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December 3, 2001 * Self-fulfilling prophecy for tiny fraction Regarding "Sacred vs. Secular" issue and reintroducing Huntington's book, I would like to make the following comments: First, although Huntington's book, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, is correct in arguing that cultural identity has gained growing importance in the post-Cold War period, it is a grave mistake to draw far-reaching inferences from his arguments. Secondly, intracivilizational conflicts -- that is conflicts within civilizations--have historically outnumbered intercivilizational conflicts--that is conflicts between civilizations. Recent civil wars in Algeria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Tajikistan, and Zaire bear this out. Thirdly, it is not empirically true to regard Islam and the West as two monolithic entities on a collision course. The Muslim world is fantastically diverse and at any point in time there exists mutiple positions and approaches taken toward the political and social events of the day in Islamic societies. The crisis in Afghanistan and the direct links between maddresses and the Taliban groups is in no way representative of the Muslim world at large. Fourthly, there is a cultural conflict between reformists and orthodox factions throughout the Muslim world over who controls culture and how to deal with globalizing forces. The outcome of such conflict may result in some kind of reformation in religious domains. It is always tempting to find easy solutions to the highly complex and dynamic problems of global politics. And finally, political engineering ad diplomacy are unlikely to surrender to the worst impulses of ethnicity and religious extremism. Global politics has been and continues to be influenced by interdependence and globalization of economics, human rights, and democratization. These forces have made pragmatic coexistence among different civilizations not just desirable but necessary. If anything, the tragic events of September 11 have made intercivilizational dialogue and exchange of views imperative. Hence the Bush administration tendency to underscore the importance of the fact that the war in Afghanistan is not a war against Islam. Huntington's book, despite its merits in certain areas, fails to explain why pragmatists in the late twentieth century and the early twenty-first century are winning over ideologues all over the Muslim world. So please let's us not overstate the significance of a book that serves as a self-fulfilling prophecy for the tiny fraction of Muslims who entertain extremist ideas and doomsday scenarios. Mahmood Monshipouri,
Ph.D. * Hate leads nowhere I was quite happy to hear about Lebanon from a member and frequent visitor of this site ["Beleaguered beautiful Beirut"]. Laleh's paper provides an insight into what is going on in Lebanon. I would like to see if Laleh can get a sense of how Lebanese Christians view Iranians. What do they think of Iran's role in Lebanon? Is Iran helping them or interfering in their affairs? I would also like to state that despite my quasi support for the Iranian government, I think what Ms Khalili described only makes me think that peace with Israel is the only solution. Furthermore, I have little by little come to see that in fact most of the problems in the region are not of Israel's making. However, they are due to the vast hatred and discrimination in the Middle East. Most Middle Eastern and Arab governments refuse to grant Palestinians permanent residency fearing that the Palestinians would become complacent and would no longer fight to liberate their land. However, Ms. Khalili's paper should help us see that every human being -- Palestinians included -- care first and foremost about their day to day affairs. They all want a good paying job. They all want their kids to get educated . They want to live in neat apartments and move on with their lifes. However, the defunct foreign policy of most Arab and Muslim countries is such that they can care less about Palestinians' well being. Their hatred for Israel is far more than their mercy to the Palestinians. I only hope that my generation and the next generation come to truly see that war and hate leads nowhere -- only peace and mercy can make our world a better place to live in. On that note, I would like to share with the readers a few quotes from a Poster that I hang around my office and my home: ...... Be grateful to those who have hurt or harmed you, ...... ...... for they have reinforced your determination ...... Be grateful to those who have decieved you, ...... ...... for they have deepened your insight ...... Be grateful to those who have hit you, ...... ...... for they have reduced your karmic obstacles ...... Be grateful to those who have abandoned you, ...... ...... for they have taught you to be independent ...... Be grateful to those who have made you stumble, ...... ...... for they have strengthened your ability ...... Be grateful to those who have denounced you, ...... ...... for they have increase your wisdom and concentration Yours respectfully, Ahmad Amini * We can deal with radicals Regarding "The R-word", I'm an Iranian, living -- and struggling -- in Iran. I'm not a politician and I don't understand their games, I don't approve of the present restrictive theocratic regime in my country but reading this article by Mr. Zanganeh "even I" can realize that the author belongs (or is related) to that group of people whose "umbilical cord" had been cut by the sweeping waves of the Islamic Revolution. These people (or the likes of them) betrayed us (the Iranian nation) twice. The