ISAA

ISAA Statement of Iranium (the movie)

2011-02-15T17:23:00.000-08:00

A Talk by Dr.Abdolkarim Soroush: "Shi'ism in Need of Reform"

2010-12-13T11:51:00.001-08:00

Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA
proudly presents:

Abdolkarim Soroush is an Iranian thinker, reformer and Rumi scholar. He is a well-known figure in religious intellectual movement in Iran. Professor Soroush is currently a visiting scholar at George Washington University in Washington D.C. He was also affiliated with other prestigious institutions, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, the Leiden based International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM) and the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin.
Soroush is primarily interested in the philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, the philosophical system of Molana Jalaleddin Balkhi (Rumi) and comparative philosophy. He is a world expert on Rumi and Persian Sufi poetry.
The philosophy of Abdolkarim Soroush can be summarized as follows:

Distinction between "religion" and our "understanding of religion".
Distinction between "essential" and "accidental" aspects of religion.
Distinction between "minimalist" and "maximalist" interpretation of Islam.
Distinction between values and morals that are considered internal in respect to Islam and those that are external.
Distinction between Religious "belief" and Religious "faith".
Distinction between religion as an ideology/identity and religion of truth.

Some of Soroush's honors include:

2004 Erasmus Prize
2005 Time 100 most influential people
2008 Prospect magazine's 7 of 100 most influential intellectuals in the world
2009 Foreign Policy magazine's 45 of 100 world's elite intellectuals
2010 Foreign Policy magazine's 40 of 100 top global thinkers

Co-Sponsors:

Center of Middle Eastern Studies, UC Berkeley
The Graduate Theological Union

Time: Thursday, January 20, 2010 at 6:30pm

Location: Tilden Room, MLK Student Union, UC Berkeley Campus, Berkeley, CA 94720

Dr. Soroush Page on Wikipedia | Foreign Policy's 2010 Top 100 Golbal Thinkers | Campus Map

Resolution in Commemoration of Iranian Students Day on 16 Azar

2010-12-06T23:44:00.000-08:00

Students for Civil Rights in Iran- UC San Diego

endorsed by Iranian Student Alliance in America - ISAA

دانشجویان طرفدار حقوق شهروندی در ایران قطعنامه ای جهت بزرگداشت روز دانشجو در ایران ارایه کردند

جهت بزرگداشت “روز دانشجو” در ایران قطعنامه ای جهت محکوم کردن حکومت جمهوری اسلامی ایران برای ادامه نقض حقوق بشر به انجمن دانشجویی دانشگاه کالیفرنیا در سن دیگو ارایه گردیده است. در این قطعنامه با گرامی داشتن یاد و خاطره کلیه فعالان دانشجویی، سرکوب شدن آنها توسط حکومت محکوم می شود. در این قطعنامه دانشجویان طرفدار حقوق شهروندی در ایران در دانشگاه کالیفرنیا- سن دیگو از دولت جمهوری اسلامی می خواهد از سنت همیشگی خشونت ورزی خود علیه فعالان دانشجویی دوری کند. با توجه به حوادث اخیر از جمله درز اطلاعات در سایت Wikileaks و خطر بالقوه جنگ علیه ایران، این قطعنامه هرگونه تهدید نظامی و تحریم اقتصادی علیه مردم ایران را محکوم می کند. علاوه بر این، قطعنامه دانشجویان طرفدار حقوق شهروندی در ایران حمایت خود را از تصویب نقض حقوق بشر توسط حکومت جمهوری اسلامی در مجمع عمومی سازمان ملل در ماه دسامبر اعلام می دارد. این قطعنامه توسط همبستگی دانشجویان ایرانی در آمریکا در دانشگاه برکلی کالیفرنیا و دانشجویان کلیمی حامی صلح و دانشجویان طرفدار توسعه پایدار در دانشگاه کالیفرنیا – سن دیگو حمایت شده است

1. WHEREAS, the Associated Students of the University of California, San Diego (ASUCSD) is an institution dedicated to promoting peace in all aspects of student experiences; and

2. WHEREAS, on 2 June 2010 the ASUCSD passed a “Resolution in Solidarity with the Iranian Non-Violent Student Movement for Democratic Reform in Iran” declaring its solidarity with the Green Movement in Iran and condemns the oppression of students, activists, and protesters by the government and security forces of Iran; and

3. WHEREAS, on 13 January 2010 the ASUCSD passed a “Resolution in Support of the Victims of the 12 January 2010 Earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti” stating that the ASUCSD “as global citizens are obliged to play a role in concurrent world events”; and

4. WHEREAS, on 8 June 1989 the ASUCSD unanimously passed "Protesting Chinese Students Solidarity Resolution", which expressed solidarity with the protesting students and the victims of the Tianamen Square massacre, and expresses support for the democratic reform movement in China; and

