Mystic Iran the Unseen World!

ISAA WITH THE CO-SPONSORSHIP OF THE CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES ARE PROUD TO HOST:

“MYSTIC IRAN THE UNSEEN WORLD” with a follow-up discussion by director ARYANA FARSHAD

When: Thursday Feb. 12th, 7:00PM
Where: 101 Moffitt

Come watch this award winning documentary and enjoy FREE pizza!

Come join us on a mesmerizing journey deep into the heart of Iran. Shot entirely on location, this unprecedented cinematic tour reveals spiritual rites and rituals hidden for centuries. From the women's chamber of the Great Mosque, to the temple-caves in the land of Zarathustra, to the sacred dance of the Dervishes in Kurdistan, discover religious ceremonies and locations never before seen by the outside world.
Filmmaker Aryana Farshad explains, "My documentary breaks through the stereotypes of the Islamic culture -- more than 2500 years later, in a global climate where many equate the cultures of the Middle East with fear and terrorism, Mystic Iran reveals a diverse people seeking spiritual transformation." Mystic Iran is narrated by Shohreh Aghdashloo, Iranian Academy Award Nominee for "House of Sand & Fog."
"Mystic Iran the Unseen World" won the Audience Award at the 2008 Noor Film Festival on Sunday, April 13th, in Beverly Hills, California.


This event is hosted by ISAA and co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.


This is event is open to the public and ASUC Sponsored.

ISAA Schedule of Events for Spring 09

Monday, Feb. 2nd
ISAA General Meeting @ 174 Barrows 7:00PM

Friday, Feb. 6th
ISAA BBQ Social @ Persian Center 6:00PM

Thursday, Feb. 12th
“Mystic Iran the Unseen World” Documentary @ 101 Moffitt 7:ooPM

Thursday, Feb. 19th
Lecture with Hamid Entezam @ 2060 VLSB 7:00pm

Friday, Feb. 27th
ISAA Movie Night “The Keeper, The Legend of Omar Khayyam,” Location & Time:TBA

Friday, March 6th
International Women’s Day Conference with Jane Roberts @ International House, 4:30PM

Friday, March 20th
Norouz! 3:44AM

Saturday and Sunday, April 4-5
IAAB Conference on the Iranian Diaspora @ Pauley Ballroom

Friday, April 10th
ISAA Music Night @ Persian Center

Friday, April 17th
ISAA Movie Night “Baran” Location: TBA

Friday, April 24th
Max Dashu Showcase of Ancient Iranian Templates, Location: TBA

Friday, May 1st
ISAA Movie Night “Father” Location: TBA

ISAA Movie Night!

ISAA MOVIE NIGHT

WHAT: The Color of Paradise (1999)***(Rang-e Khoda)

Runtime: 90mins
“The Color of Paradise" is a fable of a child's innocence and a complex look at faith and humanity. Visually magnificent and wrenchingly moving, the film tells the story of a boy whose inability to see the world only enhances his ability to feel its powerful forces. Directed by Majid Majidi
-Winner of Best Movie and Best Director Award both in Iran and internationally in 1999/2000.

WHEN: Friday, October 10th, 6:00-8:00PM
WHERE: 20 Barrows

We will watch the movie together, and will follow it up with discussion and commentary!

Snacks and drinks are on us!

This event is free and open to the public.
ASUC Sponsored.
Wheelchair Accessible


See you all there!

Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA)
UC Berkeley (Headquarter) / Georgetown University (Chapter)/ Monte Vista High School (Chapter)
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ISAA 2008-2009 Board of Directors:
President : Fren Khadivian (fkhadivian@gmail.com)
Finance Director: Adel Rahbari (adel_rahbari@berkeley.edu)
Publicity Director: Farshid Faraji (shid916@berkeley.edu)
Communications Director: Samira Ghassemi (samirag@berkeley.edu)
Resource Director : Amir Zahedi (mbc63amg@berkeley.edu)
Advisory Board: Linda Khamoushian (Linda.khamoushian@gmail.com)

Challenging Cultural Barriers with Fereydoon Farokhzad

What :

“Berkeley Lecture Series” in partnership with “Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA)" presents:

Poetry Reading, Lecture and a short film screening on "Challenging Cultural Barriers with Fereydoon Farokhzad".

Who :

A presentation by Mirza Agha Asgari Mani, Prominent Poet and Writer, Visiting from Germany

When :

Sunday, July 13, 2008

4:00 P.M.

Where :

110 Barrows Hall,

University of California, Berkeley

p.s. For this event, please prepare yourself for a longer stay than usual.

Lecture in Persian

Suggested Donation: $10.00

No donation expected from students

ASUC Sponsored

Wheelchair Accessible

Media Opp: TV show looking for Iranian youth working on Climate Change

We are forwarding the following email on behalf of Sanaz Meshkinpour. Sanaz is a former ISAA Publicity Director and currently heads the Middle East program for Global Exchange. GE is a membership-based international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice around the world.

The following email is from one of GE's coalition partners, Energy Action.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Subject: [Challenge Group] Media Opp: TV show looking for Iranian youth working

on climate change

Hey all-

A producer with Element TV (element-tv.net ) which is a collaborative project with MTV European, Internews Europe, and a few others, has received funding to do a story on a young Iranians working on climate change (and translate 6 stories into Farsi- hooray!).

This young Iranian social entrepreneur-type does not ACTUALLY have to live in Iran...they could be anywhere at all. And talk about energy issues...

Please send contact info to me and I'll connect the producer.

Thanks in advance!

Best, Brianna

Brianna Cayo Cotter
Communications Director
Energy Action Coalition
(415) 575-5536 (o)
(415) 305-1943 (m)
brianna (at) energyaction.net
www.energyaction.net
www.climatechallenge.org

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you are interested in taking part in this project or know someone who might be interested please contact either Biranna Cayo Cotter at : brianna (at) energyaction.net or Sanaz Meshkinpour at : sanaz (at) globalexchange.org .

No war with Iran Protest in SF

STOP THE INSANITY ·

NO WAR WITH IRAN

Protest Congressional Resolution Supporting Naval Blockade of Iran!

A resolution before Congress, known as "H Con Res 362", is currently the central legislative priority of the pro-war lobby AIPAC. It is another step in the push for war. It is "demanding" a blockade of Iran, to be initiated by President Bush. Part of the specific language is the following: "Demands that the President initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran,"

What does this mean? According to Francis Boyle, Professor of International Law at the University of Illinois "I do not see how this could be done without a blockade given its comprehensive and unequivocal language." A blockade is an act of war. This can lead to catastrophic consequences for all of us.

This Resolution now has 220 cosponsors (including more than 100 Democrats, several of whom are in leadership positions) in the House of Representatives, a majority of members.

It now seems likely to be taken up by the full House after the 4th of July recess. There is also a companion measure in the Senate. While this resolution is "non-binding", it will only add fuel to the fire, and make it easier for Bush/Cheney in their quest for war.

Take Action!

Go to www.StopAIPAC.org and follow the link to find out more and send a note to your congressperson. Call your congressperson and tell them to speak out in opposition.
Tell your friends. Join in Protest. Together we can stop this, together we can hold our representatives accountable.

Protest: Tuesday, July 8th, 3pm

San Francisco Federal Building

450 Golden Gate Ave (near Civic Center BART)

For more info see http://www.stopaipac.org/iranresolution.htm

Say No to Res 362. Say No to a Lobby for war.

For Map please visit here.

The 19th International Women's Studies Foundation Conference in UC Berkeley

What: "The Essential Needs of Iranian Woman Today"

ISAA is proud to be a co-sponsor of The 19th International Women's Studies Foundation Conference in UC Berkeley.

Despite a myriad of social and legal setbacks in the last thirty years wherein Iranian women lost many of the rights they had attained in the past 100 years, they have continuously strived to improve their social and political status.

Consequently they have established their presence in different spheres of life, particularly that of civil society.

This conference will examine the socio-political needs of the Iranian woman in regards to ethnicity, gender, religion, class background, sexuality, and sexual orientation.

Where : Wheeler Auditorium, University of California, Berkeley

When : July 4 - 6 ( for complete hour by hour program please see http://www.iwsf.org/bk19/program.html )

Paid registration is required for this event. For information on how to register and for different registration packages please visit http://www.iwsf.org/bk19/registration.html

ASUC sponsored

Wheelchair accessible.

Politics in Contemporary Art and Literature in Iran, IWSF Conference and ISAA election results

At a glance :

TODAY : “Politics in Contemporary Art and Literature in Iran”
"The Essential Needs of Iranian Woman Today"
2008-2009 ISAA's Board of Directors Election Results
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What : “Politics in Contemporary Art and Literature in Iran”

“Berkeley Lecture Series” in partnership with “Iranian Student Alliance in America – ISAA” presents :

A Talk by Mansour Koushan
Topic: Politics in Contemporary Art and Literature in Iran

MANSOUR KOUSHAN author, playwright, journalist, and director of films and plays is the artistic manager of the Sulberg Theatre in Stavanger, Norway. He has published poetry, short stories, several novels, hundreds of analytical essays and more than thirty plays.

Born in Isfahan, Iran, Mansour started his literary activities in 1968 by publishing a collection of his poetry and directing his play at Isfahan University. As a member of the Iranian Writers Association general assembly, he was on the organizing committee for the famous “134 Iranian writers declaration 1994”.

Mansour Koushan has been the editor in chief of four independent literary publications including "Takapoo" and “Adineh” between 1987 and 1997. He currently lives in Norway.

When: Sunday, June 8, 2008, 3:00 P.M.
Where: 110 Barrows Hall University of California, Berkeley

Lecture in Persian
Suggested Donation: $10.00
No donation expected from students
ASUC Sponsored.
Wheelchair Accessible.

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What: "The Essential Needs of Iranian Woman Today"

ISAA is proud to be a co-sponsor of The 19th International Women's Studies Foundation Conference in UC Berkeley.


Despite a myriad of social and legal setbacks in the last thirty years wherein Iranian women lost many of the rights they had attained in the past 100 years, they have continuously strived to improve their social and political status.

Consequently they have established their presence in different spheres of life, particularly that of civil society.

This conference will examine the socio-political needs of the Iranian woman in regards to ethnicity, gender, religion, class background, sexuality, and sexual orientation.

Where : Wheeler Auditorium, University of California, Berkeley

When : July 4 - 6 ( for complete hour by hour program please see http://www.iwsf. org/bk19/ program.html )

Paid registration is required for this event. For information on how to register and for different registration packages please visit http://www.iwsf.org/bk19/registration.html

ASUC sponsored
Wheelchair accessible.


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2008-2009 ISAA's Board of Directors Election Results and End of the year Thank you's

The votes have been tallied and the results are in! Farshid Faraji, Samira Ghasemi, and Linda Khamoushian will be joining the ISAA's Board of Directors on August 21st for the start of their term. Fren Khadivian has been re-elected to the board for another term. A hearty congratulations to each of them!

Before getting to detailed election result, we would like to recognize the outgoing Board of Directors and give them a special thanks for the outstanding job they did. We appreciate all the hard work and dedication they exhibited during their time as officers.

This year as the graduation season approaches, we will say goodbye to ISAA directors Navid R. Khadem, Golnaz Nouri and Shahrzad Rahbar.

End of this summer marks the 4th year that Shahrzad has been involved with ISAA. She had Molecular and Environmental Biology as her major and served for 2 years as the Finance Director/Officer , a year as the Publicity Director and also another year as a Board Member. She has spent countless hours of her time for ISAA over the past years and she will be missed.

Golnaz, a Molecular and Cell Biology major, joined the ISAA leadership team as the Resources Director last year. Her contributions to ISAA helped the organization a lot and she will be missed .

Navid, a Computer Science major and an Applied Math minor, became involved with ISAA as a Board Member 3 years ago during his first semester, and got assigned as the Communications Director/Officer the following semester. He has been serving as the president of ISAA during his last two years at UC Berkeley. We wish all our graduating officers all the best for their futures and want them to know that their generous contributions and hard work will always be remembered.

Running ISAA wouldn't have been possible without Jazzi Junge who served as last year's Finance Officer. Jazzi was our Resources Director the year before and we wish her the best and a great senior year at Berkeley.

We would like to also thank Amir Abadi and Keyan Keihani who have co-thought ISAA's popular Decal Course on Iran during last academic year. They have contributed greatly by raising awareness of Iran among the Iranians and the general Cal community.

