Monday
June 25, 2001
* We ourselves are desperate
Dear Mr. Makhmalbaf, ["Limbs
of no body"]
I saw a translation of your article in The Iranian, I read it
in Hayat-e No, I read the letter you sent to Khatami and I also saw
your name along with two whole pages of writing for 20 consecutive days
in Nowrooz and thought: shomaa kheili az mahaleh parteen.
I have been reading newspapers printed inside this country for a while
now and I can say that without a doubt, not one has ever dedicated that
much space to all the horrors that are taking place right inside our own
country. Yes, people are dying by the minute a few miles (even less) outside
the borders of Iran.
Yes, we Iranians have always been known as "hospitable" people
and unless we support the Afghans and give tremendous help, we would not
have the right to use that word for our countrymen any longer. Yes, by ignoring
them we are only acting like cold-blooded monsters.
But while you are busy writing, lecturing and shouting about things which
are taking place in Afghanistan, I hear about people dying of hunger, of
cold and of pure brutality right here in Iran... No, you do not have to
drive for three hours and see it outside of Tehran. It is here, right in
your own city but you couldn't care less, could you?
>>> FULL TEXT
Najmeh Fakhraie
* Evidence
Dear Sir,
A Mr Babak Babaei has accused me of exaggeration and requested evidence
for Makhmalbaf ["Limbs
of no body"] being a fundamentalist Islamist. Here are my evidence:
(1) for films on the subject (Islamic fundamentalism) by Mohsen Makhmalbaf
I refer you to Iranian Film Archive in Tehran, and once you get there ask
for films made by Mohssen Makhmalbaf prior to Dastfourush and BycicleRun.
And if you have difficulty having access to Iranian Film Archive in that
case I suggest you seek advise of Iranian filmbuffs who are knowledgeable
about history of Iranian cinema after the Islamic Revolution. They will
bear witness to the fact that M.M. used to be a fanatic Muslim man and demanded
that all Iranians must be like him, i.e a fanatic Muslim >>>
FULL TEXT
Rana Bahar
* Way to help
Since the tragedy in Afghanistan, I have thought hard to find a way to
help. ["Hell
on earth"]
Last year, when I was visiting home, I saw some Afghan refugees. They
were desperately crying for help. When they found out I am from the U.S.,
they expected miracles. They urged me, to be their voice in the U.S.
I have visited my district's member in the House of Representatives and
requested assistance to Afghanistan and Afghan refugees. I think we all
could do that, since one voice is not enough. I have managed, so far, to
have four conferences about Afghanistan where I work (American University
Law School) and I have tried, with some success, to raise people's consciousness
about Afghanistan.
No, I am not saying I have done my share. I am trying to say if we all
do as much as we can to raise people's awareness, we could be halfway there
to assist those people and maybe then we could sleep a little bit happier.
My Dear Hamvatan,
Could we all put our thoughts together and find a way to help?
Javad Chavoshi
Washington College of Law
* Googoosh site in Spanish
Dear Sir,
I am Nika from Spain. Remember me? ["Spanish
Googoosh fan"] I am in the process of setting up a web site in
honor of Ms. Googoosh in Spanish language. I have translated her life story
and many nice stuff that I could gather from here and there.
I have also included about a hundred kind letters of your readers. And
thanks to Ms. Akrami in Los Angeles, I have also included about 20 lyrics
in Spanish.
We are giving the final touches to the site. I have also found about
50 rare pics (many of them unpublished). It has ten Foto Galeria. But the
problem is that I am short of about 50 to 60 high quality pics to fill all
the galerias.
I am asking your readers to scan their nice medium and large photos of
Googoosh and send them along with their memories of their diva to my email
address. I hope to recieve from you all.
Thanks a lot,
Nika Sancho
* Stop picking at the Pahlavis
I just don't understand why people still keep attacking and deriding
the Pahlavis, be it Reza or Leila, when easier targets like Khatami are
treated like heroes.
The crown prince has not a committed any crime in his life and he courageously
speaks up against the mollas but yet people either criticize him for either
not doing enough or blame him for being his father's son.
We all know that if the Pahlavi family has kept a low profile for all
of these years (Leila included), it is because of security reasons: the
mollas are not afraid to assassinate them just like they did with scores
of other expatriated opponents.
Also to his credit, he is utmost progressive in his ideas: full separation
of church and state, restoration of all social and religious freedoms, political
pluralism,etc... That's more than what the Iranian youth dare to ask for
right now and I don't think anyone doubts that he is sincere in dealing
with these taboo subjects.