first time was when they fuelled the nations anger by gradually plundering and embezelling our nations national resources and filling their pockets with cheap oil dollars (which they NOW so desperately crave for their real nation, that is to say the US). The second time was when they, with their influence, lobbied various sanctions and restrictions against our country during and after the war; In the vain hope that "The regime will fall by now-rooz!". While the flower of our generation was giving it's blood on the battlefield to save the republic, these b******s were supporting our enemy. Now they are at it again. Now that through the efforts of the nation and some reformist elements of our republic some change (although very small ones) is occuring inside the country which will hopefully (in time) sweep aside the radicals and pave the way for the establishment of a BROAD-BASED, SECULAR, REPUBLIC, these limpets are trying to fuel national tensions to stir up radicalism and plunge the country into yet another dark era. To these people and to this naive friend I should say that: you haven't suffered under the monarchy, you haven't been discriminated against then, you havn't participated in bringing about the revolution, you didn't care about defending Iran against the hoards of Arab aggressors, you didn't even bat an eyelid when you heard that 300 Iranians were murdered over the EVER PERSIAN Gulf by your beloved Americans SO YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE ABOUT OUR COUNTRY'S FUTURE. We can deal with the radical theocrats the same way as we dealt with the hated Shah and monarchists back in 1979. But if you think that putting pressure on us (with the help of you american friends) will make our resolve to snub the royalists falter, you're making a big big mistake. The people of Iran WILL surprise everyone in time. but you will not be the winner. Tell Reza pahlavi to be content with the billions of our money stolen by his dad and not ot ask for more. And if he's dreaming of holding court in tehran one day, tell him to dream on! * When I was desperate Dear Nazanin, ["Nazanin's search for Nirvana"] I followed your story day by day. It was full of meaning. There were days when I was desperate, lost, depressed and confused and reading your column changed my mood completely. You seem to be young, but your way of thinking and writing is quite rich (POKHTEH). I really enjoyed reading your column and I think I will go back to review some parts every now and then. Thank you, * What the average "man" thinks of Iran I just can't take it anymore. All these years of keeping silent, of remaining voiceless while our community is disparaged and vilified can not be allowed to continue unchecked. Of course I have taken this vow many times, but push came to shove last night. I had just finished speaking to a friend on the phone. "You know Jamshid, I was reading Newsweek and they had this quote from one of the victims of the crashes. This guy had called up his wife and said, 'I think we're being hijacked by Iranians'." I responded with the typical "well you know that most people can't distinguish between Iranians and Arabs." And the famous "it's the media's fault for perpetuating false and shocking stereotypes without trying to educate people." About an hour later I was channel surfing when I came across "The Agency" on CBS. As I was observing my 10 second "scan" time, my ears perked up when I heard "born in Tehran, Iran". Thirty minutes on it came down to this: the Iranian woman (portrayed by an Indian actress) in the plot had apparently been recruited by Bin Laden's goons in Tehran! I can't remember much more. I was too livid and could barely stomach the blatant defamation (not to mention the historical/geographic errors in the script) unfolding before my eyes. It was time to take up the pen. So I asked myself (and now you), is this what comes to mind when the average "man on the street" thinks of Iran. After all these years of trying to assimilate and be good citizens, have we, as a community failed so miserably at educating our fellow neighbors about who we truly are? Did we learn nothing from the "Not Without My Daughter" fiasco? Is it not time to stand up for ourselves, to defend ourselves as a people, much in the same way as Jews and other people/groups have? I'm not suggesting anything new; just an "Urgent Action" web site where relevant phone numbers, email addresses etc. are posted, so that we can inundate those responsible for the denigration and mud-slinging, with the collective force of our voices. Those who remain silent are condemned to being assigned an identity, while those who speak up can claim and shape theirs. If anyone has any suggestions or would like to help create a site (as outlined above), feel free to contact me. Thanks for reading my diatribe! * 60 tomans PER bullet Mr Amir Khosrow Sheybani has mentioned something about the Islamic regime demanding the price of bullets from the family of the one who's been shot (either in riots or an execution). ["Executioner's bullets"] This money is generally referred to as "Bullet price" or in persian:"poole teer". Unfortunately what he didn't know was that demanding "poole teer" (a horrible thing to do) has a long history in Iran dating back to the times of the first Pahlavi king. During the reign of the Shah [dear American friends (especially those who believe that Persian civilisation died after the revolution) take notice of this] it was 60 tomans (equal to 9 dollars at that time) PER bullet retrieved from each cadaver. Dear Mr. Sheybani this has nothing to do with Islam. Cheers, * We are as diverse as any other