In the Wall Street Journal Matthias Küntzel is disturbed to find that 'Frankfurt welcomes the regime's censors as a gesture of 'convergence via a sustained dialogue'', in Tehran at the Book Fair (that being, of course, the Frankfurt Book Fair).
He finds:
On the other hand, if, indeed, a: "regime delegation led by Mohammad Azimi, a former vice minister in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, will be in attendance", I hope absolutely everyone who comes in contact with them gives them a good piece of their minds -- making clear to them that censorship is a bad, bad thing (and that combining 'Culture' and 'Islamic Guidance' under a single government ministry is a pretty crackpot idea, too ...).
Meanwhile, IBNA has more Frankfurt news, reporting that Sacred Defense Publishers' Association to Present Titles at FBF -- and:
Of course, the reason the government supports it so wholeheartedly and single-mindedly is because it is basically the only 'safe' subject they can think of, the country unified against a common enemy as it has not been at any other time in the decades before or since. (Which isn't to say, by the way, that some of these books aren't in fact 'critical' and forthright in their acknowledgement of flaws in Iranian society .....)
Finally, as, for example, the AP reports (here at The Washington Post), Iran foundation boosts reward for death of author Rushdie, after Prophet 'insults'.
Yes, that obscene 'fatwa' is still sort of in force, apparently, as: "A semi-official religious foundation in Iran has increased a reward it had offered for the killing of British author Salman Rushdie to $3.3 million from $2.8 million".
The organization is apparently بنیاد پانزده خرداد, though I haven't been able to find the offer on their site yet -- but Iranian press reports do report the same information (see here, for example -- though they rely on an MNA report, and that official site also didn't have the information, last I checked ...).
Presumably, this is just more very hot air (and very obnoxious posturing); for any idiot tempted by the big numbers, however, I remind you that you're not only extremely unlikely to be able to keep the cash, but, given current sanctions against Iran (and the local banking system), unlikely to be able to get it in the first place.
He finds:
This "convergence" sends clear signals of accommodating terror and betraying freedom of expression, while undermining those countries that want to change Iran's nuclear behavior through concerted pressure on the regime. Just as it is impossible to maintain a relaxed friendship with neo-Nazis, it is also impossible to do relaxed business with a regime such as Iran's.One can grant him that the FBF might be: "accommodating terror and betraying freedom of expression" (though I'd argue it's a bit more complicated than that; even if the Iranian government 'accommodates terror' that doesn't necessarily mean that every institution and representative (private or public) can be held accountable), but in any case, surely it's not the Frankfurt Book Fair's job to worry about whether it is: "undermining those countries that want to change Iran's nuclear behavior" (I very much hope that the FBF has and takes no official position on Iran's (or any countries') 'nuclear behavior', along with any number of non-publishing-related issues).
On the other hand, if, indeed, a: "regime delegation led by Mohammad Azimi, a former vice minister in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, will be in attendance", I hope absolutely everyone who comes in contact with them gives them a good piece of their minds -- making clear to them that censorship is a bad, bad thing (and that combining 'Culture' and 'Islamic Guidance' under a single government ministry is a pretty crackpot idea, too ...).
Meanwhile, IBNA has more Frankfurt news, reporting that Sacred Defense Publishers' Association to Present Titles at FBF -- and:
4 successful and prolific Sacred Defense writers will be sent to the showcase to hold seminars and discussion sessions during the event.Great that they're sending some writers (though I hope more than just those specializing in SD-lit (i.e. literature devoted to the Iran-Iraq War)). But the head of the board of directors of the association Ali Nazeri is quoted:
"We intend to highlight the necessity of publishing Sacred Defense books," he further added.As longtime readers know, I've long argued that the official insistence on a continued focus on literary treatment of a war that ended several decades ago is a literary dead end -- sure, some fine stuff still comes out of it, but surely there are many other subjects that can and should be treated -- ones that are more relevant to contemporary readers, for one. (Recall that the median age in Iran is about 27 years; the Iran-Iraq war ended 24 years ago ......)
Of course, the reason the government supports it so wholeheartedly and single-mindedly is because it is basically the only 'safe' subject they can think of, the country unified against a common enemy as it has not been at any other time in the decades before or since. (Which isn't to say, by the way, that some of these books aren't in fact 'critical' and forthright in their acknowledgement of flaws in Iranian society .....)
Finally, as, for example, the AP reports (here at The Washington Post), Iran foundation boosts reward for death of author Rushdie, after Prophet 'insults'.
Yes, that obscene 'fatwa' is still sort of in force, apparently, as: "A semi-official religious foundation in Iran has increased a reward it had offered for the killing of British author Salman Rushdie to $3.3 million from $2.8 million".
The organization is apparently بنیاد پانزده خرداد, though I haven't been able to find the offer on their site yet -- but Iranian press reports do report the same information (see here, for example -- though they rely on an MNA report, and that official site also didn't have the information, last I checked ...).
Presumably, this is just more very hot air (and very obnoxious posturing); for any idiot tempted by the big numbers, however, I remind you that you're not only extremely unlikely to be able to keep the cash, but, given current sanctions against Iran (and the local banking system), unlikely to be able to get it in the first place.