I received this email and was asked to post: "Dear Professor AbuKhalil, I am a student at UC Berkeley and have met you and
hear you talk on several occasions including the Arab Spring Teach In and
your
presentation at the Arab Youth Symposium. I am frequent reader of your blog and know your blog is read internationally and especially throughout the Middle East. I was wondering if you would be willing
to post on your blog about the disappearance of Mohammad Soleimani Nia in Iran. Mohammad Soleimani Nia is the man who translated "Funny in Farsi" by Firoozeh Dumas into Persian so that it could be read by an Iranian audience. Firoozeh Dumas is a close friend of my family's and an Iranian-American humorist whose books have been instrumental in helping dissolve Middle Eastern stereotypes in the United States.
Mohammad Soleimani Nia was not politically active in any way and appears to have been arrested as part of a wide crackdown before the election simply for his work as a translator. There is more information about his case here:
Firoozeh is currently going frantic trying to find out what happened to him and has received no information about him for four weeks. If one of your readers know anything about what happened to him it would
be incredibly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time and generosity, Sincerely,
George Kadifa (gpkadifa@gmail.com)"
presentation at the Arab Youth Symposium. I am frequent reader of your blog and know your blog is read internationally and especially throughout the Middle East. I was wondering if you would be willing
to post on your blog about the disappearance of Mohammad Soleimani Nia in Iran. Mohammad Soleimani Nia is the man who translated "Funny in Farsi" by Firoozeh Dumas into Persian so that it could be read by an Iranian audience. Firoozeh Dumas is a close friend of my family's and an Iranian-American humorist whose books have been instrumental in helping dissolve Middle Eastern stereotypes in the United States.
Mohammad Soleimani Nia was not politically active in any way and appears to have been arrested as part of a wide crackdown before the election simply for his work as a translator. There is more information about his case here:
Firoozeh is currently going frantic trying to find out what happened to him and has received no information about him for four weeks. If one of your readers know anything about what happened to him it would
be incredibly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time and generosity, Sincerely,
George Kadifa (gpkadifa@gmail.com)"
PS People who know may also email me (see email on the blog).
