islamic thought foundation may 2010

8/9/2019 Islamic Thought Foundation May 2010

1/56

1Echo | May 2010 1Echo | April 2010 1

Echo | 2010


2/56

2 Echo | May 2010

Middle East

Iran

Cover Story

4 | Obama

Administration

Response to the Gulf

Oil Spill Late

14 | Palestinians ark

Catastrophe Day

PAGE | | | 4 | | | | | | | | | | 12 | 14 | | | | | | | | |

Echo of Islam

Managing Director: Dr. Mahdi GoljanEditor-in-Chief: Dr. Sadroddin Musawi

Editorial Board: Azam Hosseini, Samin Nabipour,

Shima Entezari Moghadam, Forogh Fakhari

Photographer: Mohadeseh Vas

Public Relations Ofcer: Maryam Hamzelou

Design: Seyyed Amir Mohammad Moosavi

Email address: [email protected]

Tel: +98932-9059238

Printing Expert: Majid Ghasemi

Tel:+98919-2892825

[email protected]

Advertising Ofce: +9821-88801345

+98919-3005343

Magazine of ITF, P. O. Box: 14155-3899

Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Tel: +9821-88897662-5

Fax: +9821-88902725

http://www.itf.org.ir

http://www.echoofsalam.com

Index

18 | Imam Khomeinis

Political Thought From

jurisprudential point

of view

12 | MP: Tehran Declaration

Indicates Irans Diplomatic

Creativity


4/56

4

Cover Story

Echo | May 2010

Obama

Administration

Response to

Gulf Oil Spill

Late

The oil that is still leaking from

the well can seriously damage theeconomy and the environment of our

Gulf States, and it could extend for

a long time. It could jeopardize the

livelihoods of thousands of Americans

who call this place home. That is why

the federal government has launched

an all-hands-on-deck, relentlessresponse to this crisis from day one.

President Barack Obama May 2, 2010

By: Jeff Crouere


5/56

5

Cover Story

Echo | May 2010


6/56

6

Cover Story

Echo | May 2010

O

n May 11, President

Obama tried to

sugarcoat hisadministrations inadequate

and tardy response to the

worst oil spill in our nations

history. His claim that the

administration has been

all-hands-on-deckfrom

day one is laughable. The

Deepwater Horizon well

exploded on April 20, but

the President did not make

his rst remarks on the

incident until nine days later

and nally visited the region

May 2, twelve days after the

incident. In fact, the Coast

Guard Commander for the

region initially had stated

that the incident would not

result in a major oil spill.

Prior to addressing the

Gulf disaster, the President

found time to blast Wall

Street and the Governor ofArizona, advocate Earth

Day awareness, meet with

Rev. Billy Graham, pitch

racial politics in his weekly

radio address, prepare his

jokes for the White House

Correspondents Dinner,

make a racially divisive

video to activate his political

coalition for the 2010 election

and hold an impromptunews conference on a range

of topics. In this news

conference, the President

discussed everything from

the Supreme Court to

immigration, but did not

mention the disaster in the

Gulf.

It was not until April


7/56

7

Cover Story

Echo | May 2010

29 that President Obama

deemed the massive

explosion right off the coastof Louisiana to be worthy

of comment. It was at that

point that his administration

nally realized that they had

underestimated the severity

of the explosion. Only then

did the administration move

into a frenzied state of

action trying to cover-up

their initial mistakes, their

inaction and utter ineptitude.

Commercial shermen

in Louisiana could have

been utilized from the early

hours of this crisis to deploy

boom and protect delicate

marshland. Sadly, there

was an unacceptable delay

and even now, not enough

shermen are being used

and many continue to wait

for a call to action that has

not come. In addition, thecontrolled burn of the oil was

not started until four hours

after the second leak was

discovered.

Five years ago,

governmental ofcials at all

levels failed the citizens of

the state. This time, there

are similar failures from

government ofcials who

waited much too long totake action. Dealing with

an emergency effectively

requires decisive leadership.

On that important test,

President Obama failed

miserably. Of course, the

liberal mainstream news

media has given the President

a pass. If a Republican


8/56

8

Cover Story

Echo | May 2010

President had neglected such

a crisis for so long, there

would be a media restorm.During his visit on May

11, the President once again

pinned the blame on British

Petroleum (BP), the operator

of the well. Yet, this blame

game does nothing to help

Louisiana deal with another

Hurricane Katrina-like

threat. Of course, BP will

have to pay for the damages

and is ultimately responsible,

but when the Gulf Coast

is threatened by a massive

oil spill, it becomes the

responsibility of the President

of the United States as well.

Our federal government has

many more resources

than BP and those

resources shouldhave been deployed

from the rst day,

not ten days after the

explosion

The Presidents

six hour visit does

not offer much

satisfaction to our shing

industry which has been

shutdown by this incident.

Approximately 30 percent

of the seafood consumed in

this nation comes through

the wetlands of Louisiana,

so this disaster will impact

millions of Americans.

Today, the estimates

are that the well is leaking

5,000 barrels per day, but

the Presidents point person

for the disaster Commander

Admiral Thad Allen noted thatthe leak could increase 2,000

percent to an unimaginable

level of 100,000 barrels per

day. The environmental

consequences of such a

monumental mountain of oil

are too scary to contemplate.

The massive oil spill

threatens the economy and

environment of this region.

It will lead to billions ofdollars in damages. Sadly, it

did not capture the attention

of the President until nine

catastrophic days had elapsed.

If this disaster had occurred

off the coast of New York

or California or any blue

state, there is little doubt that

President Obama would have

been more proactive.

This massive explosion

should have been prioritynumber one for this

administration from April 20

onward, but, unfortunately,

politics and other trivial

pursuits, occupied the time

of the President until a

wake-up call on April 29. In

the nine days that elapsed,

precious time was lost and a


9/56

9

Cover Story

Echo | May 2010

containment problem becamea clean-up nightmare.

Obamas response to the

oil explosion was so tardy that

he actually accomplished the

impossible. He made Bushs

response to Hurricane Katrina

seem downright timely.

Huge spill

threatening ecology

of Gulf

Oil has been spewing since

the rig Deepwater Horizon

exploded April 20, killing 11

people and sinking two days

later. The government shortly

afterward estimated the spill

at 210,000 gallons or 5,000

barrels a day, a gure that hassince been questioned by some

scientists who fear it could be

far more. BP executives have

stood by the estimate while

acknowledging theres no way

to know for sure.

BP also owns a rig that

operated with incomplete

and inaccurate engineering

documents, which one

ofcial warned could lead tocatastrophic operator error,

records and interviews show.

Two months before the

Deepwater Horizon accident,

19 members of Congress

called on the agency that

oversees offshore oil drilling

to investigate a whistle-

blowers complaints about the

BP-owned Atlantis, which isstationed in 7,070 feet of water

more than 150 miles south of

New Orleans.

The Associated Press

learned that an independent

rm hired by BP substantiated

the complaints in 2009 and

found that the company was

violating its own policies

by not having completed

engineering documents onboard the Atlantis when it

began operating in 2007.

Word of huge submerged oil

plumes, meanwhile, raised the

specter of more damage to the

ecologically rich Gulf. It also

adds to questions about when

large amounts of crude might

hit shore.


10/56

10 Echo | May 2010

Its just a matter of time ... and the

rst signicant amount of oil is going

to show up around the U.S, said Hans

Graber, director of the University of

Miamis satellite sensing facility, who

has been tracking the oil slick.

Researchers from the National

Institute for Undersea Science and

Technology have said they had detected

the underwater oil plumes at depths

between just beneath the surface to

more than 4,000 feet.

Three or four large plumes have

been found, at least one that is 10 miles

long and a mile wide, said Samantha

Joye, a marine science professor at the

University of Georgia.

Researchers Vernon Asper andArne Dierks said in Web posts that the

plumes were perhaps due to the deep

injection of dispersants which BP has

stated that they are conducting. BP

has won government approval to use

chemicals on the oil near where it is

gushing to break it up before it rises to

the surface.

The researchers were also testing the

effects of large amounts of subsea oil on

oxygen levels in the water. The oil candeplete oxygen in the water, harming

plankton and other tiny creatures that

serve as food for a wide variety of sea

critters.