We would like to thank ISAA's continuing board members ,directors, committees' chairs and advisors and recognize their support, extraordinary efforts and dedicated service for upholding the standards and ideals of the Iranian Student Alliance in America.

We would also like to thank all the wonderful people who generously contribute their personal funds, their time, services, and products to ISAA. Since ISAA's birth, your generous support has helped ISAA be one of the most respected and most successful organizations on Berkeley campus and among the Iranian community in the U.S.

Lastly, we would like to acknowledge all our members, new and old, and thank them for continuing to support our organization. We appreciate your comments and encourage your participation in keeping ISAA's events lively and informative.

By the end of this summer we will have held 25 events this year to further the goals stated in ISAA's mission statement. The new ISAA Website which will be lunched in late July will have an events page that will let you to see all the past events we have held during the past few years. All of these events wouldn't have been possible without your support.
So a big THANK YOU to you!

And finally here is the results for the ISAA election of 2008-2009. Congratulations to the new Board of Directors!


Fren Khadivian Co-President
Linda Khamoushian Co-President
Samira Ghasemi Communications Director
Farsheed Faraji Publicity Director
VACANT Finance Director
VACANT Resources Director

*The vacant officer positions will be filled as soon as possible through a democratic process open to ISAA's active members.
*The new Board of Directors will choose a maximum of 15 active members to be on the 2008-2009 ISAA’s board.

ISAA Game Night

What : ISAA Game Night

Come to our Game Night to mingle, have fun, play your favorite games, eat and drink and learn about ISAA.

It is a sad realization that many are leaving our community, but a tinge of sweetness enters one's senses when thinking of when we will see them next, and the great things our amazing seniors will accomplish once they are out in the world.

This will be the last time for many of us to see our graduating seniors. For one last time we can share stories, laughs, and tears.

So join us to celebrate with our seniors and relax or take a break before finals kick in.

Backgammon boards, playing cards , video games, Snacks and Drinks will be available in addition to live DJ and more surprises.

If you have a favorite board, card or video game, please feel free to bring them to share with the group.

This event is free and open to the public.

ASUC Sponsored.

When: Saturday, May 3rd @ 6PM
Where: Persian Center at 2029 Durant Ave, Berkeley Map

If you have any questions regarding this event, please email
isaa at isaa.berkeley.edu

ISAA Movie Night

What : ISAA Movie Night

Mehman-e Maman (Persian: مهمان مامان, English: Mother's Guest)

Mehman-e Maman is an Iranian family comedy film directed by Dariush Mehrjui.

It is based on a book of the same name by Iranian author, Houshang Moradi Kermani. It was commissioned by Sima Film. It did very well at the Iranian box office and won a number of prizes at the 22nd Fajr Film Festival.

Plot :

The movie begins when Mrs. Effat (Golab Adineh), a mother of two, receives word that her nephew and his wife are going to be visiting. Despite not being wealthy, Mr. Effat tries to prepare a respectable dinner party with the help of her cinema loving husband, Mr. Effat (Hassan Pourshirazi) and her two children. Amir and Bahareh. Meanwhile the Effat's drug addict neighbor, Yusuf (Parsa Pirouzfar) is desperate for some drugs after his wife has flushed his stash down the toilet. The eccentric old lady (Farideh Sepah-Mansour) who takes care of her chickens is also not making things much easier...

When: Thursday, May 1st @ 8PM
Where: 185 Barrows, UC Berkeley Campus

This event is free and open to the public.

ASUC Sponsored.

Wheelchair Accessible

http://www.facebook.com/editevent.php?eid=15224107046

How the Iranian Revolution Secularized Islam : Towards a New Conception of Secularism

What : How the Iranian Revolution Secularized Islam : Towards a New Conception of Secularism

Religion, Politics and Globalization Program (RPGP) along with the Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA) and the Institute of International Studies proudly present a lecture on How the Iranian Revolution Secularized Islam.

Who : Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi is an Assistant Professor of History and Sociology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, who specializes in transnational and global histories in the Middle Eastern postcolonial context. He studies social movements and intellectual articulations of Islamic conceptions of modernity.

His forthcoming book, entitled Islam and Dissent in Post revolutionary Iran: Abdolkarim Soroush and the Religious Foundations of Political Reform, is due to be released by I. B. Tauris in Fall 2008.

When : Tuesday, March 4, 2008, 5 p.m.

Where : 223 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley Campus

No admission charge and open to the public

ASUC sponsored and wheelchair accessible

Sponsored by the Religion, Politics and Globalization Program (RPGP)

Co-sponsored by the Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA) and the Institute of International Studies

Call to Action : Google Earth includes 'Arabian Gulf' on the map

It has come to our attention that Google Earth recently included the term "Arabian Gulf" on maps where the body of water, historically and contemporarily known as the Persian Gulf, is located. The Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA) stands unequivocally opposed to any misuse of accepted and accurate references to the aforementioned body of water, a practice which has proven throughout history to have been a tool for spreading dissention and encouraging instability in the region and beyond.

If you don't have Google Earth installed on you computer, you can view a screenshot of the software at ISAA's website here : http://isaa.berkeley.edu/actions/googleearth.jpg

We kindly ask our members to please take action by sending an email to press@google.com , contact Google Earth directly via their help center form located at http://earth.google.com/support/bin/request.py?&extra.customer=GEFree&contact_type=data

or sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/sos02082/petition.html .

For your convenience you can use the following text which was forwarded to us by a member.

Dear Google,

This is in regards to the recent Google Earth Version where the incorrect and erroneous term Arabian gulf, was used to identify the Persian Gulf .

Please be advised that the internationally, historically and geographically correct name for the body of water situated south of Iran between Iran and Saudi Arabia is the Persian Gulf . The only body of water that can reasonably be called the "Arabian Gulf" is the " Red Sea ". The Persian Gulf has no other internationally recognized name.

The historically and geographically correct name of Persian Gulf has been endorsed by the United Nations on many occasions. The last UN Directive endorsing the name of the Persian Gulf was Directive reference ST/CS/SER.A/29/Add.2 on August 18th 1994.

There is no room for politics in the world of geography, nor should Google pander to any special group. I hope that you will take the necessary steps to correct the prejudiced and false name in the Google Earth Version.

I must now urge you to correct the mistake on Google Earth Version site as a matter of urgency. I shall wait your affirmative response.

Kind Regards,

For further information consult the following links:

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/gegn23wp61.pdf
http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/westasia.pdf
http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/iran.pdf

http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/maplib/docs/escwa.pdf

The arrival of the following book is very timely especially when Google Earth fails to search the truth and chooses to call it Arabian Gulf.

The Persian Gulf : Its Past and Present which was in the making for nearly 8 years can also be a great resource to educate others.

You can help by ordering a copy for yourself, or for your local public or school library.

The Persian Gulf: Its Past and Present
http://www.mazdapublisher.com/BookDetails.aspx?BookID=191

By Prof. Svat Soucek

The Persian Gulf is a unique geographical phenomenon whose role in human affairs began in remote antiquity and has continued to our own day. Traditionally, this role was due to the place it occupies as an avenue of cultures and trade; today, as the site of a resource vital not only for the inhabitants of the countries along its shores but for much of the modem world. The Persian Gulf's unique geostrategic position further enhances its present importance.

A simple enumeration of the countries sharing the Persian Gulf's coasts and waters offers an evocative panorama of contemporary history: Iran, with the longest shoreline and some of the busiest ports along the northeastern coast; Iraq at the head of the Persian Gulf, then Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. All these countries, in varying degrees, are blessed with vast oil reserves lying along the coasts both under the ground on land and below the sea bottom. It is this vital resource that has propelled the Persian Gulf into the limelight of world events, and the story of its discovery, development and struggle over its exploitation makes for fascinating reading. It began almost a century ago, when in 1908 British prospectors struck oil at the Persian site of Suleymaniye. For nearly two generations, until the early 1950s, the province of Khuzistan was the center of production, processing and exporting oil, and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company had the lion's share of this lucrative business.

Geologists rightly suspected, however, that oil deposits might exist in many other parts of the Persian Gulf area. During the 1930s, a number of finds were made on the Arab side from Iraq all the way to Oman.

This time mainly American companies seized the initiative, but until World War II production remained relatively modest The war and the quickened pace of consumption in the industrial world, especially in the USA, led to further development of these sources, but the main stimulus for the sudden and vertiginous development of oil wells on the Arab side of the Persian Gulf was came from the drama of Iran's

attempt to acquire a fairer share of its wealth. Great Britain and the United States thwarted Dr. Mossadegh's heroic struggle, and in the process the production and export of oil from Iran was temporarily halted.

That in turn created a windfall for the companies exploiting the oil fields on the Arab side, and their prospectors discovered still more deposits whose yield has led to today's fabulous wealth of Saudi Arabia and the other principalities along the Persian Gulf.
This book hopes to offer a balanced version of the history of the Persian Gulf.

The story itself is presented in the natural and anthropological context of the subject.

Young Voices from Iran Screening

What : Young Voices from Iran screening followed by Q&A with Nooshin Navidi and Jason Rezaian

ISAA proudly presents : Young Voices from Iran

Two short films about post-revolutionary Iran from Iranian-American Perspectives:

Young Republic (Nooshin J. Navidi, 30 minutes) - 70 percent of Iran is under 30 years old. Reflective and lyrical, In Young Republic, Iranian American filmmaker engages in dialogues with students and young people of Iran.

Playful conversations turn into heated debates, and humorous stories lend insight into the how the young republic hopes to shape the future of Iran.

( http://www.nooshin.net)

A World Between (Nezam Manouchehri, 56 minutes) - Iranian-American journalist, Jason Rezaian, travels to Iran to discover his father's homeland. As he travels across the country, in each place we meet his friends and relatives who help form a representative view of Iranians rarely seen in the West.

( http://aworldbetween.com/about.asp)

When : Monday, February 25, 2008 7PM, showtime will be prompt

Where : 100 Genetics and Plant Biology Bldg (GPB) , UC Berkeley Campus

Tickets : $3 at the door ( no one turned away for lack of funds )

View the full size event poster

ISAA's 2nd BBQ Social

What : ISAA's 2nd BBQ Social

Come along to the ISAA's 2nd BBQ Social to socialize with the rest of ISAA َُُmembers. Catch up with old friends or make new ones. With BBQ chicken, sodas, chips and your favorite card games, this mighty feast is hard to miss.

When : Saturday, February 9, 2008 5pm

Where : Persian Center ( 2029 Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA )

ISAA Presents : Bam 6.6 screening and Q&A with Director/Producer, Mr. Jahangir Golestan Parast

What: Screening of Bam 6.6 , Humanity has no borders

Bam 6.6 is the story of the human condition. The film weaves together stories of survival, loss, and healing, as we explore the humanity of the Iranian people through the prism of the devastating 2003 earthquake that struck at the heart of Bam, an ancient Iranian village.

Bam 6.6 subjects come from different walks of life - A Jewish-American woman, an American businessman, and the Iranian residents of Bam.

Through their experiences, viewers will witness how a natural disaster can overcome religious and political barriers, dispel stereotypes, and unite disparate members of the human family.

Screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the director and producer of the film, Mr. Jahangir Golestan Parast .

Synopsis :

BAM 6.6 transcends geopolitical differences with a simple message of love and hope amidst tragedy, unfolding through the story of two young American victims of this devastating earthquake. Set against a backdrop of death and destruction, BAM 6.6 captures the indomitable will of the human spirit and the pervasive and altruistic culture of Iranian hospitality, kindness and generosity.

Veteran film producer/director Jahangir Golestan-Parast, visually captures the horrendous destruction that took 50,000 lives and left tens of thousands injured, orphaned and homeless. Eschewing a sterile narration, Golestan tells the story of tragedy and resurrection through sequential and emotional interviews that allow viewers to draw their own conclusions on a first-hand basis.

BAM 6.6 introduces you to Tobb and Adele, the American tourists buried in the rubble, as you experience the personal and medical hospitality extended to Adele and her parents following Tobb's death. You will meet tour guide Farzaneh Khatame, who selflessly stayed with the American couple throughout their ordeal. You will experience the Iranian children as they find the inner resources to prevail over such overwhelming loss and destruction. You will come to realize the sacrifices made by Jilla Kashef as she works to help these children overcome their vulnerability and begin a journey of recovery.

