Remembrance by:Maryam Abdulhamid

In memories of our martyrs, people who lost their precious lives in

the battle for freedom. Heroes, and heroines who lost their lives just because they did not want to live under oppression, they wanted to live a decent life but faced death upon fighting for their rights.  The number of innocent individuals who dedicated their precious life, are increasing day after day, I wonder: “is there an end to this unfair killing?” The Iranian regime killed our innocent people, they are not considered dead, they are alive, and should be kept alive.” And reckon not those who are killed in Allah's way as dead; nay, they are alive (and) are provided sustenance from their Lord” Quran: al-Imran 3:169

Martyrs by:zeinab abdulhamid

This day we mourn all the innocent souls that are no longer with us,

we pray for them, and wish that god bless their innocent souls. They live in paradise, and we are left on this earth without them. We are left with our pain, because losing a loved one hurts very much; especially if the person is unjustly killed. Mothers suffer the most because they bring children in this world to see them grow before their eyes, and in one day they lose a loved son. This poem is a conversation between a martyr and his mother:
A mother’s heart is broken when she does not see her son.

The new world order and us ! By:Layth Zargani

No denial that the middle east is changing in every single moment

that we are spending in our lives , and as far as we can see , these changes have been an urgent requirements for the new world order .

The observer of the Middle East affairs will notice that some countries over there are composed from mixed ethnics such as Iraq and Iran .

Iraq already preceded the region by an military intervention to rid it of a dictatorial regime . Some ethnics of Iraq has reached Their required rights which they were fighting for , such as Kurds , and some others will get their rights soon , after they started to ask for them in a federalism system , like Iraqi Sunnies .

But the situation in Iran is much more complicated . Because the current geography of Iran is  formed from more than 5 different ethnic groups , such as persians , Kurds , Azaries , Balouchs , and finally Ahwazi Arabs .

The very interesting thing is that every single ethnic in Iran is looking for their right to self-determination , and each ethnic group began to build their own society , and prepare for the next step which is building their own countries .

In this situation and according to the changes in Middle East , there is no way for the iranian regime to survive and stay untouched by the changes happening ,  for more than a few years

Derive or Divide : athar eaqob

There is a huge difference in the definition of the two words

“derive” and “divide” but unfortunately it has always been faulty understood among people and my nation is not an exception. As an Ahwazi individual, I have always witnessed the argument of “I don’t believe in politics” among Ahwazi refugees and immigrants and have always been amazed of this face, that the argument always ends up in one person dropping the conversation, just before their thoughts meet in its mutual point, claiming that they don’t like being pushed into politics, advertised by politicians and so on.

More attempts to destroy the Arabic heritage of Ahwaz by Iranian Regime By: Rahim Hamid

 On Monday 17th March, the Ahwazi human rights activists have been informed by the local Ahwazi sources inside Ahwaz that the Iran occupied forces bulldozed and demolished one of the most important Arabic historical monuments known by the name of “Saray Ajam” in Ahwaz capital as an aim to eradicate the historical heritage of Ahwazi Arab people. This is not the first time that the Iranian forces target the historical buildings in Ahwaz.

Anti-socio-environmental policies in Ahwaz

 Having access to safe drinking water and sanitation is central to living a life in dignity and upholding human rights. Yet billions of Ahwazi Arab people still do not enjoy these fundamental rights.
Although Ahwaz has huge water resources, (about 33% of Iran’s total), the region is suffering from a serious water crisis. The water crisis has caused by ecological mismanagements of Karoon River; the largest river flow through Ahwazi lands .since 1979, Iranian revolution, and the karoon has faced more than 400 incidents of serious contamination. Beside the policy of land confiscation, a parallel policy against Ahwazis is being practiced that is diverting water of main river course in Ahwaz such as Karoon, Al-karkha, and Al-Jarrahi and pumping it to central Persian areas such as Isfahan, Yazd and Kareman for the purpose of irrigation. This happens while they deprive the Arab farmers of utilizing this water and make their struggle for survival very difficult and very frustrating. Periodically they fabricate flood via their dams that are known as Arab killer Dams that have been constructed for this purpose in order to demolish the infrastructure of Ahwazi Arab villages and their fertile lands to restrict their brutal circle force on Ahwazi Arabs farmers to abandon their lands and look for other alternatives for make living. They consequently facilitate the displacement of Arab people and confiscations of their arable lands and demolition of Arabian villages and the countryside of Ahwaz.
River diversion project

