by Elaheh Farmand In quarantine, my mother and grandmother recall their time in prison in Iran. They see some similarities: an uncertain future, a sense of fear, a sense that death is closer to home. In lockdown, both women feel restless. My grandmother sits by the telephone in her apartment in Tehran, alone with her god. My mother in the apartment she shares with my father … [Read more...] about Finding Privilege in Quarantine
Iran
Iran Is Not Responsible For US Dead in Iraq
Democrats Need Backbone on Militarism to Win in 2020 by John Grant Who exactly is responsible for US casualties in Iraq during the Iraq War? The question has been raised thanks to President Trump’s decision to assassinate Iranian General Ghasem Soleimani. On January 13, the New York Times published a front-page story about a lawsuit filed against Iran in federal court … [Read more...] about Iran Is Not Responsible For US Dead in Iraq
Who Are the Terrorists?
by Jack Gilroy Why do Americans tend to believe the myth that terrorists are mainly people of the Middle East — dark skinned people, mostly Muslim people who want to kill Americans? Long before the extremist Saudi Arabian terrorists crashed planes into the Twin Towers, Americans used terror against the people of the Middle East. It took 64 years before the United States … [Read more...] about Who Are the Terrorists?
The Making of Inheritance
Cambiz Amir-Khosravi While planning a trip to Florida in 2011 to see my ailing mother-in-law, I realized that the Department of Motor Vehicles had misspelled my last name. Instead of Khosravi, they spelled it Khosrui. It might be a minor issue to most people but having a Middle Eastern name in today’s xenophobic climate I naturally became paranoid. Having heard of … [Read more...] about The Making of Inheritance
Dance of the Blossoms
Elaheh Farmand Baba looked out the window into the dark alley. Anxiously, he began tapping on the window ledge with the fingers of his right hand as he held on to the other side with his left. He began to whistle. He always whistled when he was worried. “Ey baba, kojast? Where is she?” Baba asked out loud. His little girl entered the room, and stood behind him. “Baba? … [Read more...] about Dance of the Blossoms
Notes from the Editors (Left Turn #2)
Left Turn is now published seasonally. On October 2, 2018, Amazon announced that it will implement a $15-an-hour across the board wage floor for all its 350,000 workers, including part-time and contract workers. It also announced a commitment to work to lift the national federal minimum wage (stuck at $7.25 per hour since 2009). It’s fair to say that pressure from … [Read more...] about Notes from the Editors (Left Turn #2)