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First they came for the Iranians

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Re: First they came for the Iranians

#121

Post by mistermann »

steveax wrote: post #76
mistermann wrote: post #15

This is obviously extremely unfortunate for those involved, I predict it will be very short lived but we'll have to wait and see. One thing I like about this sort of controversy though is perhaps some day, some people might start wondering who these mullahs are and how they came to be. Now that type of conversation would be rather uncomfortable, and I suspect is somewhat of an underlying cause of a lot of the hand wr…

Conspiracy theory? No. Conspiracy? Yes. I often wonder what the Middle East and Iran would look like today if the CIA and the Brits had not overthrown the democratically elected Mosaddegh government.

I wonder what the world would like like if western nations hadn't meddled so much in other's affairs.

That would actually make a really good TV series: "What the World Would Have Looked Like - Episode 3: Germany Wins World War 2". Of course there are numerous theories for each, but that's ok, just state that at the beginning and say this is just one of many possible theories, it's just for fun. I'd watch that type of show for sure.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#122

Post by olalonde »

helpfulanon wrote: post #67
aphextron wrote: post #17

This is completely unacceptable, and truly crosses the line. I have many Iranian coworkers and friends here in the bay area. The thought of branding them as terrorists and revoking their work or student visas is absolutely unbelievable. I think the Trump administration and the GOP are in for a rude awakening if they think these policies are going to stand.

Trump's base right now are people who have never met an Iranian, and would probably be quite happy to see your coworkers sent to Guantanamo. Trump's policies will stand because his base stands by them, and because the GOP rank-and-file fear Trump, and his people in the midterm elections. If you want to do something, use your political awakening to help change some minds. At both the top and bottom of the power chain,…

I think that's a naive view of Trump "supporters". For instance, it seems like Iranian-Americans were split on Clinton v. Trump [0][1]. I've also talked to quite a few people who voted for Trump but do not agree with his stance on borders or immigration. Finally, depicting all the people who voted for Trump as ignorant rednecks is probably not conductive to dialogue.

[0] http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/0...

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13489227

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#123

Post by gajomi »

throwaway2131 wrote: post #27

I am an Iranian CS student. I had a fully funded PhD admission at one of the US universities. I was admitted for the Fall 2016 semester. I am currently in Iran due to my visa not being issued despite the 7 months I have waited for it. I was able to defer my admission to Spring 2017 semester, but then _this_ happened. I am quite sure that I will never be able to attend this program. I had very high hopes for my future…

A quick word of advice... I have seen firsthand people in similar logistical situations in the middle of the PhD (though not quite precipitated from such dire geopolitical circumstances). If your admission was based on a recommendation of a faculty at the same institute get in contact with them as they may have contacts in others countries looking for similar students. If they are senior faculty they may even have dual appointments at institutes outside of the US.

If there are no leads on those fronts, I suppose I can just wish you good luck. Germany and Canada come to mind. There is France too if you can speak French.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#125

Post by dannylandau »

amasad wrote: post #18

The ban on Iranians has nothing to do with terrorism. I might be wrong but I don't think there are any real Shiite terror group. And yes I don't think it's fitting to call Hazbollah as a terrorist group -- the same label that you'd give Al Qaeda or ISIS. I honestly can't think of a time where a Shiite group was responsible for indiscriminate killing.

Here are two examples of what I think the world would objectively call terrorism where Iran/Hezbollah was involved: 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMIA_bombing 2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Burgas_bus_bombing

There are of course countless more examples.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#126

Post by refurb »

EGreg wrote: post #110
soheil wrote: post #99

This is part of the game that must be played to win against the government of Iran, people of that country have been treated like pawns in a chess game for long, certainly this is not something new. While the outrage is understandable, policy should not be made based on how it makes people feel. Iran is a country that deserves so much more, but it is seized by a ruling elite that does not share its values. I wish peo…

They used to have a democracy until they tried to nationalize their oil industry. Then the CIA and British intelligence engineered a coup and installed a Shah that gave good oil prices. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution

Jesus Christ. This comes up every time. Read up on Mossadegh. He would have been overthrown regardless of what the UK or US did. He was seriously unpopular at the time.

"Engineered a coup" was more like Diem in Vietnam. Tacit approval more than orchestrating something that would otherwise never would have happened.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#127

Post by amasad »

thowfaraway wrote: post #82
amasad wrote: post #18

The ban on Iranians has nothing to do with terrorism. I might be wrong but I don't think there are any real Shiite terror group. And yes I don't think it's fitting to call Hazbollah as a terrorist group -- the same label that you'd give Al Qaeda or ISIS. I honestly can't think of a time where a Shiite group was responsible for indiscriminate killing.

Hmm, Iran actively supports ~100 Shiite terror groups in Syria and Iraq. If you speak Arabic, here is an article in Al-Hayat. http://www.alhayat.com/Articles/9542195/ And of course Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Al Hayat has a pro Saudi bias. But even if we left that aside the article opens with the claim that Iran sponsored militias equal in atrocities that is of ISIS -- which is obviously false.

Not sure if you speak arabic or if you're from the middle east but hate for Shiites from Sunnis are more extreme than their hate for Israel -- in fact many clerics actively ask for genocide against them.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#128

Post by jasonmp85 »

HeavenBanned wrote: post #2

My father successfully brought over two of our relatives from Iran during the Obama presidency (thanks Obama). They were a doctor and a professional soccer player. However, the other application for his older sister and my mother's brother has been processing for nearly 20 years. She's nearing her 70s. And my mother's brother has all but lost hope. Looks like it's not going to ever happen under Mr. Trump. Oh well. I…

That penultimate paragraph. Jesus Christ.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#130

Post by hrzn »

throwaway2131 wrote: post #27

I am an Iranian CS student. I had a fully funded PhD admission at one of the US universities. I was admitted for the Fall 2016 semester. I am currently in Iran due to my visa not being issued despite the 7 months I have waited for it. I was able to defer my admission to Spring 2017 semester, but then _this_ happened. I am quite sure that I will never be able to attend this program. I had very high hopes for my future…

I encourage you to consider EPFL or ETH in Switzerland. Both are top-level universities in CS, where Iranians are welcome. The next deadline to apply to EPFL Phd school (EDIC) is in April. I wish you the best!
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