photo by Milad Avazbeigi

As violence escalates in Tehran, the clergy and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei battle to quell protesters. Amateur videos show Iranian security forces raiding the streets and attacking civilians as they march through those streets, challenging the June 12 elections. Supporters of the opposition leader Mir Hussein Musavi decry violations of their civil rights on what is the 13th day of protests.
According to human rights activists, more than 2,000 people have been detained, including Faezeh Hashemi, daughter of Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani. Also, according to Iranian state sources, at least 17 people have died and hundreds have been wounded.

It’s an event far from the Puerto Rican imagination. However, there is a Muslim community in Puerto Rico and they are following closely how the revolt unfolds.

Jonathan Mohammed is one of them. Born to a Puerto Rican mother and Iranian father, the 20-year-old accounting student lived in Iran for 11 years before relocating to Puerto Rico with his mother, sister and stepfather. He is a religious Muslim who upholds Islamic rule, while still respecting other ideologies. As the war is waged on the streets of his country, Mohammed shares with MSJ his account of the events. He argues that the media has blown the demonstrations out of proportion and denies that the Islamic Republic corrupted the election process. He doesn’t foresee a reformist government in the near future and believes his country is far more progressive than what people are led to believe.

How long have you been in Puerto Rico?

My mother lived in Illinois. My dad was on a politics-related trip from Iran. They met and were together for two years; then they separated. My mom had the option to relocate to Iran but being a Puerto Rican native, she decided not to.

Do you see your father often?

Yes, I just visited my father this summer; I went to Iran, then Peru. However, if I do want to see him it has to be in Iran or a country not associated with the U.S. I lived in Iran for 11 years, I moved there with my father when I was three because he had sole custody. When I turned fourteen, I decided to move to Puerto Rico with my mother and stepfather.

So you speak Farsi fluently?

Yes, Farsi Phusto, a folkloric language of the ancient Persia, where Afghanistan is now.

Where do you practice Islam?

I go to the Río Piedras mosque. There’s one in Montehiedra but it’s too far from me.

How is your relationship with other Muslims here?

They’re a bit more conservative. We meet at Ramadan and participate in several events together. I know other brothers, Boricua Muslims, with whom I like to hang out with the most. I think it’s commendable that they are so interested in Islam that they would learn Arabic, which is a difficult language. It makes me feel proud.

How does your mom feel about your religion?

My mom and my sister respect it. Christians, Muslims and Jews respect one another; we come from the same idiosyncrasy, from the region of Judea and Palestine.

How does it feel to be a bicultural person in Puerto Rico?

The typical Muslim might tend to be a fanatic or see the world from a different perspective. But having lived here, I now perceive different points of view. I can see how Puerto Ricans think as opposed to how Iranians think. In Iran, women are treated differently. Women in Iran that don’t cover themselves are considered bad people. Here in Puerto Rico, it is normal to see a woman that is not covered completely and I don’t condemn it; it’s part of the tradition.
I understand things that people from my country probably couldn’t understand.

In addition to your dad, do you have more family in Iran?

Yes, my grandfather, grandmother, sister and step mother.

When you see those violent images on television, what do you feel?

My family lives in Tabriz, not in Tehran, but my dad has an apartment in Tehran for his work. I asked my father and he explained that [the images] are just sensationalist propaganda. There are some protests, but not with the magnitude that the media has implied.

Anyone that turns on the television and sees that will think that there is corruption in the election process and that the right to vote is not respected. It’s not like that. There are 70 million people in Tehran; the fact that 2,000 people are protesting doesn’t say anything.

It might not be a lot of people, but the images are brutal. The police are attacking protesters; something is happening.

Yes, but these aren’t the president’s decisions. These are the supreme leader’s decisions.
He warned people that the winner [of the elections] had been announced. There was a recount and the results were verified, and I believe [President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] won by 11 million votes. [According to news sources, it was a partial recount.] There is no way that was manipulated. The election fraud accusations arose after many people weren’t able to vote because the time to vote had ended. This gave way to thinking there was corruption. And my dad says that [the government] is trying to avoid a coup d’état. There is an ongoing investigation after a car exploded. That has never been seen in Iran. It blew up and killed five people, a few homes and what not. [The government] thinks it may be people from foreign countries, maybe CIA [U.S. Central Intelligence Agency] or other outsiders that are supplying money to terrorist organizations to help demonstrators.

