Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
June 4, 2004
His Holiness Karekin II Departs for Official Visit to the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Finland
On June 2, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians, departed for Finland upon the invitation of Most
Reverend Dr. Jukka Paarma, Archbishop of Turku, for an ecumenical
visit to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The official
delegation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, headed by
the Archbishop Paarma, had previously visited the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin in August 2002.
During the five-day trip, His Holiness is scheduled to visit to
the Finnish Bible Society, the Department of Orthodoxy and Eastern
European Studies, and will deliver lectures at the Departments of
Theology of the Universities of Helsinki and Joensuu. Also planned
are meetings with His Beatitude Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All
Finland of the Finnish Orthodox Church; Mr. Matti Taneli Vanhanen,
the Prime Minister of Finland; and other high-ranking state officials.
His Holiness will deliver sermons in the Orthodox Cathedral of
Uspenksi on Friday, June 4, and on Sunday, June 6 in the Finnish
Mother Cathedral of Turku. In the course of the visit, His Holiness
will meet with the local Armenian community as well.
His Holiness is accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Mesrob
Krikorian, Pontifical Legate for Central Europe; His Grace Bishop
Yeznik Petrosian, Director of Inter-Church Relations for the Mother
See; His Grace Bishop Yezras Nersissian, Primate of the Armenian
Diocese of New Nakhijevan and Russia; and Rev. Fr. Mesrop Parsamian,
Staff-bearer of His Holiness.
His Holiness is scheduled to return to the Mother See on June 7.
##
From: Baghdasarian

“RELEASE THE POLITICAL PRISONERS”
A1 Plus | 14:45:08 | 03-06-2004 | Politics |
“I turn on the TV set to listen to some news but nothing is said. I
can’t pay 1200 drams daily to come to Yerevan”, Gurgen Soghomonyan,
Hoktember villager of Armavir District said during the protest action
held at General Office of Prosecutor.
66-year-old Gurgen has twice been taken to Police Department for
participation in rallies and was arrested for 10 days for “showing
ribaldry to policemen”. Soghomonyan says he hasn’t even met a
policeman. “I was just walking in Yerevan”.
The protest action demanding to set the political prisoners free
continues near General Office of Prosecutor. Representatives of
some social organizations assemble near Office of Prosecutor every
day at 10:00 AM. 6500 people have already signed in support of the
political prisoners. “Justice” Bloc representatives as well joined
the participants.
“Justice” Bloc Press Secretary Ruzan Khachatryan says she partakes in
the action as a citizen of Armenia and not as the party representative.
According to her, every time before rallies the number of the arrested
people increases. “Before rallies Authorities start resorting to
violence, arrests and menaces. It’s their manner of activity”.
As known, Yerevan Municipality forbade Opposition to hold a rally in
the square near Matenadaran on June 4. The First Instance Court of
Kentron, Norq-Marash Commune left the decision unchanged.
Ruzan Khachatryan says they are going to appeal against the decision
in the Appeal Court. However, Khachatryan says the meeting will
take place.
From: Baghdasarian

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/02/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Council to Tackle Corruption in Armenia 2) Vermont Becomes 37th State to Recognize Armenian Genocide 3) Georgia, Russia at Odds over South Ossetia 4) ARS Marks Children's Day in Javakhk 5) UCLA Conference on Armenians in Iran Marks another Milestone 1) Council to Tackle Corruption in Armenia YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--The formation of a special commission to oversee the implementation of a government program to tackle rampant corruption in Armenia, was announced by President Robert Kocharian on Wednesday. The body, formally named the Council on Fighting Corruption, will be headed by Prime Minister Andranik Margarian and includes Justice Minister David Harutiunian, Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepian, and Central Bank Chairman Tigran Sarkisian. The commission will coordinate the implementation of the government's anti-corruption program drawn up by a team of government experts last November. Funded by the World Bank, the three-year program contains legislative measures that would complicate endemic bribery, nepotism, and other corrupt practices. Kocharian's special anti-corruption adviser, Bagrat Yesayan warned last year that corruption in Armenia "has reached a point where it threatens our national security." Member of the ruling coalition government, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, of which Yesayan is a member, had for months been pushing for the creation of a body to deal with the problem. 