A Stroll Through The Tenderloin

ten·der·loin (tender-loin)
n.

1. The tenderest part of a loin of beef, pork, or similar cut of meat.

2. A city district notorious for vice and graft.

Holiest of Things

photo by David Gilkey/NPR

I commissioned this poem in 2004 for a video I did about children in Palestine. A friend of mine who I had been blessed to meet named Samer Tamimi is an amazing poet who is originally Palestinian. His poem is what remains from the project.

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The RZA and Hip Hop Spirituality

I had become a fan of the Wu-Tang Clan when I was fairly young, hearing "Protect Ya Neck" on the radio in the early/mid 90s after the release of their first album. A few Wu-Tang songs circulated on the homemade mix tapes my older brother made from the radio that I listened to, years before I even purchased a Wu Tang album. By 97 and the arrival of the second Wu-Tang album, "Forever" I was all ears. Since getting my dad to drive me to a Sam Goody after school was way out of the question, a friend of mine bought the CD for me the day it came out. I listened to the album in one session and it left me rapping the lyrics for years to come in addition to asking a lot of questions about the world.

When I heard the opening verse from "Impossible" it left me searching for more..

Fusion of the five elements, to search for the higher intelligence
Women walk around celibate, livin irrelevant
The most benevolent king, communicatin through your dreams
Mental pictures been painted, Allah's heard and seen
everywhere, throughout your surroundin atmosphere
Troposphere, thermosphere, stratosphere
Can you imagine from one single idea, everything appeared here
Understanding makes my truth, crystal clear...

The RZA's lyrical career is by no means one that is squeeky clean nor void of hypocrisies and contradictions. In fact, RZA's use 5 Percenter teachings generally tunes me out of his philosophy. However, his verses have generally served as encouragement for his community and his listeners to seek knowledge, read, expand their vocabulary and to calculate actions, seeing life as a chessboard.

RZA's new book looks like an interesting read but more importantly, books authored within the hip hop community, though rare, reach an audience that may have never picked up a book. The desire for knowledge is shared by all people, but without credibility in the culture of the audience, words will fail to stick.

RZA's humility in the above video is commendable for a rap artist and he has definitely sparked my attention as he did before in 97. I look forward to reading The Tao of Wu.

Open Indie May Bring Bucks Back To Filmmakers

Indie filmmakers who choose to distribute their work on their own (like myself) are at a serious disadvantage relative to films with high end distribution. On the other hand, audience opportunity to interact with filmmakers and artists as well as hold screenings of indie movies are much better than films distributed by a third party.

OpenIndie.com is an opportunity for indie film audiences to find movies they want to see and/or screen, and be informed about showings in their area, all while the filmmaker has a chance to benefit financially from each viewer.

As much as the internet has democratized cinema, image makers are still searching for ways to monetize their content in a way that stays accessible to the internet audience. Open Indie may be part of the answer... we'll see.

Maz Jobrani's Message About Warring Factions

If you want to support an independent film like Warring Factions you
can do a few things.

1. Spread the word. Write a blog, make a phone call, send an email,
tweet, text message, and/or carrier pigeon to your friends about the
movie. Additionally, I have started a Facebook event publicizing the
release here [Link]

2. Buy the DVD. Downloading the film is great but having the DVD is
much better for sharing and holding screenings for communities and
friends. The DVD also includes features which are not included when
you download the film. When you buy the DVD be sure to donate at
least another $10 to help with future projects.

3. Donate. Films are expensive to produce but documentaries that have
a message should be made to inspire change and not to make profits..
To make future films I rely on the people to support my efforts
financially. Just as mainstream movies are financed by large
conglomerated companies, my films are made with the support of many
people who want to do their part in voicing for change.

Remember Election Day?

So on my way leaving the polling place for the Iranian presidential elections I saw this fun little bunch protesting outside. This particular lady cursed at me and called me an "akhoond" (another word for a mullah) so I took a picture of her. I guess my beard was longer that day : /


Funny thing is, I still see these people standing on the corner Veteran and Wilshire wasting their time holding "Where is my vote?" signs. Irony.

Dear crazy people on both sides,
Please stay at home watching Persian satellite, the rest of us are going to try to move forward from this election and learn from what happened. In the meantime let's stop locking up and getting locked up, it will be good for everyone.

Images Talk

By Sepideh Raeesi

and this one says?

It's Been A Long While

As you may have noticed the frequency of my posts diminishing, I should explain for myself... I am still alive but have been working on a variety of different projects that sometimes my own wife can't keep up with...

A few upcoming things you should look out for...

My coverage of Freestyle Session 12 on Dipdive... sure to be the hotness so keep checking for it.

The release of Warring Factions on DVD... I'm not giving a concrete date but I'm aiming for Eid time (end of Ramadhan).
........................................................................................

In the meantime, here's a message to take home:

Act like you know better, because you do.
Tell the truth and shame the devil.
Don't be afraid of the truth but be aware of the consequences.

Mujahideen Email Recruiting and Another Visit By DHS

I recently received an message on my personal email address reading...

"I am an Engineer and Scientist with the Mujahideen Forces in Afghanistan.

