Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society --- From Political Prisoners in Danger to Pepsi's Logo on the Moon (Arseh Sevom)

A Pepsi Logo on the Moon?Pepsi Logo on the Moon: Hoax or PSYOPs?

Most eyes were fixed on the sky in Iran last week. First, of course, there was the transit of Venus, with Iranians joining millions all over the world to observe the once-in-a-lifetime event. Then Shargh newspaper published reports of sightings of “strange lights” and “luminous objects” in the sky over a number of towns, which in the past have turned out to be drone sightings.

Last but not least, an Internet hoax was taken seriously by many, including official news agencies, in Iran. An unfounded report posted by the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) was the source of a rumor that Pepsi had managed to launch its latest promotional craze by beaming its logo onto the moon. Reports from Iran confirmed that thousands showed up on rooftops to watch the launch of the project for themselves.

The hoax started a conversation within the Iranian blogosphere with many finding the incident reminiscent of 1979 when people all over Iran were convinced they saw Ayatollah Khomeini’s face in the moon.

Click to read more ...

Iran Update: The Djinns Are Back! Ahmadinejad's Men Go On the Offensive (Sinaiee)

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government is seeking to divert attention from hardline rivals' allegations that some of the Iranian president's allies, including his chief of staff, are involved in black magic and exorcism.

The government is doing so by assuming the leading role in the battle against occult practices and nonconformist ideologies.

Alireza Afshar, acting interior minister in executive affairs, told Nasim Online, a news website, that the ministry had commissioned a non-governmental organisation to identify those engaged in divination and exorcism as well as "deviant schools of thought and false Gnosticism".

Click to read more ...

The Latest from Iran (10 June): No Ceasefire

1855 GMT: Girls and Boys. Ayatollah Alamolhoda, the Friday Prayer leader of Mashhad, has explained that a woman who wears her headscarf back is "more dangerous than any insect". When seen on a bike, she "shatters a boy's faith".

The opposition website Peyke Iran helpfully illustrates the Ayatollah's point with this photograph:

Click to read more ...