2) Vermont Becomes 37th State to Recognize Armenian Genocide Governor James H. Douglas declares April 24, 2004, 'Armenian Martyrs Day' in Vermont MONTPELIER (ANC VT)--Vermont Governor James H. Douglas issued a proclamation last week on the 89th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, specifically marking April 24, 2004 "Armenian Martyrs Day," bringing the total number of states to have properly recognized this crime against humanity to 37. "I'm sure I speak not only for the Vermont Armenian community, but all Armenian in thanking Governor Douglas for honoring the memory of the victims of this terrible crime against humanity," said ANC Vermont activist Kohar Der Simonian. "We trust that this strong statement from the Governor will be acknowledged by the US Congress in its deliberation of the pending resolution on the Genocide Convention." In the months leading up to the proclamation, ANC Vermont members and activists, including Massachusetts State Republican Committeeman Bob Semonian, worked closely with the Governor's office, which was highly responsive to the community's concerns. Semonian spoke extensively to the Republican Governor during the National Governors Association conference held in Washington, DC in March 2004. He has since worked with local ANC activists in the effort to secure Armenian Genocide proclamations from a series of states across the country. The proclamation notes, "since 1915, April 24th of each year has been imprinted in the memory of the Armenian people worldwide, for it was then that the mass genocide of the Armenian people began in the Ottoman Turkish Empire." It goes on to cite the importance of marking this tragedy, stating that "recognition of the 89th anniversary of this genocide is crucial to guarding against the repetition of future genocide and educating people about the atrocities connected to these horrific events." On the federal level, Senators Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) and James M. Jeffords (I-VT) are currently cosponsors of the Senate Genocide Resolution (S.Res.164), which commemorates the 15th anniversary of the US implementation of the UN Genocide Convention. The resolution cites the importance of remembering past crimes against humanity, including the Armenian Genocide, Holocaust, Cambodian and Rwandan genocides, in an effort to stop future atrocities. The corresponding House measure (H.Res.193), currently has 110 cosponsors and was unanimously carried by the House Judiciary Committee in May, 2003. 3) Georgia, Russia at Odds over South Ossetia (Civil.GE/Itar-Tass)--Tbilisi and Moscow exchanged strongly worded statements after the Georgian central authorities staged a show of force in the Ossetian conflict zone on May 31, marking rising tensions in Georgia's breakaway South Ossetian Republic. Russia warned that Tbilisi's "provocative steps" might lead "to extremely negative consequences" in the conflict zone. In a statement issued on June 1, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Georgia's central government would be held responsible in the event of further deterioration of the situation and "bloodshed" in the region. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow's concerns were triggered by the sending of Georgian troops into the conflict zone on May 31. The Georgian authorities justified the action, saying police checkpoints were set up in the area to help fight drug smuggling in the region. Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania on Wednesday slammed Russia saying that "the issue concerns the territory of Georgia and nobody can prevent the Georgian authorities from establishing order throughout the country." The Russian State Duma, meanwhile, issued a warning to the Georgia's leadership on Wednesday, and expressed alarm over what they described as the emergence of an explosive situation in the immediate proximity to the Russian state border. This situation, the State Duma said, "poses a threat to the security of many Russian citizens resident in the area of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict." The Russian lawmakers said Russia has the right and is obliged to take every action possible under the Constitution and the UN charter to protect their lives, health, and property. While expressing support for Georgia's "struggle against cross-border crime," they emphasized that "the need for such struggle cannot serve as an excuse for actions fraught with the risk of undermining the already strained situation and the full loss of confidence between the sides." "The introduction of commando units and troops of the Georgian Interior Ministry to South Ossetian territory on May 31 can be regarded in no way other than a show of force," Russian legislators said. 4) ARS Marks Children's Day in Javakhk YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Students of the mostly Armenian populated region of Javakhk in Georgia received prizes for their entries in the "I am Armenian" contest, sponsored by the Javakhk branch of the Armenian Relief Society (ARS). The grand prize went to secondary school student from Gandza Vahe Tangamanian, who was awarded the prize on International Children's Day celebrated on June 1. Parents and children praised the ARS at the awards ceremony for the society's various activities in the region. Marking Children's Day in Armenia, the ARS Mgro chapter and the Haybusak University Student Council, donated books, stationary, clothing and toys to the students of the boarding school for children with speech disabilities. "Such acts of charity are crucial for children who feel a need for caring and attention," said school Principal Varduhi Kheboyan in thanking the donors. 