Inside Iran

Hi Jadi,

Thanks so much e-mailing me! Why did you start blogging? Why was your first blog blocked? Is the Iranian government concerned about blogging and the internet? How important do you think it is for people to be able to blog and express themselves freely? Thank you so much for answering my questions, I really appreciate your help

1. Why did you start blogging?

Not for ONE specific reason. I started blogging because I felt like that. I used to be a computer geek and with the first lights of Internet, I became interested and started using it and then sharing on it. I did not blogged because I was into Human Rights. The point is I blogged about human rights because that was important for me. Just like Linux and some geek stuff. But after a while I found out that I have to blog more and more about human rights and after the filtration of my Persian blog (www.Freekeyboard.net) I started this English blog to tell the world what is happening inside Iran.

I’m trying to show what I see in my everyday life; not what BIG MEDIA wants Iran to be.

2. Why was your first blog blocked?

Obvious Because I’m in Iran and I show what govenment wants to deny it’s mere existence. The last post on my blog just before getting blocked was about Green Energy as an alternative source to Nuclear Energy. This is a forbidden issue in our media because state wants to tell us “The Nuclear Research is the most important thing for us”.

3. Is the Iranian government concerned about blogging and the internet?

At beginnings no. At least they provided Internet without any filtering or surveillance at the first years and did their best to spread it among people. But after a while they found out that the free circulation of data is a threat for any totalitarian system and started blocking it and ended up with being the 2nd worst country regarding the Cyber Censorship.

Right now they are highly concerned about the internet and are doing as much as they can to limit it. They are calling the green movement a “twitter / facebook coupe” and accusing who ever twitting inside Iran to be a spy.

4. How important do you think it is for people to be able to blog and express themselves freely?

Not only VERY important but vital for a modern country. Censorship, Oppression, Jail and execution can not lead to a successful and happy nation. If a country wants to be powerful, it should focus it’s resources on the faster and more reliable ways to circulate information among it’s people. Spending millions of dollars to buy new methods to silent cyber activist will raise more and more awareness about the importance of the freedom of the expression and will lead to bigger and bigger movements. If you force a peaceful activist not to speak, others will learn not to be a “peaceful” activist anymore. The danger does not comes directly from the “suicide bombers” and such activists but from a nation which do not trusts it’s government.