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Iran bans fast internet to cut west's influence »
Posted by: Ousama 1 year, 10 months agoIran's Islamic government has opened a new front in its drive to stifle domestic political dissent and combat the influence of western culture - by banning high-speed internet links.In a blow to the country's estimated 5 million internet users, service providers have been told to restrict online speeds to 128 kilobytes a second and been forbidden f
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Comments: 93
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vor
Oct. 18, 2006, 11:30 a.m.Great, now they have more time to read their Koran's. How exciting. Surprising that these people don't just die from boredom. This is life under a theocracy.
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LuisR
Oct. 18, 2006, 11:32 a.m.I didn't realize that a nation as backward as Iran has Internet access. The only things they will allow on it is "Death To America" & "Death To Israel" message boards.
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takeru51
Oct. 18, 2006, 7:24 p.m.i didn't realize that a person as backward and uninformed as you existed
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joeblowe
Oct. 18, 2006, 12:21 p.m.How do you know they AREN'T getting their heads chopped off? The state controls the media, there isn't any HS internet to post up video of atrocities.
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Razor
Oct. 18, 2006, 11:44 a.m.Ignorance is bliss....Just following N. Korea lead. I suspect Venezuela will be next... What they need is powerful satelite hotspot, like Radio Free Europe during the cold war....They could call it R.F.R.H.
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looter
Oct. 18, 2006, 11:46 a.m.May be they will only allow Al-Qaeda related sites. pssst.. these guys are losers. The so called Islamic Revolution was supposed to free people. Now they are going behind Mullah curtains. If they can teach truth of Islam then they don't need no editing or banning of websties as people will abstain from them. That clearly tells us that the Islam we see in Iran is not true Islam. It is a fake form that was manipulated out of Islam to control people and loot their freedom and wealth. With that they are building Nukes, Damn guys... Damn these turbaned Shia Mullah's.
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lezdudeski
Oct. 18, 2006, 6:52 p.m.Absolutely! everyday thinking people want to get on and do their own thing (without harm to anyone else) without state interference. the problem is that whilst you can inform anyone about religion, you cannot control their thinking or practice without the religion controlling the state. In all western 1st world countries, thinking people can choose ( or not ) religion and still be a good person/ go to heaven. that is why culturally/ religionwise they are melting pots and most of all 'integrative' in this respect. this is why many muslim people have so far been welcomed into western countries. unfortunately, the extreme muslim factions have created a worldview in which islam means the opposite of freedom. It's a total clash of values.
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blksentra2
Oct. 18, 2006, 11:53 a.m.If they want to live in the stone-age let them.
Personally, I think if someone is really interested in downloading something off the net, chances are they will wait however long it takes for it.
I see a profitable bootlegging opportunity.
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smokeyhustler
Oct. 18, 2006, 12:32 p.m.So you suggest profiting from the opression of millions of people?
You and I would probably get along great in real life!LOL
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PharmerJ
Oct. 18, 2006, 11:59 a.m.Imagine if you told us we had to all revert back to dialup.
We'd have to go medevil on your buttox. Or G-had. ;)
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IanFraigun
Oct. 18, 2006, 12:02 p.m.Like all past times and attempts to control information people will find a way to get at the banned information.
The more effort you put into blocking and banning the more you must do as it causes the people to be more inventive in bypassing the blocks and bans. See what we did in Europe with radio after WWII.
I also believe this kind of censoring will disappear once we do have satallite hotspots and at least some in a country have the wi-fi ability to receive.
I do predict that will occur in 5-7 years and I give that prediction to my students in a University E-Business Senior level course.
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mamasan
Oct. 18, 2006, 12:07 p.m.UUGGGHHHH to see those women so Burkafied is disgusting.
My most clear thought on the middle east is that until the woman claim thier independance and stop acting like little children, the middle east will alwys be a mess.
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mamasan
Oct. 18, 2006, 12:09 p.m.As a woman I am embarassed for those ladies in those horrid costumes, scraping and bowing to thier men. These women are no better than slaves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YUK
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lezdudeski
Oct. 18, 2006, 7:03 p.m.there are a few high-profile news items in Britain where they claim that they feel 'more spiritual' because they are more stringently oberving their religious dictates. i.e. closer to the rules = closer to god. they hadn't figured that the whole 'cover up' scam was so that men wouldn't be tempted. Poor helpless 'one track mind' males. instead of men observing some self-restraint and self-flagellation for impurity, the women have to bear the burden of hiding away. in medeavil christian times is was a monastery or nunnery. why would a person observing values belonging to a 1500 year old tradition ever ever ever want to live in a 21st century 1st world integrative state except to escape mind control?
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The_Alienist
Oct. 18, 2006, 12:12 p.m.Its time for us as Americans to open our eyes. This happens every second of every day in the US by the media. They filter what we see, when we see it. Why should we be putting down a government for taking the exact same actions our state and national governments do as well?
"I didn't realize that a nation as backward as Iran has Internet access. The only things they will allow on it is "Death To America" & "Death To Israel" message boards."
See, this is exactly what I am talking about.