I have a financial proposition that will benefit both of us greatly and if interested do indicate by replying for more directives.

Eng.Mohammad Fadhil."

FYI to the Feds... If you want to email prospective jihadis you may at least want to Salaam a brother.

Maybe not so coincidentally, this email was received one day before I was stopped (again) by the homies at Homeland Security in Seattle doing a "follow up" interview regarding my 2008 stay in Iran and the subsequent detention in Atlanta.

Since I visited Canada for less than 5 hours on an Alaskan cruise my name had to be processed by DHS. Due to my federal celebrity status I was flagged for an "examination" and a detailed search of my and my wife's belongings.

I would rate this last run in with Homeland a 7 whereas my last experience in Atlanta was closer to a 2. This time we were able to request a female agent to search my wife's luggage and were free to use the bathroom. We were even offered a small continental breakfast which was really the typical cop doughnut breakfast. The whole ordeal lasted a little longer than 2 hours from the time I was woken up in our stateroom to be interviewed till the officer hailing us a cab outside the port.

I hope this last run-in with DHS proves to them that they are wasting time and resources by interviewing me every time I re-enter the US.

Islamist Crazies Alive and Well on the Internet

I found this video via Views From The Occident. The video is a type of eulogy for Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, a militant Salafi terrorist who was killed by a US airstrike in 2006 and demonstrates the fact that Salafi terrorists are still around and have added tacky video editing as a part of their training. Iraq's recent resurgence of violence has been alarming as well as disheartening to see that Iraq's sovereignty looks lengths away from the foreseeable future.

The militant Salafist movements of Iraq are still strong despite a reduction in violence from 2006 and 2007. Reasons for this include the vast numbers of Sunni Iraqi's disenfranchised by the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the unlimited supply of radical Sunni extremists living everywhere from Kashhmir to London. This not so efficient network of radical Salifis provides moral and/or financial support to similar groups in conflict zones (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc).

The US military's current strategy is building alliances with Sunni tribes to combat Salafi terrorist groups from the community level and cutting off their recruitment base. However effective these efforts may be in the short run, a long term solution can only be provided by the global Muslim community itself. Salafi strategies of financing Islamic mosques and dawa with the condition that it be headed with Salafi ideology creates an incredible base of Muslims who are complacent to Salafi violence around the world. Not until the dangers of militant Salafism/Wahabism becomes a major discourse in the global Muslim community will there be a significant reduction in the global networks of Islamist terrorists.

Related Reading
Is Iraq Sliding Back Into Chaos?
Frontline Analaysis of Wahabism
The Decline of Knowledge and the Rise of Ideology in the Modern Islamic World

There's No Going Back

The controversy surrounding the Iranian presidential election has not only done damage to Iran but has also polarized the Shia community abroad on the issue. Iranian nationals within the Muslim community have either recognized the election results as legitimate, sided with the Supreme Leader's decision to end any probing into election fraud, or have voiced discontent with the regime's unwillingness to investigate the election results.

As demonstrations in Los Angeles have attracted majorly those who would not identify with the values of the Islamic Republic (most protesters don't even use the current flag of Iran when demonstrating), those identifying with those values have debated the outcome of the election fiercely.

Those defending the legitimacy of the election have sited the disconnection of the liberal "elite" from the masses of Iranians outside of Tehran as the cause of mass protests and an overall attitude of being sore losers in the election. In addition, Iranian voices of opposition have been dismissed by this group as supporting foreign enemies (Mossad, MKO, CIA, etc) bent on the collapse of the Islamic Republic. For some this may be a class conflict but when it comes down to it, is a question of transparency.

Iranians voicing their criticism of the elections have been harshly criticized by even non-Iranians who admire the institution of the IRI and intend on doing their part in what they feel is upholding the Islamic Republic and/or their loyalty to a Marja Taqlid.

Iranians who have aligned themselves with their government in the past and are now questioning its methods have seen this election as the breaking point for their trust in their leaders. The widespread media censorship, communication lockdown, police/ Basij/ military brutality against civilians has eroded the trust of Iranian nationals for their government.

At this point, I believe that some Mousavi supporters would have preferred Ahmadinejad to have won the election fairly and transparently rather than the current situation which has spiraled out of control on both sides. However, we find ourselves at the point of no return and there is no easy solution to all of this, so let's stop acting like the answer is going to come from out of the sky.

Where is the order?

At present Iran is in unrest. The mass reactions of the elections are that of dismay and those who feel they have been disfranchised and stripped of their voice have taken to the street. I have not been relying on one source of news media for my information about the election aftermath, rather a network of personal contacts in Iran, blogs, Twitter, and media coming directly from the streets.

Some have claimed this unrest is at its heart a struggle between Rafsanjani and Iran's Supreme Leader, Seyed Ali Khamenei, while many have been saying that the final numbers were a blatant robbery of the election because a Mousavi victory would skew the vision of the current regime.




