Please check into this Radio show on BBC - Sept 18 and 25th, Oct 1st.
and give us your thoughts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/iran/ira...ry_state.shtml
and give us your thoughts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/iran/ira...ry_state.shtml
Arti - if you think that one is bad - check out this link - an article about Iranian nuclear program. AN looks like a monkey ready to jump into a barrel full of bananas !!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5346524.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5346524.stm
this is the centerpiece of a 2-week program series by BBC Radio4 titled "Uncovering Iran",and it can be heard online (live or via BBC4 archives).here is the program summation:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/radio/wk38/feature_iran.shtml
Uncovering Iran
From Sunday 17 September 1.30pm BBC RADIO 4
Program copy
Nearly two-thirds of Iran's population is under 30. The country has a 90 per cent literacy rate and over half of its university graduates are women.Iran has the world's third largest oil reserve, but it imports almost half of its petrol.
Some of the fathers of mathematics originated in Persia.
Persian, or Farsi as it's known, is the third most popular language used by bloggers on the net.
These are all surprising facts you may not know about a country which constantly attracts headlines. Since he was elected just over a year ago, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has generated a succession of shockwaves. He is reported to have said that "Israel should be wiped off the map", has continued to develop a nuclear
programme despite the threat of sanctions, and his country is seen as the main supporter of Hezbollah.
But how much do we really know about Iran? It has been regarded with suspicion in the West, and elsewhere, since the revolution of 1979, which brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power. In 2002, George W Bush famously accused it, along with Syria and North Korea, of being part of the "Axis of Evil". Currently, Iran is refusing to give way in its determination to pursue its nuclear ambitions. Hardly surprising, then, that the country is so often vilified and seen as "the baddie".
"People swallow an image of Iran as evil," says the BBC's Correspondent in Tehran, Frances Harrison. "But this is a much more complicated country and every foreigner who
comes here is surprised when their preconceptions are challenged."
Uncovering Iran – a series of programmes broadcast across BBC Radio 4's output over the next two weeks – aims to tackle some of the commonly held perceptions about the country. "It's a nation of great cultural complexity and richness, with an extraordinary history, both ancient and modern, yet it remains largely unknown," says Mark Damazer, Controller, Radio 4.
The centrepiece of the season is a three-part series,
A Revolutionary State, presented by Sir John Tusa, which takes a close look at the making of modern Iran during the last century. He uncovers the origins of the Middle
East's first democratically elected government – including a century-old women's movement – and examines the huge cultural shifts that have taken place in Iran as an Islamic Republic.
Talk to any Iranian and they will speak proudly of the great Persian civilisation. A testament to that glorious past is housed in the British Museum – the 2,500-year-old
Cyrus Cylinder, containing the edict of the ancient King of Iran, Cyrus the Great, that all religious sects be tolerated and all deported peoples freed. It has been hailed as
the first human rights charter. For Radio 4's Ancient And Modern (Wednesday 27 September), the British Museum's Director, Neil MacGregor, travels to Iran to investigate its rich archaeological and cultural past and to understand how this past continues to inform its sense of identity today.
"Proud to be Persian" is a mantra exploited by top stand-up comedian Omid Djalili. As a British-born Iranian, he finds rich pickings for comic material in the stereotypes
which abound about his country. In From Tehran With Laughter (Saturday 23 September),he explores the rich vein of comedy and satire both inside and outside Iran.
Exploring the state of Iran today is a major part of the season and, as the country emerges as an increasingly important power in the region, the BBC's Foreign Affairs
Editor, John Simpson, examines its relations with its neighbours in Iran And Her Neighbours (Wednesday 20 September). He asks how they will react to an Iran with
nuclear potential.
Of course, the big battle is between the US and Iran. In Mixed Messages And Secret Diplomacy (Monday 25 September), Gordon Corera decodes the tangled relationship between Iran and the US since 9/11, exploring where they have worked together successfully and where opportunities have been lost.
Iran has a great literary tradition – its most famous poet is Rumi, and there are few Iranians who can't quote some of his lines. His translated works are bestsellers in the
United States and he has even made his mark on celebrities such as Madonna. Telling Stories (25-29 September) explores the great Iranian tradition of storytelling by showcasing contemporary Iranian writing. Established and new writers offer extraordinary insights into the daily lives of Iranians living inside and outside Iran.
Iran also has one of the most respected film industries in the world and, in a Film Programme special (Friday 29 September), Francine Stock discusses cinema-going and
film-making in a country known for its strict censorship.
