From Reuters, by way of Dhimmi Watch and Tom Pechinski:
The Iranian Government has ordered the closure of a daily newspaper and banned a new women’s bi-weekly from publication in the first media crackdown since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took office in August.
“The Supervisory Board on the Press agreed to the temporary closure of Asia newspaper and Nour-e Banovan and ordered their cases sent to court,” said the Culture Ministry in the ban.
No reason was given for the closure and ban although a journalist at the economic daily Asia said the paper had been given a warning in recent months for printing photographs of women considered to have been improperly dressed.
Nour-e Banovan, a planned bi-weekly publication aimed at women, has not yet been published.
More than 100 publications have been closed by the Iranian government since 2000 although many have re-opened under different names and scores of titles still exist.
Christ. If this country ever goes nuclear, it’s even money who their first target will be: Israel, or Christian Dior Paris, for their 2006 flower embroidery collection. Which Allah finds simply abominable.
Perhaps it’s time the French began thinking about maybe sneaking a team of undercover hairdressers or pastry chefs into Iran to gather intel for a potential surgical strike on those nuclear facilities…
I can see the headlines now.
AFP-Frog Fairy Forces Frizz Foreign Facilities
Le Cordon Bleu is a more likely target for having invented the bacon croissant breakfast sandwich.
Perhaps we should send over the always convincing Boobs not Bombs gals.
The boobs not bombs girls that I’ve seen are a legitimate war crime all by their lonesome. I’m not sure I could support inflicting them on anyone.
Boobs not bombs: if only that would work.
I have a dream…
I’m trying to think of something more eloquent than Fuck Iran.
Give me time.
You know Jeff, there are a lot of people who just don’t care about women’s rights. Where is Howard Dean, on condeming Iran? Not to be heard.
Daily Kos? I missed his screed about how Islam perverts women’s rights and has to be stopped.
The plain fact of the matter is that Democrats held up rights for blacks for decades. The Democratic Party was the party of slavery.
And the Democrats today are the party preventing the expansion of women’s rights throughout the Globe.
One wonders when the League of Women’s Voters will wake up and smell the napalm.
rightnumberone, don’t forget about the Sudanese. Though, apparently, they weren’t the right kinds of black.
How much more evidence do you need that the democratic party is now about as self centered as a darkmatter gyroscope.
I keep hearing how Iran is supposedly the big winner in the Iraq war. Bet they’re just thrilled at all the Iraqi Shiites forming women’s rights groups and enjoying a free press.
You really ought to get out more.
Which Allah, Jeff? Cuz there’s a rumor floating around about Ace and Allah(pundit) that this would seem to support.
France doesn’t need to do any recon of Iran’s nuke sites. Hell, they just finished selling them the Roland and Crotale AA systems to defend them…
richard mcenroe
Are you saying that Jacque Iraq should just check his invoices? Shocked. Iam.
I’ll never respect any culture that bans “pigs in a blanket” breakfast.
Hm. I thought traditional Islamic dress was empowering.
TW: “NOW”. Heh.
Not funny Goldstein.
The only good thing about the story is that it is damned hard for governments to control the flow of information these days.
Or graphic images for that matter.
Anyone still think elections are the key to democratic progress in Moslem countries?
Say in Iran, or maybe Egypt? Or Iraq?
Anyone?
Note how Reuters downplays the suppression. The magazines just opened under another name. No big! And it’s only the “first” incident of crackdown.
On the other side.
Um, yeah. I pretty much figure elections are a good start toward democracy in any country, Carl.
Good job Carl,
3 for 3 on the ‘06 “Carl’s consecutive days showing his ass streak”.
Now, you’ve already used the “Democracy is too good for brown people” argument.
Save “Letting Muslim women have their own magazines is a rightwing plot to control wymyn’s reproductive rights” for tomorrow.
Remember to pace yourself. Coming here and making a fool of yourself each and every day for an entire calender year is a marathon, not a sprint.
Carl replies – You ain’t seen nothin “yet”.