Oxygen levels in some areas have

dropped 30 percent, and should

continue to drop, Joye said.

It could take years, possibly

decades, for the system to recover from


11/56

11Echo | May 2010

an infusion of this quantity of oil

and gas, Joye said. Weve never

seen anything like this before. Its

impossible to fathom the impact.

Joyes lab was waiting for the

research boat to return so a team

of scientists can test about 75

water samples and 100 sedimentsamples gathered during the voyage.

Researchers plan to go back out in

about a month and sample the same

areas to see if oil and oxygen levels

have worsened.

BP has been unable to stop the

gusher with huge blowout preventers

on the well or by putting a 100-ton

box above the ow to trap and siphon

it to a tanker on the surface. The

latest effort, inserting a mile-longpipe into the largest of two leaks, hit

a snag Saturday.

BP chief operating ofcer Doug

Suttles said one piece of equipment,

called the framework, had to be

brought to the surface and adjusted

to t with the tube.

The framework holds a pipe and

stopper. If it works, the tube could

capture more than three-quarters of

the leak. BP also must contend with

a smaller leak thats farther away.

One expert said BPs latest idea

seems to have the best chance for

success so far. Inserting a pipe into

the oil gusher would be easy at the

surface, said Ed Overton, a LSUprofessor of environmental studies.

But using robots in 5,000 feet of

water with oil rushing out of the pipe

makes things much more difcult.

Its something like threading the

eye of a needle. But that can be tough

to do up here. And you can imagine

how hard it would be to do it down

there with a robot, Overton said.

BP is also drilling a relief well

that is considered the permanentsolution to stopping the leak. Its

about halfway done and still months

away from being completed. The

company also is still considering

using a smaller containment dome

known as a top hat, as well as a

junk shot, in which golf balls and

rubber would be inserted to try to

clog the leak.


12/56

12

Iran

Echo | May 2010

MP: Tehran

Declaration Indicates

Irans Diplomatic

CreativityIrans agreement with Brazil and Turkey on swap

of nuclear fuel and the declaration issued in this

regard showed the strength and creativity of Tehrans

diplomacy, a senior legislator said on May 22.


13/56

13

Iran

Echo | May 2010

T

he issued declaration was a move forward

that showes diplomatic creativity

of the Islamic Republic of Iran inmaintaining its interests, Hossein Fadayi said.

Based on the trilateral agreement, Tehran should

declare its acceptance of the swap deal in an

ofcial letter to be sent to the IAEA within one

week. The fuel swap will take place nearly a

month after receiving an ofcial approval from

the Vienna Group (International Atomic Energy

Agency - IAEA, the US, France and Russia).

Noting hegemonic powers have made every

effort to isolate the Islamic Republic of Iran

on international political and diplomatic

scenes, Fadayi reiterated that Irans diplomatic

creativity in hosting the G-15 summit and the

Tehran Declaration was a strong answer to

such moves by the

hegemonic powers.

This major event

helped the independent

countries realize

that the hegemonic

system is seeking to

impose itself on these

countries, he said.But the G-15

summit in Tehran

brought about convergence and closeness

between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the

independent and free states, the MP added.

The 14th Summit of the Group of 15 (G-15) was

held in Tehran in mid May with senior ofcials

from developing countries in attendance.

The Group 15 was established in

September 1989 to develop economic

cooperation among developing countries.The G-15 is a group of 18 developing

countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America

and was set up to foster cooperation amongst

members and other international groups.

Iran, Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile,

Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya,

Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal, Sri

Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe are the G-15

members.

Turkey Vows to Keep Irans

Uranium until Tehran

Receives N. FuelMeanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister

Ahmet Davutoglu underlined his countrys

commitment to keep safe Irans low enriched

uranium until Iran receives its needed nuclear

fuel for the Tehran research reactor.

Turkey and Brazil will keep Irans low-

enriched uranium in Turkey as long as

Tehran has not received any fuel for its

research reactor, Davutoglu said during a

press conference on the sidelines of the 14th

G-15 Summit here in Tehran on Monday.According to trilateral deal, Iran will deliver

1,200 kilograms of low-enriched uranium

to Turkey, Turkish

foreign Minister stated.

He added Iran will

negotiate with Vienna

group and IAEA in this

respect in the near future.

Davutoglu also

expressed hope that

Iran nuclear programissues could be settled

through negotiations

and diplomacy.

After several hours of intense negotiations

between Iran, Brazil and Turkey on

Monday, Tehran agreed to ship its

low enriched uranium to Turkey.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin

Mehman-Parast said Monday that Tehran

government agreed to a draft proposal

whereby Iran will send some 1200 kg of its

3.5 percent enriched uranium over to Turkey

in exchange for a total of 120 kg 20 percent.

The IAEA will ofcially receive a letter with

regards to the swap deal within a week.

Based on the agreement, the fuel swap will

take place nearly a month after receiving

ofcial approval from the Vienna Group,

which consists of representatives from Iran,

France, Russia and US and IAEA.


14/56

14

Middle East

Echo | May 2010

Palestinians marked onMay 14 the 62nd anni-

versary of the Naqba,

the catastrophe of Israels

creation, demanding the

right of return of hundreds of

thousands driven from their

homes.

Protests were staged in the

Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and

in Lebanon, home to around

400,000 Palestinian refugees,as chief Palestinian negotiator

Saeb Erakat blasted Israel for

its disregard of international

law.

Some 3,000 people

demonstrated in Gazas

Jabaliya refugee camp in

a protest organized by the

Islamist Hamas movement,

and many joined ademonstration in the Nuseirat

camp staged by the Islamic

Jihad.

We will never give up the

right of return of refugees

to their towns and villages, a

Hamas leader, Muin Mderes,

told the crowd in Jabaliya.

Israeli governments have

refused to allow Palestinian

refugees to return to homesthey ed in 1948 over fears a

massive return would threaten

the state of Israel and its 5.7

million Jewish population.

Top Islamic Jihad leader

Mohammed al-Hindi urged

all Palestinians, Arabs and

Muslims to back the resistance

and be ready for the next

battle with the enemy.Children were among the

Gaza protesters and carried the

keys to homes their relatives

had lost after the creation of

Israel. An estimated 700,000

Arabs were expelled from

their homes.

In a message to mark the

anniversary, Erakat insisted

that the refugees, who together

with their descendants nownumber 4.7 million, have the

right to return.

In other conicts, refugee

rights have been honored

and respected, including the

right of return, restitution

and compensation. In stark

contrast, however, Israel

refuses to even recognize the

Palestinians Mark

Catastrophe DayProtesters demand right of return of hundreds ofthousands of refugees driven from their homes.

By Adel Zaanoun


15/56

15Echo | May 2010

Palestinian right of return,

thus continuing to deny the

refugees basic rights.No state is above the law,

Erakat said.

And he insisted that the

creation of a Palestinian state

with annexed east Jerusalem

as its capital is a must.

His remarks come days

only after Israel marked

the 43rd anniversary of the

capture of east Bait ul-Maqdis

(Jerusalem) and a deant

speech by Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu

vowing to pursue settlement

construction there.

You cant ourish in a

divided city and a ourishing

city cant be divided or

frozen, Netanyahu said.

We will continue to build

and develop ourselves in

Jerusalem.

The Palestinians havewarned that continued

construction in Jewish

settlements in annexed

Arab east Bait ul Muqaddas

(Jerusalem) will torpedo

newly launched indirect

peace talks which are being

brokered by the United

States.

Hamas supporters in

Lebanon also marked theanniversary with hundreds of

Palestinians gathering both

in Beirut and in the south,

where they made their way to

Maroun al-Ras village near

the Israeli border.

Some protesters

peered across the frontier

through binoculars, and

elderly refugees could be

heard recounting to their

grandchildren and great-grandchildren the tale of their

exodus.

Meanwhile, as negotiators

begin indirect talks with

the ultimate aim of creating

a Palestinian state next to

Israel, voices on both sides are

warning that the opportunity

for a two-state solution has

already slipped away, or at

best is fading fast.

