Iran

Background and Essays on the Situation in Iran

Religious Fundamentalist Regimes: A Lesson from the Iranian Revolution 1978-1979, by Michael Schmidt / Bikisha Media Collective, from "Zabalaza: A Journal of Southern African Revolutionary Anarchism #2," March 2002
"Iran is an important test case firstly because until the revolution, Iran was one of three key pro-Western strongholds in the Middle East necessary for suppressing local worker demands and keeping oil production cheap... Secondly because the revolution - or more correctly, the Muslim clerical counter-revolution that destroyed it - was to the Arab, Kurdish and Persian world what the Russian Revolution was to the European world and has provided the "model revolution" debated amongst anti-imperialist and revolutionary Muslim workers ever since."

The Opening in Iran, Ken Knabb / Bureau of Public Secrets, March 12, 1979
A text on the possiblities and potentialities that the explosive, unmediated Iranian Revolution created. Written during the uprising and before Khomeini's complete consolidation of power.
Farsi translation (pdf)

The Misery of Islam, by Al-Djouhall, 1989
An Iranian situationist critique of Islam

Why the Reversion to Islamic Archaism? by Lafif Lakhdar, 1981
A key essay on Islamic fundamentalism by the Middle Eastern radical writer Lafif Lakhdar. This is a detailed materialist history of the development of Islamic archaism up to the Iranian revolution. Lakhdar was a revolutionary, a socialist, and a colleague of and collaborator with the situationist Mustapha Khayati. He was living in Lebanon when he wrote this piece, in an effort to understand and explain events in Iran.
Preface to the Lakhdar essay: The Modern Schizophrenia of Islamic Integralism, by Harald Beyer-Arnesen, 2002

Iranian Students Spark Revolt, by wispy cockles, Defenestrator, June 2003
An excellent report and analysis on the scale and implications of the (mostly) student unrest throughout Iran in June of 2003.

In Iran Converting to Anarchism is Easy, but being an Anarchist is Difficult
A Danish comrade interviews some Iranian anarchists, May 2003

The Final Victory Will be the People's: An Interview with Farzad, an Iranian Dissident in Exile in Ireland Interview by James O Brien, Workers Solidarity no. 79, Jan 2004

Offline materials worth exploring:

"Edris" The first Persian-language anarchist book written by an Iranian. Published 2003. For a copy, write to: P.O. box 16545-134 - Tehran - Iran
"Workers Councils in Iranian Factories," article in MERIP reports no. 88, 1980
"Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood," by Marjane Satrapi. Published 2003

Recent publications and texts by Iranians

Cultural Geography of Anarchy: What is the Iranian Anarchism? (pdf)
(in Farsi) by Iranian Anarchists, 2003

NAKHDAR: A Persian Anarcho-Communist Journal - Summary of Nakhdar #2, Spring 2002
Participants in the Anarcho-Communist Union of Boston (ACUB): acub[at]nefac[dot]net
PO Box 380473
Cambridge, MA 02238-0473
USA
email: nakhdar[at]hotmail[dot]com

Melancholic Troglodytes
Iranian participants in the London-Based group "No War but The Class War"
Leaflets
Box no. 44
136-138 Kingsland High Street
London E8 2NS
United Kingdom
email: meltrogs1[at]hotmail[dot]com

Various Links for Current Struggles and Up-to-Date News Items

Iranian Anarchist Websites in Canada:
http://anarchi.persianblog.com (in Farsi)
http://abgoon.persianblog.com (in Farsi)

Worker-Communist Party of Iran
This is *not* the Communist Party of Iran. They are an organization that split off from the Communist Party some time ago. They extensively discuss their (humanist) politics on their website, so judge for yourself. The website contains regularly-updated press releases with information on the latest strikes. International Worker Solidarity is a publication of Worker-Communist Party of Iran. They also produce the weekly publication, WPI Briefing.

ZAN.org
Zan (Woman) is an interactive directory / anthology of the arts and ideas of Iranian Women by Iranian women, free from any political or religious affiliations. It is inclusive of all ages, religions, races, colors, classes, and sexual orientations

Hambastegi / International Federation of Iranian Refugees

Medusa: Iranian Journal of Women and Socialism

Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran

Provides an up-to-date newswire with hard to find reports. Highly critical of the current regime, though read with some degree of skepticism, as they are staunchly pro-American.

MORE NEWS

Inter Press Service: US: Neo-cons Move Quickly on Iran

Contacts

Iranian Anarchists in Iran:

Postal Addresses:

P.O. box 16545-134 - Tehran - Iran (Recommended)

P.O. box 76195-1451 - Kerman - Iran

Email Addresses: nikan_r[at]yahoo[dot]com, edris_hws[at]hotmail[dot]com, imo_news[at]hotmail[dot]com, reza_kalani[at]yahoo[dot]com

Iranian Anarchists in the U.S.: nakhdar[at] hotmail[dot]com

Iranian Anarchists in the U.K.: meltrogs1[at] hotmail[dot]com

Iranian Anarchists in Sweden: samme[at]graffiti[dot]net

Iranian Anarchists in Canada: isthiswhatdemocracylookslike[at]yahoo[dot]com, mohsen69[at]yahoo[dot]com

Iranian Anarcho-communists in Canada (Afghan Anarcho-communists also co-operate with this group): ashkan_1100[at]yahoo[dot]com