Ms. Mehrtash ["Tehrangeles blues"] needs to wake up and blame his parents for sheltering her and making her expect more from Iranian people. We are as diverse in our behavior as any other nationality. If Ebi wants to tell the audience about his drink so be it. Why should it matter that it is Ramadan? For the record I fast, but I have no problem if someone wants to drink at a party now as long as they are not rude to me We have to stop putting demands on our people because of our own standrds. And for her information I left Iran in 1978 and the people in Iran were the same as they are now. Extravagant!! Also, I do not know who her friends and family members are but in most circles there are enough educated Iranian people who talk about important issue. Please broaden your horizon and do not blame your shortcomings and lack of knowledge on our cultural heritage. * Simply being human Dear Kian, ["Tof beh roohet"] I am sorry you feel so uncomfortable with the naked human body that you have to spit on the soul of someone who likes her body and likes to show it. It is very harsh of you to be this disrespectful to a fellow human being particularly when she is simply being human. I have noticed a lot of Iranians -- in particular men -- distance themselves from religion and brandish their "Western" upbringing to validate their restrictive moral values. You DO have a conservative morality and that's okay for you. But when morality lapses into a sense of superiority and self-righteousness, and worse still, is seen as the only way for everyone to live, then you have a problem. Moreover, your letter hints at a rather unhealthy state of mind. You assume that a nude body is a sign of things having gone "wrong in this girl's life". You think the human body is shameful and decadent. And if you suggest that dignity, class and gheirat are Iranian cultural values lacking in the West, please remember those who used to cover up the legs of chairs and tables in the Victorian Era, not to mention the Quakers and Amish and ... who still share your Iranian values. It is not a case of cultural difference, but of changes in any culture over time. It is a matter of accepting that a nude body can still belong to a good person. Or more essentially and bluntly (and what I guess is at the core of all these moral concerns), that sexuality, sexual pleasure and signs of it are not shameful evils to be spat upon. Regards, * What went wrong with this girl? I wanted to say Kian took the words right out of my mouth ["Tof beh roohet"]. But in the end the issue should be praise for the "adult section" because it does let us realize those very rational points brought up. Think of it like this there has to be examples of garbage to see the beauty in the real quality in society. As far as this Azita Yousefi, couldn't agree more with you, what went wrong with this girl? Where did her parents fail? These are some things to think about. Perhaps they were control-freaks and this is her rebellion. But in the end, I don't blame her, she's doing something different and crazy. Only I fault her for wearing black shoes with the white-winged-costume while having red-lipstick on. If your going to be color-coordinated at least keep it consistent: white shoes with white wings and golden-hair with body painted gold-skin.... And she could have used a better backround to keep it classy. OK, art is in the eye of the beholder. * Perhaps stoning would satisfy his rage I am somewhat disturbed by the venomous tone of some of the letters published in iranian.com and the recent letter of Kian is one of them ["Tof be roohet"]. While I agree with some of the issues that he expressed, the tone is so harsh, that it would appear nothing less than eternal damnation, or perhaps stoning, would satisfy his rage. Of course, no parent would like their child to get involved in things like this, and I would not want it on any of my friends either, as it is below my personal sense of dignity, but more than rage, it incurs in me a sense of sorrow and compassion for the person. Why should a, perhaps, talented person such as this drop to this level? What better use they can make of their life! The second disturbing fact is the way Kian uses such generalities to describe American culture as though it was completely uniform and counter to all things a good Iranian would stand for. Not all Americans curse in public (as he has), and not many of the Americans I've seen are disrespectful of their own, and other people's parents. After the things he has said, I don't know how much I'd like to associate myself with him, either. As for Azita Youssefi, I can only hope she finds something more meaningful to do with her life. All the best, * Tof beh rooye khodet As an Iranian woman who was raised in a respectable and educated family, I will say, with a lot of pride, Kian Agha, tof beh rooye khodet (by the way, not "beh ROOHET")!!!! I for one, respect this woman and any Iranian woman who chooses to express herself in anyway, shape or form so long as she does not hurt anybody in the process. Kian Agha, If you want to speak for yourself fine, but when you make it sound as though all Iranians feel the way you do about this lady's picture, well, I need to set the record straight, that not all of us feel the way you do. * Let her be In response to Mr Kian "Tof be roohet": I would like to say : who are you to juge people?! Juste because you and me are Iranians we should see all Iranians as ourselves?! If Azita wants to be naked let her be... Of course if she was my sister I would try to change her minds to do so but she's mine or your sister... She is not responsable for all the Iranians living