Denitely the ght for atwo-state solution is obsolete,

says Meron Benvenisti, a

former Israeli deputy mayor of

occupied Bait-ul-Muqaddas

(Jerusalem) and veteran

observer of Palestinian-Israeli

relations.

Creating a sovereign

Palestinian state living at


16/56

16

Middle East

Echo | May 2010

peace alongside Israel has been the centrepiece

of international diplomatic efforts for years,

but swathes of illegal Jewish settlement

dissecting the West Bank and East Bait-ul-

Muqaddas (Jerusalem) have made that goal

look increasingly unviable.

Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahus right-wing Likud party dislikes

the prospect of Palestinian statehood, but the

premier conditionally endorsed the idea for

the rst time last June.

Benvenisti envisages some form of

federation comprising Israel and the Palestinian

territories.

The only solution that can work in

these conditions is powersharing and soft

boundaries, he said at a recent brieng.

Meaning not sovereign borders, and the

creation of a system of powersharing thatwould satisfy the ethnic demands of both

sides.

To most Israelis, the idea of sharing a state

with the Palestinians is a non-starter.

The raison detre of the state of Israel is

a Jewish state, there is no room (in it) for the

other side, says Ron Pundak, an architect of

the 1993 Oslo agreement between Israel and

the Palestinians.

But Pundak has little faith that the edgling

indirect talks will bring Palestinian statehood

and an end to the conict any closer.

Its an exercise in futility, a waste of time,

he said.

Some on the right, including in the Likud,

publicly advocate passing control of the West

Bank and Gaza Strip back to Jordan and

Egypt, which administered them from 1948

until 1967.

But Egypt and Jordan seem unlikely to

oblige. Neither will the Palestinians, the

original inhabitants of the Israeli-occupied

land, which also includes East Bait-ul-Muqaddas (Jerusalem).

Arguing for an Israeli-Palestinian federal

state, Benvenisti says the two-state plan can

no longer meet the aspirations of what have

over the years become separate Palestinian

societies.

The West Bank [including East Bait-ul-

Muqaddas (Jerusalem)] and the Gaza Strip are

separated by about 35 kilometres (22 miles) of

Israeli-controlled-territory and Israel maintains

draconian restrictions on who may cross.In Palestinian East Bait-ul-Muqaddas

(Jerusalem), illegally occupied by Israel since

1967, 270,000 Palestinians live in a limbo

where they are classed as Israeli residents but

are not citizens.

In addition, there are nearly 1.3 million

Palestinians who took Israeli citizenship

after Israeli occupation of the Palestinian

territories in 1948 -- known as Arab Israelis --


17/56

17

Middle East

Echo | May 2010

but complain they are treated as second class

citizens.

The Israeli Palestinians have nothing to dowith (the two-state plan), said Benvenisti.

Moreover, Hamas, now controlling the

West Bank, is opposed to the talks because of

the Israeli betrayal of the Palestinian cause in

the past.

At the same time a study nds Israeli

neglect, discrimination against Palestinians in

occupied East Bait-ul-Muqaddas (Jerusalem).

Most Palestinians in occupied East Bait-ul-

Muqaddas (Jerusalem), including three out of

four children, live below the poverty line, an

Israeli rights group said on Many 10, accusing

Israel of neglect and discrimination.

A unied Bait-ul-Muqaddas (Jerusalem)

does not exist, the Association for Civil Rights

in Israel (ACRI) said in a report released as

the Jewish state begins celebrations to mark

the 43rd anniversary of its 1967 occupation

of Palestinian East Bait-ul-Muqaddas

(Jerusalem).

The truth is, two cities exist side by side,

the report said, challenging Israels claim that

it unied the Holy City after occupying thePalestinian territory in a move slammed by the

international community.

Seventy-ve percent of Palestinian children

in occupied East Bait-ul-Muqaddas (Jerusalem)

live in poverty compared with 45 percent of

the citys Jewish children, the report said.

Over 95,000 children in East Bait-ul-

Muqaddas (Jerusalem) live in a perpetual state

of poverty, ACRI said.

Despite the rampant poverty, only 10

percent of occupied East Bait-ul-Muqaddas(Jerusalem)s 300,000 Palestinians have

access to social services, it added.

The neglect extends to just about every

sector of life in the Palestinian sector, and

ACRI blamed this on the authorities.

Israels policy for the past four decades

has taken concrete form as discrimination

in planning and construction, expropriation

of land, and minimal investment in physical

infrastructure and government and municipal

services, the report said.

The ofce of Nir Barkat, the Israeli mayorof Bait-ul-Muqaddas (Jerusalem), said it had

no immediate comment on the report.

Israel has expropriated more than one-

third of occupied East Bait-ul-Muqaddas

(Jerusalem) land which was privately owned

by Palestinians, on which it has built more

than 50,000 units for illegal Jewish settlers.

Virtually no permits for Palestinian housing

construction have been issued for decades,

there is a shortage of about 1,000 classrooms

and rubbish collection is sporadic at best, as

are postal services, the report said.

The annual budget allocation per elementary

school child in occupied East Bait-ul-Muqaddas

(Jerusalem) was 577 shekels (152 dollars)

compared with 2,372 shekels (627 dollars) in

west Bait-ul-Muqaddas (Jerusalem).

About 160,000 Palestinian residents have

no suitable and legal connection to the water

network and 50 kilometres (30 miles) of main

sewage lines are lacking, the report said.

At the end of 2009 approximately 303,429

Palestinians lived in East Jerusalem, whichhas been under illegal Israeli occupation since

1967.


18/56

18

Middle East

Echo | May 2010

WorldsLargest

Head-dress

MarksPalestinian

CatastropheGiant kefyeh

highlights UNResolution 194 on right

of Palestinians to return

to their homes.

Lebanese and Palestinian activists on

May 16 marked the catastrophe of

Israels creation on their land by set-

ting a record for the worlds largest kefyeh,

or Arab head-dress.The 6,552-metre (21,496-foot) chain of

scarves was laid out on the grounds of the

Sport City Stadium in Beirut to mark what

Arabs call the Naqba, the catastrophe of

Israels creation in historic Palestine in 1948.

The feat, overseen by a Guinness World

Records ofcial, breaks a previous entry of a

2,932-metre (9,619-foot) scarf set in Spain in

August 2009.


19/56

19

Middle East

Echo | May 2010

We want to afrm

that Resolution

194... calling

for the return of

Palestinians to

their land must be

implemented.

More than 100 volunteers

placed the giant scarf to form

the number 194, signifying

the 1948 United Nations

Resolution that grants

Palestinians the right toreturn to their homes.

A group of independent

Palestinian and foreign

activists got together to

reach that record, said

Jamal Kurdi, a member of

the Campaign 194 group

that organized the record-

breaking event.

On the anniversary of

the Naqba we want to afrm

that Resolution 194... calling

for the return of Palestinians

to their land must be

implemented, he said.A sign next to the giant

kefyeh, which was made

with more than 6,500 scarves

stitched together, read: 194.

We will return.

Some 4,000 people

marched in Gaza City to

mark the Naqba, in response

to a joint appeal by Hamas

and Fatah, the two principal

Palestinian political parties.

In the West Bank, sirens

wailed through the Israeli-

occupied territory as residents

marked a minutes silence.More than 760,000

Palestinians -- estimated

today to number 4.7 million

with their descendants --

were pushed into exile or

driven out of their homes

in the conict that followed

Israels creation 62 years

ago.


20/56

20

South East Asia

Echo | May 2010

Unrest in Thailand

Who and what is causing the Thailand

confrontation?

The following questions are

normally asked about the cause of confrontation

in Thailand. Answer to these questions sheds

light on the nature of the unrest in the SoutheastAsian country.

What are the origins of this confrontation?

Put simply, Thailands rural poor are

protesting for the right to have a greater say

in the government of their country. The

move is being resisted by the Bangkok elite

the wealthiest families, the military, the

bureaucrats who have controlled Thailands

affairs for generations.

Although the issue is complicated by the

inuence of people such as the former primeminister Thaksin Shinawatra, at the heart of

the conict lies a struggle for, or a defense of,

a greater say in the running of the country.

