the texts that are applicable to peoples realities at a particular time, and the obligations that can be postponed until they are able to be met or delayed based on their capabilities.”

Far from distancing themselves from the implementation of sharia law by the Islamic State, the above statements are an endorsement of the Islamist doctrine of "gradualism." This is an incremental strategy for establishing sharia governance, supporting jihad and advancing the Islamist cause.

Point 16 of the letter states, “Hudud punishments are fixed in the Qu’ran and Hadith and are unquestionably obligatory in Islamic Law.”

Point 22 of the letter states, “There is agreement (ittifaq) among scholars that a caliphate is an obligation upon the Ummah. The Ummah has lacked a caliphate since 1924 CE. However, a new caliphate requires consensus from Muslims and not just from those in a small corner of the world.”

Thus, it is clear that the signatories of the letter, while purporting to be “moderate,” endorse the principles of the Islamic State and other jihadists but criticize their implementation.

Just as the West has been firm in rejecting the objectives of the Islamic State, it should not be swayed by the Islamic State’s contemporary counterparts who equally endorse Islamic extremism through the implementation of sharia law -- however gradual.

If we were sons in these cultures where would our hearts be, how would our states of mind be in what is unavoidably a clusterfuck of ideals and delusions?

Iranian Reyhaneh Jabbari is 967th person to be executed since Hassan Rouhani became Iran's president in August last year 2013

"Stealthy Freedoms of Iranian women" showing hundreds of women without the hijab 

IRANIAN DEATH SONG

Iranian Women Shed Headscarves in #MystealthyFreedom Online Protest

Iranian Reyhaneh Jabbari is 967th person to be executed since Hassan Rouhani became Iran's president in August last year 2013

Iranian women are posting pictures of themselves online without headscarves and racking up thousands of Facebook likes in the process, the latest challenge to Tehran's strict morality laws mandating that women keep their hair covered in public.

A Facebook page called "Stealthy Freedoms of Iranian women" showing hundreds of women without the hijab -- a veil that covers a person's head -- has garnered more 142,000 likes. Women have used the hashtag #mystealthyfreedom to post pictures of themselves without headscarves riding bikes, dancing, or even sitting in flower beds, flouting rules that have been in force since the 1979 Revolution.

The page was started by journalist Masih Alinejad, who explained her reasoning in a May 3 post:

"This page is not only for women who are against the hijab, this is also for religious women who wear the hijab but don’t believe it should be enforced on people and think it should be a choice. So you if you are a religious woman who wears a headscarf but doesn't think it should be enforced, please send in a picture of your friend, family member or daughter not wearing a hijab."

Since the revolution, there have been crackdowns on women who protest laws that forbid them to reveal anything more than their face, feet and hands almost every summer.

And while President Hassan Rouhani has been quoted as saying that he does not believe men and women should be punished for flouting the dress code, it is not clear whether the country's morality police will take the same view.

It is also unclear what sort of reach the #mystealthyfreedom campaign has in Iran, where residents have to find ways around government Internet filters that block out Facebook, Twitter and many foreign news outlets.

- F. Brinley Bruton

First published May 13th 2014, 4:27 am

Sarah Shahi

I saw this actress in, what I thought was a strange movie, The Trouble with Bliss.The star of this movie was the star of the series about a serial killer who is a detective on a police force. I can't remember the show's name right now, but this actress, Sarah Shahi, had a strange and memorable role that held me captive, as brief as it was in the movie. Because of DVR I was able to freeze frame on her face and studied it thinking about a number of technical things, and the aesthetic qualities of her face. 

The movie came on again, and I waited for time to pass to catch her role again. I couldn't bear to watch the whole thing again because the main character, who stars in DEXTER, I just remembered, has mastered the droning (my term) style of his characters. I can only take but so much of it because it seems to be one-dimensional, and it isn't. Which fascinates me because his series, DEXTER, is going into its 7th season, and I am a fan of the show!! Anyway, I paid even more attention to the actress, and the co-star, a skinny white woman, Brie Larson, who stunned and frightened me with her portrayal of a sexy, loose cannon of a teenage vixen! 

There is something there deeply rooted within actors, male and female, who can plummet to such depths to become other people's insecurities, and connivings  These two actresses held the movie up for me to see the main character's role in their dramas. That's something. 

I paused the movie and walked up to my office, and looked the actresses up online (such a short cut from the old days) and found out from IMBD, that Sarah Shahi is a former National Football League cheerleader. She is best-known for her role as the Mexican-American DJ "Carmen de la Pica Morales" in the Showtime series, "The L Word" (2004), which she joined in its second season. Sarah did not renew her contract with the show for a fourth season and, consequently, her character was written out. 

Sarah Shahi was born Aahoo Jahansouz in Euless, Texas, to an Iranian father and Mexican mother. a great-great-granddaughter of the 19th-century Persian Shah, Fath Ali Shah Qajar, by Begom Khanom (daughter of Hossein Qoli Khan Afshar, niece of Begom Khanom, daughter of Emam Qoli Khan Afshar), through their son, Jahansouz Shah. 