abroad , she is only responsable for herself... As far I'm concerned she is not my type of women even if she 's cute... that's all I can say... the reste is not my buisness... It shows that we may change our regime, people in power etc... but minds take long time to change!!!! * None of your business I remember when I was at secondary school, two of my classmates raped me and then the principal told them "GOOD JOB" and told me "Shame on you." Apparently, in your culture (not Iranian culture) men are allowed to fuck and rape, then get married with a virgin girl. Azita Youssefi is none of those virgin girls. Mr. "Tof be roohet", Using "koskesh", "kosnaneh", "kos this", "kos that"" in your letter counts you with those fucking men. A real shame on you. It is none of your fucking business that what Azita Youssefi is doing. For sure, there are so many people in her carrier but she is the successful one. So it is not the matter of kos dadan ia kos kardan that you think. It's not a matter of living in Iran or US either. Last week a big group of schoolgirls and boys were arrested in Bandar Abbas because of their porno movie. Shut up and don't criticize Iranians living in U.S. * Loss of ten thousand vital nerves Of all the backward, primitive, cruel and sadistic rituals that human being practice now and days, circumcision is by far the worst or among the worst cruel, sadistic act of all ["Ouuuuuuu....ch!"]. The idea of willingly mutilating a child, because of a custom or a tradition that some backward nomads, practiced thousand years ago, and to top it off with a party to celebrate this act, is utterly obnoxious and ridiculous. Circumcision causes a loss of ten thousand vital nerves in that organ! If circumcision did not exist today, and some one would have came up with this idea now, rests assure the person would be rotting in prison for years to come for just suggesting it, much less advocating it or practicing it! Nearly 30 to 50 percent of men experience erectile dysfunction at some point in their life, some more severe than others. I wonder how much of that is due to circumcision. The old cliche " to keep that part clean you need circumcision is another outdated and unproven concept that American Medical Association has rejected. Let,s hope by the end of this century if not sooner, we will see the end of this cruel mutilation practice. Regards * Poor way of repaying America I have been away and couldn't reply sooner to your reply ["Is speaking up un-American?"]. Thank you for your response to my letter ["How can you bear it?"] following "Under bright lights". I found it measured but also disingenuous. First of all, you may have intended a playful tone in your article, but it came through as bitter and wounded. Then, of the ten pointers you offer to fellow Middle-Eastern Americans (your words), only three relate to civil liberties and new laws or Acts that could erode them. I dent think anyone would disagree that part of what we love in America are precisely these civil liberties among other basic democratic right sand we dent want to see them threatened, even as a temporary or emergency measure. However, the rest of your pointers refer to people, to non Middle-Eastern Americans, and that is where I take exception. Given the generous and compassionate stance of the majority of Americans toward people from our part of the world who might feel guilt by association or fear of retribution after the horrific events of September 11, I dent find it appropriate to make them the butt of what you call playful remarks. My wife, my daughter, and I work in three different American corporations. Over the last two months, all of us have received, even from colleagues we dent know much, incredible marks of sympathy and friendliness from people who went to great lengths to demonstrate to us that we are not identified with terrorists simply because of our place of birth. Our neighbors have gone out of their way to do the same, and I can testify to the fact that not one of my many Iranian friends has told me otherwise. I have also seen people push empathy to what I personally find ridiculous extremes--American women wearing a head scarf to go to mosques with Muslim friends. Yes, I have seen some critical articles in the press and I have heard of hate acts and even crimes in some places, but then, you will always have people who hate other people. What's important is the great number of people who have very different feelings and welcome us in this community and make us feel part of this great country. To pretend, even in jest, that we are or could be persecuted in any way, when not guilty of any crime, is a poor way of repaying America and Americans. My suggestion that you move elsewhere if you are so uncomfortable here is not a throwback to the 70s nor even to the 50s. Yes, we can always point to the treatment of some Vietnam War protesters or to the unacceptable internment of the Japanese-American after Pearl Harbor, to make a point about how would-be McCarthys could act against un-American-ness. Less easy to demonstrate that you cant really have it both ways, the way many of our Muslim brothers and sisters and Middle Easterners do far too often: use freedom of speech to criticize the U.S. and the American people, in more or less virulent terms, accuse them of bigotry or narrow-mindedness or prejudice, and refuse to allow any kind of criticism in return. Not the ideal democratic debate, especially when you fudge the points that you made in your first argument. As for the fact that you could make a better living in Iran, I don't dispute that. Educated people such as yourself can certainly bring a lot to their