Inequality in Ahwaz By: Zeinab Abdel Hamid

Inequality in Al- Ahwaz

Every day Ahwazi Arabs are dealing with inequality. They are being mistreated in schools, hospitals, government offices, and work. Social inequality originates from discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes. Discrimination and stereotypes have done a great deal of damage to the Arab population in Al-Ahwaz. Social inequality can cause people to not have the proper education and to have less job opportunities. Many Ahwazi people live below the standard of living; they live in the worst type of poverty.
Social inequality comes from stereotypes; these stereotypes are labels that Arab people are called to degrade them. Discrimination has caused many people to suffer as well because they do not get hired in every job. Fewer jobs are available for Arabs as a result of social inequality. If an Arab applied for a job, and a Persian applied for the same job; the employer would most likely pick the Iranian person. Even if they do get a job, they get a regular job, and they work for minimum wage. Someone’s racial background can determine how they are treated in Al-Ahwaz. This has made numerous individuals live in poverty. Social inequality is very unfair, because some people live in poverty (the Ahwazis), while others live a life of luxury (the Persians). Some employers do not hire someone because of their race, this is an unfair treatment. There are people that work very hard, and love the work they are in, but they are at a disadvantage because they are Arab. When people get low paying jobs, they do not go to the doctor when they suffer from an illness. With the rising cost of medicine, a small percentage of the Ahwazi people can afford paying for all their medical needs.
Another problem that destroyed the Arab population is that Ahwazi people get less educational opportunities. The reason for that is that they are oppressed; they cannot fight for their basic rights. They do not have the same opportunities that the Persians have. Families of Arab decent prepare their children to be faced with racism at school, because they are very likely to have someone bully them or mistreat them because they are Arab. When a person especially a child goes to school, they want to be in a safe environment. If the child feels that they are being mistreated by their instructor or other students; they would most likely not enjoy going to school. Some people do not realize what the consequence of quitting school does to their future. When they quit to escape the unfair treatment, they put themselves at a great disadvantage compared to other groups in the society. In today’s society someone without an education cannot achieve their goals. First of all, a person with no or low education is looked down upon. Another problem that they face is that they cannot find a permanent job that pays well when they do not have an education.
As a final note, everyday people are aware that their rights are being taken, but there is not much they can do. The problems that a society faces do not get solved in a day or two. It takes time, and plenty of time for situations to change. The people of Al- Ahwaz need media attention, the whole world should know that there are over 8 million Arabs living under the Iranian regime. If we turn a blind eye on the way these Arab people are suffering soon there would be no trace of any Arab in Al-Ahwaz. The Persians are killing Arabs for no reason or any evidence of criminal activity. The Persians are killing Ahwazi people so there would be no trace of Ahwazis, and the land would stay for them.
Zeinab Abdulhamid

Poverty and hardship in Alahwaz : Maryam Abdulhamid

We can define poverty as the deficiency in the basic necessities of life. In fact, and to make it simple enough to understand, we can say that poverty is lack of food, shelter, and not having a good healthcare system. Poverty is the inability to attend school, and failure to get a job. Powerlessness and suppression also relates to poverty in a way or another. In Al-Ahwaz, where a large number of its population is struggling to survive, poverty is frightful, common, long-lasting and destructive. 

Under the Iranian occupation and since 1925, Iranian national strategies are not relevant to poverty reduction and they even stress the upsurge of poverty in the Arab neighborhoods of Al-Ahwaz. Currently, in Al-Ahwaz, poverty is affecting more than 90% of the citizens. The Ahwazi community is suffering from the extreme need of necessities of life, and it has been seen obvious in every corner of major streets of the capital city of Al-Ahwaz and the surrounding towns and villages. In every corner of the streets of Al-Ahwaz, the elderly is begging for money, the young generations are jobless, and children are selling cigarettes and gums. The sick person can’t afford seeing the doctor, and children can’t afford attending school, this is if there was a school in their district.

The condition of houses, buildings, schools, shopping centers etc., is not better than the standard of living in Alahwaz. All cities and villages in Al ahwaz are neglected, nothing is renovated.  Alahwaz is known for being the hottest area during the hot summer days, but usually winter is very short, and it would pass by without causing natural disasters.  Even though Alahwaz is not known as a land of disasters, little rain could cause floods in the streets affecting poor and rich areas.  Many of us have noticed the pictures of flooded streets in many areas in Alahwaz, even in richest areas, (let alone the damaged poor areas which became worse after the rain and flood) on Ahwazi websites, personal weblogs and social pages such as YouTube and Facebook, reflecting the flood that hit Alahwaz in November, 2012  . By all being said, I want to draw the attention of all individuals concerned about the health and wellness of citizens living in Alahwaz. I have pasted a picture of the flooded area, as well as the original source, where you can find more pictures.    

         Maryam Abdulhamid

Source:http://www5.rasht.irna.ir/fa/Photo/80430842/%DA%AF%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B4_%D8%AA%D8%B5%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C/%D8%A2%D8%A8%DA%AF%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%AA%DA%AF%DB%8C_%D8%AF%D8%B1_%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B2

Women behind the scene by: maryam nazari

A friend of mine discussed the role of women in the history,

which made me think about this topic.

Women play a critical role in all aspects of our life. We notice the women’s significant role in shaping the society. With the changes which are taking place in the 20s century, we see women progress all around the world. Their role as successful housewives does not stop them from getting positions in the government, industry, politics, and education … As we have seen women hold higher positions in the political field, and they are known for their higher skills as political leaders.

How about women in Ahwaz, the Arabian oppressed nation? Do we see any equality, similar to the neighboring countries? The answer would be no, unfortunately women and men and children in Ahwaz are suffering from inequality, discrimination, and so much more. Women have fought for their right in many countries including the developed countries. Women in Ahwaz did not get the attention they deserve, as of the time our land got occupied until now; women have been the victims of local and national violence. As every woman in the history defended her territory, home, family and country; Ahwazian women did their best to support the revolution against the Iranian regime. As a mother, sister or wife they supported their sons, brothers, fathers to continue this process of liberation from the Iranian regime. They have also been the innocent prisoners that struggled to fight for their right for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, their rights to education, and rights to pursue a happy life.

My last words for all men and women in Ahwaz who endangered their life fight for recognition, to share an image, deliver information or spread news; and also for individuals who take from their precious time to do something for our country “my words would not be enough to appreciate your efforts”.