Whatever be the case, the type of violence and unrest seen in Iran at the moment has the potential to be a huge step backward for establishing a legitimacy for the Islamic Republic and may eventually be a death sentence for the nation. The blocking of SMS messaging, limiting Internet access, filtering social media and the charade of state broadcast media has given Iranians and the rest of the world the image that Iran is insecure and willing to go great unethical lengths to keep their population quiet. Enemies of Iran will (and I'm sure already have) use this unrest for their own agendas, however, if allegations of voter fraud are false, then there is no harm in seeing the ballots and having an observed recount.

Related Reading:
Polls Before Elections
New Unrest is a Coup
Rejecting Charges of the Northern Tehran Fallacy
Stealing the Election
Report Purporting to Show Rigged Elections Flawed

Election Day is Here

I write you as I walk out of the door to vote in the 1388 elections in Los Angeles. A lot of the young Iranians I know have been excited to participate this year and have been active in viewing the presidential debates as well as reading about the candidates and their policies. It's unfortunate that there seems to be anti Islamic Republic demonstrators at the polling places in Los Angeles. Of all days and places, they choose to protest at polling places. Very counter productive if you ask me.

After a few phone calls with family in Tehran, it seems Iran is the right climate for massive participation. The current economic downturn, inflation, and sentiments of those who have felt imposed on by harsh morality enforcement, all have combined factors in this years increased participation in the presidential elections.

I'll refrain from posting speculative reports of which of the candidates is ahead in the polls. We'll have to see what happens tomorrow.

Wifey Gets A Blog

I'm glad to say that my wife Fatemeh has started a blog. She is an amazingly talented author, poet, and person who I will spend the rest of my life with, God willing. As a filmmaker who tends to make personal work, you will undoubtedly be seeing more of her in my work and more of me in hers. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do.

The Pope is Not A Celebrity Endorsement Deal

photo: Ammar Abd Rabbo

In response to this, I would have to say that this is one of the more shameless acts in Israeli politics. While the hype regarding the Pope's "controversial" visit to Israel has been generally focused on whether the Pope has anti-Jewish sentiments, Netanyahu has tried to use the Pope's visit as an endorsement for Israel while Christian Arabs are treated as second class citizens. Netanyahu feels he can use the leverage of Pope Benedict XVI's Nazi German youth past to get a condemnation of Iran for it's "destructive" intentions and statements. Netanyahu's attempt to incite a new crusade against Iran has no rules or boundaries.

The Pope's visit to Israel could do a lot to bring international attention to the Palestinian plight but unfortunately is doing little for anyone in the region.

Noor Film Festival Screening Recap

It's been over a week since the screening at Noor and I am finally getting around to writing about it. My film screened on a Saturday afternoon and in true "Persian" fashion, 70% of the audience was 20 minutes late. I'm glad that my film was preceded by a 20 minute short.

Overall, audience reaction was by far better than any other screening. Every scene of nuanced humor, emotion, or frustration was followed by laughter and/or applause. I think the best received scene was that which Iranian bboy Hossein Battle is speaking about Iran- US relations. In the film Hossein mentions that "the US is not our big brother or cousin to tell us what do do," after which the whole audience hooted and applauded his comment. Regardless of Iranians varying opinions on Iran's current regime, the vast majority believes in an Iran that is sovereign and independent from the West in its decision making.


After the screening I was honored to hear such positive feedback from Reza Badiyi who has achieved a lot in the industry, especially as an Iranian-American. His feedback, more than anyone else at the festival meant a lot. Also, in attending the festival I was happy to meet Faramarz K Rahber who directed Donkey in Lahore and won 3 awards at the festival including Best Director. It meant a great deal to hear the filmmaker who won Best Director saying my film was his favorite in the festival.

The next day during the award ceremony Warring Factions was nominated for Best Documentary and Best Story/Idea. I was honored to be nominated at the festival and I sincerely thank everyone who passed out fliers, sent facebook messages, and told friends about the screening and the film. This festival has opened up a few more doors for the film and I hope to be screening again in LA since I was approached by so many people asking when the next showing was.

LA Premiere... Less Than One Week Away

After a lot of planning and hard work it seems my film is finally playing in LA. As exciting as the screening in NY was, this upcoming screening at Noor Film Festival on May 2nd holds a special place.

Noor is one of the only Iranian film festival in the US. Considering my film is concerning Iran, it is appropriate to be seen by an Iranian audience and can definitely be appreciated by young Iranian American viewers.

My work on the film up and my challenges in getting it made, including becoming a terror suspect along the way, has lead up to this screening in LA. My plans for my next steps are unsure, but I recognize that this is a new world we live in which requires a new strategy to spread the hope of reconciliation.

I won't do my big reveal until later, but know that what I do will be surprising but more effective than the traditional path, God willing.

Wackest Obama Move Yet

Obama Exempts CIA Torture Staff
When we don't hold people accountable for their actions we are no better than dogs..

Same Stuff Different Headline

Bloomberg says: Iran Sanctions Would Be Frozen By U.S. for Talks, Envoys Say

Upon actually reading the article I found this crucial sentence... "The Obama administration won’t impose additional sanctions on Iran if it freezes nuclear development work and joins talks over the future of its program"

In other news, Iran clones the first goat in the Middle East.. take that Arab states!

Little Bastani in a Big Way

I couldn't resist posting this... classic.