Not everyone believes the shocking video of a woman shot in Tehran. Telmah Parsa writes from Iran on why many Iranians—including his mother—refuse to accept the horrific video tells the whole truth.
The writer, who uses a pseudonym for his own safety, is a university student in Iran.
Writing from Iran, university student Telmah Parsa surveys the post-election mood—from a friend who hopes the vote was rigged (because if it wasn’t, Iran just re-elected Ahmadinejad) to his parents, who say the “irreligious hipsters” out protesting need to face up to their defeat.
While incumbent Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declares victory, runner-up candidate says it's fraud. Iranian university student Telmah Parsa on the divergent groups—Iran’s young hipsters versus their deeply religious parents—that may have swayed presidential election, and why the country’s semi-democratic process is still much richer than the Middle East’s other faux elections.
In the wake of Iran’s ban on Facebook, Telmah Parsa explains the mysterious logic behind the regime’s censorship games. (And why is The Daily Beast among the sites blocked in Iran? We’re still not entirely sure—but perhaps it has something to do with this video we published in January: Iran’s Hottest Porn Video.)
The Iranian government celebrated the shoe thrower's attack on George Bush. But when Ahmadinejad became the target, it was a different story. Telmah Parsa on the incident that never officially occurred.
Months before this week's uprising in Iran, The Daily Beast was banned from the country for re-posting a viral video sensation in Iran: hidden camera footage of an Iranian cleric committing adultery.