Jahnagir's love of the ancient culture and architecture of Iran, formerly known as Persia, has been evidenced by his prior works: “Esfahan, a City Known as Half the World” and “Iran, a Video Journey”. After the Bam earthquake, that love became a consuming passion to convey the true essence of Iranians, as manifested in their heroic efforts to survive and recover from this horrific calamity. Divested of ethnicity, nationality, religion, politics, age and gender, Jahangir tells the story of human love, concern, service and hospitality in hopes that future peace can evolve through understanding, knowledge and education. Jahangir prevailed in bringing this film to fruition during a difficult three and a half year journey that included the mortgaging of his home to shore up dwindling financial resources, numerous setbacks and discouragement.

The ruins of the 2,000-year-old Citadel may portray the outward face of the earthquake, but Bam 6.6 portrays the magnificent inner strengths of love, hope, kindness and human commonality. As reviewer Brian Appleton stated, “I assumed it would put me in tears…I certainly did not think that it would bring any joy.”

Bam 6.6 is an educational journey into human understanding!

When : Thursday, Feb 21st 7-10PM, The screening is 56 minutes long , followed by Q&A with the Director/Producer, Mr. Jahangir Golestan Parast

Where : 145 Dwinelle Hall, UC Berkeley Campus

Tickets : $2 at the door

View the Movie Trailer for Bam 6.6

Read more about the story and the background of Bam 6.6

View the full size event poster

ISAA's Spring 2008 First General Meeting

What : ISAA's Spring 2008 first general meeting

ISAA would like to welcome all incoming and returning students for the Spring 2008 semester! ISAA officers have a lot of events planned for the upcoming semester so be sure to attend our Spring General Meeting.

ISAA will be having it's first general meeting of Spring 2008 next Tuesday at 7 PM in 151 Barrows.

Come to the meeting next Tuesday to :

• Meet the Officers

• Sign-up to be on ISAA’s Board

• Learn about ISAA’s events

• Get involved

• Signup to Write for Goftegoo

• Have some Pizza

• Buy ISAA’s T-shirts and Hoodies

• Meet new people

• Signup to play for ISAA's soccer team

• Let us know of your suggestions, questions, or concerns

When : Tuesday, February 5, 2008 7pm

Where : 151 Barrows Hall

ISAA's Decal : IRAN: 28 YEARS of REVOLUTION

IRAN: 28 YEARS of REVOLUTION

Time: Tuesdays 6-8
Place: 2 Le Conte
Units: 2 Units, P/NP

Registration Info : http://www.decal.org/iran

Description :

After one semester of absence, Spring of 2008 marks the eighth semester that ISAA is offering its popular, informative and interesting course on Iran. This course is an introduction to contemporary Iranian politics (within the larger context of the Middle East).

This course serves as an introduction to modern Iranian politics in which no prior knowledge of Iran or of the greater Middle East is required. It follows the events leading up to the Islamic Revolution and describes the outcomes that have spiraled into the headlines of today. Key topics of discussion include the coup d'etat against Prime Minister Mossadegh (1953), the rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi, the Iranian Revolution (1979), the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), the Reform Movement (1997), and the recent rise of the radical movement led by Ahmadinejad (2005). Important current events to be covered will be Iran's nuclear program, Iran's role in Iraq, and the Shia-Sunni divide in the Middle East. Documentaries, films, guest lectures, participation in the class blog, and class discussions are integral parts of this decal.

No prior knowledge of Iran or the Middle East is required for this course.

Annual Shab-e Yalda Celebration in Berkeley

What : Annual Shab-e Yalda Celebration in Berkeley

Persian Center invites all friends of ISAA to attend another celebration of 'Yalda', the longest night of the year. Persian Center's ANNUAL SHAB-E YALDA Celebration is tonight, FRIDAY, Dec 21st at 7 pm.

Music performances by SHAMS ENSEMBLE & Heydari Ensemble,

Dance performances by Niosha Dance Academy & ROSA,

Fal-e Hafez,

Traditional light dinner with Ash, Ajeel, Anar,and Hendevaneh,

and DJ DANCING with DJ Alireza.

When : Friday, December 21st at 7 pm

Where : GAIA Art Center (http://www.gaiaarts.com)

2120 Allston Way Berkeley, CA

($3 Validated Parking at Allston Garage on 2061 Allston Way, between Milvia and Shattuck)

Tickets : $20, $10 for student w/valid ID.

For more info call 510-848-0264.

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About Shab-e Yalda

Millions of Iranians all over the world Friday night will celebrate `Yalda', the longest night of the year and the first night of winter as a token of victory of the angel of goodness over the devil of badness and the victory of light over darkness. Shabe Yalda marks the beginning of winter. It is a tradition amongst Iranians that family and friends gather together and stay up throughout the night to cherish the ambience of togetherness.
Nuts and fruits, both fresh and dried, are served on Yalda night. Fruit is the sign of divine blessing. The 6,000-year tradition revives the spirit of affection, kindness and togetherness in families. Since Shabe Yalda is the longest and darkest night, it has come to symbolize many things in both Persian poetry and culture, such as separation from a loved one, loneliness, and waiting. After Shabe Yalda, however, a transformation takes place -- the waiting is over, light shines and goodness prevails, which is a turning point as the days start to grow longer. "With all my pains, there is still the hope of recovery Like the eve of Yalda, there will finally be an end." ~ Sa’adi, Persian poet Yalda, a Syriac word imported into the Persian language by the Syriac Christians means birth and it refer to the birth of sun. Romans called it Natalis Anviktos, the birth of unbeatable. It is a relatively recent arrival and it is also referred to as "Shab-e Cheleh", a celebration of Winter Solstice on December 21st.
In most ancient cultures, including Persia, the start of the solar year has been marked to celebrate the victory of light over darkness and the renewal of the Sun. The Persians adopted their annual renewal festival from the Babylonians and incorporated it into the rituals of their own Zoroastrian religion. The last day of the Persian month Azar is the longest night of the year, when the forces of Ahriman are assumed to be at the peak of their strength. While the next day, the first day of the month "Day" known as "khoram rooz" or "khore rooz" (the day of sun) belongs to Ahuramazda, the Lord of Wisdom. Since the days are getting longer and the nights shorter, this day marks the victory of the rising sun as the symbol of 'Ahuramazda', the Zoroastrian god, over the evil of darkness . The occasion was celebrated in the festival of "Daygan" dedicated to Ahuramazda, on the first day of the month "Day". Ancient Iranians believed that the beginning of the year marked with the re-emergence or rebirth of the sun which coincided with the first day of the month of `Dey' when sun was salvaged from the claws of the devil of darkness and gradually spread its domination over the world. People had developed the idea that the longest night of the year, when the evil of darkness found an opportunity to stay longer, was an inauspicious occasion and, therefore, they would gather together and stay awake the whole night by holding celebrations and lighting fire in order to leave behind the ominous night. They would try to keep the fire lit all through the night and the person in charge of the task was called 'Atropat' or the 'guardian of fire' who used to have a religious rank in ancient Persia. Fires would be burnt all night to ensure the defeat of the forces of Ahriman. There would be feasts, acts of charity and a number of deities were honored and prayers performed to ensure the total victory of sun that was essential for the protection of winter crops. There would be prayers to Mithra (Mehr) and feasts in his honor, since Mithra is the Eyzad responsible for protecting "the light of the early morning", known as "Havangah". It was also assumed that Ahuramazda would grant people's wishes, specially those with no offspring had the hope to be blessed with children if performed all rites on this occasion.

One of the themes of the festival was the temporary subversion of order. Masters and servants reversed roles. The king dressed in white would change place with ordinary people. A mock king was crowned and masquerades spilled into the streets. As the old year died, rules of ordinary living were relaxed. This tradition persisted till Sassanid period, and is mentioned by Biruni and others in their recordings of pre-Islamic rituals and festivals. Its' origin goes back to the Babylonian New Year celebration.

These people believed the first creation was order that came out of chaos. To appreciate and celebrate the first creation they had a festival and all roles were reversed. Disorder and chaos ruled for a day and eventually order was restored and succeeded at the end of the festival.

It is not clear when and how the word "Yalda" entered the Persian language. The massive persecution of the early Christians in Rome brought many Christian refugees into the Sassanid Empire and it is very likely that these Christians introduced and popularized "Yalda" in Iran. Gradually "Shab-e Yalda" and "Shab-e Cheleh" became synonymous and the two are used interchangeably.

With the conquest of Islam the religious significance of the ancient Persian festivals was lost. However, apart from its religious and traditional characteristics, 'Yalda' has long been observed in the Iranian culture as the longest night of the year. Today "Shab-e Cheleh" is merely a social occasion, when family and friends get together for fun and merriment. Different kinds of dried fruits, nuts, seeds and fresh winter fruits are consumed. The presence of dried and fresh fruits is reminiscence of the ancient feasts to celebrate and pray to the deities to ensure the protection of the winter crops. On this night, all members of the family stay together, narrate old stories, play traditional games and eat dried fruits and candies. The fruits that are specially served at this night are sweet melon, water melon, grapes and pomegranates. Fruits are symbol of spring and a summer loaded with agricultural bounties. Pomegranates, placed on top of a fruit basket, are reminders of the cycle of life -- the rebirth and revival of generations. The purple outer covering of a pomegranate symbolizes "birth" or "dawn" and their bright red seeds the "glow of life." Watermelons, apples, grapes, melons and persimmon are other special fruits served on Yalda night and all are symbols of freshness, warmth, love, kindness and happiness. Another tradition that is massively observed on the night of Yalda is reading poems of the highly revered Iranian poet 'Hafez'.

ISAA's 9th Music Night

Dear ISAA members,

ISAA has decided to CANCEL the Hypernova concert scheduled for November 18th in Berkeley. Please read below for other exciting events.

if you have any questions please email us at isaa@isaa.berkeley.edu

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What : ISAA's 9th Music Night

Only 1 days till one of the best ISAA Iranian Music Nights ever. We are really excited about our 9th Music Night as a new and one of the most talented ISAA board members has organized it. Here is what he has to say about the event :

Dear ISAA members,

My name is Hamid Niki and i am a new ISAA board member who is in charge of organizing ISAA's 9th Music Night. As you know from our previous emails, Music Night is happening tomorrow, Thursday at 7PM at the Persian Center.
During past weeks we have been working hard with some of the best student performers to bring you a night filled with great Persian music, fun, excitement and sign alongs. If time permits, we will also be performing songs requested by the audience.
We have changed the style of the music we perform this year a little, and have blended in some modern solo and group performances in addition to our usual traditional Persian music.

At this time of the year when we really need a break from work and study, nothing can better serve us than a night of relaxation by listing to music performances that cross cultural boundaries and brings people from different backgrounds together.

All exhausted students that need to take breaths after working so hard on papers, projects, and midterms are welcome to join the 9th Iranian Music Night to enjoy the new music, meet new people, and put away all of the old frustration of schoolwork!

So, Take a break from the stress of life: work, exams, studying, etc., and come and relax to the musical

genius of your fellow Iranian students.

When : Thursday, November 15th @ 7PM

Where : Persian Center ( 2029 Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA )

Refreshments will be served.

The event is free and open to the public.

ASUC Sponsored.

Wheelchair Accessible

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What : Sufi Celebration

We would like to inform all ISAA members about a wonderful show organized by M.T.O Sufi Association of UC Berkeley on November 17th. The show is called The Hidden Angles of Life in which you can experience a festive night filled with music, poetry, meditation, devotion and presentations on Sufism and more.

What would your life be like if you could accomplish everything you have always wanted?

Enhance your creativity, mental clarity, and physical well-being through unique Sufi techniques.

Refreshment and Pastries will be served

When : Saturday, November 17th 7PM-9PM

Where : Wheeler Hall at UC Berkeley

Tickets : Students 8$

General Admin 15$

No Children under 12

Special group rates are available

More info :

866-399-1706

sufism_mto@ocf.berkeley.edu

info@sufiasscociation.org

ISAA's Fall 2007 First General Meeting

ISAA would like to welcome all incoming and returning students for the 2007-2008 school year! ISAA officers have a lot of events planned for the upcoming year so be sure to attend our Fall General Meeting.

ISAA's Fall 2007 First General Meeting

ISAA will be having it's first general meeting of Fall 2007 this Wednesday at 6:30 PM in 110 Barrows.