Who are the redshirts?

The redshirts are drawn largely from

Thailands rural poor, mainly from the north

and north-east of the country. They are the

electoral majority. Many are still supporters of

the fugitive Thaksin. Although their movement

grew out of a loyalty to Thaksin, it has becomebroader than him, with its leaders claiming

their campaign is about bringing a more

representative democracy to Thailand.

While Thaksins face is still on much of their

monochromatic merchandise and his billions

are still bankrolling many protests, he does

not appear by videolink very often anymore

nor is he mentioned by the leaders in their

speeches very much. The movement has now


21/56

21

South East Asia

Echo | May 2010

begun to draw in city students

and members of Bangkoks

burgeoning elite.They regard the current

government as illegitimate

because it never won an

election and was brought to

power by a parliamentary

election engineered by the

military after the redshirts

party was dissolved for

electoral fraud and kicked out

of parliament.

Who is pulling the strings?

The redshirts are an

informal movement, with

no real leadership structure

or chain of command. Their

leaders are an eclectic lot.

They include:

Weng Tojirakarn a

medical doctor and former

member of the communist

party, he is one of the most

eloquent of the redshirt

leaders.Veera Musikapong

former member Thaksins

Thai Rak Thai (Thais love

Thais) party, which was

dissolved. He helped set up

the redshirts on TV channel

People TV.

Arisman Pongruangrong

a 1980s pop star-cum-

political activist, he famously

avoided arrest during theseprotests by escaping from a

Bangkok hotel, climbing out

the window and down a rope

ladder.

Seh Daeng Renegade

army major general,

also known as Khattiya

Sawasdipol, who headed the

redshirts paramilitary arm the


22/56

22 Echo | May 2010

South East Asia

black-clad guards. Accused by the government

of ordering grenade attacks all over Bangkok, he

was shot by a sniper on May 15 and remains in acoma in hospital.

Who are the yellowshirts?

The yellowshirts, or Peoples Alliance for

Democracy, are the reds opposition. They

represent the ruling class in Bangkok, known as the

amataya, or elite. They are the wealthy families,

the military and the bureaucrats, who have long

exerted a huge inuence on Thai politics.

They wear yellow because they claim also to

represent the interests of the monarchy (yellow

being the Thai kings color). In 2008 they seized

both the airport and government house, but in this

current standoff, the yellowshirts are nowhere.

They irted with the periphery of this current

impasse, but have never become signicantly

involved.

What are the chances of a compromise

solution?

At the beginning of the second week of May,

the chances looked good; the government had of-

fered the redshirts an early election in November

and the reds had said they agreed in principle to

the reconciliation roadmap offered by the primeminister. But negotiations foundered over de-

mands from the reds that Thailands deputy prime

minister be arrested for ordering troops to move

on protesters on 10 April, when 25 people were

killed.

The government then withdrew the offer of

an early poll, and sent troops in to surround the

protesters, cutting off their supplies of food, water,

electricity, and fuel. Violence broke out again, and

the two sides are now as far apart as they have

been for this entire two-month political standoff.Does Thailand have a history of political

violence and uncertainty?

Most denitely. The current Thai king, who

is 83, has sat on the throne for 63 years, during

which time he has witnessed more than 15 coups,

16 constitutions and 27 changes of prime minister.

Although the current bloodshed is the worst in two

decades, it is not unprecedented: Thai democracy

has been unstable for generations.


23/56

23Echo | May 2010

South East Asia


24/56

24

World of Islam

Echo | May 2010

Frances proposal to ban the burkais not the right way to get Muslim

women to stop wearing the full

veil, one of Europes leading Muslim

scholars Tariq Ramadan said in Wash-

ington on April 28.

The French... are responding to the

burka, the niqab by restricting freedom

and I think thats not going to work,

Ramadan said during one of his rst

visits to the United States since a travel

ban imposed on him by the administration of President GeorgeW. Bush was lifted.

We have to be very cautious not to translate every sensitive

issue into a legal issue, said the professor of Islamic studies at

Oxford University.

Dont go that direction, speak more about education,

psychology, changing mentality. It takes time but... for me, we

can do the job as Muslims by saying the burka and niqab are not

Islamic prescriptions, he said.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has declared the burka not

Leading

Intellectual:

French Anti-burka

Law Wont WorkTariq Ramadan says

restricting freedom not the

right way to make women stop

wearing niqab

welcome in France.

Frances National

Assembly will begin debate

in early July on a bill banning

Muslim women from

wearing the full veil, Prime

Minister Francois Fillon told

lawmakers in France on April26.

A nal draft of the

legislation outlawing the

face-covering veil from all

public spaces as well as

state institutions was to be

approved by the cabinet on

May 19, said aides to Fillon.

Ramadan also had a


25/56

25Echo | May 2010

message for his fellow Muslims about how to deal with those

who lampoon religious gures.

To ridicule religion is part of the Western culture, Ramadan

said.

When we had this cartoonist in Denmark and even here now

with this new story about the cartoon (Southpark), lets just take

some intellectual distance from this.

Take a critical distance but let the people understand aroundyou even if its legal, you dont like it. React by saying I dont

like this, this isnt me, I am not laughing at religion, he said.

Swiss-born Ramadan had been all set to take a teaching

position at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in late 2004

when he was abruptly denied a visa to come to the United States

to work.

The travel ban, which US authorities eventually pinned to

Ramadan having donated money to a Swiss charity that helps

Palestinians, was lifted earlier this year.

Ramadan has also been

banned from traveling to

several countries in the

Middle East and North Africa,

including Egypt, and Syria.

Those travel bans were

imposed because he had

disagreed with the authoritiesthere, he said.

Ramadan is currently a

professor of Islamic studies at

Oxford University in Britain,

president of a Brussels-based

think-tank, the European

Muslim Network, and the

author of more than 20 books

on Islam.


26/56

26

World of Islam

Echo | May 2010

Egypt:

Nuclear-free

Mideast Key to

Settling IranStandoff


27/56

27

World of Islam

Echo | May 2010

Just few days before the nuclear

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)review conference in New York,

Egypt said establishing a Middle

East nuclear-free zone was the key

to resolving the nuclear standoff with

Iran.

Success in dealing with Iran

will depend to a large extent on

how successfully we deal with the

establishment of a nuclear-free zone

in the Middle East, Egypts UN

Ambassador Maged Abdel Aziz told

a luncheon brieng with reporters in

New York.

We refuse the existence of any

nuclear weapons in (the Middle East)

whether it is in Iran or whether it is in

Israel, he added.

Egypt presented a working paper

at the NPT review conference,

which opened on May 3, urging

implementation of a 1995 resolution

calling for establishment of a nuclear-

free Middle East.The paper called on NPT members

to renew their resolve to undertake,

individually and collectively, all

necessary measures aimed at the

prompt implementation of the

resolution, including the accession byIsrael to the treaty as soon as possible

as a non-nuclear weapon entity.

Israel should also place all its

nuclear facilities under the full scope

of International Atomic Energy

Agency safeguards, it adds.

He expressed hope that Israel,

widely believed to have an arsenal

of several hundred nuclear bombs,

would take part in the NPT review

conference which ran from May 3 to

28.

Abdel Aziz said setting up a Middle

East nuclear-free zone would be a

good step.

Israel is not party to the NPT in order

to avoid international inspections.

The US, meanwhile, has politicized

Irans nuclear case baselessly accusing

Iran of using its uranium enrichment

program as a cover to acquire nuclear

weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear

program is entirely peaceful andgeared toward electricity generation.

Iran is a signatory to the NPT and all its

installations are under the inspection

of the International Atomic Energy.


28/56

28

World of Islam

Echo | May 2010

Former Saudi intel-

ligence chief PrinceTurki al-Faisal faulted

on May 16 the US and Eu-

ropean approach in trying to

halt Irans alleged efforts to

build a nuclear weapon.

The discussions on Irans

nuclear ambitions started off

on the wrong foot. The carrotand stick approach does not

work, he said.

For one, he said, the US

and Europe have had double-

standards in dealing with

Iran on the one hand, and

other nuclear countries on the

other.