country of origin and derive great personal benefits. So you would certainly make a living but would you have a life? The fact that you choose to stay here as a proud American is the answer to that one. By the way, I'm not sure what part of my "enumeration" which you mockingly repeat (house, school for children, security, etc.) you didn't understand. I always thought these were also fairly good reasons for choosing this country rather than one where we wouldn't enjoy them. In closing, let me tell you that, much as I have enjoyed our exchange, I feel that we have taken it far enough and I'm going to have to move on. Take care, * Too many charities I feel we have too many charities ["Helping hand"]. I have always believed we have too many mosques as well. Omeed Foundation has been around for many years and helps all poor Iranian inside Iran. They are very reliable because when I started sending donations to them several years ago (in the US) I had someone who frequently traveled to Iran check them out. Having few charities will serve our people better because donations will not be spread out. That is my opinion. * Biggest bunch of optimists Read your article with interest ["All or nothing"]. If I may be so bold and say that you are barking up the wrong tree. I don't mean that in a derogatory way. If you look at the bigger picture, it seems that we, Iranians, do everything in the extreme. One look at our culture and you will see that love is either heavenly or tragic, ending in death or such like. Our history is peppered with stories of incredible courage ( some may call it stupidity) one example being the Gulf War. And our lives have always been subjected to the most extreme tests. I think it all says something about our collective age old mentality rather than our risk taking attitude. We are the biggest bunch of optimists the world has ever seen. We all claim to have our very own guardian angel and truly believe that no matter what, it will all turn out alright, eventually. Lets face it , with our history going Back so far, we have a head start on the rest of humanity for great disappointments. The only thing we do understand though is that no matter how bad we get knocked down, we will get up and continue on the road ahead. We are not a nation of giver ups. We are always philosophical about our failures/losses and have shown that even in the most trying and hopeless times, we will laugh and make jokes about whatever and whoever that is dishing out to us. Our biggest quality is the very strong survival instinct. Comparatively speaking, our self grandification makes Hitler look like Mahatma Gandhi. Look around. You will not find anyone like us. * Happy to help To whom it may concern, My name is Nick Ebrahimian. I read the article about the Iranian woman who claims to have been wrongfully discharged from her job at Safeway ["$2,000,000 for abusing my rights"]. The law firm I am an associate at practices employment litigation, especially in the areas of discrimination. I would be happy to talk to her and help her out in any way I can. I can be reached at (310) 704-4966. My e-mail address is ebrahimianlaw@hotmail.com. I hope that we all soon see the day for corporate America to realize that the color of one's skin and the accent of one's speech are not reflective of their work ethics, charisma and professionalism. Nick Ebrahimian, J.D. * Don't get entangled with Lawyers Dear Iranian lady, Don't be harsh with yourself and Safeway ["$2,000,000 for abusing my rights"]. With the qualifications that you said you have,you could find the job anyplace. Safeway is not such wonderful place to worry about. They told you they need some one who speak Spanish. They are right. Probably 80% of their costumers are Spanish. I don't know about your lawsuit. They have better lawyer than you have . Beside if they don't want to hire you, that is their right. My advise to you is go to other store. Better than Safeway and they will hire you. Don't get entangled with Lawyers and the court system . you are experience intelligent lady . Go find something else. I hope you do the right things and find a good job ,you deserve that. But not the court and the lawyers and waste of time. Good luck to you . * Grounds for a lawsuit I am sorry to hear about this incident an have no doubt this case has grounds for a lawsuit ["$2,000,000 for abusing my rights"]. I have been in San Jose (and lived there for 3 month in 1991) it is a city with a large population of Iranian. This is the time for the residence of that area to rally behind her and if she establishes an account to pay for her legal fees, I will be one of the Iranians who would gladly contribute to help a fellow Iranian. * I just cannot believe this I am writing this in response to the insulting, and degrading piece that you published on November 23rd "Roodaar of the day...". I just cannot believe that whatever somebody emails you, no matter how trashy it is, gets published. I understand that it is good to have a wide range of articles but please be slightly more selective in what you place on your web site. Many of your Iranian readers lost their family mebers in the war and departed their land because of that conflict. Those comments were extremely insensitive and have no room on a web site that starts each day with a poem by Rumi, and gets many contributions from young Iranian intellectuals. I am one of your biggest fans, but things like this will only turn off your readers. Thanks, * Special guest in Qazvin What an interesting piece from Uthmaan Ahmad Abu-aljawahir in Roodaar of the day...!! We were so charmed by this young man's picture and the comments he wrote about his father's history and his own relations with Iranians girls!! Well, because of his charming attitude about Iran and Iranians in general, we would like to extend our invitation to Uthmaan Ahmad Abu-aljawahir to a month long stay in the city of Qazvin, as our VERY VERY special guest! We will do our best to give him a BANG of a good time and show the hospitality we Qazvinee's are famous for, day and night (24/7)!!! I am sure Uthmaan will never be the same man after leaving Qazvin, and he will have a lot of very interesting stories to tell afterwards, if he survives all the fun!!! So, Uthmaan, don't be shy babamjan, all the guys in Qazvin are waiting for you.... Qazvinee * If I were u I'd watch it What can I say? Only this...Uthmaan ["Roodaar of the day..."]