Come to the meeting this Wednesday to :

• Meet the Officers
• Sign-up to be on ISAA’s Board
• Learn about ISAA’s events
• Get involved
• Signup to Write for Goftegoo
• Have some Pizza
• Buy ISAA’s T-shirts and Hoodies
• Meet new people
• Signup to play for ISAA's soccer team
• Let us know of your suggestions, questions, or concerns

When: Wednesday, September 5 , 6:30 PM
Where : 110 Barrows


An Announcement:

Journey to Iran by Mehdi Abderezai on youTube

One of ISAA members, Mehdi Abderezai, has made a series of informative and interesting documentary style movie clips from his latest trip to Iran in Summer of 2006. These clips have English subtitles for the parts spoken in Farsi.
Please take the time to visit the following link to watch the first clip of this very interesting series. The rest of the clips can be found in the related section of the site.
Mehdi welcomes any feedback you may have. you can leave your feedback as a comment on the clip page if you have a youTube account or you can simply email him.

Journey to Iran Part 1 of 12 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7p76S_v_m4

Guest Lecture: "The Real Iran Agenda", ISAA Election Results and Thank You's

*Guest Lecture: "The Real Iran Agenda: U.S. sponsored guerilla attacks inside Iran and the Middle East Crisis"

What: Attend next and final session of ISAA's "ABC's of Iran" DeCal course, to be the first to hear a renowned journalist speak about his latest book on Iran, which is not published until September!

Who: Freelance foreign correspondent Reese Erlich has covered the Middle East for 20 years on assignments for the San Francisco Chronicle, Dallas Morning News and NPR. Erlich will discuss his book "The Iran Agenda: the real story of U.S. policy and the Middle East crisis," which will be published in September. In preparing his book, Erlich interviewed President Bashir al Asad of Syria and Reza Pahlavi, among others.
Reese Erlich reports regularly for National Public Radio, Marketplace Radio, Latino USA, Radio Deutche Welle, Australian Broadcasting Corp. Radio, and Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Radio. He also writes for San Francisco Chronicle, St. Petersburg Times, and Christian Science Monitor.

When: Monday 5/7/07 6PM-8PM

Where: 3 Le Conte, UC Berkeley Campus (Map)


*The event is free and open to the public. Seating is first come first served.
*ASUC Sponsored.
*Wheelchair Accessible.

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2007-2008 ISAA Board of Directors Election Results and End of the year Thank You's

The votes have been tallied and the results are in! Golnaz Nouri and Fren Khadivian will be joining the ISAA's Board of Directors on June 1st for the start of the next term. Navid Khadem, Shahrzad Abbassi Rahbar and Jazzi Junge have been re-elected to the board for another term. A hearty congratulations to each of them!

This year as the graduation season approaches, we will say goodbye to ISAA directors Ali Assareh and Shamis Fallah, who have spent countless hours of their time for ISAA over the past years. Ali has co-thought ISAA's popular and heavily waitlisted Decal Course on Iran for 5 semesters and Shamis has contributed a lot as ISAA's publicity director.We wish them all the best for their futures and want them to know that their generous contributions will always be remembered.

We would like to express our gratitude to ISAA's advisor Arash Aramesh whose efforts made us able to hold some of our most successful large events, such as Mr. Ganji's lecture on "Gender Apartheid in Iran" and the "56th Anniversary celebration of the Iranian Oil Nationalization" 3-day conference, to name a few. ISAA will miss his skills and sense of humor and the many invaluable contributions he has made to our success.

We would like to thank our graduating ISAA board members Reza Kamrava, Arash Parsa, and Hormozd Gahvari for their extraordinary efforts and contributions to our organization. Their services and support to ISAA will never be forgotten.

We would like to thank ISAA's continuing board members ,directors, committees' chairs and advisors and recognize their tremendous efforts and dedicated service for upholding the standards and ideals of the Iranian Student Alliance in America.

We would also like to thank all the wonderful people who contribute their personal funds, their time, services, and products to ISAA. Since ISAA's birth, your generous support has helped ISAA be one of the most respected and most successful organizations on Berkeley campus and among the Iranian community in the U.S.
Lastly, we would like to acknowledge all our members, new and old, and thank them for continuing to support our organization. We appreciate your comments and encourage your participation in keeping ISAA's events lively and informative.

The 2007-2008 ISAA officer placement, based on the number of votes each candidate received:
Navid Khadem President
Shahrzad Abbassi Rahbar Publicity Director
Golnaz Nouri Resource Director
Fren Khadivian Communications Director
Jazzi Junge Finance Director

The new ISAA Board of Directors will choose a maximum of 15 active members to be on 2007-2008 ISAA’s board. We will announce more information on this in our future emails.

ISAA's UPCOMING EVENTS : 8th Music Night, Iran's Nuclear Program, The Legitimation Crisis in Tehran

ISAA's UPCOMING EVENTS

*Iran's Nuclear Program

What: Attend next session of ISAA's "ABC's of Iran" DeCal course, to learn the basics of Iran's nuclear program and to watch a documentary screening of Iran's hidden nuclear facilities. You can also discuss your views on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Who: Ali Assareh & Hoda Fahimi ( ISAA's DeCal student Lecturers )
When: Monday 4/23/07 6PM-8PM
Where: 3 Le Conte, UC Berkeley Campus (Map)

*The event is free and open to the public. Seating is first come first served.
*ASUC Sponsored.
*Wheelchair Accessible.

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*The Legitimation Crisis in Tehran: Iranian Dissidents, Neoconservatives and the Left

Who: Danny Postel, Senior Editor of openDemocracy.net
When: Thursday, April 26, 2007 5:00 p.m.
Where: North Gate Library, Hearst at Euclid Ave. (Map)
Sponsored by: The Institute of International Studies and the Religion, Politics and Globalization Program
Cosponsored by: Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at UC Berkeley
The Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley
Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA)

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*ISAA's 8th Iranian Music Night

What: Take a break from the stress of life: work, exams, studying, etc., and come and relax to the musical genius of your fellow Iranians.If you are interested in performing, please contact ISAA's board member and Music Night coordinatorPourya Khademi at violin@berkeley.edu so he can coordinate joint performances. Please get in touch with Pourya soon.
When: Thursday, April 26th 7:30PM
Where: Persian Center at 2029 Durant Ave. (Map)

* Refreshments will be served.

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*ISAA Elections

What: ISAA will be holding its 6th democratic elections for the positions of President, Communications Director, Resource Director, Publicity Director, and Financial Director.

Being an ISAA Director is both an amazing experience and very prestigious. Since its birth on Berkeley campus in the Fall of 2002, ISAA has become to be known as one of the most respected groups on campus which focuses on issues that really matter. With such high values in its mission statement, ISAA distances itself from being just another party thrower club.

In addition, ISAA Directors find their position to be filled with rewarding experiences, as they get to become more involved in the Iranian community. They get to meet, know, help and work with many important scholars along with influential and successful people in the community.

There are 5 positions available to run for . To see the descriptions of each, please see ISAA's constitution on the "About ISAA" section of our website:http://isaa.berkeley.edu/. And please read the membership clause (Article III) to see if you are eligible to vote. The constitution will be strictly enforced for this election.

If you want to run for an ISAA officer position or know someone who should, enter the nomination soon by emailing ISAA at isaa.berkeley@gmail.com . In your email please state why you would like to be an officer and why you'd make a good candidate. The deadline for nominations is only a week away and is on April 29th at midnight (11:59 PM).

No leadership experience is needed as the outgoing ISAA directors will make sure you fully know the inside mechanisms of how to run the club most sufficiently.


When: Tuesday, May 1st 8PM
Where: TBA

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Internship position at a Berkeley film production company

Promises Films, a film production company based in Berkeley is looking for a Farsi-English bilingual interns to help them during production of their latest project titled "Global Moms". Interns will help with Farsi to English translation and related office work.
To learn more about this project visit the Global Moms project summery or its homepage. you can watch the promotional video of this project on YouTube or download it from the project homepage.
Promises Films produced a documentary titled "Promises" which was nominated for the Best Feature Documentary, at the 74th Annual Academy Awards and won the best documentary at the Emmy Awards the same year. This documentary won tens of other prestigious awards and was nominated and selected for several well known International movie festivals and award ceremonies. you can visit Promises Project Homepage to view a preview or see the complete awards and nominations list.
To apply for this position please email Negar Ghobadi at negar@are.berkeley.edu or call (510)-486-9733

ISAA Movie Night ( Charshanbe Souri )

What: ISAA Presents:

"Charshanbe Souri". A movie by Asghar Farhadi.
Cast include Hadiyeh Tehrani, Hamid Farokhnejad, Taraneh Alidoost, Mehran Maham.
When: Thursday, April 19th @ 6PM
Where: 6 Evans Hall (Map)

This movie is in Farsi with no English subtitles.

The event is free and open to the public.
ASUC Sponsored.
Wheelchair Accessible

ISAA Elections

What: ISAA will be holding its 6th democratic elections for the positions of President, Communications Director, Resource Director, Publicity Director, and Financial Director.

Being an ISAA Director is both an amazing experience and very prestigious. Since its birth on Berkeley campus in the Fall of 2002, ISAA has become to be known as one of the most respected groups on campus which focuses on issues that really matter. With such high values in its mission statement, ISAA distances itself from being just another party thrower club.

In addition, ISAA Directors find their position to be filled with rewarding experiences, as they get to become more involved in the Iranian community. They get to meet, know, help and work with many important scholars along with influential and successful people in the community.

There are 5 positions available to run for . To see the descriptions of each, please see ISAA's constitution on the "About ISAA" section of our website:http://isaa.berkeley.edu/. And please read the membership clause (Article III) to see if you are eligible to vote. The constitution will be strictly enforced for this election.

If you want to run for an ISAA officer position or know someone who should, enter the nomination soon by emailing ISAA at isaa.berkeley at gmail.com . In your email please state why you would like to be an officer and why you'd make a good candidate. The deadline is April 29th at midnight (11:59 PM).

No leadership experience is needed as the outgoing ISAA directors will make sure you fully know the inside mechanisms of how to run the club most sufficiently.


When: Tuesday, May 1st @ 8PM
Where: TBA

Visit ISAA Table on Cal Day 2007

What: ISAA will take part in Cal Day 2007 by tabling on Sproul from 9:00AM - 3:00PM. Stop by table number 18 to say hi, pick up an issue of Goftegoo, or buy one of the remaining famous ISAA T-shirts or CDs we have left.

UC Berkeley is an exciting place every day — a center of new ideas, research discoveries, thrilling sports, dazzling performances. Cal Day is like no other here on campus. Spend it in Cal’s classrooms and labs, museums and performance halls, libraries and arenas. Check out hundreds of student groups on your way to the Sather gate. Take in all that Berkeley has to offer, and see why Cal is the world’s premier public university.

When: Saturday, April 21, 2007 9AM - 3PM
Where: UC Berkeley Campus

Update you Address book! ISAA retires its old email address

As many of you already know, ISAA started using it's new email address( isaa.berkeley at gmail.com ) beginning Fall 2006.
We won't be checking ISAA's old email address (i_saa at yahoo.com) very often from now on.
So, please send all you emails to the new address and update your address books.
Our email list software is configured so that if you press reply to one of our ISAA Board emails, your emails will go to the new address automatically.

6th ISAA Backgammon Tournament

Please see below for the new ROOM. No longer in 140 Barrows.

What: This Sunday ISAA will be holding its popular and highly competitive backgammon tournament. As always, it will be a spirited event with intense competition and contenders will bring their experience in the ancient game to compete for bragging rights and first, second, and third place trophies. Surely, it will be a fun time for all those involved, so we hope you don't miss it!
This semester, in order to shorten the tournament length we will be playing best of three during the group stage.

When: Sunday, April 8th @ 11 AM

Where: Room 201 Giannini Hall (Map)

Cost : FREE

The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.
To RSVP please email ISAA's board member, Hormozd Gahvari at hormozd@EECS.berkeley.EDU

ASUC Sponsored.
Wheelchair Accessible.

Spring Lecture Series on U.S. Foreign Policy and Iran

Iranian Student Alliance in America - ISAA UC Berkeley (HQ)/Georgetown Uni. (Chapter)

ISAA's UPCOMING EVENTS

Please read below for information regarding 3 interesting lectures on Iran that ISAA just sponsored.