You cannot ask Iran to

play on one level while you

allow Israel, India, Pakistan,and North Korea to play on

other levels.

Turki said a successful

strategy toward Iran requires

even-handedness, a universal

nuclear security umbrella

for the countries in the area,

and a good military optionagainst any regional country

which does not cooperate.

He said US Secretary of

State Hillary Clinton had

undermined efforts to move

toward a regional nuclear-free

zone, after the UN Security

Councils ve permanent

members recently expressed

support for the idea.

Alas... Clinton thenvoided the issue of its value by

stating that the conditions do

not yet exist for establishing

the zone, he said.

Why, then, did she join

the other members of the P5

in issuing their statement?

Turki said he hoped USPresident Barack Obama

will nd the way to correct

his secretary of states

nullication of making our

area free of weapons of mass

destruction.

The ex-ambassador to the

United States also challenged

Washington to produce

Reecting high level thinking in the

Saudi government

Saudi Blasts USDouble-standards

Over Nuclear Mideast


29/56

29

World of Islam

Echo | May 2010

results in just-started Middle

East peace talks.

The Arab world has

given (US President Barack)

Obama until September to

get things done, Turki, also

a former Saudi ambassador toWashington, told an audience

of businessmen, journalists

and diplomats.

It is not enough to talk

the talk. He has to walk the

walk, he said.

If he does not succeed ...

then I ask President Obama to

do the morally decent gesture

and recognize the Palestinian

state that he so ardentlywishes to exist.

He can then pack up and

leave us in peace and let the

Palestinians, Syrians and

Lebanese negotiate directly

with the Israelis. No more

platitudes and good wishes

and visions, please.

In a speech in Riyadh

before diplomats, Turki

said US-led NATO troops

had irrevocably alienated

the Afghan people and had

no hope of rebuilding the

country.

What Afghanistan needsnow is a shift from nation-

building to effectively

countering terrorists,

Turki told the Arab News

conference.

Obama should not be

misdirected into believing

that he can x Afghanistans

ills by military means.

Hunt down the terrorists

on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border, arrest them

or kill them, and get out, and

let the Afghan people deal

with their problems.

As long as GI boots

remain on Afghan soil, they

remain targets of resistance

for the Afghan people.

Turki, who has long served

a central role in Saudi-

Afghan relations, scolded

Washingtons handling of

relations with Kabul.

The inept way in which

this administration has dealt

with President (Hamid)Karzai beggars disbelief and

amazement.

Both sides are now lled

with resentment and a sour

taste in their mouths, he

said. How can they both get

out of that situation? I dont

know.

The chairman of the King

Faisal Center For Research

and Islamic Studies, Turkihas no ofcial position but is

believed to often reect high

level thinking in the Saudi

government.

He is the brother of Foreign

Minister Prince Saud al-

Faisal, and analysts speculate

he could become foreign

minister when Saud retires.

You cannot ask Iran to

play on one level while

you allow Israel, India,

Pakistan, and North Korea

to play on other levels


30/56

30

International

Echo | May 2010

Kyrgyzstan unrest

casts light on U.S.

policy in the region

Political unrest resurfaced

this week in this Central

Asian country, raising fresh

questions about U.S. foreign

policy in the region.

On Thursday and Friday,

opponents of the interim rulers

stormed regional governmentheadquarters in the southern

part of the country. A month

ago, violent protests toppled

Kyrgyzstans government,

leaving 84 protesters dead.

If the protests this week

spread to Bishkek, the fallout

could again raise questions

about the future of the U.S.-

leased Manas Air Base, a

major logistical hub for the

war in Afghanistan.

It is the second time in ve

years that political instability

has put the strategic U.S.

military base at risk. While

some analysts say that the

presence of U.S. forces in the

region is key to maintaining

some semblance of security,others argue that the U.S.

focus on the base has blinded

it to serious human rights

abuses in the region.

U.S. policy here is the

base, said Paul Quinn-Judge,

the Central Asia Project

director for the International

Crisis Group, who lives in

Bishkek.

The U.S. opened Manas in

2001, choosing Kyrgyzstan

for its strategic location near

Afghanistan as well as its

seemingly stable leadership.

Since then, however, two

successive governments have

been knocked from power in

violent revolutions.

In 2005, protesters angeredby alleged vote-rigging in

parliamentary elections

stormed the presidential

compound and ousted Askar

Akayev, a former Communist

who took power after the

fall of the Soviet Union.

His successor, Kurmanbek

Bakiyev, threatened to shut

Unrest inKyrgyzstan


31/56

31

International

Echo | May 2010

down Manas before later

relenting, and was ousted in

a nearly identical revolution

last month.

Also in 2005, security

forces in Uzbekistan, a

regional U.S. ally, opened

re on protesters, killing

thousands of civilians,

by some estimates.Islam

Karimov evicted the U.S.

from a key base that was

being used for the war in

Afghanistan.

Many on the streets

of Bishkek say they see

American policy in the region

as driven by military interests

at the expense of democracy.

The U.S. pays $60 million

a year in rent to Kyrgyzstan.

The current one-year lease

signed after Kyrgyz ofcials

won a substantial increase

from $17 million a year

expires in July. Some say

the jobs and money the base

brings to the country are too

important to give up, but

others are angry about U.S.

support for Bakiyev and

the millions of dollars he is

thought to have siphoned for

himself and family members

from U.S. contracts.

Its very sad because

the Central Asian people

are very welcoming to the

Americans and expected the

Americans to come in after

9/11 and foster democracy

and it just didnt happen,

said Ahmed Rashid, a Central

Asia expert who has written

extensively about the region.

These countries in Central

Asia had an enormous

amount of goodwill toward

the Americans, which has

largely been wasted in this

obsession with using Central

Asia purely in the ght for

Afghanistan.

As the West focuses on

Afghanistan, al-Qaida has

grown in Central Asia,

especially in the volatile

Fergana Valley, a region that

spans parts of Kyrgyzstan,

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.


32/56

32

International

Echo | May 2010

ALib-Con deal was

the only responsible

choice. And our

shared aim is to build a fairer

society by a radical dispersal

of power.

The third runway at

Heathrow has been cancelled.

ID cards have been scrapped.

There will be no more child

detention. And reform is now

under way to make taxes

fair for millions of ordinarypeople.

These are some of the

early achievements of a

government that had its rst

cabinet meeting just two

days ago. A new government

but, more important, a new

kind of government: plural,

diverse; a Liberal Democrat-

Conservative coalition

that dees the rules of old

politics.

I know the birth of this

coalition has caused much

surprise, and, with it, some

offence. There are those on

both the left and right who

are united in thinking this

should not have happened.

But the truth is this: there

was no other responsible

way to play the hand dealtto the political parties by

the British people at the

election. The parliamentary

arithmetic made a Lib-Lab

coalition unworkable, and it

would have been regarded

as illegitimate by the British

people. Equally, a minority

administration would have

been too fragile to tackle

the political and economic

challenges ahead.

So, given that the people

told us, explicitly, that they

didnt want just one party

in charge, we had a duty to

nd a way for more than one

party to govern effectively.

And we have.

Thats the pragmatic

analysis. But what I think

has surprised all of us in thegovernment this week is the

strength of the agreement on

principle, too. No government

whether its a coalition

of parties, or a coalition

of rivalries as in the Blair-

Brown governments is able

to survive without a core set

of common assumptions and

Dont Take Offence

at Our Coalition;Its Aims are Liberal

By: Nick Clegg


33/56

33

International

Echo | May 2010


34/56

We can also start

to build a new

economy, just as we

clear up the mess

left behind from the

collapse of the old.

34

International

Echo | May 2010

aspirations.

David Cameron and I

both understand that this

governments unifying

realization is that power

must be dispersed more

fairly in Britain today: fromthe Whitehall centre to

communities; into the hands

of patients, parents and

pupils in our public services;

protecting the rights and

freedoms of people from

arbitrary state interference;

mobilizing social mobility

through greater fairness in

the tax and school system. In

short, distributing power and

opportunity to people rather

than hoarding authority

within government.