5) UCLA Conference on Armenians in Iran Marks another Milestone LOS ANGELES--The fourteenth in a series of international conferences devoted to historical Armenian cities and provinces, the conference on the Armenian communities of Iran was held on May 14-16. Sponsored by the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian history at the University of California in Los Angeles, and organized by the holder of the chair, Professor Richard Hovannisian, the successful conference had a turnout of more than 1,000 people. The previous conference in this series, held last November, focused entirely on the community of New Julfa in Iran on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of its founding. The opening session on May 14 in the Glendale Presbyterian Church included lectures in Armenian on Saint Stepanos and Dzordzor monasteries, the Armenians of the Salmast region, and the life and works of Archbishop Melik-Tangian of Tabriz. The Saturday sessions on May 15 at the UCLA campus, included presentations that focused on the political, cultural, literary, economic, and social history of the Armenians of Iran or Persia. Sunday afternoon, May 16, included sessions in both Armenian and English, about the Gharadagh Armenian communities, the pioneering role of the Armenians in Iranian theater and cinema, and integration of Armenian Iranians in California. As in all previous conferences, an exhibit had been prepared by Richard and Anne Elbrecht, with the assistance of Setareh Mahdavi. The participants also enjoyed the hospitality of the Armenian Society of Los Angeles on Friday night and of Mr. and Mrs. Hacop and Hilda Baghdasarian of the Armenian Educational Foundation on Saturday night. With the curtains closing on this conference, Professor Richard Hovannisian, the tireless driving force behind the series, announced the next chapter to be unveiled. The fifteenth conference, devoted to the Armenians in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, will be held on November 6-7, 2004. It is a most timely event that will surely attract a large gathering of interested scholars and listeners. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. From: Baghdasarian

JAVAKHK TO SEE MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS IF SAAKASHVILI KEEPS HIS VOWS
ArmenPress
June 1 2004
TBILISI, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS: Traveling from Armenian-populated
Georgia’s region of Javakhk to the capital city of Tbilisi will become
a pleasure if president Mikhail Saakashvili keeps his vow to earmark
some $100 million of an overall $400 million aid, Georgia expects to
receive from the US government and IMF to improve its infrastructures,
for a major rehabilitation of existing and construction of new roads
in the region.
At any case, an Armenian member of the Georgian parliament, Van
Bayburdian, told Armenpress that the road to Tbilisi will become 100
km shorter if a new road is constructed. “If this happens the new
road will have a drastically positive effect on the region and its
population,” he said.
Bayburdian said president Saakashvili had underscored, during his
recent meetings with heads of international lending organizations,
the need for investing in Javakhk to ease employment problems there.
The lawmaker said overseas investments in the region may urge
Russia-based wealthy businessmen of Armenian origin to direct part
of their investments to Javakhk.
Bayburdian also shrugged off demands of several local ethnic Armenian
organizations that the region must be granted autonomy. “There is
already autonomy in the region, though it is not formalized, as it is
run by local cadres, the majority of whom are ethnic Armenians and who
after all have to decide how to make the region prosperous,” he said.
Bayburdian said five Armenian members of the Georgian parliament have
been facing no obstacles in raising issues of concern for the region.
From: Baghdasarian

Staunton News Leader, VA
May 30 2004
Family, God play starring roles in Grace graduation
Ex-Navy Seal prepares Warriors for battle
By Chris Lassiter/staff
[email protected]
STAUNTON — Albert Mirzoyan literally had a long journey to graduation
day at Grace Christian High School.
It wasn’t that long ago that Mirzoyan’s family fled their home country
of Armenia and were struggling to find the necessities in life: food,
water and electricity.
Through a series of events, the family relocated to Staunton.
Events that Mirzoyan said were no accident.
“It’s so awesome how God works,” said the senior, his face partly
covered by his cap tassel. “I never thought I’d be a student here.
This is the best thing ever. I’m leaving one stage of life and moving
to the next.”
The administration at Grace Christian made sure that Mirzoyan and the
other 24 students gathered at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church went
out in style.
The graduation’s two tear-jerking events — the flower exchange and
the candle-lighting ceremony — were preceded by a couple of hymns
and Katherine Archer, Mary Helen Clemmer and Kathryn Rawley’s humorous
trip down memory lane.
Bill Renton, a Navy Seal and two-time Olympian, gave the graduation
speech. Renton, who teaches and coaches soccer at Grace, charged the
students to commit to the Christian life in the same way a Navy Seal
commits to defending America.
Afterwards, tears flowed freely as students embraced their mothers
and presented them with red roses.
“I almost cried,” senior Cameron Culbertson said. “My mom was bawling.”
The fathers also got involved in the ceremony, lighting a candle
for their children as a sign of passing the Christian heritage on to
another generation.