5. WHEREAS, there have been numerous violations of Iranian citizen’s right to free expression as guaranteed by the Iranian constitution, including:

a. Torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations,
b. The continuing high incidence and dramatic increase in the carrying out of the death penalty,
c. The continuing imposition and carrying out of the death penalty against persons who at the time of their offence were under the age of 18,
d. The imposition of the death penalty for crimes that lack a precise and explicit definition, e. Stoning and suspension strangulation as a means of execution,
f. women’s human rights defenders, arrests, violent repression,
g. Continued discrimination against persons belonging to ethnic, linguistic, recognized pervasive gender inequality and violence against women, and a continued crackdown on religious or other minorities,
h. Increased incidents of persecution against unrecognized religious minorities,
i. Ongoing, systemic and serious restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of opinion and expression,
j. Continued harassment, intimidation and persecution, including arbitrary arrest, detention or disappearance,
k. The continued use of State security forces and Government-directed militias to forcibly disperse Iranian citizens engaged in the peaceful exercise of freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and of association,

l. Severe limitations and restrictions on the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, including arbitrary arrest, indefinite detention and lengthy jail sentences, for those exercising this right, and the arbitrary demolition of places of worship, m. Persistent failure to uphold due process of law, and violations of the rights of detainees, n. Continuing arbitrary or unlawful interference by State authorities with the privacy of individuals in violation of international law;1 and

6. WHEREAS, Since 12 June 2009, the date of the presidential election in Iran, thousands of citizens have been arrested for participating in or supporting the non-violent protests, known as the Green Movement, against voter fraud and speaking out for their civil rights, as well as hundreds have been killed, raped, tortured, and beaten by government police forces; and

7. WHEREAS, student activists in Iran have been on the forefront for advocating for reforms in Iran and respect for their civil rights, many have been arrested, imprisoned, or even killed for voicing their opinions:

a. Majid Tavakoli, a student at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, was arrested 7 December 2009 during a protest for democratic reforms, is currently being held in the notorious Evin prison without charges, or a proper trial according to the Iranian constitution, he participated in a hunger strike to protest his solitary confinement, continues to be a leader in the movement,
b. Sohrab Arabi disappeared 15 June 2009 during democratic reform protest, was shot during the protest and his body was kept by the government for a month to cover up the incident3, c. two more students, Bahareh Hedayat and Milad Asadi, have been sentenced to 9 and a half and five years respectively in prison for speaking out against the government, which is a violation of their rights under the Iranian constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 18, 19, and 20)4; and

8. WHEREAS, December 7th (16 Azar) symbolizes the plight of students who were killed by the Shah of Iran's forces in 1953. It is a day in which various generations of the student movement come together to defend the autonomy of the universities and foster democracy, freedom, human rights and justice; and

9. WHEREAS, there are Iranian Americans and Iranian national students at UCSD with family and friends in Iran, and are concerned with the civil and human rights violations occurring there; and

10. WHEREAS, the United States Congress, European Union parliament, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the President of the United States, Barrack Obama, all express their solidarity with the Iranian Green Movement;

1. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the ASUCSD again expresses its solidarity with the Green Movement in Iran, noting their struggles for human and civil rights; be it further 2. RESOLVED, the ASUCSD calls for:

a. The unconditional and immediate freedom with dignity of more than seventy imprisoned students,
b. Abolishing disciplinary committees responsible for the temporary and permanent expulsion of students from their right to education,
c. Academic freedom and an end to human and civil rights violations within universities,
d. An end to ideological, governmental intervention in the research and teachings as related to the field of Humanities,
e. Defense of the autonomy of universities,
f. An end to governmental interference in the management of universities,
g. and their replacement with less qualified henchmen,
h. Nullification of the dissolution of Iran's University of Medical Sciences,
i. An end to government intervention in the structure and fabric of universities,
j. An end to political, ideological, sexist and religious discrimination in the student admission process,
k. Reflection of the views and philosophy of Iran's student movement in matters pertinent to the country,
l. Mobilization of Iranian student associations abroad, m. Supporting international sanctions against state officials who have engaged in the systematic human rights abuses and violations against the Iranian people; be it further

3. RESOLVED, the ASUCSD condemns all war, military actions, sanctions, and all other international or unilateral actions that target the people of Iran; be it further

4. RESOLVED, the ASUCSD calls for the passage of United Nations General Assembly Draft Resolution A/C.3/ 65/L.49 and will write a letter to the body expressing its support; be it further

5. BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, the ASUCSD recognizes the importance of civil and human rights for all peoples.