What does that mean to an American citizen, of the conservative bent, in the political and cultural climate of these times; the 21st century? Against the backdrop of the upcoming election of 2012 how would this actress, as a woman, fare under the scrutiny of the times? Is it a relevant question? I think so, but for now it isn't because the life she has carved out for herself speaks more directly to the lineage of her people. That is important to understand in the decisions to marry someone, and start a family. In the end summations of our lives, how we love, and make people feel will be the only conversation people will have about your life.

- Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 11.1.12

Her Bio

Michael C. Hall & Bria Larson in
The Trouble with Bliss

Anita Nezami

in my garden 

Anita Nezami

من از عمق وجود خدایم را صدا کردم،
نمیدانم چه میخواهی ولی امشب....
برای توبرای رفع غمهایت،
برای قلب زیبایت،
برای آرزوهایت،
...
به درگاهش دعاکردم
و میدانم خدا از آرزوهایت خبردارد

IRANIAN WOMAN

Anita Nezami

The beautiful mystique of Arabian women introduced herself to me in Morocco.  Each country's ways produced a particular and distinct quality that said this woman belonged to this tribe, this group, this family. It was remarkable how the music, and the vocalist unwrapped the stories of the poetry composed within the women. With skill they sung to my heart about the spirit of women, and lovers in one of the most beautiful of languages in the world: Arabic or Farsi. Numerous singers sang with such precise depth about the mysteries of female bliss, loneliness  pain, intrigue, love, want, and about the desires within men for the women they carried within their hearts from one lofty place to another. 

Fairouz, Om Kalthoum. These are the singers, and others in me since my early years caressing what needs to praise, probe, revere, and understand the women I love and like. - Gregory E. Woods  3.8.13

Anita Nezami

There is Someone Who Loves You

Anita Nezami

This very minute-
Someone is thinking of you.
Someone cares about you.
Someone misses you/wants to be with you.
Someone wants to hold your hand.


Someone wants you to be happy.

Someone wants to hug you.
Someone will do anything for you.
Someone needs to know your love is unconditional.
Someone wants to tell you how much they care.
Someone wants to stay up watching movies with you.
Someone wants to hold you in their arms.
Someone wants to see you.
Someone wants to be your lover.
Someone loves you for who you are.
Someone loves the way you make them feel.
Someone wants to be with you.
Someone wants you to know they are there for.
Someone is glad that you’re their friend.
Someone is wishing you would notice them.
Someone wants to get to know you better.
Someone loves you. - Anita Nezami

spirit to flesh to spirit

exquisite beauty of Persia Pele 3

"The essence of a person doesn't always look like the physical body. It is in the shape of who we are. Our other bodies are colored by our truths, and our stories color our bodies." - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 8.27.12

'The breath of Life, which we all carry, conceivably looks like this.'
Gregory E. Woods

THE UNITED STATES: blind in one eye can't see out the other

I was struck by an online conversation on Facebook. The conversation started from a poster that compared Iranian and US policy and action. The question posed was unadorned. It read "Who's the real threat?" and these comparisons were made: 


Number of nuclear weapons: IRAN: 0 US: 8500
Number of nuclear weapons used on civilians: IRAN: 0 US: 2
Military expenditures in 2010: IRAN: $7 billion US: 687 billion
Number of countries attacked since 1980: IRAN: none & never US: 16
Currently engaged in sanctions, sabotage, and assassinations on the other: IRAN: no US: yes


From that simple presentation this dialogue spun off.


Matt, can you really put a price on the freedom and liberties that you have....? If we weren't doing this, someone else would. - Erick Eggers, june 20, 2012 http://www.facebook.com/erick.eggers


If our government cared about our freedom and liberties then they wouldn't have passed the patriot act, the national defense authorization act (and defeated the amendment which protected due process for Americans on American soil), they wouldn't have made protest where secret service is present a federal offense, they wouldn't have allowed drone surveillance of American citizens (soon to be drone enforcement), they wouldn't have passed laws stating that even in times of peace they can take control of ALL resources and infrastructures, they wouldn't have allowed for the monopolization of our media, they wouldn't have passed internet censorship bills allowing the government to shut down websites for vague offenses, they wouldn't have allowed the NSA to build the worlds largest spy center in Utah which illegally records ALL forms of communication and location data international and domestic (cover of Wired magazine with NSA interviews), etc, etc. 


Where will our "freedoms" be when we have pissed off every nation on the planet (and have to pass more freedom stealing laws to "protect ourselves"). And where will our freedoms be when we owe every other nation trillions of dollars and we can't pay (look at Europe right now). We are driving down a road that is burning up our freedoms as gasoline. And the destination is the destruction of our sovereign nation. Our freedoms were spelled out for us by men who fought and paid dearly to guarantee our future. Now we let the government steal them more and more each day for "security". Our founding fathers warned us of exactly what's happening right now. They knew because they were fighting against a country which was stealing their freedoms in exactly the same way. Once this free country is lost then that's it. That's the end. We have by far the most devastatingly powerful military in the world. No small freedom loving country will stand a chance against the evil that is headed our way. The threat to our freedom is not some foreign power, but the growing population of evil and corrupt men who are behind the wheel. - Matt Engesser june 20, 2012 http://www.facebook.com/matt.engesser 

Reality Star

Mercedes Javid, reality star of Shahs of Sunset !!!!