ISAA and Religion, Politics and Globalization Program (RPGP) at UC Berkeley proudly present:

Spring Lecture Series on U.S. Foreign Policy and Iran :

What: "Shilling for the Next War: Coverage of Bush's Plans for War with Iran"

Who: Reese Erlich, Author of "The Iran Agenda: The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis"

When: Wednesday, April 4, 2007 @ 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Where: North Gate Library, Hearst at Euclid Avenue, Berkeley (Map)

*Sponsored by the Graduate School of Journalism, the National Writers Union, the Religion, Politics and Globalization Program, and the Institute of International Studies and Iranian Student Alliance in America.
*For more information on this event, please visit http://journalism.berkeley.edu/

*The event is free and open to the public.
ASUC Sponsored.
Wheelchair Accessible

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What: "The View from Inside Iran"

Who: Karim Sadjadpour, Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

When: Monday, April 9, 2007 @ 4:00 p.m.

Where: 223 Moses Hall (Map)

*Sponsored by the Institute of International Studies and the Religion, Politics and Globalization Program and cosponsored by Iranian Student Alliance in America.
*The event is free and open to the public.
ASUC Sponsored.
Wheelchair Accessible

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What: "The Legitimation Crisis in Tehran: Iranian Dissidents, Neoconservatives and the Left"

Who: Danny Postel, Senior Editor of openDemocracy.net

When: Thursday, April 26, 2007 @ 5:00 p.m.

Where: North Gate Library, Hearst at Euclid Ave. (Map)

*Sponsored by the Institute of International Studies and the Religion, Politics and Globalization Program Cosponsored by Peace and Conflict Studies ,the Graduate School of Journalism and Iranian Student Alliance in America.
*The event is free and open to the public.
ASUC Sponsored.
Wheelchair Accessible

56th Anniversary Celebration of the Iranian Oil Nationalization

ISAA Proudly Presents:
*56th Anniversary Celebration of the Iranian Oil Nationalization

What:

The “29th of Esfand” (20th of March) is the Eve of Persian New Year. This day is also the day that Iranian oil was nationalized by Dr. Mosaddegh. This year, Iranian students in Northern California and Jebhe Melli Iran are holding a two-day conference on March 16th, 17th, and a Meeting on March 18th at University of California, Berkeley, to celebrate that seminal event.

This conference, which includes seminars and meetings, live Iranian music, and dance performances, has been made possible through the support and collaboration of the following Iranian organization:

· Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA)
· Northern California Chapter of Jebhe melli Iran in America

Who:

Speakers:
Speakers are from different backgrounds, featuring Iranian scholars, politicians, and thinkers, who each will deliver a diverse array of opinions and views during the seminars. The general subjects are related to the nationalization of oil, and the present state of political and economical affairs in Iran.

· March 16th

o Gholam Hossein Razi is Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, University of Houston. He received his License es Sciences in Political Science from the University of Tehran and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley. He has also taught at Air War College as Professor of Middle East Studies and at the University of Texas, Austin. His fields of specialty are American Foreign Policy, American National Security Strategy in the Middle East, Middle East Politics, and International Relations. His publications include contributions to such professional journals as The American Political Science Review; Comparative Politics; Western Political Quarterly; Studies in Comparative International Development; The Middle East Journal; Conflict Quarterly; Iranian Studies and such books as The Middle East: Its Governments and Politics; International Relations of the Middle East And North Africa; Iran: Essays on a Revolution in the Making; Social and Political Problems of Public Administration in Developing Areas and a number of encyclopedias.
Email: ghrazi@uh.edu

o Zohreh M. Niknia is a visiting Assistant Professor, working with the Beatrice M. Bain Research Group on Gender, University of California at Berkeley. Her professional and research interests are: Women and the Economy; Gender and Migration; Gender, Globalization, and Development; Political Economy of Oil. Dr. Niknia has taught Economics at California State University, Sacramento, University of Missouri, Kansas City and Johnson County Community College (1985-2003) The main focus of her research is an interdisciplinary examination of the intersection of migration and gender. Email: zniknia@mills.edu

o Dr. Cyrus Bina is a distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Minnesota, Morris. He has been the Lead Faculty, Associate Director of the MBA Program, and Founding Director of the Center of Unified, Global, and Applied Research (COUGAR) at the University of Redlands, California (1996-1998); Visiting Scholar at the Center for Social Theory and Comparative History at UCLA (2002-2003); a Fellow and Research Associate (1990-1993), and Affiliate in Research (1994-1995) at Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies; Professor of Economics at Olivet College, Michigan (1982-1987). Author of The Economics of the Oil Crisis (1985), co-editor of Modern Capitalism and Islamic Ideology in Iran (1992) and Beyond Survival: Wage labor in the Late Twentieth Century (1996), author of more than 170 published scholarly papers, book chapters, and book reviews, and policy pieces, particularly on the subjects of the globalization of world economy; rise and fall of the Pax Americana; global oil; US foreign policy; OPEC; global labor, technology and skill formation in capitalism; global warming, energy, and environment. Professor Bina is an authority on the economics and politics of oil, and also has written extensively on the Middle East conflicts, political economy of Iran and Islam. These include the analyses of the 1951 Nationalization of Oil and interpretation of the 1906 Constitutional Revolution in Iran. He has given more than 900 interviews and participated in more than 500 radio and TV programs by the national and international media around the world on the subjects of his expertise and interests during the last decade. Bina has been member Board of Directors of Middle East Economic Association (1988-1992), member of the Editorial Board of the Review of Radical Political Economics (1980-1990; 2001-2004), member of URPE’s Steering Committee (2003-2007), and Associate Editor of the Journal of Iranian research & Analysis since 2000. He is a member of American Economic Association and Economists for Peace & Security. E-mail: http://webmail.tuffwall.com/horde/imp/cleanedparent.ComposeTo("binac@morris.umn.edu", Website: http://cda.morris.umn.edu/~binac/

· March 17th

o Bahram Moshiri http://www.bahrammoshiri.com./farsi/
E-mail BAHRAM@BAHRAMMOSHIRI.COM

o Dr. Kazem Vadiei Iran Expert; invited guest speaker from France.

o Dr. Nasser Amini Journalists since 1950, and Foreign Ambassadors of Pahlavi Monarchy; invited guest speaker from France



o Artists :
A variety of talented artists will perform Live Persian music during our night program. This features professional dance performances, along with fusion and Persian traditional classical music.
· Avaz by master vocalist Ali Amidi with participation of local well-known musicians playing violin, tar, and tomback.
· Traditional Dance performances by Niosha Dance Academy http://www.niosha.com/
· Pourya Khademi and the Embarka Sound System will perform ancient Persian sounds infused with contemporary urban rhythms. Group dance is also organized by Pourya Khademi.

When ,Where and more Info:

· March 16th: Panel Discussions (Held in English)

This session will feature speakers who will offer analysis on The Impacts of Oil: Iran’s Role in International Energy Dependency followed by a question and answer session.

Topics:
a. Economics of oil
b. Nationalism and Religion: Autonomy or Interdependence?
c. Global Energy Crisis and National Security issues

1:00 PM To 4:30 PM
22 Warren (Anita M. Baldwin Auditorium), UC Berkeley
Map : http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/BC12.html
Free and Open to the public

· March 17th: Panel Discussions (Held in Farsi)
This session will feature speakers who will offer analysis on Effects of Oil Nationalization on the Current Events in Iran and the Middle East followed by a question and answer session.
Topics:
a. Changing in Iranian national interests (1951 and now)
b. Oil and Iran-Arab Relations

10:00 AM To 1:30 PM
22 Warren (Anita M. Baldwin Auditorium), UC Berkeley
Map: http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/BC12.html
Free and Open to the public

· March 17th: Live Music and dance

A variety of talented artists will perform Live Persian music. Featuring fusion and Persian traditional classical music, this part of the event includes dance performances by professional dancers, followed by group dance for the general public.

7:00 PM To 10:00 PM
Lipman Room, 8th floor of Barrows Hall, UC Berkeley
Map : http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/DE45.html
Open to the public.
$8.00 for students and $20 for the general public.

· March 18th: Group Discussions ( held in Farsi )
The Effects of Uniting the Melli forces in America and Europe.
Topics:
a. Analyzing the Need for Unification of Melli Forces Relations and coordination of Mellioun;
b. Representation and Analysis of Necessity for a Congress

9:30 AM To 4:00 PM
110 Barrows Hall, UC Berkeley
Map : http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/DE45.html
Participants of this section include only Jebhe Mellie Members, and invited parties.
General public are welcome as observers. Admission is Free.



* ASUC Sponsored.
* Wheelchair Accessible

ISAA NEWS

We of the Iranian American community ask you to join us in San Francisco on Sunday, March 18th, to observe the 4th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and to unite in protesting an imminent US attack on Iran.
This is an invitation to all our Iranian friends and family who oppose war to demonstrate collectively our stanch resistance to US plans to bomb Iran.
Regardless of the ideological divisions that may at times distinguish us, at this critical moment in history, we must all say “NO TO WAR!”
Please come with your own banners, placards and fliers, and march with Iranians contingent and thousands of other Bay Area activists in opposition to war on Iran and the continuing occupation of Iraq.

Our contingent will be assembling at 11.30 a.m. at Spear and Market Streets ( Embarcadero Bart Station), before joining the general rally at Justin Hermann Plaza in the Embarcadero.

Emergency Summit to Prevent War with Iran

Emergency Summit to Prevent War with Iran

What: "IF YOU LIKE WAR IN IRAQ, YOU'LL LOVE WAR ON IRAN" So goes the tagline on a new ad by Physicians for Social Responsibility. As Congress and the mainstream media are distracted by the new troop escalation in Iraq, little attention is given to the much more consequential reality that we may be only a few months, weeks, or even days away from a new and potentially more horrifying war. At this summit, a wide range of organizations and activists are coming together to take a serious look at how, together, we may be successful in preventing an attack on Iran. See the end of this message for a partial list of organizations that have confirmed their attendance in this summit.
In the morning session we will hear from one or more experts on the US-Iran standoff. In the afternoon session we will work on:
1. Producing more with less: How can we increase the level of collaboration among our organizations?
2. Power of many: How can we effectively share our experiences and leverage our resources?
3. Learning from our successes and mistakes: What has been working and what has not?
4. Sharpening our message: What are some effective talking points?
5. Formulating a winning strategy
6. The good news: Why are the chances of success much better now than the pre-Iraq-war time?
7. Collaborative action plan

Due to the urgency of this matter, this summit is being organized in a short timeframe. Please help this effort by emailing your RSVP as soon as possible and by taking the initiative to contact other organizations that may be interested in the goal of the summit.
Please RSVP (your name, email address, phone contact, and your organization's name) as soon as possible by sending an email to: RSVP@HandsOffIran.org
For the latest up-to-date details visit: http://www.handsoffiran.org/
Who: Perhaps the most important whistle-blower of the past half century, former marine company commander Daniel Ellsberg was driven by his conscience in 1971 to reveal how successive presidents had lied to the American people about the conduct of the Vietnam war and its consequences. Ellsberg's leaking of 7,000 pages of Pentagon documents helped end the war.

Dr. Dariush Zahedi is a professor of political science at UC Berkeley, and the author of The Iranian Revolution Then and Now: Indicators of Regime Instability and the editor of Iran in the New Millennium: Opportunities and Challenges. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angles Times, Middle East Policy and Harvard Middle Eastern and Islamic Review. He has also studied the patterns of political participation and engagement and political attitudes of Iranian expatriates in the U.S.

Larry Everest is a journalist, author and videographer, covering the Middle East and Central Asia for over 20 years. His articles have appeared in the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Baltimore Sun, Z Magazine, and others. He is the author of Oil, Power & Empire: Iraq and the U.S. Global Agenda. Shortly after the end of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Everest went to Iraq to document the impact of the war on the Iraqi people and filmed the award-winning video "Iraq: War Against the People."
When: Saturday, March 10, 2007

Morning Session
Registration, Sign-in : 09:30 - 10:00
Speakers, Q&A : 10:00 - 12:00

Afternoon Session
Registration, Sign-in : 12:30 - 13:00
Discussions : 13:00 - 16:00

Where: UC Berkeley Campus, Evans Hall, Room #10 (Map) (parking)

The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. To RSVP please email RSVP@HandsOffIran.org , including your name, email address, phone contact, and your organization's name (ISAA).

Suggested Donation: $10

ASUC Sponsored.