Sources:

1. UN Draft Resolution A/C.3/65/L.49

2. Amnesty International, "Iran Free Imprisoned Student Leader", http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/044/2010/en/4fc7792e-08e2-40af-9462-3d3f59b951f7/mde130442010en.pdf. An end to the widespread dismissal and early retirement of independent university professors

3. Los Angeles Times, "Slain Iranian teenager becomes symbol of protests", http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jul/14/world/fg-iran-sohrab14.

4. International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, "Draconian Prison Sentences Doled Out for Activists" http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2010/05/hedayat-asadi-sentenced/

Endorsed by:

Iranian Student Alliance in America" at UC Berkeley

Student Sustainability Collective at UCSD

Jewish Students Taking Action for Peace at UCSD

2010-11-15T20:29:00.000-08:00

ISAA Poetry Night
شب شعر دانشجویی

Join us for an evening of inspiring and magnificent poetry, live music performances, and socializing. Bring your favorite piece of poetry(English or Persian) to share during the open mic segment of the event.

If you play an instrument of would like to perform on that night, please contact us at:
isaa.berkeley@gmail.com

Refreshment will be served.

Time: Thursday, November 18, 2010, 7:00pm

Location: Persian Center - 2029 Durant Ave., Berkeley, CA

ISAA's Weekly Discourse on Iran

2010-11-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

Are you conscious about issues revolving around Iran? Are you passionate about discussing and exchanging new ideas, thoughts, and reflections on Iran's realities? Then you are welcome to join ISAA's new weekly discourse! It's a brand new student-run weekly gatherings intended to mobilize book reading, stimulate lively discussions, invite speakers and much more. Starting Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 16 at 7:30pm!

Time: Tuesday, November 16 at 7:30pm

Location: Persian Center - 2029 Durant Ave., Berkeley, CA

ISAA Movie Night- Marmoolak (The Lizard)

2010-11-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

Time	Thursday, November 11 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Location	Persian Center 2029 Durant Ave Berkeley, CA

Created By	Iranian Student Alliance in America

More Info	ISAA presents: Movie Night- Marmoolak (The Lizard) Director:Kamal Tabrizi Stars: Parviz Parastui, Bahram Ibrahimi and Shahrokh Foroutanian ...Release Date:April 2004 (Iran) *With English Subtitles Time: Thursday, November 11, 2010, 7:00pm Location: Persian Center - 2029 Durant Ave. Berkeley, CA The Lizard (Persian: مارمولک , Marmoulak) is a 2004 Iranian comedy directed by Kamal Tabrizi. This film was released in 2004. The director had problems getting the movie released as many clerics found the movie offensive. The movie was released during Norooz holidays in Iran, and had a very short, but successful one month run. Plot: Reza (Parviz Parastui) is a thief known to his underworld cronies as "The Lizard" thanks to his gift for scaling walls and climbing buildings. However, Reza's talent doesn't prevent him from being periodically caught by police; he's sent to a prison where the warden, who regards Reza as morally corrupt, takes it upon himself to torture him into a more spiritually pure state. Reza soon strikes up a friendship with a mullah (an Islamic priest) who offers a more benevolent and humanistic spiritual viewpoint. But, while Reza admires the mullah, that doesn't stop him from taking the holy man's clothes as a disguise for an escape attempt. The Film is in Persian with English subtitles.

A Talk by Mohsen Namjoo - "Paradox of Freedom - Immigration and Musical Inspiration"

2010-11-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

"Berkeley Lecture Series" in partnership with

"Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA"
presents

About Mohsen Namjoo: Hailed as "the Bob Dylan of Iran " by the New York Times, Mohsen Namjoo is a visionary artist who speaks for and touches the souls of today's youth. Seamlessly blending the Classical with the Modern, the Eastern with the Western, the ancient with the current. A Non-conformist who not only takes on the centuries old traditions of Persian music, but also his own approach to composition, style and sound. Namjoo in "A Minor" showcases his mastery as a vocalist, composer and Setar player with a full ensemble band of talented artists to create a truly unparalleled musical experience for those who think "World Music Is Not Enough"!

*Lecture will be in Persian.

Time: Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 4:00pm
Location: 110 Genetics and Plant Biology Building (GPB),
UC Berkeley Campus
Campus Map | Facebook Event

ISAA Movie Night- Na Yek Tavahhom (Not An Illusion)

2010-10-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

Film Screening: Not an Illusion (Na Yek Tavahhom) [Iran]

Followed by a Q&A session with director, writer, producer Torang Abedian.

In Persian with English Subtitles.

Date: Thur, Oct 28, 2010, 7:30pm
Location: 159 Mulford Hall, UC Berkeley Campus (map)

*Not An illusion is a documentary about underground musicians of Iran. The film follows Sara and her musician friends in Tehran over six years, looking at the development of the underground music scene in Iran. The film offers unique insights into contemporary Iranian society.