This is the story of Iran. [Mohammad] Mosaddeq was the first elected president by the Iranians and the United States removed him to put the Shah in power. Iran has the largest supply of oil in the world; it has a life of 250 years and United States wants it.

I’d like to retake that important subject later. I want to discuss the election fraud. The media claimed that at some voting stations the number of votes were higher than the registered voters.

That’s an exterior data; not facts from the Islamic Republic.

But would the Iranian government admit to that?

That’s information that Iran should emit.

But would they?

I’ll be honest; Iran’s politics are a bit controlled to avoid just that: a change to the theocratic government. I wouldn’t be able to tell you if they’d reveal that information because there is [control over information].

Your dad works with the defense department. Do you think the government is handling the protests well?

The defense department only works with foreign issues. The Iranian police, the Basij, which is in charge of enforcing moral codes and maintaining civil conduct, deals with internal struggles. I know it is happening but it’s not as big as what you see it on television.

Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, prohibited the protests. Here in America, that’s considered a human rights violation. What do you think? You are an American citizen who has the right to express yourself freely.

I think it’s both right and wrong. It’s right because you have to control [the situation]. Here in Puerto Rico you can insult the governor but in Iran you’d be jailed. The same thing happens in certain Latin American countries. In Iran, there is democracy and human rights are respected more than in other Arab countries. I do not get Obama’s call to restore human rights. Those rights are being violated to control the situation.

If you go to Saudi Arabia, women can’t drive or go anywhere alone. In other Arab countries women wear the hejab, but not in Iran. They wear the veil.

Do you think these protests might lead to a reformist government?

Maybe in four years. The government is already decided.

Tehran is a theocracy and it has a supreme leader who rules according to the laws of Islam, and this leader and its government are ordering the excessive use of force, and there are reports that the daughter of [Former President] Hashemi Rafsanjani was kidnapped along with other family members. Are you afraid that people will view Islam in a negative light as happened after the 911 attacks?

Yes, but I believe religion is separate from the country.

But this is a religious country?

Yes, definitely.

Have you experienced racism for being a Muslim here in Puerto Rico?

Yes. Once I returned to my home and three FBI agents and one from Customs were waiting for me. I had received a package from Egypt. They threatened me and I opened it; there were just some souvenirs. And when I travel and go through the security check, curiously they are always doing random checks and they check me.

During the elections, Facebook and other social networks as well as the cell phone messaging services were blocked. Now, these methods are the only way people can get information out of Iran.

Yes, [the government] do it to control certain things, to avoid altering the truth. For a reporter, it’s better to have a great lie than a boring truth.

But isn’t this hurting Iran’s credibility?

Yes, it really is. These are irregularities of the clergy. It was wrong to have blocked [the social networks].

From what I’ve read, there is instability with the two governing bodies, the Assembly or Experts and the Council of Guardians. What do you think will be the outcome of all this?

In a month this will all be over. There are worse problems.

Inflation, for example.

Yes, but the worse problem is the embargo. We have oil and we can sell it very cheap to countries in South America but we can’t because of the embargo.

Could reformists help achieve this?

Look, even if Musavi would have won the elections, I will tell you the truth: Iranians hate the American government. Not the American people, but its government. There is a saying in Iran, ‘Americans are good, but the government is the great Satan.’ They provided the weapons to Iraq when Iraq invaded us.

Also, we are developing uranium enrichment technology for beneficial nuclear energy. It’s for pacific uses, only and Russia and China are involved. But the United States is against it. Why so much hate? The Iranian people see this. Even if Musavi would have won, that wouldn’t reconcile [with what happened in the past]. Anyway, over Musavi will be clergy and they don’t want to deal with the U.S.

And now that Obama is president?

Those are just words. My dad has made comments regarding [Obama’s willingness to talk to the Iran government]. Obama says things will change but they oppose our nuclear energy program. There is an energy program in Iran. There are black outs and we need to use more oil. This is oil we could sell, but we have to use it to generate electricity for the whole country. It’s a big country! What Iran wants to do is develop nuclear energy, sell the oil and save money.

Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Obama has been careful to avoid implying U.S. involvement in Iran. [Supreme Leader] Khameni blamed the situation on the West; you even said that there were speculations that the CIA was financing the revolt.

These are just speculations because there has never been a car bomb [in Iran], there aren’t the materials for that. People think it may be Israel or United States to debilitate the government.

But Obama has kept the U.S. on the sidelines and said that it was an internal problem.