“It’s very touching,” graduate Nathaniel Knopp said. “It makes
you realize the influence he’s had in your life by setting a Godly
example.”
The ceremony had its light moments, too. Renton ripped off his white
dress shirt to reveal his “salmon” polo knit shirt.
“Everyone knows men don’t wear pink,” he said, laughing at the inside
joke between him and the students. “It’s salmon.”
The seniors recounted their April 1 prank on the teachers and staff,
when they arrived at school one hour early and claimed the staff
parking for themselves.
John Morrison, the head administrator at Grace Christian, reciprocated
by giving the kids fake diplomas as they crossed the stage.
It was the type of ceremony that made Jennifer Card, Holly Mancini
and Philip Silling glad they attended Grace Christian.
“I’m going to miss everyone,” Mancini said. “This is a good school,
and I’m thankful to come out of it.”
From: Baghdasarian

Azeri minister blames international bodies for Armenian defectors’ hunger strike
Sarq, Baku
28 May 04
Text of unattributed report by Azerbaijani newspaper Sarq on 28 May
headlined “The national security minister calls on the two Armenians
to stop their hunger strike” and subheaded “Namiq Abbasov: ‘If any
tragedy happens to them, the International Committee of the Red Cross
and other structures will be responsible for this'”
Azerbaijani National Security Minister Namiq Abbasov has called on
the Armenian defectors, Artur Apresyan and Roman Teryan, to stop
their hunger strike, which they have started in protest against
the activities of the UNHCR and the International Committee of the
Red Cross.
He said that the aforesaid individuals place the responsibility
for this action on international organizations. Abbasov added that
according to the law, those held in solitary confinement cells at the
National Security Ministry are force-fed if they announce a hunger
strike. “But the law does not apply to them Apresyan and Teryan ,”
Abbasov said.
He added: “Today I issued an instruction to persuade them to stop their
move. Let them be patient, start to eat and see what extra measures
we take. Our human rights organizations, NGOs and media outlets are
protecting them. If any tragedy happens to them, the International
Committee of the Red Cross and other structures will be responsible
for this”.
From: Baghdasarian

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
May 27 2004
FINLAND KEEN IN DEVELOPMENT OF RELATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN
[May 27, 2004, 11:03:35]
On May 26, Minister of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan Republic Elmar
Mammadyarov has met the ambassador of Finland accredited in Helsinki
in Azerbaijan Timo Lahelma.
As informed to AzerTAj from the press center of the Ministry of
foreign affairs, ambassador Timo Lahelma, having informed that for
the first time has visited Baku in 1995, has with satisfaction noted,
that for last years in Azerbaijan radical reforms have been lead
conducted. Having emphasized interest of his country in development
of relations with Azerbaijan in various areas, the ambassador has
expressed hope, that madam Terhi Hakala who since September 2004 will
substitute him on this post, also will continue this line. Having noted
importance of realization by our countries of visits at high level
for steady development of links, the ambassador has expressed sincere
gratitude for the support rendered by our country of Finland within
the framework of the international organizations within these years.
Having stopped then on prospects of connections, ambassador Timo
Lahelma informed the Minister about intention of Finland to open
honorable consulate in our country, sign Memorandum on mutual
understanding of equipment of branches of reanimation in hospitals of
Azerbaijan with new technique and expand connections in the field of
culture. Having touched the further activity, the ambassador informed,
that would continue mission to Lithuania.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov, highly having estimated
interest of Finland in further steady development of relations,
has noted importance of continuation of joint efforts in the said
area. The head of foreign policy department Elmar Mammadyarov has
noted, that counts realization of activity of constant embassy of
Finland in Azerbaijan necessary for adjustment in the future of links
between our countries on stronger basis. Having touched the connections
between our countries in sphere of culture, the Minister has noted,
that the question of development of links and in the field of science
and education, and also participation of diplomats in the advance
courses of experience has great value.
Having informed the ambassador about integration of our country into
the European institutes, the Minister, showing as an example working
visit of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the Kingdom of
Belgium, has noted, that the said visit has brought in the positive
contribution to development of relations of our Republic with the
European Union within the framework of new policy of neighborhood.
Having informed then the ambassador about the work done in the field
of settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict,
Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov has especially emphasized activity of the
European Union connected to resolution to the conflict.
At the meeting, also discussed were other issues of mutual interest.