Running Time 85 minutes.

*The event is free and open to public, but suggested donation is $5-$10 to support the film.

Facebook Event | Video Trailer | Movie's Webpage | Director's Webpage

Open Letter to President Obama on Visit to USC, October 22, 2010

2010-10-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Press Release:

In a pledge he made on March 21, 2010, President Obama promised to “stand up for those rights that should be universal to all human beings”. In an open letter to President Obama, Students for Civil Rights in Iran at University of California, San Diego (SCI) petition the United States to use its power in the United Nations Security Council to send special envoys to Iran on a fact-finding mission to inspect the human rights conditions in Iran. Furthermore, SCI calls upon Obama to focus on these human rights conditions, as opposed to issue threats of war and impose sanctions that harm the people of Iran. SCI asks for the help of your agency to publicize this letter and our efforts to the public.

Open Letter to President Obama:
Dear Mr. President,
In your 2010 Nowruz address, you pledged that America’s “commitment—our responsibility—is to stand up for those rights that should be universal to all human beings”. The commitment you made is rooted in the founding principles of your country, echoed in the Declaration of Independence, which states that all men and women around the world are endowed with the right to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These founding principles are undeniable truths that have guided the United States, since its inception, on a path toward justice and universal rights for all people. We call upon you, Mr. President—as the leader of this country and a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate—to wholeheartedly pursue these ends in your dealings with the regime of Islamic Republic in Iran. We ask that the U.S. government not engage in threats of war and sanctions against the people of Iran, but rather encourage them in building a democracy of their own.

Iranians around the world are deeply concerned and ashamed of the Islamic Republic’s consistent violation of international human rights conventions as well as the civil rights of its own citizens guaranteed in the current constitution. Accordingly, we kindly ask that you leverage American power in the United Nations Security Council to demand from Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay to send special envoys to Iran on a fact-finding mission to investigate the regime’s human rights abuses. Specifically, we call for the UN to inspect the condition of prisoners, investigate the claims of torture or other cruel and unusual treatment, and meet with members of the Iranian Bar Association concerning restrictions on their ability to defend their clients. During the past year the regime has systematically increased its violations of numerous articles within its own constitution that guarantee the right of freedom of speech and assembly.

Mr. President, we believe that the only way for the United States to help the Iranian people, and in turn best serve U.S. security interests, is to focus on human rights violations—not the nuclear issue. Thus, we commend your administration’s recent sanctioning of Iranian human rights abusers and encourage you to extend the punitive measures to more regime members responsible for violating human rights.

Other key steps toward building relations between the American and Iranian people include removing internet and media technology restrictions imposed from the outside, promoting anticensorship programs, facilitating travel for Iranian citizens to the United States, and changing the single-entry visa policy against Iranian students. The Iranian students who have come to the United States face unbearable hardship due to the single-entry visa policy, especially because there is no US embassy back home. If they were granted more opportunity to travel to their home country, Iranian students would play an extremely effective role in promoting understanding and dialogue between both nations.

In the end, we would like to emphasize the importance for America of being seen as an advocate for human rights for all peoples in all parts of the world. Throughout the years, the vast majority of Iranians have expressed their utmost respect for Americans. We encourage you to stand on the side of the people in their time of difficulty by focusing on human rights violations in our motherland.

With Utmost Respect,

Students for Civil Rights in Iran

University of California, San Diego

Endorsements

Iranian Student Alliance in America at University of California, Berkeley

Iranian Democratic Student Association in George Washington University (Endorsement from the student organization)

Farsi Translation:

جناب آقای رئیس جمهور،

در پیام نوروزی سال 2010 خود فرمودید که “ما (آمریکا) متعهدیم تا برای حقوق جهانشمول تمامی افراد بشر ایستادگی کنیم”. تعهد شما ریشه در اصول بنیادینی دارد که این کشور بر آن بنا شده و آوای آن در اعلامیه استقلال آمده است که تمام مردان و زنان در سراسر جهان دارای حق “زندگی، آزادی وتلاش برای خوشبختی” میباشند.

این اصول بنیادین حقایق غیر قابل انکاری هستند که ایالات متحده را از بدو تأسیس در مسیر عدالت و حقوق جهانی برای همه مردم، راهنمایی کرده است. آقای رئیس جمهور، ما از شما به عنوان رهبر این کشور و برنده جایزه صلح نوبل میخواهیم تا با یکدلی با توجه به این اهداف در مواجه با رژیم جمهوری اسلامی در ایران اقدام کنید. ما از دولت آمریکا درخواست داریم که از تهدید به جنگ و تحریم علیه مردم ایران فاصله گرفته و مشوق آنها در ساختن دموکراسی درونی باشد.