Attending Organizations
United for Peace and Justice (coalition of 1300 organizations)
Do Not Attack Iran coalition (coalition of 35 organizations)
American Friends Service Committee
Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee
San Francisco Green Party
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
East Bay for Democracy
Peninsula Peace and Justice Center
Code Pink
Jewish Voice for Peace
Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club
Global Exchange
National Iranian American Council
War Resisters League West
Network of Spiritual Progressives
Iranian-American Democrats Association (Sacramento)
South Bay Mobilization
Western States Legal Foundation
El Cerrito Democratic Club
The Metaphor Project
Bay Area Women in Black
American-Iranian Friendship Committee
Grandmothers Against the War
Iranian-American Democrats of Orange County
Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA)
Democracy For America - Marin County
Bay Area Iranian-American Democrats
Bay Area Iranian-American Voter Association

ISAA's Spring 2007 First General Meeting

ISAA will be having it's first general meeting of Spring 2007 tonight (2/8/07) in 54 Barrows at 6:30 PM .

Come to the meeting this Thursday to :

• Meet the Officers
• Sign-up to be on ISAA’s Board
• Learn about ISAA’s events
• Get involved
• Learn about ISAA’s DeCal
• Sign-up to Write for Goftegoo
• Buy ISAA’s T-shirts and Hoodies
• Meet new people

Thursday, February 8th
6:30 PM
54 Barrows

This Thursday: Iran and The Current Middle East Conflict
What / Who:
ISAA is co-sponsoring a very interesting Speech by Mr. Hassan Shariatmadari on Iran and The Current Middle East Conflict

Mr. Hassan Shariatmadari is one the prominent figures of the Iranian pro-democracy opposition and the son of the late Grand Ayotallah Kazem Shariatmadari.
He is currently the Secretary General of Jomhourikhahan Melli Iran and a member of the Executive Board and Political Council of Etehad Jomhourikhan Iran. Both organizations advocate secular and democratic politics based on a republican system of governance and non-violent change.
Mr. Shariatmadari has been an active and influential participant of the Iranian politics during the last three decades. During the immediate period after the
1979 Iranian revolution he played a leading role in the massive but unsuccessful opposition to the theocratic clauses of the current constitution.
Mr. Shariatmadari currently resides in Hamburg, Germany.
When: Thursday, December 07 at 6:00 PM

Where: 2101 Morgan Hall - UC Berkeley Campus (Map)

Cost : FREE

Sponsored By :
Peace and Conflict Studies Program
University Of California, Berkeley
Iranian Student Alliance in America


* This event is open to the public
To View the official flyer click here

The history of HIV/AIDS and Addiction in Iran

The history of HIV/AIDS and Addiction in Iran

What: The Global Health in MECA, formerly the Pars Curative Research Institute, is a nonprofit membership organization that was created in 2000 to identify priority HIV/AIDS problems in Iran .
Despite its strong attachment to religious values, Iran has shown remarkable openness to addressing HIV/AIDS and its relationship with drug use.
As a result of their efforts, much of the stigma associated with drug use and HIV/AIDS is being pushed aside. The program shows the successes and challenges of HIV/AIDS in Iran and the implications for the region.
BBC documentary about part of the project will be screened after the speech.
For further information please visit http://www.ghinmeca.com/

Who: Dr. Kamiar Alaei, MD, MPH
Executive Director of Pars Institute, Iran
Harvard School of Public Health, USA

Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kamiar Alaei had a critical contribution to establish the first counseling and care center for HIV infected cases, Sexually Transmitted Infected cases and injecting drug users in Iran, documented by WHO as A "Best Practice model" in WHO/EMRO. They were co-authors of Iran’s National and International Strategic Plans for the Control of HIV/IDU/TB and key players in putting Iran’s Proposal to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS/TB/Malaria.
When: Monday, Nov. 27th, 2006 6 - 8 p.m.

Where: 2040 VLSB (Map)

Cost : FREE

* This event is open to the public
To View the official flyer click here

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MBA Admissions and GMAT strategy Seminar

What : During this exciting event a Kaplan expert will explore the different admissions steps that students will need to complete to ensure their successful admission into the MBA program of their choice. Some of the topics discussed will be: Personal Statements, Letters of Recommendation, Work Experience, GPA, GMAT, and Applications.
How to develop a realistic timeline will also be discussed so even if you are a Sophomore or Junior you
would really benefit from this event!

When: Tuesday , Nov 28th, 7-8:00 p.m.

Where: 20 Barrows (Map)

Cost : FREE

Cosponsored by : Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA) Kaplan Test Prep.

* This event is open to the public
* Seating is Limited so be sure to RSVP by sending an email to isaa.berkeley@gmail.com or by going to http://www.kaptest.com/gmat . if you would like to use the website to register, please follow the following directions :
1. Click on the "Find a Free events" link on the left menu of the site.
2. Choose "GMAT-Business" from the drop down menu, enter your zipcode and click on the GO link.
3. Click on the "View Dates / Locations" link in front of FREE Events.
4. Look for the event that has "UC Berkeley Campus" as it's location , and click on sign-up.
5. Fill in the required information and you are done.

Iranian-American Student Abused By UCLA UCPD w Tazer Gun

[From dailybruin.com]

Download this video

An incident late Tuesday night in which a UCLA student was stunned at least four times with a Taser has left the UCLA community questioning whether the university police officers' use of force was an appropriate response to the situation.

Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a UCLA student, was repeatedly stunned with a Taser and then taken into custody when he did not exit the CLICC Lab in Powell Library in a timely manner. Community Service Officers had asked Tabatabainejad to leave after he failed to produce his BruinCard during a random check at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. UCPD Assistant Chief of Police Jeff Young said the checks are a standard procedure in the library after 11 p.m. "Because of the safety of the students we limit the use after 11 to just students, staff and faculty," Young said. Young said the CSOs on duty in the library at the time went to get UCPD officers when Tabatabainejad did not immediately leave, and UCPD officers resorted to use of the Taser when Tabatabainejad did not do as he was told. A six-minute video showed Tabatabainejad audibly screaming in pain as he was stunned several times with a Taser, each time for three to five seconds. He was told repeatedly to stand up and stop fighting, and was told that if he did not do so he would "get Tased again."

Tabatabainejad was also stunned with the Taser when he was already handcuffed, said Carlos Zaragoza, a third-year English and history student who witnessed the incident. "(He was) no possible danger to any of the police," Zaragoza said. "(He was) getting shocked and Tasered as he was handcuffed." But Young said at the time the police likely had no way of knowing whether the individual was armed or that he was a student. As Tabatabainejad was being dragged through the room by two officers, he repeated in a strained scream, "I'm not fighting you" and "I said I would leave." The officers used the "drive stun" setting in the Taser, which delivers a shock to a specific part of the body with the front of the Taser, Young said.

A Taser delivers volts of low-amperage energy to the body, causing a disruption of the body's electrical energy pulses and locking the muscles, according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union. "It's an electrical shock. ... It causes pain," Young said, adding that the drive stun would not likely demobilize a person or cause residual pain after the shock was administered. Young also said a Taser is less forceful than a baton, for example. But according to a study published in the Lancet Medical Journal in 2001, a charge of three to five seconds can result in immobilization for five to 15 minutes, which would mean that Tabatabainejad could have been physically unable to stand when the officers demanded that he do so.

"It is a real mistake to treat a Taser as some benign thing that painlessly brings people under control," said Peter Eliasberg, managing attorney at the ACLU of Southern California. "The Taser can be incredibly violent and result in death," Eliasberg said. According to an ACLU report, 148 people in the United States and Canada have died as a result of the use of Tasers since 1999. During the altercation between Tabatabainejad and the officers, bystanders can be heard in the video repeatedly asking the officers to stop and requesting their names and identification numbers. The video showed one officer responding to a student by threatening that the student would "get Tased too." At this point, the officer was still holding a Taser. Such a threat of the use of force by a law enforcement officer in response to a request for a badge number is an "illegal assault," Eliasberg said. "It is absolutely illegal to threaten anyone who asks for a badge number, that's assault," he said.

Tabatabainejad was released from custody after being given a citation for obstruction/delay of a peace officer in the performance of duty. Neither Tabatabainejad nor his family were giving interviews Wednesday. Police officers said they determined the use of Tasers was necessary when Tabatabainejad did not do as they asked. According to a UCPD press release, Tabatabainejad went limp and refused to exit as the officers attempted to escort him out. The release also stated Tabatabainejad "encouraged library patrons to join his resistance." At this point, the officers "deemed it necessary to use the Taser in a "drive stun' capacity." "He wasn't cooperative; he wouldn't identify himself. He resisted the officers," Young said.

Neither the video footage nor eyewitness accounts of the events confirmed that Tabatabainejad encouraged resistance, and he repeatedly told the officers he was not fighting and would leave. Tabatabainejad was walking with his backpack toward the door when he was approached by two UCPD officers, one of whom grabbed the student's arm. In response, Tabatabainejad yelled at the officers to "get off me." Following this demand, Tabatabainejad was stunned with a Taser. UCPD and the UCLA administration would not comment on the specifics of the incident as it is still under investigation.

In a statement released Wednesday, Interim Chancellor Norman Abrams said investigators were reviewing the situation and the officers' actions. "I can assure you that these reviews will be thorough, vigorous and fair," Abrams said. The incident, which Zaragoza described as an example of "police brutality," left many students disturbed. "I realize when looking at these kind of arrest tapes that they don't always show the full picture. ... But that six minutes that we can watch just seems like it's a ridiculous amount of force for someone being escorted because they forgot their BruinCard," said Ali Ghandour, a fourth-year anthropology student. "It certainly makes you wonder if something as small as forgetting your BruinCard can eventually lead to getting Tased several times in front of the library," he added. Edouard Tchertchian, a third-year mathematics student, said he was concerned that the student was not offered any other means of showing that he was a UCLA student.

5th ISAA Backgammon Tournament - Bond Plays, Do You?

It's a new semester, so once again, ISAA will be holding a backgammon tournament. This semester's tournament will be at noon on Sunday, October 29. Room to be announced.
There is still time to sign up. You can do so by either emailing Hormozd Gahvari at hormozd@EECS.berkeley.EDU or by signing up at the ISAA table on Sproul if you're in Berkeley.

As always, it will be a spirited event with intense competition. To reward the winners, there will be trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
But it will for sure be a fun time for all involved, so we hope you don't miss it!

See you at the tournament!

ISAA's 7th Iranian Music Night

What: Take a break from the stress of life: work, exams, studying,etc., and come and relax to the musical genius of your fellow Iranians.

We encourage all people, students and non-students, who are
interested in performing to contact ISAA's music night coordinator
Pourya Khademi at violin@berkeley.edu so that we can coordinate joint performances. Please get in touch with Pourya soon.

When: Thursday, October 26th @ 7:00PM
Where: Persian Center (2029 Durant Ave., near Shattuck Ave.)
Map to Persian Center

* Refreshments will be served.

Akbar Ganji at UC Berkeley...

Election Results

Results are in!

ISAA Board of Director Elections 2006-2007

The votes have been tallied and the results are in! Ali Assareh and Jazzi Junge will be joining the ISAA's Board of Directors on June 1st for the start of the next term. And, Navid Khadem, Shahrzad Abbassirahbar and Shomays Fallah has been re-elected to the board for another term. A hearty congratulations to each of them!
This year, we will say goodbye to Arash Aramesh and Naghmeh Nikki Harirchi, who have given countless hours of their time to the ISAA over the past year. We thank Arash and Naghmeh for their dedicated service.
Below is the result of the officer appointments, sorted according to the number of votes each candidate received.

1. Navid Khadem---------------President
2. Ali Assareh-------------------Communications Director
3. Shahrzad Abbassirahbar---Finance Director
4. Shomays Fallah--------------Publicity Director
5. Jazzi Junge-------------------Resource Director

The new ISAA Board of Directors will pick maximum of 15 active members to be on 2006-2007 ISAA’s board. We will announce more information on this in our future emails.

Today, ISAA 2006-2007 officer elections

Officer Elections is Today. Help your favorite member get elected to ISAA's office
ISAA will be having its 2006-2007 officer elections Today in room 56 Barrows at 7pm.
We encourage you all to come! It'll only take around 1 hour and we will serve PIZZA and sell our world famous T-shirts and hoodies.
We look forward to seeing you all there!!!
2006-2007 Candidates:
1. Ali Assareh
2.Jazzi Junge
3.Shahrzad Abbassirahbar
4.Shomays Fallah
5.Soraya Gheissari
6.Navid Khadem

ISAA 2006-2007 Elections - May 4

ISAA will be having its 2006-2007 officer elections on May 4, 2006 (Thursday) in room 110 Barrows at 7pm.
We encourage you all to come!
If you are interested in running for any position please email Navid Khadem (ISAA's communications director : navid@berkeley.edu) for further information as to the different positions offered and what each position entails, and make sure to ask about the new positions added for the upcoming year. Please include your name, year, major and the position you are interested in running for, along with a brief statement (300 words maximum) describing your objectives in running for that position.
We encourage those who have been active members to consider running, as being an ISAA officer lets you get involved in the Iranian community and have fun. We will be here to help those in the up coming year so please do not feel intimidated. We look forward to seeing you all there!!!