That is why this

government will transformthe tax system, allowing

people on low and middle

incomes to keep more of the

money they earn. By making

cuts elsewhere in government,

we will be able to provide

the nancial support for our

pupil premium, helping

thousands of children who

still dont get the individual

support they need in school.

Education is everything in

the creation of a truly mobile

society.

We will open up

opportunity in our economy,

too. The immediate challenge

is to tackle the looming

decit. Unpopular decisions

will have to be taken in the

months and years ahead to

ll the black hole in our

nances. The challenge for

the government will be to

do so while always seeking

to protect the vulnerable,

frontline services, and

condence in our economy.But we can also start to

build a new economy, just

as we clear up the mess left

behind from the collapse

of the old. George Osborne

and Vince Cable will be

developing plans to reform

our broken banking system,

so that bank lending supports


35/56

George Osborne and

Vince Cable will be

developing plans to

reform our broken

banking system, so that

bank lending supports

the real economy and

banks no longer takeunjustied risks.

35

International

Echo | May 2010

the real economy and banks

no longer take unjustied

risks. Instead, we will

support sustainable growth,

balanced across all industries

and across all regions, and

promote the green industries

that are so essential for our

shared future.

We will oversee the radical

dispersal of power away from

Westminster and Whitehall

to councils, communities

and homes across the nation.

So that, wherever possible,

people make the call over

the decisions that affect

their lives. And, crucially,

the relentless incursionsof the state into the lives

of individuals that has

characterized the last 13

years ends here. From rolling

back excessive surveillance,

to ending the criminalization

of innocent people, we will

restore and protect our hard-

won civil liberties.

I call that agenda liberalism.

Others may have other names

for it, but whatever terms

you prefer, this is our best

guarantee of a fair society.

That is the case I have

argued my whole politicallife. Yes, as the coalition

moves ahead there will be

bumps and scrapes along the

way; there has already been

signicant compromise from

both sides and there will of

course need to be more. And,

no, we do not yet have all of

the answers to the inevitable

questions that lie ahead.

While we will be open about

our differences, we also

know that our strength

the strength now needed to

deliver the change needed in

Britain depends on beingthe sum of our parts. And

from our different traditions

we can pursue one simple,

shared aim: this will be the

government that re-empowers

the British people.

This article was published

by the Guardian on 14th

May.


36/56

36

International

Echo | May 2010

Shanghai Expo

2010 Opens


37/56

International

37Echo | May 2010

Asians Welcome

Iranian Pavilion

The Iranian pavilionin Expo 2010 was

opened for visitors

on Saturday May 1st. The

Public Relations and

Information Office of

the Culture and Islamic

Relations Organization

reported that Iranian

pavi lion was of ficial ly

opened during a ceremony

where Shabestari, Iranian

diplomat in Beijing,

Naze ri , Iran ian consul in

Shanghai, Akbarpur Higher

Iranian Representative

in Shanghai Expo

part ic ipated along wi th

many other visitors.

The gathered crowd

during the first hours was

so great that astonished

the pavilion authorities.

The Iranian pavilion

consists of Ancient,

Contemporary and Future

sections, as well as the

business part decora ted

with valuable Iranian

rugs. All sections enjoy

facilities for visitors.

Reportedly more than

4 thousand people have

visited Iranian pavilion

during the first day.


38/56

38

International

Echo | May 2010

Special Symbols of

Iranian Pavilion

Beautiful building

with mihrab-like curves

symbolizing worship of the

Creator

Clean water designed as

traditional pools symbolizing

purity and cleanness

Positioning of colored

glasses on the roof through

which light passes symbolizing

love and brightnessManifestations of Iranian

border guards symbolizing

peaceful coexistence of

different Iranian tribes during

all historic ages

Building a quarter of earth

symbolizing Iran as one of

four great civilizations

Performing traditional

music symbolizing kindness

in Iranian societyModel of "33-pol" in

Isfahan symbolizing Iranian

great power in discovering

natural rules and lawfulness

Model of Silk Road

symbolizing transnational

and universal view of Ancient

Iranian society

Weaving a rug by visitors

during six months of Expo

symbolizing cooperation

The Saadi Poem of " Of

One Essence is the Human

Race, Thusly has Creation put

the Base" in three language

of Farsi, English and Chinese

symbolizing justice and

equality

Visitors Statistics of

Shanghai Expo and Iranian

Pavilion

Figures presented by the

authorities of Shanghai Expo2010 show that over 550

thousand people have visited

the fair during the rst three

days of May.

The Public Relations and

Information Ofce of the

Culture and Islamic Relations

Organization reported despite

different gures presented

by various media, some even

claiming a visit by over 5

thousand people, none ofthese numbers are true and the

correct statistics are presented

below.

Before the opening of

the Expo 2010, Chinese

authorites claimed more than

70 million people will visit

it during the six months and

at least 400 thousand people


39/56

39

International

Echo | May 2010

will visit it every day.

But the number on the

opening day was declaredto be 300 thousand which is

not reliable like many other

statistics.

The number on the second

day was declared 240 thousand

people which was expected

to be more considering the

weekend and May 1st ofcial

holiday. Although some

media reported 550 thousand

people for the rst three

days.So during normal days

fewer visitors are expected

to show up and with an

optimistic estimation 200

thousand people will visit

daily which add up to 36

million during the whole six

months.

Contrary to numbers

declared for Expo visitors

which were exaggerated,

the numbers for Iranianpavilion (5000 daily) are

underestimated.

Based on accurate

numbering on the main gate

of Iranian pavilion, about

250 to 300 visitors entered

the gate every 10 minutes.

This crowd continued from

9am to 5pm and during

these 8 hours, about 24500

to 26000 visitors has entered

the Iranian pavilion which

means between 735 to 780

thousand people will visit

Iranian pavilion monthly

adding up to 4100000 to

4700000 visitors for the

Iranian pavilion in Shanghai

Expo 2010 during the whole

period of six months.

Some Turk Muslims

Visit Iranian Pavilion

Some Turk Muslims from

Istanbul visited the Iranian

pavilion in China Expo 2010

on May 3rd. they visited all

parts of the pavilion and took

pictures.

Visitors Crowded in

Iranian Pavilion

Figures show that more

than 7 thousand people visit

the Iranian pavilion in China

Expo 2010 every day. They

are from different countries;

among them also there are

Iranians who have traveled to

visit our pavilion.


40/56

40

International

Echo | May 2010

Considering space limit, we plan

substitutions in three phases to present all

our new models, he added.

Salar Amoli said: for the purpose of

these substitutions we ask all ministries

of Science, Health, Treatment and

Physics Education, Agricultural Jihad,

Telecommunications, University Jihad,parks and educational centers, , to send

their models for us so the best selected ones

will be presented in nest phases.

June 11th has been selected as the Day

of Islamic Republic of Iran and we hope to

have better presentation of our technological

achievements in this day, he added.

The Tehran Singing Group will

Perform in Shanghai Expo

The Tehran Singing Group headed by

Milad Omranlu will Perform in Shanghais

Art Fair (Expo).

This group will travel to China to

participate in the countrys Asia Olympics

in July and during their stay, they will have

two programs in the Iranian pavilion.

Milad Omranlu said: we have not decided

Iran Present 34 High Tech in

China Expo 2010

The Director for Technology and

Innovation in the Presidential Ofce

for Science and Technology declared

the presentation of 34 Iranian high

tech achievements in medicines,

microelectronics, nanotech, and new energy

resources, in China Expo 2010.

Dr. Hussein Salar Amoli said: Iran will

participate in China Expo 2010 with three

sections of Ancient, Contemporary, and

Future Iran centered around scientic andtechnological development, as for example

in Ancient section, ancient Iranian scientists

will be presented.

Also 34 high tech achievements in

medicines, microelectronics, nanotech, and

new energy resources will be presented in

the Contemporary section, he added.

He said: during six months holding

of China Expo 2010 which focuses on

introducing different countries in cultural,

scientic and economic aspects, more than100 million people are expected to visit the

Expo of whom we expect 10 million to visit

the Iranian pavilion.