ایرانیان در سراسر جهان عمیقا نگران و خجالت زده از نقض مداوم کنوانسیونهای بینالمللی حقوق بشر، همچنین حقوق شهروندی تضمین شده در قانون اساسی فعلی، توسط رژیم جمهوری اسلامی هستند. بر این اساس، ما از شما میخواهیم تا از قدرت آمریکا در شورای امنیت سازمان ملل بهره جسته و از دبیرکل آن آقای بان کیمون و کمیسر عالی حقوق بشر خانم ناوانتم پیلای خواسته شود تا برای فرستادن نمایندگان ویژه به ایران جهت یک ماموریت حقیقتیاب در مورد نقض حقوق بشر توسط رژیم اقدام نمایند. به ویژه، از سازمان ملل متحد میخواهیم تا وضعیت زندانیان و ادعاهای شکنجه و یا سایر مجازاتهای بیرحمانه و غیر معمول را بررسی کرده و با ملاقات با اعضای کانون وکلای ایران، در مورد محدودیتهای آنها در دفاع از موکلینشان گزارشی تهیه شود. در طول سال گذشته رژیم فعلی به طور سیستماتیک مواد متعدد از قانون اساسی خود، که تضمین کننده حق آزادی بیان و اجتماعات است، را نقض کرده است.

آقای رئیس جمهور، ما معتقدیم تنها راهی که ایالات متحده میتواند به مردم ایران کمک کند و همزمان منافع امنیتی خود را به بهترین وجه تأمین نماید، توجه به نقض حقوق بشر است و نه مسئله هستهای. بنابراین، ما ضمن ستایش از تحریمهای اخیر دولت شما علیه متجاوزین به حقوق بشر در ایران از شما میخواهیم نسبت به گسترش اقدامات تنبیهی علیه افراد بیشتری که در نقض حقوق بشر دخالت دارند، اقدام کنید.

گامهای مهم دیگر برای ساختن ارتباط بهتر میان مردم آمریکا و ایران عبارتند از حذف محدودیتهای اینترنتی و تکنولوژی رسانهای تحمیلی از خارج، حمایت از نرمافزارهای ضد فیلترینگ، تسهیل سفر برای شهروندان ایرانی به ایالات متحده و تغییر سیاست روادید تک ورودی برای دانشجویان ایرانی. دانشجویان ایرانی که به ایالات متحده آمدهاند، به علت این که آمریکا هیچ سفارتخانهای در کشورشان ندارد فشارهای فراوانی را به دلیل سیاست روادید تک ورودی تحمل میکنند. اگر به دانشجویان ایرانی فرصت بیشتری برای سفر به کشور خود اعطا شود، آنها میتوانند نقش بسیار موثری در پیشبرد تفاهم و گفتگو میان دو ملت بازی کنند.

در پایان، بر اهمیت شناخته شدن آمریکا در سرتاسر جهان به عنوان مدافع واقعی حقوق بشر برای همه مردم تأکید داریم. در طول سالیان، اکثریت قریب به اتفاق مردم ایران نهایت احترام خود را به آمریکاییها ابراز داشتهاند. ما از شما میخواهیم تا در این زمان سخت، با تمرکز بر نقض حقوق بشر در سرزمین مادریمان، در کنار مردم قرار گیرید.

با احترام فراوان،

دانشجویان طرفدار حقوق شهروندی در ایران

دانشگاه کالیفرنیا- سن دیگو

تشکلهای امضا کننده:

همبستگی دانشجویان ایرانی در آمریکا، دانشگاه برکلی کالیفرنیا

انجمن دانشجویان ایرانی دموکرات در دانشگاه جورج واشنگتن

Student Movement and the need of Today's Green Movement of Iran

2010-10-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

"Student Movement and the need of Today's Green Movement of Iran"- A talk by Aliakbar Mousavi

جنبش دانشجويي و نياز امروز جنبش سبز
Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA
Presents

Aliakbar Mousavi (Khoeini) is a notable Iranian human rights activist and politician. He was an active member of Tahkim vahdat before he was elected as a Member of Parliament in the 6th Parliament of Iran. In the parliament, he made a significant attempt to defend the rights of political prisoners during the 1990s. Mousavi Khoeini started his political career as an activist in the Islamic Students Association of Khajeh Nasir University. Students in "Islamic Associations" are the biggest pro-democracy student groups in the universities in Iran. He was later elected to be a member of Adver Tahkim Vahdat, a representative body of Islamic Students Associations in Iran. In 1999, he was elected to the Majlis of Iran (Iranian Parliament) from the district of Tehran. He along with Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, Ali Tajernia and others started the student faction in the parliament. They followed up the demands of student activists within the parliament.
In this talk he is going to talk with us about the Iranian Students in prison and their contribution to democratic movement of Iran and also the future of the movement.

