Saw this advertised last night on the beeb, looks very interesting...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/iran/

I know I am as guilty as the next person of perhaps drawing some rash conclusions on certain cultures and countries - none more so the Iran.

I have read some horrific things about the treatment of Women under Islamic law in Iran, so wll be intersting to gain a futher insight into that.

Hopefully it will provide a balanced view.

Has anyone tuned into this?

Looks very interesting.

Saw this advertised last night on the beeb, looks very interesting...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/iran/

I know I am as guilty as the next person of perhaps drawing some rash conclusions on certain cultures and countries - none more so the Iran.

I have read some horrific things about the treatment of Women under Islamic law in Iran, so wll be intersting to gain a futher insight into that.

Hopefully it will provide a balanced view.

Has anyone tuned into this?

Looks very interesting.

You can download it as a podcase from

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/radio4choice.shtml

It will be interesting to differentiate the propoganda/lies from the reality.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/iran/iran_revolutionary_state.shtml

It was very good, I enjoyed it. A bit of background on Zoroastrianism too, a religion for today I feel.

It was very good, I enjoyed it. A bit of background on Zoroastrianism too, a religion for today I feel.

A country of firsts eh?

I wonder if they will do a piece about Iran giving birth to the first modern suicide bomber or "martyr" depending on which side of the fence you are on.

Did they go into morality police thing?

Saw this advertised last night on the beeb, looks very interesting...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/iran/

I know I am as guilty as the next person of perhaps drawing some rash conclusions on certain cultures and countries - none more so the Iran.

I have read some horrific things about the treatment of Women under Islamic law in Iran, so wll be intersting to gain a futher insight into that.

Hopefully it will provide a balanced view.

Has anyone tuned into this?

Looks very interesting.
I'll bet it doesn't feature stonings for adultery etc, or the hanging of young girls for 'having sharp tongues'. Nah, the BBC is too far up Ahmadinejads backside and far too politically correct for that sort of stuff. Now if the punishment for adultery in the US or Israel was being stoned to death in public......

I'll bet it doesn't feature stonings for adultery etc, or the hanging of young girls for 'having sharp tongues'. Nah, the BBC is too far up Ahmadinejads backside and far too politically correct for that sort of stuff. Now if the punishment for adultery in the US or Israel was being stoned to death in public......

No, it didn't - because it's a history programme that looked at the reign of Darius and Xerxes, and the war with Athens, Zoroastrianism and the Persian oral tradition. As you would have discovered if you had listened to it....

I'll bet it doesn't feature stonings for adultery etc, or the hanging of young girls for 'having sharp tongues'. Nah, the BBC is too far up Ahmadinejads backside and far too politically correct for that sort of stuff. Now if the punishment for adultery in the US or Israel was being stoned to death in public......

Wouldn't know about that as I haven't really heard it. Have you?! Not sure you can say the BBC is pro Iran. Although, guessing by your avatar and sig you are likely to have a somewhat biased opinion of Iran.

A country of firsts eh?

I wonder if they will do a piece about Iran giving birth to the first modern suicide bomber or "martyr" depending on which side of the fence you are on.

The first modern suicide bombers were Vietcong fighting the USA in South Vietnam, The Tamil Tigers fighting the Sri Lankan Government and Sikh Separatists in India. Islamic suicide bombers are the new kids on the block. So I think Iran is not the leading edge nation you believe it to be.

I caught a couple of episodes which were really interesting. I particularly liked the one about Iranian comedians. :hihi:

The first modern suicide bombers were Vietcong fighting the USA in South Vietnam, The Tamil Tigers fighting the Sri Lankan Government and Sikh Separatists in India. Islamic suicide bombers are the new kids on the block. So I think Iran is not the leading edge nation you believe it to be.

Fair enough but you omitted the Japanese Kamikaze pilots in WW2 if that is modern enough?

Iran did spawn the first "Islamic" suicide bomber though didn't it?

Iran is a huge country (bigger than the UK) with a huge variety of people. The radio 4 productions illustrates this and is wrong to believe that everyone who happens to live there is a nutter. Its like the Iranians thinking that everyone who lives in the UK must be a drunk, football hooligan, or even a racist.

Wouldn't know about that as I haven't really heard it. Have you?! Not sure you can say the BBC is pro Iran. Although, guessing by your avatar and sig you are likely to have a somewhat biased opinion of Iran.
Not really. After all, Iran - the nation of women-stoners and beaters - only supplies terrorists with IEDS, anti-tank missile systems, finances the murder of US and UK troops and Israeli citizens (if that's not worthy of a declaration of war and a visit from B52s, B1s and Stealth bombers plus a torrent of Tomahawks, what is?), and harbours desires to carry out another Holocaust with another six million Jewish dead - even at the risk of 73 million Iranian dead. Still, you must be trying to get over Hizbollah/Iran/Syria's depleted ranks in Lebanon - now shorn of almost 1,000 terrorists.

I have read some horrific things about the treatment of Women under Islamic law in Iran, so wll be intersting to gain a futher insight into that.

And that is a pretty good reason why we must ensure that Sharia law doesn't become the law of the land here. Otherwise adultery and blasphemy will be punishable by death, and women will be beaten up by Basij thugs for wearing 'poor burkas'..

Fair enough but you omitted the Japanese Kamikaze pilots in WW2 if that is modern enough?

I deliberately did not include 'kamikaze' pilots, because they were uniformed combatants, and they were targetting naval targets at sea - not really comparable.

Iran did spawn the first "Islamic" suicide bomber though didn't it?
No that will have been Hezbollah in Lebanon I think. In fact, when was the last Iranian suicide bomber? Or the first one for that matter? I can't think of a single one.

edit -
I did find one, but he was 13 and fighting in the Iran Iraq war.

Hossein Fahmideh, which will be new to most viewers. He was only 13 when, in 1980, as Iraqi forces were advancing in southern Iran, he threw himself under an Iraqi tank and blew up himself and the tank's occupants. He was the first suicide bomber and is now a hero in Iran.

Now that actually sounds like a brave and selfless act in battle. Again, not really comparable.

Remember that Chechens, Hezbollah and other radicals learnt from the Tamil Tigers (a secular group) how to perfect the 'bomb belt'.