41/56

41

International

Echo | May 2010

is underway for development of international

and economic relations during Shanghai

Expo 2010.About the effects of Expo on our

international relations he said: we have

invited all pavilions, local and foreign high

authorities, and ambassadors to visit our

pavilion on Iran Day during the Expo on June

11th, when we have planned for some serious

talks with them.

The Iranian Consul has focused his

programs, through the Ministries of the

Foreign Affairs and the Culture and Islamic

Relations, on more extended internationalinteractions and activities, he added.

About the economic and trade effects of

this international fair, he said: the common

Iran-China Chamber is seriously active in

this fair where trade relations with other

countries are considered too. We have a 400

square meters space for trade section where is

the Iran-Chian Chamber.

We received the Best Prize during the

designing and preparation of pavilions, he

said.

He added, now the best decorated pavilions

are for China, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and

Austria.

about the method of our programs and it

will depend on the atmosphere of the Fair

but surely we will perform pieces chosen

for the Olympics.

Iranian Research on

Pharmaceutical Effects of

Saffron in Shanghai Expo

Some results of Iranian research on

pharmaceutical effects of Saffron will be

presented during Shanghai Expo.

The Chairman of Iranian Saffron

Development and Export Fund, Ali Shariati

Moghadam said: there have been previous

studies on pharmaceutical effects of Saffron

including anti depression and anti cancer

effects which were presented internationally.

But previous works have been limited and this

time we plan to have a more comprehensive

research on pharmaceutical effects of

Saffron.

Best Preparation Timing and

Design Expo Prize for Iran

The Advisor of the Executive Manager of

the International Fair said: extensive planning


42/56

42

International

Echo | May 2010

Iranian National

Laser Science and

Technology Center

The Iranian National

Laser Science and

Technology Center has

initiated extensive programs

aimed at better utilization of

laser technology.

The main goals include

providing for Iranian

essential needs (Industry and

Physics), introducing the

laser technology and utilitiesto Iranian industries. This

Center has participated in

China Expo 2010 with two

of its newest research and

technology achievements

which could compete with

their foreign counterparts.

These achievements

are presented to introduce

the capabilities of Iranian

young scientists as well as

the nations scientic and

technological potentials.Narrow Disc Laser

Machine which has a

powerful emission and is only

produced in a limited number

of countries.

This machine was nalized

from research phase only

during three years.

The other machine is the

Fiber Laser which is also one

of the most moderns tools in

the world.

However the achievements

of the National Laser Science

and Technology Centre is not

limited to these two machines

and the center has developed

many tools to provide for

the needs of Iranian industry

including the metal cutting

and disease welding tools,

as well as illness treating

tools like laser cutting tool

for kidney-stones. This

Center has the potential tocompete with similar centers

in modern countries through

its skilled and expert human

resource.

Using Kaixin001.com

to Advertise Iranian

Pavilion

The Iranian pavilion has

prepared for its introductionin this social network site

which works like Twitter

and has more than 4 million

visitors every day.

The Japanese have also

used this site to promote their

pavilion.

Foreign Visitors Pleased

with Expo

Various Sections ofIran Pavilion


43/56

43Echo | May 2010

China Expo 2010 was

open to ordinary visitors on

May 4th

who could buy theirtickets at the entrance gates.

Until 14 oclock of the rst

day more than 130 thousand

people have entered that

equals the whole visitors of

previous day. 3.5 million

Foreign tourists are expected

to visit China Expo 2010.

Most tourists have said

they are most eager to see

the pavilions of their own

country, China, and West

European and American ones.

They describe the Expo as a

Universal Village. Authorities

have provided the number of

962010 to give information in

12 languages where manuals

are also distributed among

visitors.

First Expo Meeting

on Information and

Urbanizationin Nin Bu

The First Expo Meeting

will be held in Nin Bu

in Je Jian province in

southeastern China on the

subject of Information and

Urbanization.

Issues like urban

management and life in

current economic situation

and the future of urban

regions considering

the technological,

telecommunication, and

information developments

will be discussed.

Until now 65 gures

including authorities,

scientists, and businessmen

have conrmed to take

part or give lecture at themeeting.

Fairs, meetings and

cultural activities are the

main three parts of the

Shanghai Expo 2010. On

the sidelines of Expo, one

discussion meeting and 6

other gatherings with the

main subject of Expo will be

held in Nin Bu, Su Jueo, Wu

Shi, Nan Jin, Shao Shin, and

Han Jueo.

First Nations Day

for Albania

The rst Nations Day

was held for Albania on

May 5th.


44/56

44

International

Echo | May 2010

Visitors on this day

could not only watch

traditional singing anddance of Albania but

also know their culture

by visiting through their

pavilion, Xinhua News

Agency reported.

The Republic of

Albania is in southeastern

Europe on the coast of

the Adriatic Sea of the

Balkan Peninsula with a

population of more than 3

million.100 nation days are

expected to be held during

the six months of Expo.

Low Carbon

Criteria Met in

Shanghai Expo

Low carbon standardswere considered during

preparation and opening

of Shanghai Expo, John

Chuan, head of Environment

Preservation Organization in

Shanghai said on Wednesday

May 5th.

During a news conference

he said since the early

preparations of this Expo and

nding the location for it,272 polluting factories were

closed and during pavilion

buildings, new technologies

like solar energy were used

and economical use of water

and energy has always been

in mind.

The motto for the Expo

2010 is better city, better

life.

More than 33 MillionExpo Tickets Sold

The Tickets Center of the

Shanghai Expo 2010 reported

that until Wednesday May 5th

a total of 33 million and 110

thousand tickets have been

sold including 23 million

and960 thousand individual

and 9 million and 150 thousand

group tickets. Considering gift

tickets for urban families of

Shanghai, the total visitors

have reached 40 million.

Though the Expo will last

for 184 days, the authorities

suggest that those who have

tickets should consider visiting

the fair in a proper time since

most of these vast ticket holders

decide to visit at last days, the


45/56

45

International

Echo | May 2010

Expo will be overcrowded, a

Press Spokesman for Shanghai

Expo Ofce said.

Shanghai Expo

Opportunity for

Developed Australian

Trade with China

Australian businessmen

are happy with enthusiastic

Chinese visitors toward their

products. One of them said due

to high prices for Australian

Jewel stones, he did not

expect a great sellout in China

but such interest of Chinese

visitors has encouraged him

to open a permanent shop in

Shanghai.

This is the rst time

that this sort of jewel stone

is presented in Shanghai.

Our company has brought

the most valuable stones

because we knew Chineseare fond of Mode and there

are modern shop centers in

this city. We hope to use the

Expo opportunity to enter the

Chinese market. After the

Expo we plan to open a jewel

stone shop in Shanghai. We

expect many Chinese to meet

jewel stones of our country,

he said.

Iranian Consul Visits

Venezuelan Pavilion

Preplanned by the Iranian

consulate in Shanghai, on

the second day of China

Expo 2010, May 2nd, the

Iranian Consul participated

in the opening ceremony

of Venezuelan pavilion

along with Mr. Akbarpur,

the Executive Director and

Mr. Habibi the Financial

and Ofcial Director of the

International Fairs Company.

The Venezuelan Minister of

Tourism and vice-Minister

for Foreign Affairs also

participated in the ceremony

along with many other

authorities.

Omani Ambassador

to Beijing Visits

Iranian Pavilion

The Omani Ambassador

to Beijing visited Iranian

Pavilion in China Expo 2010

along with the countrys

consul in Shanghai on May3rd.


46/56

46 Echo | May 2010

the Ambassador received comprehensive explanation

during his visit after which he had a meeting with

the Executive Director of the International FairsCompany, Akbarpur.

Some Syrian Authorities Visit

Iranian Pavilion

Some Syrian Authorities from their Ministries

of Economy, Trade, and Tourism visited the

Iranian pavilion in China Expo 2010 on May

3rd. they visited all parts of the pavilion and

described it as very rich in contents.

Some Turk Muslims Visit IranianPavilion

Some Turk Muslims from Istanbul

visited the Iranian pavilion in China

Expo 2010 on May 3rd. they visited

all parts of the pavilion and took

pictures.