From: Baghdasarian

Ottawa Citizen, Canada
May 22, 2004 Saturday Final Edition
A theocracy at the tipping point: Conservative religious beliefs
still command much loyalty in Iran. But more and more, Iranians
openly disparage the ruling clerics, drink smuggled alcohol , watch
MTV and, if they are women, wear their headscarves perched
precariously on the back of their heads. It is a nation ready for
change.
by Michael Petrou
ESFAHAN, Iran
ESFAHAN, Iran – In a trendy coffee shop in Esfahan’s Christian
Armenian quarter, four Muslim men sit at a low table near the bar,
smoking cigarettes and drinking espresso.
The coffee shop’s stereo is playing Green Day’s Time of Your Life.
Several of the young men and women in the cafe and on the sidewalk
outside have bandages on their noses, the result of recent plastic
surgery — a popular trend among young Iranians who can afford it.
Nasser Behruz, a heavyset man with thinning black hair, uses a piece
of chocolate to scoop foam from his small cup of espresso and talks
about change. Unlike most of the cafe patrons, he’s old enough to
remember the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and has watched the country
transform since.
“Look at this,” he says, waving his hand at the young men and women
sitting in the cafe with their foreheads centimetres apart. “Ten
years ago, this would not be possible … Things are getting better,
but slowly, very slowly. I don’t know what will happen in the future,
but I hope the changes continue.”
I order a malt beverage that contains no alcohol, which prompts Mr.
Behruz to talk about his favourite alcoholic drinks and the
occasional house parties he throws for his friends.
“Sometimes if I have a party and there is a lot of music and dancing
and my neighbour calls, then the police will come. But it’s not a
problem,” he says, and rubs his thumb and forefinger together to
indicate a bribe.
“I give them something and they go away.”
Mr. Behruz invites me to his apartment for a few drinks.
“The government doesn’t like Iranians talking to foreigners,” his
friend says. “If they see us talking to a tourist, we get questioned.
But it’s OK. We thought you were Iranian, and the police will, too.
Let’s go.”
On the outside wall of Mr. Behruz’s apartment building someone has
spray-painted “Down with women who don’t wear the hijab.”
“Must have been some Islamic person who did this,” he says.
We spend the evening drinking a clear and potent moonshine that has
been smuggled into the country from the Kurdish areas of Iraq in
two-litre pop bottles. In Mr. Behruz’s kitchen, we mix the alcohol
with Mecca Cola and fruit juice.
Mr. Behruz tells me he is an atheist, and we have a long, spirited
conversation about whether God exists.
After a couple of hours, Mr. Behruz puts on a video of the Iranian
singer Googoosh performing at Maple Leaf Gardens. The singer had been
banned from performing by Iran’s fundamentalist clerics after the
Islamic Revolution and was only permitted to leave the country a few
years ago. She promptly launched a triumphant world tour to capacity
audiences.
As we work our way through the bottle, Mr. Behruz becomes a little
more animated. Like every other Iranian I speak with, he says he
doesn’t want the United States to overthrow Iran’s government. (The
only person I meet in Iran who thinks this would be a good idea is a
visiting businessman from Afghanistan.)
But Mr. Behruz is desperate for regime change.
“If the Americans come here I will shoot them,” he says.
“But they must go, the mullahs. They must go. I don’t know how. Maybe
we will have another people’s revolution. I think our spirit is like
France, and French democracy is best for us.”
Late that night, Mr. Behruz and I walk across the lower level of the
exquisite Khaju Bridge spanning Esfahan’s Zayandeh River. A group of
middle-aged men has gathered beneath the bridge’s vaulted archways to
take advantage of the structure’s shower-like acoustics and sing. One
man plays a flute and another earnestly belts out a Googoosh song:
“Of all the men in the world, you’re the one for me …”
– – –
I leave Esfahan and travel northwest, across the Iranian plateau
toward the mountainous borders of Iraq and Turkey.
It is a rugged and seductive part of the country, frequented by
nomads and smugglers. Most of the people who live here are Kurds,
Turkic Azaris, and Armenian and Assyrian Christians.
Kurds in Iran have their own distinct language and culture. And,
unlike the majority of Iranians who are Shiite Muslims, Iranian Kurds
practise Sunni Islam. However, even though heavy fighting raged in
1979 between Kurdish separatists and the country’s new Islamic
regime, few Iranian Kurds today want outright independence from Iran.
Most would prefer greater autonomy, more democracy and the freedom to
practise Islam as they see fit.
Kurdish friends invite me to a wedding in a village near the city of
Mahabad.
Women wearing beautiful, brightly coloured dresses and no headscarves
dance hand-in-hand with men while energized musicians sing and play
horns and stringed instruments.