You are qualified to run if you meet the conditions in ISAA's constitution which can be find here ( http://isaa.berkeley.edu/aboutISAA.htm )

Board members for the upcoming school year will be elected by these elected officers.

The deadline to submit your intention to run is April 30th.

*** Pizza and refreshments will be served.
*** If you are interested in buying the new ISAA shirts ($15) and sweatshirts ($25) we will also be selling those.

We'll send out another reminder next week.

UCB Senate Elections April 25-27
ISAA is endorsing Ali Ansary #51 for Senate for the2006-2007 school year.
We encourage all of you to vote and show your support.
The following is Ali's platform:
I, Ali Ansary, am running for ASUC Senate for the upcoming school year, and with your personal and ISAA collective support, hope to begin the Fall semester as an ASUC Senator advocating for you. As a first generation Afghan-American and, I feel the views and platform upon which I am running coincide with many of the shared values of ISAA and the Iranian community.
To give you a little background on me, I am a junior from Orange County, majoring in Nutritional Science with a minor in Peace and Conflict Studies.I would work to foster inter-group relationships among organizations to leverage the support and creative projects that we hold individually, particularly among ISAA, ISCO, MSA, INDUS, PAKSA and other like minded groups. I would also like to pursue tangible projects on campus, including improving recycling and sustainability efforts in university buildings, and increased campus safety efforts by working directly with the UCPD. I ask you for any support you and your organization can offer me, however the most important thing, is ensuring each one of you votes. I would love the opportunity to meet with you personally on sproul over the next two weeks should you have any questions or suggestions for me. I thank you in advance for your support, and look forward to working with you in the coming school year.

** Ali Ansary #51
** Ride the 51 to Success: Vote Ali Ansary for ASUC Senate

Voting Locations and TimesThe ASUC Elections voting period occurs on the following three days:
Tuesday, April 25
Wednesday, April 26
Thursday, April 27

VOTE ONLINE!

Voting online is available during the following times at http://election.asuc.org :
· 9:00 am to 7:00 pm Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) (Votes MUST be submitted online by 7:00pm)

Voting online is not allowed from the following connections and locations:
· Airbears
· ASUC- and Graduate Assembly-controlled properties: Anthony Hall, Eshleman Hall, and the MLK Student Union OR, VOTE AT POLLING STATIONS!
Voting from polling stations is available at the following times and locations:(Students may vote from polling stations as long as they are IN LINE by the time the station closes)

Campus Polls Open 9:00am to 4:10pm
1. Upper Sproul Plaza
2. Dwinelle Plaza
3. Wurster Hall, West Entrance
4. Evans Hall, East Entrance
5. Plaza/Walkway between Soda and Etcheverry, south side
6. Genetics and Plant Biology Building, South Plaza
7. Lower Campanile Plaza
8. Boalt Hall, Courtyard
9. Haas School of Business, Lower Bank of America Forum
Extended Hour Polls Open 9:00am to 10:00pm
1. Moffitt Undergraduate Library, South Entrance
2. Recreational Sports Facility
Residence Hall Polls
1. Crossroads Dining Facility (Open 4:50pm to 8:30pm)
2. Unit 3 Residence Hall Dining Commons (Open 4:50pm to 9:30pm)
3. Clark Kerr Campus Residence Hall Dining Commons (Open 5:00 to 8:30pm)
4. Foothill Residence Hall Dining Commons (Open 4:50pm to 8:30pm)
5. International House (Open 5:00pm to 8:00pm)

Eligibility
All registered UC Berkeley students, including graduate students, are eligible to vote. Voters may cast only one ballot.

Voters will receive discount coupons for the Cal Student Store and the Gelateria Naia Lounge (Naia coupon available only at the polls).

Seyyed Ebrahim Nabavi : Stand Up Comedy at Cal

ISAA Proudly Presents:


Seyyed Ebrahim Nabavi :
Stand Up Comedy at Cal


Location: 2050 VLSB(Valley Life Science Building) , UC Berkeley

Time: Sunday April 9th at 6pm ( Limited Tickets. First come , first served)

Tickets will be sold at the doors.

Price : 30 dollars
UC Berkeley Students are given half priced tickets.
Must provide
student ID at the door.

here is a map of the campus.

http://www.berkeley.edu/map/

Seyyed Ebrahim Nabavi ( in Persian سید ابراهیم نبوی) is an exiled Iranian satirist and journalist. As of 2005, he is the most widely known and active Iranian satirist, currently living in Belgium. He currently writes in the news website Gooya and the online newspaper Rooz.

Nabavi became famous after he started his daily column sotūn-e panjom (Fifth Column) in the newspaper Jame'eh, which he continued in several newspapers after they were banned one after another. He has also written several books of satire, interviews, prison diaries, and research on the history of Iranian satire. As of July 2005, he also works for the online newspaper Rooz and the BBC News in Persian.

Nabavi was arrested and jailed two times for his political satires, where he wrote sālon-e šomāre-ye šeš (سالن شماره ۶; Corridor No 6), translated to French as Couloir n° 6 : Carnets de prison (ISBN 2742751610).

He is an ethnic Azerbaijani, and his friends call him Davar.

Awards and honors

• Prince Claus Award (2005)

Saale No Mobarak! Happy New Year!

Today, No Ruz is new year's days for millions of people from Afghans and Tajiks to Azeris (Rep. of Azerbaijan) and Iranians. The year is now 1385.


ISAA wishes you all a wonderful, healthy, happy, and successful new year.

March in March

ISAA's 5th Tenet (also see ISAA mission statement):

"V. We are not promoting any specific form of political government in Iran, and we believe the fate of Iran is solely in the hands of the Iranian people. We do, however,promote Iranian involvement in the American political arena."

Thus, March 18th: Global protests (240 planned) against Iraq invasion & potential attack on Iran

ISAA's 4th Backgammon Tournament Results

Earlier today ISAA held it's 4th Backgammon Tournament. It was a competitive affair with 9 contenders who gave it their all. When the dust settled, the top 3 were:

1st place: Hamid Assadi

2nd place: Babak Amirebrahimi

3rd place: Omid Etesami

Thanks to everyone who took part and made the event a great time. Pictures are now available online. There are full-size and small (640x480) versions available.

Enjoy!

Hormozd

ISAA Spring Calendar of Events!

Enjoy another great semester with ISAA as we work actively to serve the campus community. For more information about the upcoming events be sure to check back with the ISAA Blog and to read your weekley ISAA emails.

1. First ISAA Meeting of the Spring Semester (1.30)
2. Student Lecture: "Rumi's Family, Status of His Father & Migration" (1.31)
3. Documentary Screening: "The CIA and Coup of 1953 in Iran" (2.06)
4. Student Lecture: "What is Mathnavi & Brief Mention of Rumi's Works" (2.07)
5. ABC Documentary: "Evolution of Revolution: Live From Tehran" (2.13)
6. Documentary Screening: "Mystical Iran" (2.14)
7. Student Lecture: "Shams-e-Tabriz & Life Before Meeting Rumi" (2.21)
8. 4th Annual ISAA Backgammon Tournament (2.25)
9. BBC Documentary: "Iran: A Revolution Betrayed" (2.27)
10. Student Lecture: "Sugar Market & Hallaj Mansour" (2.28)
11. Student Lecture: "Iran-Iraq War: Causes, Repercussions & Outcomes" (3.06)
12. Student Lecture: "The 'Meeting' Continued" (3.07)
13. 7th ISAA Iranian Music Night (3.09)
14. Student Lecture: "Structure of the Islamic Republic & Reform Movement" (3.13)
15. Student Lecture: "The Beginning of Mathnavi & 'Attar and 'Sanaie'" (3.14)
16. Guest Lecture: Dr. Dariush Zahedi. Topic: "TBA" (3.20)
17. Student Lecture: "Pluralism & the story of 'Moses and the Shepard'" (3.21)
18. Student Lecture: "Women in Iran" & Doc: "Iran Behind Closed Cha-Dors" (4.03)
19. Student Lecture: "Different Kinds of Faith" (4.04)
20. Student Lecture: “Social Epidemics” (4.10)
21. Student Lecture: "Rumi and Ghazali" (4.11)
22. 13th ISAA-ISCO Joint Poetry Night (4.13)
23. Iranian Movie Night: “Hidden Half" (4.17)
24. Student Lecture: "Rumi's Pain and Suffering After Shams's Departure" (4.18)
25. Lecture: "Iran's Nuclear Standoff with the West" (4.24)
26. Student Lecture: "Rumi, Islamic Reformation & Dr. Abdolkarim Soroush" (4.25)
27. 6th Graduate Mini Lecture Series (5.01)
28. Student Lecture: "'Accidental' and 'Essential'" (5.02)
29. Student Lecture: "Where is Iran Headed Now?" (5.08)
30. Final ISAA Meeting of the Spring Semester (5.08)

Greetings!

ISAA hopes you are all enjoying your winter break and had a nice and warm holiday season. We look forward to seeing you back on campus for the Spring semester!

For a look back at the fall semester, click on the link to look at ISAA's online album of event pictures.

Congratulations

Congratulations on finishing another semester at Cal. Enjoy your winter break with your families and cherish your time off. Before you know it, the spring semester will be here soon and ISAA will be at it again! Happy Holidays!

Student Lecture: "Where is Iran Headed Now?" (12.05)

What: On June of 2005, the 49-year-old former Tehran mayor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won Iran's ninth presidential election -a nd its first run-off ever - by receiving 62% of the total ballots cast. Ahmadinejad's campaign stressed the values of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, trouncing candidates whose glossy campaigns focusedon restoring ties with the West. The new president has vowed to uplift the poor and "put the revolution back on track." How did Ahmadinejad rise to prominence and what are the implicationsof his election? Where is Iran headed in the next few years?

When: Monday, Dec. 5th @ 6:00PM

Location: 110 Barrows
Campus Map

Student Lecture: "Accidental' and 'Essential" (11.29)

What: We will continue our discussion on “accidentals” and “essentials”. How do we know a law is an accidental or an essential? Where are the confusions? Where is the red line?

When: Tuesday, Nov. 29th @ 6:00PM
Location: 123 Wheeler
Campus Map

Student Lecture: "Rumi's Pain and Suffering After Shams's Departure" (11.15)

What: We will be discussing "The Pain": Rumi’s pain and suffering after Shams’ departure. Why did Shams leave Ghoonieh and what happened to Rumi and the role of Rumi’s son in Shams’ departure.

When: Tuesday, Nov. 15th @ 6:00PM

Location: 123 Wheeler Hall

Campus Map

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Iranian Movie Night: "Crimson Gold" (11.14)

What: We will be screening the awarding winning movie "Crimson Gold." The following is a synopsis of this movie: Award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi's (The White Balloon,The Circle) latest triumph is an intimate and absorbing drama about the ways in which the hypocrisies and slights of daily life can push otherwise reasonable people over the edge. Based on true events and written by acclaimed director Abbas Kiarostami (A Taste of Cherry), CRIMSON GOLD is the story of Hussein, a humble pizza deliveryman who feels continually humiliated by the injustices he sees all around him. When his friend Ali finds a receipt for a stranger's necklace purchase, Hussein is stunned by its exceptionally high cost...Winner of the Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival and Winner of Best Film at the Chicago Film Festival, this is a movie not to be missed.

When: Monday, Nov. 11th @ 6:00PM

Location: 110 Barrows

Campus Map

ISAA Lecture: Dr. Sadraldin Elaahi (11.13)

What: Dr. Sadraldin Elaah will give a lecture on the following topic: "Sa'adi: hame gooyand vali gofteye Sa'adi degar ast." The talk is free and will be held in Persian.