Yes, it is an internal problem.

by Huáscar Robles

For family-oriented fun, the Cruz del Sur adventure company has set up shop at Caguas’ newly inaugurated Moisty Skate Park. Their signature rope course towers 40 feet above the ground in five wooden stations and integrates 16 different high-flying activities as well as a 700 foot zip-line (one of the island’s longest.)

The stations are divided into two tiers. At 20 feet, the first level includes activities like: “the parallel,” where participants attempt to cross a steel cable assisted by a waist-high rope for balance; a swing traverse, where participants sway from one wooden swing to the next while suspended in the air; and a wooden bridge for those looking to try something more low key.

The second station is suspended at the 30 foot mark and includes; a rope bridge; and a wooden boardwalk suspended above the park. The different stations also include: rope walking, tire traverses, and a suspended tree trunk crossing.

Safety wise, the systems are top-notch. Fail safe security cables accompany kids (and adventurous parents) throughout the course and any falls are immediately arrested. Participants are outfitted in helmets and harnesses and, as a further safety measure, the company recommends the use of closed shoes and long pants.

As a further precaution, experienced guides are always on hand to make sure nothing goes wrong. The guides themselves come from an eclectic background and include certified search & rescue personnel, paramedics, former Sierra Club tour guides, rock climbers, and experienced rope course managers, among others. At a cost of $10 for the rope course and $3 for the zip line, the whole family is welcome to participate.

Additional services provided by the company include campground facilities and educational eco-tours. For reservations and more information call (787) 242-9961 or (787) 633-7165.

-Alberto Ramos Cordero

Puerto Rico has caught the attention of many stateside shows for different reasons, but food seems to be the main attraction lately. This month, the Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern brought his show “Bizarre Foods” to the island and had a banquete with some of the strangest items from Boricua cuisine.

Zimmern’s culinary trek on the island began with local chef María Isabel at centenary bakery La Bombonera in Old San Juan, where he delighted his palate with the fresh made mallorcas, café con leche and cocas (something like a pizza, made with vegetables and sardines but no cheese). María Isabel later takes Zimmern to the Plaza del Mercado in Río Piedras and later on, down the “Pork Highway” to visit Cayey’s Guavate region. The pair then stops at El Rancho Original to enjoy a good plate of lechón. And nothing went to waste. Zimmern enjoyed everything, including the pork’s tails and ears.

After that, there was a hike up to the Toro Negro National Forest, where Zimmern visited a local family that cooked a feast for him. Lechón asado, gandinga and morcilla were among the menu staples. Viewers even got to watch how the women prepared these dishes. Needless to say Zimmern was impressed.

Zimmern also made stops in Arecibo’s El Nuevo Guayabo, where he savored dishes prepared with a tiny fish called ceti, and Lares, where he discovers an ice cream shop that scoops up flavors such as sesame seeds, corn, garlic and codfish. Coming down from the mountains, he stops in Piñones for a good mofongo and back to Old San Juan for a tour of the old city on Segways with Boricua master chef Wilo Benet. The chef later takes Zimmern to his restaurant, Pikayo, at the Puerto Rico Museum of Art.

Aside the wonderful culinary tour, this “Bizarre Foods” episode really captures the true nature of Puerto Rico, while still portraying the island and its people in a good light. Not only is it very entertaining, it’s also very informative, presenting great hidden places that even lots of locals may have not even heard about. Plus, Zimmern himself couldn’t have been more likable.

Zimmern’s Travel Channel colleague, Anthony Bourdain, should have taken a page from Zimmern when he brought his show “No Reservations,” to Puerto Rico in 2006. That episode portrayed the island poorly and it even had some inaccuracies. At one point, for example, Bourdain uses sofrito, a paste that is really used for cooking, as a topping for mofongo. Lots of Boricuas were scratching their heads over that one. It’s not just that Bourdain didn’t do his homework, I don’t think that he was interested in going beyond what his own gringo vision of the island was. Unlike that episode of “No Reservations,” there are no cringeworthy moments in this “Bizarre Foods” show. In fact, I hope Mr. Zimmern comes back to Puerto Rico for seconds. Mr. Bourdain, as far as I’m concerned,  can stay home.

Check out “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern,” now on its third season on the Travel Channel. The Puerto Rico episode airs throughout June. For air times, visit the show’s page at the Travel Channel’s website www.travelchannel.com.

