Dina Yazdani

Portland, OR

I believe in the saying, 'Think Global, Act Local". I'm the leader of my high school's Political Advocacy Club: The Youth Consciousness, and the Global Citizen Corps club too, (which is a Mercy Corps Chapter).

With the Youth Consciousness, we focus on local politics; last semester we worked on getting out the vote for the Special Oregon Elections (measure 66 & 67) and this semester we will be working on gaining student input on the school board's High School Redesign.

With Global Citizen Corps, so far we've held a Global Hunger awareness week, and a World AIDS Day to get out the word about these two global issues. We've also raised 1,115 dollars for Haiti in one week at our school by asking everyone for a single dollar, which will go toward Haiti.

I'm half Iranian and half Malaysian; but my heart is in Palestine.

http://TheGlobalConsciousness.Wordpress.com

Dina signed the petition | over 1 year ago

Turn Up the Peace: Tell Our Leaders to Invest in Peacebuilding
Dina commented on the article | over 1 year ago

Sen. David Vitter Thinks Rachel Maddow Is a Man

Hey Spencer,

No one should be without Rachel. If you have an itouch/iphone, you can download her podcast "Rachel Maddow show" or her website shows her show online :)
Dina commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

Iran Wins Membership to the U.N Commission on the Status of Women

What an ethnocentric post. You sound like a typical American. Why don't you go to Iran, or do some more research next time you talk about Iran as a whole? I'm sick of Americans thinking they know everything about the Middle East and know what's right for women. I don't see you working with RAWA. Did you know a majority of women in the Middle East CHOOSE to cover? It's a different culture than there. Girls in Iran don't aspire to be models or to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated or Playboy like they do here. I'm an American/Iranian citizen, so I have a dual perspective. Let me talk about MY Iran.

Your first paragraph is true about how women are punished for the slightest of things, mostly having to do with not covering. It is a huge problem, and should change. But I can understand why Iran will be represented on the UN commission for women status. Iran is one of the most progressive countries on women status in the Middle East.

In Iran, more women go to college and get good jobs compared to the rest of the world. In fact, they are ENCOURAGED to get a good education by not only their family, peers, but also the government. WOMEN in Iran run the households, and WOMEN are the most respected member of the household. Stoning would NEVER happen in a modern city like Tehran. These cases happen in south Iran near the border of Arab states and occurs in small villages. When I go to Iran, we never hear of any of this bullshit, because it happens that rarely. The largest protest on women's behalf of course, would be women forcing to cover, but even that is getting looser and looser, and in no time will be turned over with the next presidential election.

The morality police condemn men just as much as they do to women. Countries, especially America are obsessed with the pornography of violence. Rant about Afghanistan, it'll be worth your time. Or rant about Ahmedinejad, I am SICK of Iran being portrayed as this TERRIBLE country when all the blame should be on Khomenei and Ahmedinejad. Leave the rest of us alone.
Dina signed the petition | almost 2 years ago

Legalize Arizona
Dina commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

Gays and Women Still Causing Earthquakes

I'm glad you included the last part about how there are tolerant theists who are speaking out for LGBT and women equality.

Someone can always point out that its Catholics that started the Holocaust, Muslims that slayed the Armenians and Jews who started the Nakba if we'd like to play them at their own game.
Dina commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

Deporting Muslims: The Christian Thing to Do

* And yes I know that the US does not actually ban covering. I should say, what they are doing is stripping Islam from Muslims by wanting to ban the hijab*
Dina commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

Deporting Muslims: The Christian Thing to Do

As a secular and tolerant Muslim, I'd like to point out to Fischer that the Qur'an specifically says that there is no need to convert non-Muslims, but as long as they believe in one God then they are not infidels.

And obviously people like Fisher, who are part of the pro-family movement, are very religious and believe in one God. So this notion that Muslims are trying to strip away their religion is blasphemy. Indeed, what they are doing is stripping Islam from Muslims when they immigrate into the US by banning the hijab (as Zee Back said) and not allowing them freedom of expression.

This is an often misconception of Islam: More Muslims around the world CHOOSE to cover than are forced to. In Iran when the hijab was banned before the revolution, women refused to leave their house. Now that they are forced to wear the hijab, they protest to not have to wear it. Obviously the equilbrium is to allow them the freedom of choice. And in a country like the US, choice, (in most circumstances) is always valued.
Dina commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

Students Boycott Unhealthy Lunches, Headteacher Likens Action to Bomb Threat

Good for them. Unfortunately, they have the luxury to boycott. Many students can't afford to give up their school lunches, so they don't have much of a choice.
Dina commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

Follow Sex Ed Curriculum, Go to Jail?

My high school has decided to avoid controversy, and not teach about the options when it comes to sex: abstinent or be protected. It's just, "you'll get pregnant, or get an STD."

It is baseless though. I doubt people will take his claim seriously. Besides, Obama is cutting funds on abstinence-only health educational programs.
Dina commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

Seven-Year-Old Gang Raped in New Jersey

Look, I'm a teenager to and I understand what is right, and what is wrong. We're not dimwits, we're just young.

This 15 year old shouldn't be let off. She shouldn't be trialed on the same basis as the gang rapers--But she SHOULD NOT have offered them her little sister, and should be punished for that. Anyone with a common sense or conscious would not have done that. Even if she had a pimp, her pimp didn't force her sister to let these rapist touch her, the sister did.

The older sister has been charged with "complicity in an aggravated sexual assault, criminal restraint, terroristic threats, endangering the welfare of a child, and promoting prostitution" (trentonian)

I think we can all agree she needs to at the very least be found guilty under "endangering the welfare of a child."

And yeah. Kill the gang rapers, they probably deserve it. They aren't victims of their hormones, they're followers of it.