Gee, Carl, I didn’t see that Iran had democratic elections – I must have missed the latest news cycle again.
Nice strawman, though. What a tool.
TV (Harry)
tw: growing. I have a growing suspicion that it’s pointless to argue with these fools. It’s time to beat them – they’re beyond help.
To further clarify for Carl:
If you have no real choices, it is not a real election. This is an important distinction.
Bush needs to come out with a statement saying that the Iranian Government are really great guys and are the model for the future of America. That way the idiots on the Left will come out just the opposite of whatever he says. Hell, they’ve already managed to convince themselves that Bush’s secret plan is to do the same thing in this country, only with Christianity vice Islam, so why not take it further to get them to do what he wants anyway?
Well, y’know, Carl, to have democratic progress, you have to have elections sooner or later. Right? Or else it’s a sham. I think I recall hearing that whinge before the first round of Iraqi elections……
But if you had asked, “Anyone still think elections are the only key element to democratic progress in Moslem countries?”, you wouldn’t have sounded so stupid.
TW: Glad I could help.
I’m gonna have to take Carl’s side on this one. I think the real foundation to our own democracy is the CNN.com daily poll and the volume of applause given for any Daily Show commentary.
You know, I’m just worried that the women in Iran might have a hard time getting an abortion.
Can you imagine how awful a back alley abortion would be over there? The HORROR.
I’d like to know where all you wingnuts get off condemning this, when right here in the phallAmerica, Sassy Magazine has gone unpublished for almost a decade, and its soi-disant successor, Jane, is just another Redbook wolf in Sassy clothing.
Where’s the outrage? HUH?!
Oh, right, Iranians are brown people, so whatever they do is bad.
You’re all (that’s edumacated talk for “Y’all is”) so trasparent.
I don’t know Carin. Honor killings have been found to be very effective in terminating unwanted pregnancies.
………that’s probably what you meant and it was just outside the scope of my subtlety multiplexor.
Alppauccino – please, I’m trying to stay on message with the feminists. While honor killings are a messy business, it’s really outside of the realm of our concern. In the vein of moral relativism, I cannot judge their quirky traditions.
I lost my head Carin. Can we just keep this between ourselves?
Thanks
When are the democratic elections going to take place in Bosnia? (crickets). How many innocent civilians were killed in the bombing raids (crickets). Just checking….
Also, having all females live under house arrest cuts down on the number of unplanned pregnancies in the first place. Homicide is only a backup plan.
The important thing is that, unlike a lot of Western cultures, they have a comprehensive family management plan, and guaranteed childcare.
If an abortion is needed and the man has decided that he wants his wife to survive, he can simply fly her to Paris (if he’s rich and powerful enough). So where’s the problem, unless you’re intent upon seeing our culture as somehow “superior”?
Well, “real Jeff S.” so far as I can see, these elections in Iraq haven’t produced anything except the real possibility of a Shia-dominated government and more civil war.
We’ve lost over 2,100 KIAs for that?
The Neocons will have you believe that most politicians in the Middle East are closet Jeffersonians. They’re not, but the Neocons ignore reality when it conflicts with their ideology.
What use are elections if they lead to more of the same? WHich they usually do in the Middle East.
Funny, Carl, I thought you were whinging about Iran. My bad. Although I did mention Iraq, I was pointing out that Iraq is struggling through a new democracy…..with open elections and uncontrolled press. Both are key elements in any democracy. Iran, OTOH, has neither. Hence, your comment was stunningly stupid in both accuracy and incompletedness.
That was my point. Too bad that shiny little bauble labeled “Iraq” distracted you into a talking points style memo about Iraq.
Just one more little question, a small inquiry for you to ponder. You said:
My minor interrogative is…..assume that the elections don’t lead to more of the same. If the cycle of violence begins to fall apart, what will you have to whinge about?
Easy.
Note that he complains about “Shia-dominated government”. He could just as easily complain about “Sunni-dominated government” or “Kurd-dominated government”. You can always whinge if you want to.