Guests hand the singer wads of cash with their names written on the
bills. The singer reads the names and sings their praises without
missing a beat. The dancers hold hands in a line and move in a
counter-clockwise circle.
The man leading the dance twirls a handkerchief above his head,
knocking blossom petals from an overhanging tree, adding to the riot
of colour.
“The Persians dance with the men and women separate,” one guest says.
“We Kurds dance together. It causes some problems with the Islamic
people, but I don’t care.
“We Kurds are Muslims, too. But Islam isn’t telling women to cover
their faces. We don’t do that.”
– – –
Christianity has existed in Iran since before the advent of Islam.
An Assyrian church in the northwestern city of Tabriz is built on the
ruins of a much older church, believed to have been founded by one of
the three Magi, or wise men, who returned to Persia after visiting
the newborn Jesus in Bethlehem.
Today, about 300,000 Iranians are Christians, mostly ethnic
Armenians.
“We don’t feel isolated here,” says Violet, a young Armenian woman in
Esfahan, where the Persian shah settled a large community of Armenian
Christians during the early 17th century.
“We have been here for 400 years and it is our home. Maybe our
motherland is elsewhere, but this is our birth land. We have deep
roots here and the attachment in our hearts is strong.”
Privately some Armenians will admit to “misunderstandings” between
their communities and Iran’s government since the Islamic Revolution.
“Obviously sharia law isn’t natural to Christians,” one man says.
“But our religious rights are respected. We celebrate all our holy
days, even national days commemorating battles between Armenians and
Persians … And we have our representatives in parliament. They
represent us and help us reclaim our rights.”
But if the older Armenian and Assyrian churches in Iran are at least
officially protected, the regime does not tolerate evangelism.
Muslims who convert are considered apostates and are subject to harsh
punishment. Most evangelical churches in the country have gone
underground.
“Me, personally, I must evangelize privately, in people’s homes,”
says Sharif, 26, an Assyrian man from Tabriz who joined a local
Protestant church as an adult.
“If the government found out, there would be a lot of problems for
me.”
Iran is also home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the
Middle East outside of Israel.
Their history here began 2,500 years ago when the Persian ruler Cyrus
the Great captured Babylon and freed the Jewish slaves. Some elected
to stay in Persia rather than return to Palestine, and subsequent
generations of Jews immigrated here to escape the persecution of
Greeks and Romans.
Today, Muslims in the Iranian city of Shiraz speak casually about the
numerous Jewish merchants in the city they do friendly business with.
“They’re Iranian, just like the rest of us,” one man says.
But the attitude of the clerics in the Iranian government is less
benign.
In 2000, a revolutionary court convicted 10 Shiraz Jews of spying for
Israel, in a trial widely regarded outside Iran as unfair. All the
convicted men were released within three years, but the incident
exposed the theocracy’s continued intolerance.
Officially, foreigners visiting a synagogue in Iran need permission,
and a guide, from the Ministry of Information and Islamic Guidance.
But I simply ask my taxi driver to take me to the “Jewish church,”
and he does.
The synagogue is located behind unmarked walls about a block away
from a Christian church. Inside, two dozen worshippers are preparing
themselves for prayer. Several men who speak with me are clearly
uneasy about my presence and continually look over my shoulder to
where my driver is parked outside.
One man seems to suggest in broken English that I come back later
when I am alone. But the entire atmosphere is uncomfortable. I leave
quickly and do not return.
– – –
It would be misleading, however, to imply that all Iranians are
opposed to the ruling clerics, or that support for the religious
fundamentalists running Iran is limited to an old guard of aging
revolutionaries.
In Shiraz, I visit several madrassas, or Islamic schools, and other
centres of Islamic study that are crowded with young scholars and new
students.
I am guided through the city by Rezvan, a 42-year-old man with a
quiet voice and thick black beard. In one of his eyes, the pupil
appears to have somehow burst and the inky blackness has leaked into
the lower half of his iris.
I assume he supports the religious clerics because of his beard, a
rarity among most Iranians, but we have barely started walking toward
the first madrassa when he says: “Iran today is like Europe of the
Renaissance.”
“We want to become secular,” he continues. “Religion and government
should not go together. Most of us feel this way. But the government
does not want what the people want.”
At the madrassa, we visit with Hussein, a young scholar of 20 who
invites us to his whitewashed room, where he sleeps and studies. The
walls are lined with religious books and decorated with a photograph
of him when he was about 12 years old.