Mamasan
and women in those countries are horrified by the objectification of women's flesh that occurs in the US every second.
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mamasan
Oct. 18, 2006, 12:13 p.m.And the men that live there and do this to thier wives and daughters need to get some good old American women to put them in thier place!!!
How could you put your little girl in some get up like that!
These countries need to brought into the modern world and that will not happen with our current mind set.
We need to flood them with modernity.
Help them get the internet at all costs. That is the true war to fight. That will win the hearts and minds.
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maffst
Oct. 18, 2006, 12:36 p.m.Of course. How do you keep people brainshawed with religion?
You keep them ignorant. And it is the true war to fight but it spans generations. Something that can't be fixed in a lifetime.
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smokeyhustler
Oct. 18, 2006, 12:37 p.m.You mean like helping to spread democracy to an opressed people? I think someone already beat you to that!LOL
But I do agree w/you 100%. I live in the South, and i would love to see what would have happened to my dad had he tried that stuff w/my mother. She would have slapped the Shiite (haha) out of him!
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csihon
Oct. 18, 2006, 12:41 p.m.Well, they should ban cars, tv, cell phones, nukes, and all forms of technology, since all these things are westerns creations. Just when you think the Iranian leadership could not get any dumber, they pull even dumber stunts.
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joeblowe
Oct. 18, 2006, 1 p.m.Speaking of "dumb" Iranian leadership, this is actually good news. If they have no hi-speed internet, how are they going to download the plans for the A-bomb? It'll take MONTHS. And if their dialup lines fall down as often as they do around here, they'll NEVER have a nuke. ASSuming they are too dumb to figure out how to build one on their own.
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vandee
Oct. 18, 2006, 1:05 p.m.Frighteningly this is not far from the tactics of the FCC, which has been practicing government censorship in the form of 10 times higher broadcasting fines because radical Christian groups like the Parents Television Council and the American Family Association single-handedly lodge complaints by the tens of thousands against all forms of broadcasting in the U.S. in an effort to sanitize all TV and movies according to their religious guidelines. All of it is done under the phony guise of "protecting the children" (which is their excuse for every form of censorship they champion, because it cannot be argued with) and the FCC has bought into their BS hook, line & sinker. This is done with stem cell research, civil rights and every other form of progressivenes here. The U.S. is already in a religious zealot's war on freedom -- only it's not being conducted by radical Muslims but radical Christians.
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EagleIV
Oct. 19, 2006, 9:03 a.m.You're wrong and must not have children or do not care about what they watch. Not until I had kids, did I realize how bad TV can be. You have to monitor it and be on top of it. Bad things happen. One time a parent found her kid watching a show that had complete nudity and sex going on. She called the cable company to complain she did not have any channels like this but found out it was snuck in under a phony cover name with other kids programs.
Unless you have kids and are actively watching out for them, you won't see how they are being attacked by TV and other media access venues we have available in this country. Christian or not, it is happening. Especially by the ACLU.
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simonsez
Oct. 18, 2006, 1:05 p.m.This won't work very well for very long. It's like trying to restrict sunlight. Let's put a satellite above 'em.
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1-2-Oscar
Oct. 18, 2006, 1:14 p.m.It won't work.
And it is the surest sign that the current regime is weak and out of touch with its constituency.
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maffst
Oct. 18, 2006, 2:04 p.m.What is it that they're afraid of? If the gov't believes political opponents or western influence is bad then they're belief systems should stand on their own. There's no need to hide opposing views or prevent freedom of thought unless you know your own beliefs to be false and can't support them.
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swasdiva
Oct. 18, 2006, 2:12 p.m.The Alienist:
I agree with you. Ever single piece of mainstream media is biased and angled. To think otherwise is ignorant gullibility. And yes, women in those countries think we are ******s. They deserve more independence, but they don't view it as sexual independence as we do.
To those who think people in Iran are nothing but hut-dwelling, stick-in-the-sand writing goat wranglers: have you not noticed that for Iran to ban high-speed internet means the people were modern enough to have it? *Someone* has to be living near a power outlet and own a friggin' computer for the country to take such a bold stance. I agree with those of you that say this won't work. The younger generation is obsessed with this technology, they're going to find a way around it.
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pashmi
Oct. 18, 2006, 2:14 p.m.This is unfortunate that Iranians find it necessary to have to go to such extent to protect their people from a totalitarian, tyranical bully such as U.S. The majority of comments indicates why " W " is the president! Why can't you people mind your own damn business and let other countries do what they want? Calling Iranians backward?! their women backward for wearing Hijab? for not selling themselves cheaper than biggie fries? On the average Iranians are far more intelligent, highly educated people who consistently kick both U.S. and Europe's ass in just about all international academic olympiads and contests. Go check this out. I really feel sorry for those of you half-witt, brain-washed morans who like your ' like-minded'! president, must learn things the hard way. Have a good day!
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swasdiva
Oct. 18, 2006, 2:15 p.m.OMP (Oh My Prophets)...I typed ******s and it bleeped it out...
I meant "Ladies of the evening".
Wow...didn't know that was a bad word...
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