Iran is a closed society, with a repressive regime. Human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi's memoir, Iran Awakening (Book Of The Week, 18-22 September) gives listeners a personal insight into her daily battle with the authorities as she fights for the rights of women and children in ran.
These programmes and more offer listeners the chance to go beyond the headlines and develop a greater understanding of this complex country.
Sue Ellis
Executive Producer, Uncovering Iran
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/radio/wk38/feature_iran.shtml
Uncovering Iran
From Sunday 17 September 1.30pm BBC RADIO 4
Program copy
Nearly two-thirds of Iran's population is under 30. The country has a 90 per cent literacy rate and over half of its university graduates are women.Iran has the world's third largest oil reserve, but it imports almost half of its petrol.
Some of the fathers of mathematics originated in Persia.
Persian, or Farsi as it's known, is the third most popular language used by bloggers on the net.
These are all surprising facts you may not know about a country which constantly attracts headlines. Since he was elected just over a year ago, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has generated a succession of shockwaves. He is reported to have said that "Israel should be wiped off the map", has continued to develop a nuclear
programme despite the threat of sanctions, and his country is seen as the main supporter of Hezbollah.
But how much do we really know about Iran? It has been regarded with suspicion in the West, and elsewhere, since the revolution of 1979, which brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power. In 2002, George W Bush famously accused it, along with Syria and North Korea, of being part of the "Axis of Evil". Currently, Iran is refusing to give way in its determination to pursue its nuclear ambitions. Hardly surprising, then, that the country is so often vilified and seen as "the baddie".
"People swallow an image of Iran as evil," says the BBC's Correspondent in Tehran, Frances Harrison. "But this is a much more complicated country and every foreigner who
comes here is surprised when their preconceptions are challenged."
Uncovering Iran – a series of programmes broadcast across BBC Radio 4's output over the next two weeks – aims to tackle some of the commonly held perceptions about the country. "It's a nation of great cultural complexity and richness, with an extraordinary history, both ancient and modern, yet it remains largely unknown," says Mark Damazer, Controller, Radio 4.
The centrepiece of the season is a three-part series,
A Revolutionary State, presented by Sir John Tusa, which takes a close look at the making of modern Iran during the last century. He uncovers the origins of the Middle
East's first democratically elected government – including a century-old women's movement – and examines the huge cultural shifts that have taken place in Iran as an Islamic Republic.
Talk to any Iranian and they will speak proudly of the great Persian civilisation. A testament to that glorious past is housed in the British Museum – the 2,500-year-old
Cyrus Cylinder, containing the edict of the ancient King of Iran, Cyrus the Great, that all religious sects be tolerated and all deported peoples freed. It has been hailed as
the first human rights charter. For Radio 4's Ancient And Modern (Wednesday 27 September), the British Museum's Director, Neil MacGregor, travels to Iran to investigate its rich archaeological and cultural past and to understand how this past continues to inform its sense of identity today.
"Proud to be Persian" is a mantra exploited by top stand-up comedian Omid Djalili. As a British-born Iranian, he finds rich pickings for comic material in the stereotypes
which abound about his country. In From Tehran With Laughter (Saturday 23 September),he explores the rich vein of comedy and satire both inside and outside Iran.
Exploring the state of Iran today is a major part of the season and, as the country emerges as an increasingly important power in the region, the BBC's Foreign Affairs
Editor, John Simpson, examines its relations with its neighbours in Iran And Her Neighbours (Wednesday 20 September). He asks how they will react to an Iran with
nuclear potential.
Of course, the big battle is between the US and Iran. In Mixed Messages And Secret Diplomacy (Monday 25 September), Gordon Corera decodes the tangled relationship between Iran and the US since 9/11, exploring where they have worked together successfully and where opportunities have been lost.
Iran has a great literary tradition – its most famous poet is Rumi, and there are few Iranians who can't quote some of his lines. His translated works are bestsellers in the
United States and he has even made his mark on celebrities such as Madonna. Telling Stories (25-29 September) explores the great Iranian tradition of storytelling by showcasing contemporary Iranian writing. Established and new writers offer extraordinary insights into the daily lives of Iranians living inside and outside Iran.
Iran also has one of the most respected film industries in the world and, in a Film Programme special (Friday 29 September), Francine Stock discusses cinema-going and
film-making in a country known for its strict censorship.
Iran is a closed society, with a repressive regime. Human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi's memoir, Iran Awakening (Book Of The Week, 18-22 September) gives listeners a personal insight into her daily battle with the authorities as she fights for the rights of women and children in ran.
These programmes and more offer listeners the chance to go beyond the headlines and develop a greater understanding of this complex country.
Sue Ellis
Executive Producer, Uncovering Iran