Time: Thurday, October 14, 2010 - 6:00pm

Location: UC Berkeley Campus,

MLK Student Union (Bancroft Way and Telegraph Ave.)

4th floor - Chinquapin Room

Facebook Event - Campus Map

Passing the Torch of Success

2010-09-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by
Iranian Student Alliance in America - ISAA
&
Pulic Affairs Alliance in America - PAAIA

Come hear about the diverse accomplishments of Iranian Americans across the country, as they share their career experiences and pass on life lessons!
"Passing the Torch of Success" is both educational and inspirational, show-casing distinguished Iranian-Americans in various fields, as they pass life and career advice to the next generation of leaders. As an organization focused on improving the profile of the Iranian-American community, PAAIA has collaborated with ISAA in leveraging our group of accomplished professionals to help forge the path of a better future for the next generation. In this way, we bridge the NOW generation, with the NEXT generation!

Time: Sunday October 10, 2010 2:00-5:30pm
Location: Wheeler Auditorium, Wheeler Hall, UC Berkeley

Tickets | Facebook Event

NEW IRANIAN STUDENT GUIDE AT UC BERKELEY

2010-04-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

Please visit

here

In Solidarity with Jafar Panahi, ISAA presents: The Crimson Gold

2010-04-22T17:00:00.001-07:00

Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA

presents:

IN SOLIDARITY WITH

JAFAR PANAHI

"THE CRIMSON GOLD"

Featuring a commentary by

Ahmad Kiarostami

Time: Tuesday April 27, 2010
7:30-9:30pm

Place:
159 Mulford Hall,
UC Berkeley Campus
Berkeley, CA, 94720

Jafar Panahi, one of the most influential and prominent Iranian filmmakers was arrested along with his wife, daughter and 15 guests at his house in Tehran on March 1st, 2010. He has been accused of making a movie on post-election events and detained by the security forces since then.

Panahi, 49, is known as one of the important figures of Iranian cinema. Although most of his movies are banned in Iran, he won the Camera d'Or award at the Cannes film festival in 1995 for his debut feature "The White Balloon" and took the Golden Lion prize at Venice for his 2000 drama "The Circle". He has depicted Iran's society in his acclaimed movies such as "The Crimson Gold" and "The Circle".

Panahi has criticized the outcome of June 2009 presidential election, which returned Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad to power. He was also arrested briefly because of attending a memorial for Neda Agha Soltan, who was murdered in post-election events. Before his arrest, Panahi was banned from traveling to Germany to take part in a panel discussion in Berlin because of wearing green, the opposition color, in the Montreal film festival.

In this event, Panahi's movie, "The Crimson Gold" will be shown in solidarity with him and his family.

Co-sponsors:

United4Iran

Campus map: http://berkeley.edu/map/maps/BC23.html

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117366291623883

ISAA presents: A Glimpse into the Future of Iran

2010-04-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA

presents

A GLIMPSE INTO THE

FUTURE OF IRAN

Wednesday April 21, 2010, 2:00-4:00pm

Iran and the Future of the Green Movement

Dr. Reza Aslan

Chevron Auditorium,

UC Berkeley International House,

2299 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, CA

Facebook page: here

Blog page: here

Friday April 23, 2010, 6:00-8:00pm

What Kind of Secularism Is in the Cards for a Post-Islamist Iran?

Prof. Ahmad Sadri

Home Room,

UC Berkeley International House,

2299 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, CA

Facebook page: here

Blog page: here

Co-Sponsors:

* UC Berkeley International House
* UC Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies
* The Religion, Politics and Globalization Program at UC Berkeley
* United4Iran
* NorCal4Iran

For more info please refer to: http://isaa.berkeley.edu

Event's Poster: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2783/4500991136_b0932f0e17_o.jpg

Any further questions may be referred to isaa.berkeley@gmail.com

ISAA's Special Cal Day Program

2010-04-06T11:10:00.001-07:00

Please contact:

isaa.berkeley [at] gmail [dot] com

ISAA Proudly presents: Mohammad Reza Shajarian & Shahnaz Ensemble Concert

2010-04-05T12:43:00.001-07:00

Iranian Student Alliance in America

in partnership with

Nima Entertainment

Presents:

Mohammad Reza Shajarian &

Shahnaz Ensemble Concert

Saturday May 29, 2010

Zellerbach Auditorium

UC Berkeley Campus

Tickets will on available for purchase at http://www.persiantix.com/

What kind of secularism is in the cards for a post-Islamist Iran?

2010-04-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA

is pleased to present:

What kind of secularism is in the cards for a post-Islamist Iran?