... no Iranian woman in her right mind would look at u let alone sleep with you... unless u raped them... thanks for ur pic... I'm sure the police will be glad to finally identify the man behind the 25 rapes... If I were u I'd watch it, believe me the big guys are onto ya! Sahar * Not much of a man Dear Ahmad, ["Roodaar of the day..."] Killing Iranian goats and sheep does not make your father a hero. On the same note, having sex with Iranians and goats will not make you much of a man. Respectfully, * If you see a dog with a grin My experience with dogs was quite different ["Showing teeth"]. When on vacation in a country setting, my son and I frequently went for extended walks or bicycle rides. Invariably, dogs would harrass us. I think it was a sport for them. On one occasion my son and I were walking when we were accosted by a large black Lab, who was friendly in an aggressive sort of way. It happened that my son had collected, in a vial, glass particles which were varicolored and small, looking like gems. That was what we called them. Our "gems". As the dog approached, my son became frightened and dropped his "gems" . Quick as a flash, the dog darted forward and seized them. Then he ran back up his lane and disappeared into his dog house. Then he came out, having left the gems in the kennel. He stood there with a defiant gesture, daring us to come up and retake his booty. Although I made a show of bravery for my son's benefit, I did not try to go into his dog house. Perhaps it was just as well that I didn't. However, fighting off the dogs when riding our bikes was a different matter. I decided to adopt the Don Quixote strategm, and obtained two saplings which we sharpened and then practiced with, using a box hung from a tree as a target until we became adept at spearing it. So we set out on the route which would bring us to our tormentor. Sure enough, there he was, lolling in his yard with nothing to do in particular, until he spotted us. Than he came in a rush, and since I was second in line, he focused on me. So I presented my lance, and intended to spear him. As he approached on the gravel road, he had to cross lanes for the oncoming traffic which occasionally passed in order to get to our lane. When he was about 30 feet or so from us, he suddenly became aware that my lance was pointed directly at him, and what he must have perceived as a dot was in fact the point of my lance. He immediately tried to stop, and instead skidded on his rump along the gravel of the road. Just at that moment a car coming in the opposite direction, on his side of the road, tried to stop to avoid hitting him. He looked around in utter terror, thinking he was about to be run over. The car managed to stop, and the dog immediately fled back across the fields, yipping in a most piteous fashion. My son and I were astounded at the turn of events. Actually, we hadn't given much thought to the outcome of our adventure. In retrospect, we could have injured ourselves and the dog seriously, since the lances could have damaged both contestants. I was very sorry for the dog and the potential for damage. However, we never were bothered by him again. In fact, we never saw him again. Perhaps his owner had witnessed the whole affair from afar and decided that the dog was in danger when engaging in his sport. That was not the end of my experiences with dogs. I rode a bike to work and every day two dogs would harrass me. On one occasion the two dogs spotted me and bore down on me in the opposite direction, intending to pass on each side and perhaps take a a nip as they did so. It was as if they were fighter planes and I was a bomber . I decided to give the one on the right a boot as he passed.Which is what I did.Unfortunately, it did not occur to me that he was a sizeable dog and that his speed together with my speed in the opposite direction , would amount to an appreciable force. Of course, it broke my ankle. I continued on my bike to work, and by the time I arrived, it was badly swollen and black and blue. I phoned my wife, and she took me to the hospital where I was fitted with a cast. Needless to say, I didn't ride a bike for the rest of the summer. In fact, working in a cast was something of a chore. So if you see a dog with a grin, he is probably relishing a canine victory over man. * Chased by Moslem kids Maryam Williams' story brought back many memories. ["Showing teeth"] Ironically our family lived in a koocheh on West Pasteur that was bordered by apartments owned by a hadji but rented to Christians, Bahais and jews. On many occasions we, the children, had to run the gauntlet of the Moslem kids chasing us and throwing rocks and insults at us all the way home from school. We could not understand the reason for their hatred no more than they could explain it. Nothing seemed to work as a defence until one day hiding in fear in the entry lobby of the apartment block, as