We sit on the floor, looking out over the madrassa’s courtyard and
drink tea that Hussein boils on a gas burner in his room. Below us in
the courtyard, a young student sits cross-legged on the floor
opposite a cleric with an open copy of the Koran between them,
discussing passages from the holy book.
Hussein wants to be sure that I know Muslims respect Jesus, and asks
why Easter is important to Christians. He says he will study Islam
for 12 more years, likely much longer.
“I want to spend my life helping to advertise Islam,” he says. “It
doesn’t matter if it is in a mosque or a school. It is all part of
the same life.”
On our way to a neighbouring Islamic study centre, Rezvan warns me
not to refer to the clerics there as “mullahs.”
“They don’t like to be called mullahs, because they think it makes
them sound like Osama bin Laden,” Rezvan says. He pauses before
adding: “But there really isn’t that much difference.”
All the clerics we talk to at the centre are gracious and polite. One
insists on personally driving us across town to our next appointment,
clutching his robes around his tall frame before folding himself into
his tiny car and plunging into the city’s chaotic traffic.
Another tries to explain the role of religion in Iran’s government.
“The Koran gives guidance for all parts of our lives: culture,
family, science,” he says.
“And so it is natural for our religion to be part of government as
well. The two are connected.”
The cleric is a small man with a scraggly goatee and sideburns, and a
face smooth except for a few wrinkles around his eyes. He is 30 years
old but almost looks like a teenager.
I mention this to Rezvan after we leave the study centre and sit down
to a glass of tea and a pot of lamb stew at a bazaar teahouse. Rezvan
sticks a small piece of sugar under his lip and strains his tea
through the sugar as we talk.
“Of course, he looks young,” Rezvan scoffs. “The mullahs never do any
work.”
– – –
Iran is approaching a tipping point.
Religious conservatives still command the loyalty of some. But the
gulf between the Iranian people and their government is deep and
widespread.
Many Iranians openly disparage the ruling clerics, drink smuggled
alcohol in their homes and at parties, watch MTV on their satellite
televisions and, if they are women, wear their headscarves perched
precariously on the back of their heads.
State-censored newspapers are full of propaganda against Israel and
the United States. But a private bookstores near Tehran University
prominently displays copies of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Emily Bronte’s
Wuthering Heights and Notes from the Underground by Fyodor
Dostoyevsky.
For a while it seemed possible that President Mohammed Khatami and
parliamentary reformers might change the system from within. But the
conservative clerics cynically crippled the reform movement before
the last election by banning reformist candidates, and many Iranians
who seek democracy have now turned their backs on Mr. Khatami and his
contemporaries.
“We have had the so-called reformers for six years with nothing to
show for it,” one student says. “They think saving the system is more
important than the needs of the people. They are a dead end.”
The clerics will defend their power. And indeed, the death of Zahra
Kazemi, the Canadian photojournalist who was murdered while a
prisoner at Iran’s notorious Evin prison, and the coverup of her
killing betray both the determination and desperate depravity of
Iran’s religious dictatorship. But a confrontation with Iran’s people
is inevitable.
Before coming to Iran, I had thought the country would be divided
between young and old, between those who supported the Islamic
Revolution and those who can’t remember it. And many of the most
active dissidents are young people and students.
But one of the most impressive people I met in Iran is Farouk Kahn,
an elderly scholar who lives in a southern Iranian city. Mr. Kahn has
written more than 10 books on philosophy and poetry, all of which sit
unpublished on the shelves of his apartment.
He was once imprisoned along with his daughters because of his
secular and leftist beliefs, and there is little chance the clerics
would allow his ideas to be published today, even a decade after his
release.
During our evenings together, Mr. Kahn loved to drink brandy when it
was available, and Kurdish moonshine when brandy was not, and talk
about religion, women and poetry.
He would sing Iranian folksongs and recite long verses from the
Persian poet Hafez, a hero to many Iranians and something of a
kindred spirit to Mr. Kahn, who shares the poet’s love of wine and
sex.
Around midnight, we’d usually retire to Mr. Kahn’s living room to
drink tea and watch his illegal satellite television, which beamed
music videos, softcore pornography and programming from Iranian exile
communities into his home.
When I left Mr. Kahn’s home on my last night, he unwired a painting
from his bedroom wall and pressed it into my arms, refusing all my
attempts to give him something in return.
“I am 71 years old, 42 years older than you,” Mr. Khan said. “And all
my life I have been lucky to continue learning as if I were a young
man. If you don’t learn, if you don’t continue to learn, you are
frozen. The mullahs in Iran are frozen. They are trapped 1,400 years
ago.”