A Talk by Prof. Ahmad Sadri

Time: Friday April 23, 2010
6:00-8:00pm

Place:

Home Room, UC Berkeley International House
2299 Piedmont Avenue
Berkeley, CA, 94720

Prof. Ahmad Sadri is Professor Sociology and James P. Gorter Chair of Islamic World Studies at Lake Forest College. He received his BA and MA degrees at the University of Tehran and his PhD from the New School for Social Research. Sadri is the author of Max Weber’s Sociology of Intellectuals (Oxford University Press 1992, 94) and editor and translator (from Persian) of Reason Freedom and Democracy in Islam (Oxford University Press, 2000) and (from Arabic) Saddam City (Saqi Press, 2002.) Sadri has authored three books in Persian published by Kavir, and Hermes Press, Tehran. He has also functioned as a columnist for Daily Star of Lebanon and a commentator at National Public Radio in Chicago.

Talk will be in English and will be followed by Q&A.

Co-Sponsors:

UC Berkeley International House
UC Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies
United4Iran
NorCal4Iran

Iran and the Future of the Green Movement- A Talk by Dr. Reza Aslan

2010-04-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA

presents

Iran and the Future of the Green Movement

A Talk by Dr. Reza Aslan

Time: Wednesday April 21, 2010, 2:00 pm

Place:

Chevron Auditorium, UC Berkeley International House
2299 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, CA

Talk will be in English followed by a Q&A section and book signing.

Dr. Reza Aslan, an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions, is an Iranian-American Shia Muslim, a member of the faculty at the University of California, Riverside, and a contributing editor for the Daily Beast. His books include No god but God: the Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam (2005), and How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror (2009).

Co-Sponsors:

* UC Berkeley International House
* UC Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies
* United4Iran
* NorCal4Iran

This event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110065785684491

For more info please refer to: http://isaa.berkeley.edu

Any further questions may be referred to isaa.berkeley@gmail.com

"Iran’s Underground Music"; a talk by Arash Sobhani

2010-02-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

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

A Talk by Arash Sobhani, Kiosk Lead Singer and Songwriter

Topic: "Iran’s Underground Music"

Arash Sobhani is the founder, lead singer and songwriter of Kiosk, the Iranian Blues/Rock/Jazz band that was formed in Tehran in 2003. Prevented from performing in public or publishing in studios in Tehran, Sobhani moved to the U.S. in 2005 where he led Kiosk to release the album, “Ordinary Man” probably the first Iranian underground album ever officially released in the west.

Kiosk’s distinct characteristic is their unique and innovative way of expressing cultural and social problems in a blend of blues, country and Persian music, a combination that creates something original and outstanding. http://www.kiosktheband.com

In 2008, Kiosk was awarded the Best Blues Band by the world Academy of Arts, Literature, and Media.

Date: Sunday, February 21, 2010
Time: 4:00 P.M.
Place: University of California, Berkeley

145 Dwinelle Hall

http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/large_map.html

Lecture in Persian

For more information please refer to:

This event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=298337419752

Further questions may be directed to: isaa.berkeley@gmail.com

THE ROOTS OF THE CLASH

2010-02-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

“Iranian Student Alliance in America – ISAA” Presents:

The 31st Anniversary of Iran's 1979 Revolution

"THE ROOTS OF THE CLASH"

Uncovering 31 Years of Power Struggles in
the Islamic Republic of Iran

"The Fall of a Shah" - BBC documentary by Maziar Bahari
"The Roots of the Clash" - A talk by Dr. Maziar Behrooz (History Department, SFSU)

Date: Thursday, February 11, 2010
Time: 6:30 P.M.
Place: Chevron Auditorium, UC Berkeley International House (2299 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley)

co-sponsors:

The Religion, Politics and Globalization Program at UC Berkeley
The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley International House
NorCal4Iran
United4Iran

To see the poster please click here

This event on Facebook: here

"Classical Persian Music and Despotism;" A talk by Mohsen Namjoo

2010-01-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

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

A Talk by Mohsen Namjoo, The Sensational Iranian Singer, Songwriter

Topic: "Classical Persian Music and Despotism"

“Mohsen Namjoo plays the setar, a traditional Persian lute, and is a master of classical Persian literature and poetry. But the sounds he draws from the instrument, along with his deep voice and his playful but subtly cutting lyrics about growing up in an Islamic state, have made Mohsen Namjoo the most controversial, and certainly the most daring, figure in Persian music today.” New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/01/world/middleeast/01namjoo.html

Date: Sunday, January 31, 2010
Time: 4:00 P.M.
Place: 2040 Valley Life SciencesBuilding

University of California, Berkeley

http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/large_map.html

Lecture in Persian

Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=439397975436

For more information, please refer to Berkeley Lecture Series site: www.berkeleylectures.org

Mystic Iran the Unseen World!