On the other hand Khatami, the so-called reformist, has his reputation
sullied by the mere fact that he still reveres Khomeini and the molla state.
He goes around talking about more civil and political liberties, but they
are so timid that they in effect keep he and the other mollas in charge.
He has the nerve to lecture the world about a dialogue of civilizations
when he won't dialogue with his own religious and political minorities and
he wants the destruction of Israel. For instance, Bahais would still be
off-limits for him and, of course, no one could dare criticize Khomeini
or the supreme leader. He is really only a mild form of a molla and what
he proposes is so small that it will neither stop the youth from fleeing
Iran in disgust and despair, nor make Iran a livable place for those who
would like to return.
So stop picking at the Pahlavis, because they are among the few who have
spelled out what freedoms the Iranians want, and instead recognize that
either Khatami should fully live up to the wishes of the Iranian people,
or else resign and dissociate himself from this regime, something he should
have done in the first place if he really believes in "dialogues of
civilizations".
Sadri
* Mean to Pahlavis
Dear Ms. Farah Diba, ["Crown
of lilies"]
First, and foremost, I must tell you that I was deeply saddened by the
news of the passing away of Jenaab-e-Doosheezeh Leila Pahlavi. Although,
against my upbringing, I have come to hate you all, the Pahlavis, for what
the old man Mohammad Reza Pahalvi did to us.
My dear Madam,
When is enough enough for you to stop all this living in la la land and
getting on with your lives? I am truely touched by this, your so-called
open
letter, to your insecure with no direction in life 31 year old girl.
(Am I being mean? God, how good it feel to be mean to a Pahlavi for a change!).
We are not like you. Please accept my sincere condolences. I will pray
for her, for she died Dar Ghorbat. Alone, far away from home.
One who was deprived under the Pahlavi Regime,
Issa
* If Sa'di was president
I'd like to give my support for the points made by Setareh Sabety in
her article "Diana
not".
We Iranians have a lot to learn from i the vast ocean of Persian literature.
As an example, here are two lines from Sa'di:
"Sporat-e ZibAy-e ZAher Hich Nist
Ey BarAdar Sirat-e ZibA BiyAr
Adami RA Aghl BAyad Dar Badan
Var Na JAn Dar Kalbad DArad HemAr"
If the young generation of Iranians living outside -- as well as inside
-- Iran learn and understand the meanings of such poems, then we would have
less problems in our lives both as individuals and also as a community.
(If Sa'di was alive today, and living in Iran, and he was kind and gracious
enough to accept the presidency of Iran, I believe Iran would have a bright
future in front of herself!)
The problem, I guess, seems to be that most of us do not pursue SERIOUSLY
ENOUGH reading classical Persian literature as well as the Holy Scriptures
of different religions, like the Old and the New Testament, The Quran and
also the vast ocean of the Baha'i Holy Scriptures.
All these valuable sources of information will indeed inspire all of
us to create a better world. I am not sure how far the Iranians living outside
Iran are familiar with the Baha'i literature, therefore I put the the address
of the Official website of the Baha'i Faith on the internet: http://www.bahai.org/
With kind regards,
Noorbakhsh Monzavi
* I think not
I am writing in regards to Ms Sabety's article, "Diana
not". I found her article extremely offensive. How can she sit
there and blame a family for their daughter's DEATH? It was in poor taste.
I too, like Princess Leila ,was young at the time of the revolution (age
7). My Father was also a diplomat. I went to boarding school, and I lost
the country my parents and grandparents called home. A place I will never
really get to know. I am not almost 30 and have adjusted to my new life.
For Ms Sabety to blame her family for what happened to her is disgusting.
Eating disorders are prevalent not just in a rich affluent society's. It
is not only the rich who don't always spend time with their children. Look
at all the children that are abused and neglected in less privileged societies.
A young girl's poor body image is common in all parts of society. It
knows no boundaries. To even compare the Princess Leila to Princess Diana
is ridicules. She did not kiss AIDS patients or do charity work because
she did not have a country to be a princess of! She like all of us was trying
to adjust to a normal life.
So, she had more money then the average person, WHO CARES? If Ms Sabety
had lots of money would she go around kissing AIDS patients, walk on land
mines, or ...? I THINK NOT. And anyway, who is she to talk? She too grew
up in the same society of wealth and privilege that she is now criticizing.
Where would she be if she had not been fortunate enough to have all doors
opened to her?
Can't we just let Leila and her memory rest in Peace?
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