Some Xinjiang Muslims Visit

Iranian Pavilion

Some Xinjiang Muslims fluentin Turkish and Arabic visited the

Iranian pavilion in China Expo

2010 on May 3 rd. they visited

all parts of the pavilion.

Visitors Crowded in

Iranian Pavilion

Figures show that

more than 7 thousand

people visit the Iranian

pavilion in China Expo

2010 every day. They

are from different

countries; among

them also there are

Iranians who have

traveled to visit

our pavilion.


47/56

47Echo | May 2010

Iran Present 34 High Tech in China Expo 2010

The Director for Technology and Innovation in thePresidential Ofce for Science and Technology declared

the presentation of 34 Iranian high tech achievements in

medicines, microelectronics, nanotech, and new energy

resources, in China Expo 2010.

Dr. Hussein Salar Amoli said: Iran will participate

in China Expo 2010 with three sections of Ancient,

Contemporary, and Future Iran centered around

scientic and technological development, as for

example in Ancient section, ancient Iranian

scientists will be presented.

Also 34 high tech achievements in medicines,

microelectronics, nanotech, and new energy

resources will be presented in the Contemporary

section, he added.

He said: during six months holding

of China Expo 2010 which focuses on

introducing different countries in cultural,

scientic and economic aspects, more

than 100 million people are expected to

visit the Expo of whom we expect 10

million to visit the Iranian pavilion.

Considering space limit, we

plan substitutions in three phasesto present all our new models, he

added.

Salar Amoli said: for the

purpose of these substitu-

tions we ask all ministries

of Science, Health, Treat-

ment and Physics Educa-

tion, Agricultural Jihad,

Telecommunications,

University Jihad,

parks and educa-tional centers, ,

to send their mod-

els for us so the

best elected ones

will be presented

in nest phases.


48/56

48

International

Echo | May 2010

June 11th has been

selected as the Day of

Islamic Republic of Iranand we hope to have

better presentation of our

technological achievements

in this day, he added.

The Tehran Singing

Group will Perform

in Shanghai Expo

The Tehran Singing

Group headed by Milad

Omranlu will Perform in

Shanghais Art Fair (Expo).

This group will travel to

China to participate in the

countrys Asia Olympics in

July and during their stay,

they will have two programs

in the Iranian pavilion.

Milad Omranlu said: we

have not decided about the

method of our programsand it will depend on the

atmosphere of the Fair but

surely we will perform

pieces chosen for the

Olympics.

Iranian Research on

Pharmaceutical Effects of

Saffron in Shanghai Expo

Some results of Iranian

research on pharmaceuticaleffects of Saffron will be

presented during Shanghai

Expo.

The Chairman of Iranian

Saffron Development and

Export Fund, Ali Shariati

Moghadam said: there

have been previous studies

on pharmaceutical effects

of Saffron including anti

depression and anti cancer

effects which were presentedinternationally. But previous

works have been limited

and this time we plan to

have a more comprehensive

research on pharmaceutical

effects of Saffron.

Currently a research

group with members from

Iran Physics University,

Mashhad Pharmaceutics

University and the Japan

Saibai University are

working on pharmaceutical

effects of Saffron and some

parts of this research will be

presented during six months

of Shanghai Expo.

We will show films

and entertain our gusts

with saffron foods beside

gatherings and meetings on

pharmaceutical effects of

Saffron, he added.

Best PreparationTiming and Design

Expo Prize for Iran

The Advisor to the Executive

Manager of International Fair

said: extensive planning is

underway for development of

international and economic

relations during Shanghai

Expo 2010.

About the effects ofExpo on our international

relations he said: we have

invited all pavilions, local

and foreign high authorities,

and ambassadors to visit our

pavilion on Iran Day during

the Expo on June 11th, when

we have planned for some

serious talks with them.

The Iranian Consul has


49/56

Echo | May 2010 49

International

focused his programs,

through the Ministries of

Foreign Affairs and Cultureand Islamic Relations, on

more extended international

interactions and activities, he

added.

About the economic

and trade effects of this

international fair, he said: the

common Iran-China Chamber

is seriously active in this fair

where trade relations with

other countries are considered

too. We have a 400 square

meters space for trade section

which is the Iran-Chian

Chamber.

We received the Best Prize

during the designing and

preparation of pavilions, he

said.

He added, now the best

decorated pavilions are

for China, Saudi Arabia,

Australia, and Austria.

Opening of TradeDevelopment Section

There were reports that

after arrival of representative

of the Iranian Trade

Development Organization

as well as the Iranian Trade

Attach to the Shanghai Expo

2010, a section of Iranian

pavilion was prepared andopened as the Section of Trade

Development Organization.

The Iranian Trade

Development Organization

is the greatest authority for

development of countrys

non-oil exports and now seeks

to utilize its section inside the

Iranian pavilion to promote

trade possibilities among

Chinese and non-Chinese

visitors. Their activities

include:A 4-minute lm about

trade, economy, technology,

engineering and tourism

capabilities of Iran.

Presenting trade

information including

information on better

export companies, export

communities, investment in

Iran, and trade informative

centers of Iran through CDs

and PC presentations, as

well as introducing the Site

of Iranian Trade Attach to

Beijing in Chinese language.

Presenting Iranian Trade

information in Chinese

language through a brochure

including introduction

of Trade Development

Organization, introducing

the organizations portal,

presenting technologicaland engineering capabilities,

introduction of better export

companies of 2009 along with

a CD of these information.

Presenting books and CDs

on trade and foreign business

potentials in Iran.

Opening of IranSection in Expo

Online Site

Based on a preplanned

program, the Iranian pavilion

was emptied for some minutes

so the Expo photographers

could took necessary photos

to open the Iran section in the

Expos site which will include

a 360o view of the pavilion.


50/56

50

Thought

Echo | May 2010

Imam Khomeini belongs

to the usuli approach.

The Shia thought from

the very beginning, under

the inuence of the teachings

of infallible Imams, tendedtowards rationalism and

theologians like Shaikh

Mod and his disciples

continued this approach.

Rationalism in Shia thought

became profounder with

the contribution of Farabi,

Avicenna and Khawja

Nasiruddin Tusi through

their practical philosophy.

In the early decades of themajor occultation of the

Twelfth Imam, the rationalist

discussions of Shaikh Mod

(355-436) led to the formation

of the Baghdad School and

his disciple, Shaikh Tusi

(385-460), according to

Abulqasem Gorji, founded

ijtihad mutlaq (individual

inference). Rationalism has

been a dominant trend in

Shia school of jurisprudence

except for two short period:

one, in the early centurieswhen the Qum Ikhabari

School was known by Shaikh

Sadduq (died 383 hegira) and

the second time, during the

Safavid era when thinkers

such as Mohammad Amin

Astarabadi (1036 hegira) tried

this trend. Overall, the anti-

rationalist Ikhbari approach

has not had a signicant

place in Shia thought.Vahid Behbahani rejected

their claims and revived the

rationalist tendencies in Shia

jurisprudential school which

culminated in the efforts of

the renowned jurisprudent

Shaikh Mortada Ansari.

Imam Khomeini is

connected to Shaikh Mortada

Ansari through his teachers

and belongs to this school of

jurisprudence. With regard to

political thought, Shiism has

connected religion to politicsthrough the doctrine of

Imamat. With the beginning

of the era of occultation of

the Twelfth Imam different

discourses emerged on

political life during the time

of occultation. The Shias

were politically isolated until

the time of the Safavid when

a Shia state was established.

During the period of politicalisolation, the jurisprudential

approaches mainly focused

on the ways to confront the

oppressive rulers and hence

the works on responsibility

of the ruler, management and

leadership of the society by

the jurisprudents were scanty.

Imam KhomeinisPolitical Thought

From jurisprudential

point of viewBy: Mehdi Goljan (PhD)


51/56

51

Thought

Echo | May 2010

The reason was the absence of

practical conditions to discuss

the domain of authorityof the jurisprudents and

establishment of a political

system. Although discussions

about the Wilayat-e Faqi

and representation of the

Infallible Imam can be traced

back to the early centuries

of the occultation, during

this period the Shia scholars

focused mainly on the

modality of interaction with

the oppressive rulers.

Wi

islamic thought foundation may 2010

Documents