2009-02-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-10-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

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)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2008-07-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-02T01:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-08T01:34:00.000-07:00

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

2008-04-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

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

2008-02-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-29T13:33:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-12T00:56:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-12T00:52:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-31T04:30:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-31T03:24:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-31T03:15:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-14T10:54:00.000-08:00

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

2007-09-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

*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

2007-04-23T01:53:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-17T23:33:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-15T00:40:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-09T10:44:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-04T23:06:00.000-08:00

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

2006-11-26T04:35:00.000-08:00

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 "B est 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

2006-11-17T01:52:00.000-08:00

[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?

2006-10-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-23T04:41:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-08-07T01:32:00.000-07:00

Election Results

2006-05-05T00:17:00.000-07:00

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

2006-05-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

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

ISAA Statement of Iranium (the movie)

A Talk by Dr.Abdolkarim Soroush: "Shi'ism in Need of Reform"

Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAAproudly presents:

Time: Thursday, January 20, 2010 at 6:30pm

Dr. Soroush Page on Wikipedia | Foreign Policy's 2010 Top 100 Golbal Thinkers | Campus Map

Resolution in Commemoration of Iranian Students Day on 16 Azar

ISAA Poetry Nightشب شعر دانشجویی

ISAA Poetry Night

شب شعر دانشجویی

Time: Thursday, November 18, 2010, 7:00pm

Location: Persian Center - 2029 Durant Ave., Berkeley, CA

ISAA's Weekly Discourse on Iran

Time: Tuesday, November 16 at 7:30pm

Location: Persian Center - 2029 Durant Ave., Berkeley, CA

ISAA Movie Night- Marmoolak (The Lizard)

A Talk by Mohsen Namjoo - "Paradox of Freedom - Immigration and Musical Inspiration"

"Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA"presents

Time: Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 4:00pm

Location: 110 Genetics and Plant Biology Building (GPB),

UC Berkeley Campus

Campus Map | Facebook Event

ISAA Movie Night- Na Yek Tavahhom (Not An Illusion)

Facebook Event | Video Trailer | Movie's Webpage | Director's Webpage

Open Letter to President Obama on Visit to USC, October 22, 2010

Student Movement and the need of Today's Green Movement of Iran

"Student Movement and the need of Today's Green Movement of Iran"- A talk by Aliakbar Mousavi

جنبش دانشجويي و نياز امروز جنبش سبزIranian Student Alliance in America-ISAAPresents

Time: Thurday, October 14, 2010 - 6:00pm

Location: UC Berkeley Campus,

MLK Student Union (Bancroft Way and Telegraph Ave.)

4th floor - Chinquapin Room

Facebook Event - Campus Map

Passing the Torch of Success

NEW IRANIAN STUDENT GUIDE AT UC BERKELEY

In Solidarity with Jafar Panahi, ISAA presents: The Crimson Gold

ISAA presents: A Glimpse into the Future of Iran

ISAA's Special Cal Day Program

ISAA Proudly presents: Mohammad Reza Shajarian & Shahnaz Ensemble Concert

What kind of secularism is in the cards for a post-Islamist Iran?

Iran and the Future of the Green Movement- A Talk by Dr. Reza Aslan

"Iran’s Underground Music"; a talk by Arash Sobhani

THE ROOTS OF THE CLASH

"Classical Persian Music and Despotism;" A talk by Mohsen Namjoo

Mystic Iran the Unseen World!

ISAA Schedule of Events for Spring 09

ISAA Movie Night!

Challenging Cultural Barriers with Fereydoon Farokhzad

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

No war with Iran Protest in SF

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

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

ISAA Game Night

ISAA Movie Night

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

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

Young Voices from Iran Screening

ISAA's 2nd BBQ Social

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

ISAA's Spring 2008 First General Meeting

ISAA's Decal : IRAN: 28 YEARS of REVOLUTION

Annual Shab-e Yalda Celebration in Berkeley

ISAA's 9th Music Night

ISAA's Fall 2007 First General Meeting

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

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

6th ISAA Backgammon Tournament

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

56th Anniversary Celebration of the Iranian Oil Nationalization

Emergency Summit to Prevent War with Iran

ISAA's Spring 2007 First General Meeting

The history of HIV/AIDS and Addiction in Iran

Iranian-American Student Abused By UCLA UCPD w Tazer Gun

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

ISAA's 7th Iranian Music Night

Akbar Ganji at UC Berkeley...

Election Results

Today, ISAA 2006-2007 officer elections

Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA
proudly presents:

ISAA Poetry Night
شب شعر دانشجویی

"Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA"
presents

جنبش دانشجويي و نياز امروز جنبش سبز
Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA
Presents