When: Sunday, Nov. 13th @ 6:00 PM

Location: 110 Barrows
Campus Map

Dr. Dariush Zahedi: "Presidential Election & Prospects for Democracy In Iran " (11.07)

What: UC Berkeley Political Science Professor, Dr. Dariush Zahedi will deliver a lecture on the following topic: "Presidential Election & Prospectsfor Democracy In Iran." He will be discussing the recent Presidential election of Dr. Ahmadinejad and what that means for Iran's future and the prospects for democracy.

When: Monday, Nov. 7th @ 6:00PM

Location: 110 Barrows

Campus Map

New Pictures Up!

4 new sets of pictures are up from the following events:

- The Iran De-cal

- Calapalooza

- 2nd Cuisine Night

- Mahvash Sheikhol-Eslami's Documentary Screening

They are items 6-9 in the photo album. Click here to see the album.

6th Open Forum: "Integration in America: Marriage, Education & Career" (10.27)

What: ISAA's 6th Open Forum will be held allowing everyone to come and express themselves freely and to hear different perspectives on the main topic of "Integration in America: Marriage, Education & Career."Anything goes, and you are free to address issues outside of the determined theme. It should be a therapeutic event.

When: Thursday, Oct. 27th @ 7:00PM
Location: 123 Wheeler
Campus Map
*Refreshments will be served

Guest Lecture: Journalist Omid Memarian: "Media In Iran" (10.24)

What: Journalist Omid Memarian will give a speech regarding the media in Iran. Omid Memarian is a reformist journalist and social activist inIran. He contributed regularly to pro-reform papers such a Nowrooz, Yas-e-now, Vaghaye Ettefaghieh and Mosharekat, all of which were banned and shut down by Tehran's hardline judiciary. He is the editor-in-chief of Volunteer Actors quarterly, published to support democracy in Iran. Omid also created his own weblog. During an October 2004 government crackdown to silence Internet journalists and bloggers, he was arrested, held in solitary confinement and tortured. After his release, Omid risked his life by talking about his detention. In response, Human Rights Watch awarded him the Hellman/Hammett Award or his courage in the face of political persecution. He is a visiting scholar at the Graduate School of Journalism this year.

When: Monday, Oct. 24th @ 6:00PM
Location: 110 Barrows
Campus Map

Pictures are UP!!!

Pictures are up and we will do our best to upload the pictures of each event in a timely manner. If you have any pictures from the ISAA events you want posted, please email us at isaa@isaa.berkeley.edu And don't forget, ISAA's 2nd annual Iranian Cuisine Night is this Thursday (the announcement with the details is below).

6th Music Night

11th Poetry Night

Sufism De-cal

1st Meeting

Tabling

2nd Annual Iranian Cuisine & Social Night (10.21)

What: Are you a student who misses home cooked Iranian food? Do you want to unwind one last time before you hit the books for upcoming midterms? Then this should definitely interest you. Following the success and warm reception at the first cuisine night, ISAA will beholding its second annual Iranian Cuisine Social Night to celebrate the art of Iranian cooking. Various Iranian appetizers and dishes will beserved in a warm atmosphere. There will also be music afterwards to liven the setting. You are more than welcome, we in fact encourage you, to bring any Persian dish or dessert that you like. There will be a tasting contest and prizes will be presented to the winner. Please visit the following link and indicate if you will be attending this event so that we may have a better idea of the size of the group thatwe will be expecting.

When: Friday, Oct. 21st @ 7:00PM
Location: Persian Center (2029 Durant Ave., near Shattuck Ave.)
Map to Persian Center

ISAA Featured in OCPC Magazine!

UC Berkeley ISAA covered in a magazine all the way down in southern California? YES! ISAA was featured in the largest Iranian publication in southern California, OCPC Magazine. Click here to read the article and see the pictures.

ISAA's 6th Iranian Music Night

What: Take a break from the stress of life: work, exams, studying, etc., and come and relax to the musical genius of your fellow Iranians. We encourage all people, students and non-students, who are interested in performing to contact Pourya at violin@berkeley.edu so that we can coordinate joint performances.

When: Thursday, Oct. 13th @ 7:00 PM

Where: Persian Center (2029 Durant Ave., near Shattuck Ave.)

Map to Persian Center

* Refreshments will be served.

Student Lecture: "Sugar Market & Hallaj Mansour"

What: We will be discussing the “Sugar Market” and the Story of “Hallaj Mansour”. Who was Hallaj, what was his importance and why was he killed? Why did the Prophet Mohammad say “I did not recognize God the way he deserved it and I did not worship him the way he needs to be worshiped” and Hallaj said “Ana Alhaq” or “ I am God”.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 27th @ 6:00PM

Location: 123 Wheeler

Campus

Documentary Screening on the Iranian Revolution

ABC Documentary: "Evolution of Revolution: Live from Tehran"

What: We will be screening an ABC's documentary on the Iranian Revolution titled: "Evolution of Revolution: Live from Tehran." The documentary discusses in detail the hostage crisis and features interviews with the hostages and the hostage takers. A discussion will follow after the screening.

When: Monday, Sept. 26th @ 6:00PM
Location: 110 Barrows
Campus Map

11th Poetry Night

ISAA & ISCO will be holding their 11th overall but first jointPersian/English poetry night of the semester. All original and non-original works in English or Persian are welcome. Come and practice the power of poetry or simply bear witness to its harmony.

When: Thursday, Sept. 22nd @ 7:00PM

Location: Persian Center (2029 Durant Ave., near Shattuck Ave.)

Map to Persian Center

* Refreshments will be served

ISAA Documentary Screening: "Mystical Iran" (9.13)

What: ISAA will be screening the documentary "Mystical Iran."

Documentarian Aryana Farshad seeks out the spiritual rituals that physically connect her with sacred sites in Iran, her homeland, which she hasn't visited in 25 years. Farshad documents prayer at the Great Mosque of Qum and "whirling"dervishes in Kurdistan. Her search leads her to comment on the use of religion as a buffer between the commercial tug of Western culture and the dogmatic dictates of traditional Muslim society.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 13th @ 6:00PM

Location: 123 Wheeler

Campus Map

ISAA Teaches 2 De-cals!

[These classes are taught on behalf of ISAA to fulfill part of ISAA's mission statement, which intends to spread awareness on Iran. If you do not enroll, you are still welcome to attend class sessions as each will be announced as an ISAA event through this listserve.]

Decal #1
ABCs of Iran: 26 Years of Revolution
PS 98/198, 2 Units, P/NP
Time: Monday 6-8
Room: 110 Barrows

Course Description: An introduction to contemporary Iranian politics, this course will examine Iran's political history for the last 25years, with reflection on the coup d'etat of Prime Minister Mossadeq,the Pahlavi regime, the Iranian Revolution, the Iran-Iraq War, and more. Special emphasis will be paid to the revolution and where it has taken Iran until now. Documentaries, films, guest lectures, anddiscussions will be integral to the class. This is the fourth semester that this course is being offered.

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gregor
Course Coordinators:

Naghmeh Harirchi (harirchi@berkeley.edu),

Ali Assareh (assareh@berkeley.edu),

Hoda Fahimi (shivaf@aol.com)

Enrollment Info: Class begins on Monday September 12, 2004, the third week of semester. To get the CCN please come to the first class session.
Decal website

Decal #2
Rumi, Sufism & Islam
IAS 98/198, 2 Units, P/NP
Time: Tue 6:00-7:30
Room: 123 Wheeler

Course Description: Molana Jalaluddin Mohammd Rumi is one of the most famous Persian poets in the world. In this class we will study his life andthe environment that surrounded him. We will also examine Rumi’s worksand his teachings especially the book of Mathnawi.
Course Coordinator:

Arash Aramesh (arasharamesh@berkeley.edu)

Enrollment Info: Class has already begun. To add the class please contact the course coordinator.
Decal website

Fall ISAA Calendar of Events and 1st Meeting!

Welcome back to school!!! ISAA is thrilled to hit the road again with you all! Below is a listing of all the events planned for the semester. If you'd like to know the details of each event and/or to be notified of them, please join the ISAA email list though the front page of the ISAA site. And remember, the first ISAA meeting to kick of the semester is Wednesday, August 31st at 7:00pm at 110 Barrows Hall!

1. Student Lecture: "Rumi's Family, Status of His father & Migration" (8.30)
2. First ISAA Meeting of the Fall Semester (8.31)
3. Student Lecture: "What is Mathnavi & Brief Mention of Rumi's Works" (9.06)
4. Documentary Screening: "Mystical Iran" (9.13)
5. Documentary Screening: "The CIA and Coup of 1953 in Iran" (9.19)
6. Student Lecture: "Shams-e-Tabriz & Life Before Meeting Rumi" (9.20)
7. 11th ISAA-ISCO Joint Poetry Night (9.22)
8. Screening of Documentaries by Iranian Director Moslem Mansouri (9.24)
9. ABC Documentary: "Evolution of Revolution: Live from Tehran" (9.26)
10. Student Lecture: "Sugar Market & Hallaj Mansour" (9.27)
11. BBC Documentary: "Iran: A Revolution Betrayed" (10.03)
12. Student Lecture: "The 'Meeting' Continued" (10.04)
13. Student Lecture: "Iran-Iraq War: Causes, Repercussions & Outcomes" (10.10)
14. Student Lecture: "The Beginning of Mathnavi & 'Attar and 'Sanaie'" (10.11)
15. 6th ISAA Iranian Music Night (10.13)
16. 4th Annual ISAA Backgammon Tournament (10.16)
17. Student Lecture: "Structure of the Islamic Republic & Reform Movement" (10.17)
18. Student Lecture: "Iran: Forefront of Religious Reformation Movement" (10.24)
19. Student Lecture: "Pluralism & the story of 'Moses and the Shepard'" (10.25)
20. 6th Open Forum - Theme: "TBA" (10.27)
21. Guest Lecture: Dr. Dariush Zahedi. Topic: "TBA" (10.31)
22. Student Lecture: "Different Kinds of Faith" (11.01)
23. 12th ISAA Joint Poetry Night (11.03)
24. Student Lecture: "Women in Iran" & Doc: "Iran Behind Closed Cha-Dors" (11.07)
25. Student Lecture: "Rumi and Ghazali" (11.08)
26. Iranian Movie Night: "Crimson Gold" (11.14)
27. Student Lecture: "Rumi's Pain and Suffering After Shams's Departure" (11.15)
28. Lecture: "Iran's Nuclear Standoff with the West" (11.21)
29. Student Lecture: "Rumi, Islamic Reformation & Dr. Abdolkarim Soroush" (11.22)
30. Student Lecture: "Social Epidemics in Iran" & 5th Graduate Mini Lecture Series (11.28)
31. Student Lecture: "'Accidental' and 'Essential'" (11.29)
32. Student Lecture: "Where is Iran Headed Now?" (12.05)
33. Final ISAA Meeting of the Fall Semester (12.05)

** All dates and locations are subject to change, please keep yourself posted by checking your ISAA emails consistently as we will update you on any changes. All students and members of the community are welcome to attend our events.

Have a Great Summer!

Now that finals are over, ISAA would like to wish you all a fun and well-deserved summer break. Remember to be safe and to check your weekly ISAA emails. See you in the fall!

ISAA Site Counts 60,000th Hit!

Another milestone has been reached, the ISAA site, after only 2 years of operation, has counted its 60,000th hit... quite an accomplishment by student group standards! Thank you to all those webmasters that have linked the ISAA site onto their sites and for all the viewers who frequent the site.

ISAA Directors Iranians of the Day!

ISAA Board Member Aidin Fathalizadeh recently and successfully nominated the ISAA Directors as Iranians of the Day on Iranian.com! Congratulations ISAA team on a great year!

Good Luck on Your Finals!

ISAA would like to wish you all the best of luck on all your final examinations and final papers. Hang in there as the much need and deserved summer break is near. And to the graduating class, congratulations and we bid you farewell!

ISAA Receives 3rd Award!

It is a great honor for us to announce that ISAA has won its 3rd award, 2nd from UC Berkeley's Office of Student Life (the other was from Payvand Cultural Center). On Thursday, May 5, ISAA was honored in the area of "Campus Presence" with a highest excellency award, the same category won by ISAA last year. This is quite an accomplishment given that there are nearly 500 student groups on campus and ISAA, according to the award and the Office of Student Life, had the strongest presence and represented!

Newly Launched ISAA Blog!

The offical ISAA site will continue to be a database for information pertaining to ISAA and event pictures will continue to be posted on the site, but from now on, all ISAA announcements and events will be posted on the ISAA listserve as well as this newly launched ISAA blog.