GRAPHIC: Photo: Hasan Sarbakhshian, The Associated Press; While many
Iranians appear to be growing weary of the ruling clerics, support
for the religious fundamentalists running the country is not limited
to an old guard of aging revolutionaries. In this 2002 photo,
Iranians celebrate the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution above a
portrait of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.; Photo:
Burhan Ozbilici, The Associated Press; Young Iranian women walk in
Tehran wearing traditional-style clothing while carrying backpacks
covered with images of rock musicians.
From: Baghdasarian

Georgian-Turkish railway link would benefit the entire region – president
Imedi TV, Tbilisi
21 May 04
[Presenter] Before leaving for Istanbul, Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili held a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul in Ankara today.
The parties discussed common interests in the region and long-term
prospects, including the [proposed] construction of Kars-Batumi
railway line which caused some irritation on the of Armenia. The
president commented today on Yerevan’s reaction to the proposed
construction. Saakashvili said that, if the Georgian railways are
linked to the Turkish railways, this will benefit both Georgia,
Turkey and Armenia.
[Salome Zourabichvili, Georgian Foreign Minister, interviewed] There
was a very interesting exchange of our views that our policies in
this region are basically the same. We also share the same aspiration
towards Europe, the same desire to have normal and constructive
relations with Russia, and the same partnership with America.
[Saakashvili, interviewed] When we are talking about railways, first
of all, I care about the interests of Georgia. Georgia should extend
the railway line and link it with the Turkish railway system. If
the Turkish railway system is linked to Georgia, this will benefit
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Central Asia, and absolutely everyone. This is
certainly in the interests of the entire region. This is one thing.
Second, we should manage to turn [the Ajarian capital] Batumi airport
into an international airport like Geneva airport. This would enable
Batumi airport to provide services to passengers from the border
areas of Turkey. An international-level terminal should be created
there. There were similar plans in the past, and we should be able
to reconstruct these plans.
From: Baghdasarian

Armenia, Ukraine to cooperate in European organizations
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
13 May 04
Presenter The strengthening of economic cooperation has broken the
ice in Armenian-Ukrainian relations. This was the main success and
achievement of Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan’s meetings
in Kiev.
The Ukrainian side also accepted Yerevan’s proposal on sending Armenian
cargoes from the port of Ilichevsk to Poti Georgia , not to Batumi
Ajaria .
Correspondent over video of meetings During its three-day official
visit to Ukraine, the delegation led by Prime Minister Andranik
Markaryan met Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, Prime Minister Viktor
Yanukovych and Speaker of Ukraine’s Supreme Rada Volodymyr Lytvyn. The
third session of the Armenian-Ukrainian economic commission started
its work in the Ukrainian capital and the main issues discussed in the
session were the two countries’ economic cooperation. The Ukrainian
prime minister said that there are all grounds for that. The volume
of the commodity turnover between the two countries in 2003 totalled
60m dollars. This indicator has doubled this year.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, captioned, in Russian,
with Armenian voice-over We have to eliminate with joint efforts
the obstacles standing in the way of mutual cooperation. First of
all, we must improve transport communications. We know how to do
this. Ukraine has the means and intention of taking part in the
construction and equipping of industrial plants. We have technical
and scientific potential, especially, for the construction of the
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.
Correspondent over video of meeting in the Ukrainian National Academy
of Sciences There are large opportunities for cooperation in the
energy, nuclear energy, metallurgy and agricultural spheres. Joint
scientific programmes were also discussed during a meeting with the
president of Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences, Borys Paton.
The agreements were also reached in the agricultural
sphere. Agricultural machine tools will be delivered to Armenia under a
leasing agreement in the near future. One hundred buses of the Bogdan
company will be delivered to Yerevan by the end of this year.
Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan, captioned I am pleased
with the results. The main agreement we reached during the meeting
with Ukrainian President Mr Kuchma is cooperation between Ukraine
and Armenia in international organizations.
Correspondent The intensification of the economic sphere will be a new
qualitative stage in Ukrainian and Armenian political relations. This
was discussed during the meeting with Leonid Kuchma and Andranik
Markaryan. The sides also stressed the importance of cooperation in
European organizations.
Constructive steps are being taken in the future development of
Ukrainian-Armenian relations not only in various spheres of the
economy, but also in the banking sphere. The president of the Ukrainian
Central Bank is expected to visit Armenia.
Tereza Kasyan, “Aylur”.
From: Baghdasarian