the mob came closer one of us and then we all began to bark in imitation of a guard dog. The sound of the barks and the growls echoing in the stairwell, stopped the mob in its tracks. * Speak out I read Mr. Fred Sensing article "Many surprises: Americans in 1961 Iran". I just can't help thinking. Hey Iranians! Men or woman! Those of you who are alive and I'm sure there are still a number of you out there sitting and enjoying a comfortable retirement.Why don't you react SAY SOMETHING. BE IT FOR OR AGAINST THE SHAHS REGIME. BUT SPEAK OUT. HELLO ? ARE YOU AWAKE. YOUR SILENCE HAS GENERATED A GENERATION FILLED WITH HATE OR DESPAIR with absolutely no historical account on those years except that of foreign diplomats or Ambassadors.From what this Guy says its as if we lived in a totalitarian State. I never had THAT feeling when I lived in Iran. The Shah ruled as a constitutional monarch for more than 12 years before the 1953 coup. The Shah was an Autocrate not the blood thirsty dictator that many tried to associate with. I don't understand why even someone like the respecteful Fereidouneh Hoveyda or Farhad Sepahbody prefers to stay silent on such allegations. You guys were in power after all as for Fereydoon Hoveydah I give him the credit that he has paid dearly with the execution of his brother and he has talked lenthly in his books and interviews. I AM SPEAKING ON A TOTAL PERSONAL BASIS AND I DONT BELONG TO ANY POLITICAL PARTY. People at this tribune know my sympathies for the Third Wave movement led by the courageous crown prince Reza Pahlavi but for my generation (I'm 35) its extremley frustrating to see such doubtful articles sprout out with total disregard. No one has the monopoly of the truth, the Shahs regime was not perfect but the Shah I believe was a decent man and did his best for his country and countrymen. To be honest the article reminds me of Amnesty International reports in the first year of the revolution. The country had officially at most 300 or so political prisoners according to MR. Nahavandi one of the Shahs ministers in his book "l'Iran Deux rêves Brisés". However Amnesty international started to exponentially rise the figure under the influence of pro-Khomeiny sympathizers. We saw what happened after the revolution. Amnesty international did not consider the IRI as among the major brutal regimes in the world before a long time. Pinochets Chili was still standing first in line, it took them more than Four Years to realize that the SAVAK was replaced by the SAVAMA and that despite the massive executions of opponents by the IRI inside and outside the regime. YOU ELDERS TALK openly about the SAVAK or life under the SHAH. 23 years have past after all . This silence is not only hypocritical but unhealthy. The result is a very stereo typed image of the past, the revolution and the present. And on a final note SUPPORT THE THIRD WAVE MOVEMENT. Regards, * Perfect match What a delightful coincidence it was to enjoy two beautifully composed essays on the same topic, in the same issue. Cyrus Kadivar's most engaging narrative ["Dark emerald"] was visually recounted by Sadeqi Fasai's captivating photography ["Where it all began"]. Together, they reminded us of a most beautiful land where we can truely claim to be ours. Thank you for choosing such a perfect match. * Getting involved My name is Haleh B. and I am a third-year neurobiology student at UC Berkeley. I am interested in getting involved with Iranian activism or helping Iranian immigrants or somehow promoting the cause of Iranians. If you know of any organizations that I can get involved in or if you have any ideas on an organization that I can start up, please contact me. Thank you, Haleh B. * Mansoor Bahrami? Dear Sir/Madam, Is there and email address or any way of communicating with the tennis player, Mr.Mansoor Bahrami? I am actually interested in purchasing some videos of the matches he has played in. Thank you * Iran-Iraq war I need some information about the Iran-Iraq war in comparison with the war in Yugoslavia war especially compare two leader Saddam and Milosevic , as two person that love war. Please help me and give me some information or some web site address about these two events. I need them for my paper for friday. Maybe we should help each other these days as Iranians, not only for Kobra Khanom and her problems. Sncerely Yours, * Research: Persian proverbs SALAAM I thought of writing to you after surfing in your interesting website in an exhausting search for a certain topic. I am doing an important research about Persian (Iranian) Proverbs. I would appreciate if you could forward to me the names of good references in this respect whether in English or Farsi. Also, I would be grateful if you could recommend the names of any other libraries or institutions that can be of any use in this matter. Thanks for your kind cooperation KHODA HAFEZ * Some questions about 1979 revolution I am doing a speech on the Iranian revolution of 1979 and was wondering if you answer some questions for me, or try to supply me with some additional information on this topic. My main topic for this speech is human rights and how that has been exploited in Iran. firstly, could you please tell me if the human rights situation and democracy was better before the revolution, or after the revolution. Also, which human rights have been taken away? Is Iran getting closer to democracy? If you could answer these questions or provide me with any additional information about human rights in Iran, that would be very much appreciated thank you very much! Sincerely, * "Anar Anar" Dear Sir / Madam, Could you please tell me who sang an old Iranian