–Valerie López

Taking the stage amidst undulating vocals, driving electronic beats and haunting guitar riffs, progressive rockers Coheed & Cambria peeled the paint off of Puerto Rico’s Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum on Friday, June 12.

Despite a sparse turnout and simple stage design, all the necessary referents were on site for a great show. Smoke machines? Check. Strobe lights? Check. Head-banging fans? Check. Delving deeply into their repertoire of hits, C & C gave fans a personalized tour of the band’s engrossing world. Based on a series of comics created by frontman Claudio Sánchez, the band’s music explores a fictional storyline called the “The Bag. On.Line Adventures” whose title characters, Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon, inspired the group’s name. Through four concept albums the band created a universe that has slowly gained them a dedicated fan base as well as international recognition.

This fan base was in attendance on Friday as the band took the stage and the response was immediate. For the rest of the night, the crowds reacted to the intense energy of the performance. The percussive beats of drummer Chris Pennie reverberated up the spines of concert-goers while Sánchez’s operatic voice melded effortlessly with the textured guitar riffs of Travis Stever and the bass lines of Michael Todd. Among the highlights of the show’s set-list were whiplash invoking renditions of “Mother Superior,” “Welcome Home,” “No World For Tomorrow,” and “A Favor House Atlantic.”

A stripped down arena area gave fans free reign of the space in front of the stage and they took full advantage. With fists pumping to the rhythm of the music, Sánchez delivered showmanship-wise, inspiring fans to jump, dance and sing along with the music.

The band also played homage to its venue. Hanging behind the group were four Puerto Rican flags whose stars had been replaced by a symbol known as the “keywork.” A nod to the comics, this symbol represents the energy stream which connects all worlds. Of course, this blending of the band’s music and the island is more than just a gesture. This show could be better described as a homecoming for Sanchéz whose father is from the island.

Opening for the band was Puerto Rico’s own Dávila 666, whose neo-punk performance was reminiscent of bands like The Vines and The Strokes. Dávila set the stage with an animated performance perfectly in tune with the energy of the crowds.

Coheed & Cambria, “Welcome Home”:

Coheed & Cambria, “A Favor House Atlantic”:

Coheed & Cambria, “No World for Tomorrow”:

-Alberto Ramos Cordero

With all the recent hullabaloo over President Obama’s nomination of Judge Sotomayor to become the newest Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court, it’s no surprise that Karl Rove recently spent a few hundred words of Wall Street Journal ink criticizing her selection as a case of reverse racism and “Mr. Obama’s” attempt to place another judicial activist on the nation’s highest court.

Neither claim has much truck with me, but considering Mr. Rove’s political leanings, neither surprised me. What did was his last-minute assertion that Judge Sotomayor was, alas, not to be the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court: that honor belongs to the late Benjamin Cardozo, appointed in 1932 by Herbert Hoover. No doubt I was a fool to believe the liberal media would get such a crucial fact right, but then I’ve been known to read a little too much Huffington Post every now and then.

Mr. Rove’s argument here is at best hastily constructed – and at worst deliberately specious. Justice Cardozo was, in fact, descended from Sephardi Jews: that’s not in dispute. Neither is the fact that the related term “Sepharad” is used in modern Hebrew to refer to Spain – though in olden days it was used for the entire Iberian Peninsula. Someone like Mr. Rove, who as far as I know isn’t Hispanic, could be forgiven for making a quick inference here, so close to the end of the article.

However, I’m not often given to forgiving people who use the nation’s largest newspapers to make petty political points, especially not when in doing so I’m called a reverse racist. Nor do I think the Journal should get a pass on failing to fact-check Mr. Rove’s article.

Justice Cardozo’s family, which had been in the States since the Revolutionary War, also included the surnames “Seixas” and “Mendes.” As any Latino would tell you, these are not common Spanish names, and the Cardozos themselves held that their ancestry was Portuguese – specifically from the marranos, the Iberian Jews forced to convert to Christianity, at least outwardly, to save their own lives and those of their families. Cardozo himself was related to the poet Emma Lazarus, whose descent from Portuguese Jews is more verifiable than his own.

Portugal is not a Hispanic country. Not politically: the Portuguese do not consider themselves Hispanic, especially not after Philip II’s armies invaded the country in 1581. Nor linguistically: the Portuguese do not speak Castilian. Nor historically: when the Romans assigned names to their Iberian provinces, they chose to name two of them Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Citerior – Farther Spain and Nearer Spain.

