Arash Sameti

http://www.expontomagazine.nl/home/buitenland/item/1852-dress-code-in-tehran.html Arash Sameti:  My interviewee had a unique experience that is hard to forget. During the last summer, she was arrested by the Moral Police in Tehran, Iran. The police considered her clothing not sufficient enough. They told her that the sleeves were considered shorter than allowed and tighter than the government standards. She agreed to explain her story, with the condition of remaining anonymous. Was your clothing that bad? I was wearing the official Manto. It is like a longer dress that women must wear out of their home in Tehran, on the top of any other thing that you want to wear. It did not have any problem. It was even black and that’s the color which is preferred by the Moral Police. I think they just wanted to arrest some people to show their power and will to other citizens. What are the standards of the government regarding the clothing? There is no freedom for women to ch...

Arash Sameti:  Colonel Amiri insists to be called colonel by friends and family. Many still does not know his first name and just use the term Colonel to refer tohim. Retired about 8 years ago from Iranian Armed forces, he works as a consoler for a private company. He lived with his wife and two daughters in a military compound before he retires. Recently the Amiri`s Family has under gone a huge cultural dilemma when the youngest daughter of the family, Mona told her parents that she has met someone on the internet who has proposed to her. "It was totally un acceptable for my parents, since they have traditional view towards the marriage." says Mona.      Mona is a graduate student of political science and a successful researcher in school. she mentions," I was mainly focused on my studies and researches and at the side I was studying English." Therefore as recommended by her English tutor, she joined a group of online Iranian students who exercised Engl...

Arash Sameti:    Cultural differences can be funny and interesting. There are many rituals in one culture that are not practiced in other cultures, and can also seem silly to people from other places of the world. One particular ritual in Iranian culture that is not practiced in the west is called Taarof. It is to suggest things to a guest or friend, or to refuse something kindly and not frankly. It includes a vast category of behaviours, actions, and words in relation with others. Usually the intention is towards a guest or an older, respected person. In other words, when you use the power of Taarof, you are showing attention and respect to the other party. That is in fact interpreted as respect. For example when a Persian host offers you something to eat, let`s say some fruit, he/she will not just leave it on the table and expect you to help yourself. Usually he will call upon you to take some for 3-4 times. It is the same thing with offering food. The host might t...

By Mobed Kamran Jamshidi 1. It is an on-going quest for truth and right, with the ultimate weapon, a friendly, inquiring mind -- figure out what is true and right, and think it, speak it and do it -- keep discovering truth in ourselves and our world. 2. It sees the material and the spiritual as both good -- showing us that the material world is the beautiful medium through which we express and bring to life, spiritual truths -- thus achieving the purpose of live -- to evolve ourselves into perfection, completeness, and in the process, perfect or renovate our world -- we cannot do one without the other. 3. It teaches us to worship God with his own divine attributes in the every day events of our lives -- turning mundane, "unimportant" acts into acts of worship, if performed with friendship, truth, love, integrity, reason, understanding -- and have fun while we are at it -- enjoy the experience -- a religion of joy! 4. It teaches us that we are all a part of th...