song "Anar Anar"?? If possible I would like to know if there is an MP3 version of this song to download. Thank you * Violin notes I would like to ask you if you are carring Persian "violin notes" book or even a book that teaches you violin in Persian. Thank you. * Strunz and Farah Do you know whether there is a recording of the live version of Quetzal by Strunz and Farah - it was once broadcast from the Havana Guitar Festival? Regards, * Bozorg Alavi feeling Fist time I am writing to your magazine. I just wanted to say thank you for the picture on the cover [Arash Radpour's "From Rome"]. It is beautiful and erotic and even if you want to look at it commercially -- let's face it, bodies of women have been used for that purpose before -- it works very well for your magazine. I like black and white nude picture of females and I wondered why you have not had any up to now. There is a feel 1950s of Iran, or novels of Bozorg Alavi about your current cover, which I like. Keet this up Jahanshah. * Very distracting Firstly, I would like to thank you once again for your efforts in keeping Iranian.com e-zine going, and doing such a good job with it. I would like to make a comment about the "blinking" advertisements at the hinges of each page! The rapid changes in those advertising icons are very distracting to eyes when reading an article. I recall someone else pointing out the same issue a few months back, in the Letters section. The diversity of the articles published in Iranian.com attracts a vast range of audience to this website, and this is a good opportunity for advertisers to reach a large population of readers, if only the icons would not "blink"! I personally cover the advertisements with another window to do my reading in tranqulity. I sure would notice them better if I they didn't blink and I didn't cover them! Hope you will consider this small suggestion to further imrove this valuable site. With Regards, * More like chelo kabab I would like to add to Peerooz's letter the other day and state that Iranian.com in addition to presenting diverse opinions, and being priceless in presenting the "other side of the coin" in a civilized manner, should be considered as "our story" in Diaspora. Our exile will end one day, but our access to this site should not, even if the publisher moves on. Hence, our contribution should sustain more than only the minimum annual costs. Thinking in terms of $12 a year might add some contributors to the list, but knowing Iranian attitudes to other shareware software etc. that won,t cut it. Thinking of the site as a family night out to the chelo kababi and dishing out $85 is more like it. But there is more. NITV/ParsTV as popular as they may be, are ultimately one to many communications, and one cannot easily use their information as a repository to which we can hyper-link articles of interest (example). In all of a hurry, we are going to find ourselves wanting to know what the fine details of a UN sponsored referendum in Iran is going to be, and wanting to present our reasoning why option x, y or z would be unfair to our constituencies. Linking back to articles/letters on this site to present a position will become invaluable, and by not handsomely supporting Iranian.com we will ultimately undermine our efforts to get back home. * Given us much more How considerate of you Peerooz and thank you for your great suggestion and thank you for reminding us of the fact that putting Iranian.com on the net on a daily basis doesn't come without expenses, in addition to so many hours of hard work. Thank you Jahanshah Javid. I personally believe Iranian.com is the greatest gift to the Iranian community in a long time. Since its first issue in September 1995, I have not missed a day of going through this great publication and everyday I have learned something new. Iranian.com with dedication of its publisher/editor or in other words its single-handed operator has given us much more than what to be appreciated by words. During all these years so many significant, rich and educational articles have been so eloquently written by talented writers. It has provided us a democratic forum and freedom of expression to write and discuss any imaginable possible subject. This publication introduced our younger generation to Iranian literature, history, politic and art more than any other print or online publication. This is the only Iranian magazine, online or otherwise, I have known that publishes every single letter received from its readers, including those abusive ones directly insulting its editor. This publication is a treasure for our community and for those non-Iranian who want to know more about us. It would be a shame to see it discontinued one day, due to financial problems. I can see you have been trying to be extremely fair and cautious in suggesting the $12 contribution per year, however, with a simple calculation, I imagine the cost of running this publication is more than $30,000.00 a year. Therefore, I suggest a contribution of minimum $20 a year and I just followed your suggestion and contributed my first amount for 2001. Thank you again. * Too much "shit" I didn't ask to be on your mailing list and I find your stories to be offensive and distasteful. Remove my name from your mailing list. I've read one too many stories about "shit" and "feces" to think much of your character and judgement in public taste when writing your stories -- 2 for 2, I don't care to read a 3rd. I don't think stories of "shit" and "feces" really characterize Americans OR Iranians and pretty much misses the whole point of culture of either place.
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