The province that is now Portugal was given a different name: Lusitania – a name anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of United States history should recognize. The irony that this distinction escaped Mr. Rove, so associated with our modern party of “patriotism” and “Americanism,” is not lost on me.

–Mario Morales (Photo by JD Giovanni)

Around the world, the sport of rock climbing is slowly gaining mainstream recognition and the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is no exception.

Although it receives little local exposure, Puerto Rican climbing has witnessed a boom in recent years as sports enthusiasts continue to develop the limestone outcroppings scattered throughout the island. Most of the climbing on the island consists of “Sport Climbing.” This branch of the sport differs from the traditional climbing seen in films in that athletes ascend while protecting themselves with pre-established anchors on the rock face. These anchors may consist of bolts drilled into the rock or pitons hammered into cracks, although the latter has fallen into disuse. Overall, the island’s climbing rarely surpasses the 100 foot mark with the exception of routes in the south which can achieve heights of up to 400 feet.

As expansion continues, the word is starting to get around. Climbing crags in the towns of Bayamón, Juana Diaz, Ciales, San Germán and Cayey have even begun to receive international attention as well-known magazines begin to cast an eye on the island’s most recent developments.

An article by Climbing magazine editor Craig Luebben in its August issue, brought recognition to the crags as the author chronicled his experience climbing while on the lookout for the legendary chupa-cabra. In 2006, Urban Climbing’s August/September issue contained a piece recounting one team’s expedition to the island culminating in a competition held at the Bayamón II climbing area.

As a result of the hype, foreign climbers are beginning to make Puerto Rico a destination on their respective tick lists. The climbing may not be on the same scale as crags elsewhere but with the beach in close proximity, the verdant El Yunque rainforest a short drive away, and the historic Old San Juan area available in the metropolitan area; many tourists are beginning to see the potential of a climbing excursion to the island.

For those of you looking for more detailed information, maps or guides; the online platforms of the Puerto Rican Climbing Association, Aventuras Tierra Adentro, and Panacea911 contain additional info on the local climbing scene.

-Alberto Ramos Cordero

The army of Puerto Rican workers that flooded the Muñoz Rivera artery arrived from different parts of the island. They were 100,000 strong with one objective: to halt layoffs for 30,000 government employees. Shaded by clouds, labor unions, artists, religious groups and politicians marched from the Dos Hermanos Bridge to Capitol Building.

Organized by the All Puerto Rico for Puerto Rico Coalition, the march began at approximately 10:00 am. Protesters traveled to Capitol Building despite the hot and humid climate.

United as the People’s National Assembly, members of several unions such repudiated the massive layoffs.

“I hope (Gov. Fortuño) reflects and finds another way (to reduce governmental costs),” said Eric Rodríguez, 43, a member of the Independent Union of the Authority of Public Buildings (UIEAEP). “Puerto Ricans are generous people. If we increase the IVU sales we might avoid leaving families on the street,” said Rodríguez who identified himself as a statehood supporter who voted for Gov. Fortuño.

Magdaline Rodríguez González, 42, from the Women’s United Front (FUM) argued that women would be one of the most affected sectors. “Women make 42 percent of the labor force,” she said. “This will impact their families and children.”

Members of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) and the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) also joined the march. In a bipartisan juncture Caguas Mayor William Miranda Marín, PPD president Héctor Ferrer and ex PIP Senator Fernando Martín walked side by side.

The President of the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party (PPPR), Rogelio Figueroa, also participated in the event. “We have the duty and right to protest and propose ideas that benefit the entire population,” Figueroa said. “The government doesn’t pay attention and decides in favor of a small group.”

The artist community dominated the march with various demonstrations. Actors staged performances, some danced in stilts and others sang. Among the crowd were comedian Silverio Pérez, the musical duo Calle 13 and former Miss Universe Denisse Quiñones.

“I am here as a Puerto Rican and an actress,” said Quiñones. “We are worried about the effects on Puerto Rican culture and education and the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture (ICP).”
Quiñones and other artists worry that budget cuts to will threat operations of several cultural institutions as the ICP and School of Plastic Arts.

Organizers of event estimated the turnout at 100,000. object>

Last March, Gov. Fortuño announced the layoff of 30,000 public employees. In a series of phases, letters have been sent to employees notifying them of their job termination effective on July 3. Layoffs were determined by job seniority.

These layoffs come at a time when Puerto Rico’s unemployment rate reached more than 14 percent.

- Huáscar Robles

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