Bulla Ki Jaana

I never get tired of this song, Sufi lyrics, sung by Rabbi Shergill, a Sikh:

Yarom Bia by Kiosk & Mohsen Namjou

Beyond the Blue Horizon - Michael Nesmith

Dota Cheshme Siaah Dari

This version is beautiful too.

Ardeshir Rowhani and Elaheh

Confession (Eng subtitles added)

Monday Roundup

Warning - graphic material: More reports -- and photographs -- of torture in Iran's prisons, and Karroubi asks Rafsanjani to investigate reports from "senior officials" (and many others) that some protesters were brutally raped, as outrage over the Ahmadinejad crackdown continues to spread. A good analysis here. Karroubi's accusations should come as no surprise. Rape is a tried and true torture technique in Khamenei's Iran, (and too many other places), and is nothing new.

RR has one detainee's story here. Again, this is very graphic and painful.

Photos from Aug 6th ceremony. Kermanshah, for Kianoosh Asa. It looks like there were a lot of people there.

There is again doubt about whether or not Rafsanjani will lead Friday Prayers. Rafsanjani announced he would be, on his website, but that information has since been taken down. Aftab News says No (FA) (EN). Mehdi Karroubi's newspaper, Eternade Melli, says:

“It seems that such a decision [Rafsanjani's withdrawal from Friday prayers in Tehran] has been made because of concerns that the last blatant display of popular support that greeted Rafsanjani last time will be repeated. The question remains that was this decision made [by the Friday Prayers committee] due to governmental pressure or that Rafsanjani himself decided to not lead the prayers”.

@oxfordgirl on twitter notes that there were false reports that Rafsanjani had withdrawn from prayers before the July 17th prayers. Keep that in mind. An announcement is to be made Tuesday.

UPDATE: The Guardian says no Rafsanjani on Friday. Something very fishy about this.

Lots of reports now that Ahmadinejad is running into a lot more trouble in parliament with his cabinet. There's a sense that a lot of hardliners want to be rid of AN without looking like they openly oppose him and the cabinet is a vulnerable area for him.

And U2's latest tribute to the Iranian opposition, in Zagreb:

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[VIA]

Stolen from the World by Ahmadinejad

Kianoush Asa playing Tanbour. Master's science student, killed in protests.

Listen for the child...

Mohsen Namjoo

Below, the Mohsen Namjoo version of Yare Dabestani, put to editorial cartoons about the Iran elections:



Mohsen Namjoo was recently sentenced to five-years prison in Iran for "insulting sanctities." Luckily, he's not in Iran at the moment.

Yare Dabestani

Modern version with transliteral and English lyrics.

And this.

Hichkas Ye Mosht Sarbaz

Banned in Iran.

Another Martyr, and another, and another...

Almost every day now news gets out about another person killed by the regime in the protests or in prison. Usually, the families don't know the fate of their loved one until they get a terse call from a ministry to come pick up the body. Then, they are not allowed to put mourning banners on their homes or in any way publicly mourn, and cannot speak to anyone about it.

It isn't enough that the regime is cruel in the grandly evil ways, forcing its people to live in sadness and fear, but they are cruel in such petty ways too. Though there is no love lost between the Sunni Taliban and the hardline Shi'a regime in Iran, they have much in common.

Enough martyrs. The world must think of new ways to peacefully fight the regime and obtain the release of all detained protesters, activists, journalists and other political prisoners. Just as the reformists in Iran grow more creative, so must we -- which is not to say I have an idea how to do this, not right this minute, although I still think a targeted and graduated oil boycott is a good idea.

In one of the smaller, and most powerful protests of July 25th, the little town of Revine Lago Italy held a lantern ceremony to honor the martyrs, and support Iran:

Iran: Tragedy and Future - Roger Cohen.

Iran - Torang (Mohsen Namjoo)

Mr. & Mrs Iyer: Don't Look Away

From one of my favorite movies of the last ten years, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, about two young strangers thrown together when their bus gets caught in the middle of religious riots:

I Ka Barra - Habib Koite and Bamada

Lyrics in English

One Love

Madonna

The Material Girl days are long gone: