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

Join the ISAA Email List

To join the ISAA email list, click here and sign in in the registration box. Thereafter, you will get one email per week with upcoming ISAA events and announcements included.

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.