|
January 28, 2003
See this month's letters by
subject
Page 2
Page 1
Page
3
To top
* Women do not need a day to be remembered
It really irks me when someone goes so far out of her way and waste so much time
on issues that do not benefit anybody [Ayaa
hefdah-e day rooz-e mohemmist?]. Why do we have to honor women on a certain
day? When are we going to stop following and copying everything the Western world
does? I hate, Valentine's Day, Mothers Day, Fathers Day and every day that one is
supposed to buy cards, gifts, flowers or whatever else to show they are honoring
that day. So corny, predictable and phony.
I have never been A fan of Ms. Mirzadegi or any other old style Iranian feminist
(and I was born a feminist!). They are full of rhetoric and always use some jargon
from history and write a glossy article that offers nothing to empower women. I have
watched many of them and read their articles since elementary school. They were full
of words then and nothing has changed.
I have known about some of these gatherings of Iranian feminists in the US that
some of my closest friends have attended. They had horrible things to say about these
functions. In 1999 I was asked to attend one of these gatherings in a ritzy hotel.
Being open-minded and wanting to see for myself I did.
I opened the door to the ballroom held for "Women's discussion". I had
never seen so many ugly, overweight and mean looking Iranian women in one place in
my life. I wish I had a camera to capture their expressions as I walked in and the
cow size woman in charge who said "this is a woman's forum".
I looked at her and said, I am the VP of public relations for the Iranian Professionals
and am here to represent them. She pointed to a table as though she was talking to
a child and said "sit here". I said loud enough for her to hear me "boy,
so many constipated women here they need to eat some fruits and lose weight".
I stayed for about 20 minutes and realized these women were "man-haters"
who blamed all the shortcomings on men. They had noting inspiring to say. I was yawning
so I walked out of the room.
Ms. Mirzadegi, who cares about what Reza Khan did? He did it so his little ego
could be padded that he was as smart as Kamal Ataturk. Iranian women have always
been resilient through the centuries. I suggest you read ancient Iranian women to
familiarize yourself with the women before the modern times. Women should be honored,
encouraged and empowered every second of the day. They should be hailed for their
achievements every day. Where do we begin? With ourselves.
I have a friend who is an accomplished and highly respected scientist (she has
published great articles and is hailed by a famous university as one of their youngest
scientists). She is now attending medical school . Do you know what most educated
women ask her when they see her? Is she getting married for the third time?
I have another best friend who is a doctor practicing Avicenna's medicine and
changing the perception of educated Americans about alternative medicine every day.
Do you know what educated women ask me at gatherings? Is she still with her boyfriend?
We need to start asking them about their contributions to the world.
My point? Let's stop the rhetoric. Women do not need a day to be remembered. The
old school feminists need to retire. It is time for action. We can make a difference
and many of us do every day. we just don't go behind a podium and give a presentation
about it.
For the record Ms. Mirzadegi, your statistics are very poor. I hate the current
regime of Iran but in case you missed it, 30% of the doctors in Iran are now women.
Also, 56% of college students are women and unlike during the Crown Cannibal's time
which his sisters friends had just titles now women actually are making a difference.
That shows that old school feminists are behind the times and do not recognize
that women make a difference regardless of their circumstances and the world is hailing
Iranian women and their fight to make a difference.
Please get off your comfy chair, get out there and stop talking and start doing
some actual work. How about sponsoring a free program to help Iranian women who need
jobs but lack skills and training to get the required training and assistance from
their educated counterparts? When was the last time you helped an Iranian woman with
any problem? Have you ever helped a woman write a resume or tell her what she needs
to do to secure a better job? Have you mentored an Iranian female student new to
the West? I did not think so.
We do not need a day to go in a room and sit and listen to bunch of women blaming
men and the world for every misfortune. We need to celebrate woman's achievements
everyday by acknowledging their contributions. I am very proud of the accomplishments
of my counterparts, find them and make sure as many people find out about them as
well.
Look around Ms. Mirzadegi and marvel at the fact that we have so many Iranian
unsung heroes who are managing families and have excelled in their careers as well.
Most of them help to empower other women everyday. We do not need your brand of feminism
for honoring women.
Regards,
Azam Nemati
To top
* No place I can really call "home"
I'm a 20 year old male Iranian who's been living outside Iran for 18 years in
London. Even though my parents have brought me up as a proud Iranian, spend every
summer in Iran, have many Iranian friends, interact with the Iranian communtiy in
London. I dread ultimately there will be no place I can really call "home".
This topic of where us Western-Iranians can really call home, is a big issue amongst
us. Here we feel like strangers, and back home they call us "Gharb-Zadeh".
Some of us speak English with a Persian accent and Persian with an English accent.
Neither of us are fully "Iranian" nor fully "Iranian".
Heresh Rezavandi
To top
* Difficult not to generalize, but worth trying
Dear person, how wrote "Bahais
not a history lesson"
I'm sorry that you have a bad experience with some of my Moslem countryman. As I
believe you have the right to believe at Bahaullah as God's supreme manifestation
for our days, the others have the right to consider the Bahai Faith as a history
lesson, and Bahaullah as Philosopher, a Great Thinker, a poet, what's wrong with
that?
As an Iranian and a Bahai, and based in personal experience, I lived in several
very different countries, in any places, in any coulters. I meet nice and decent
people and I meet less nice and decent people. Most of my fallow countrymen are very
very decent people, most of them respect the Bahais, some of them even admire the
Bahais, in Iran and outside of Iran.
I'm not especially lucky too meet only the very good one. I still remember how
my very close relatives put separate our tea cups to be washed extra carefully because
we were Najes (unclean), or being called Sag Bahai or beat the hell
out of me because they came short in argument when discussing religion.
But they are not the majority. The majority of Iranian are lovely open minded,
intelligent, hard working people inside and out side of Iran, as all Bahais are not
angels there are some more and some less decent Bahais . It is the same with my Moslem,
Christian, Jews, and Zoroastrian countryman too.
The problem is that the majorities are usually silent. We hear very often the
voice of the extremes. As I don't like to be judged by people as a whole because
one had a bad experience with an Iranian or a Bahai. I try not to judge the hole
nation or religion only based on couple of experience. I know it's very difficult
not to generalize but it's worth trying.
Iradj
Rio do Janeiro, Brazil
To top
* Hossein Fattahi
MY NAME IS MONA LISA. I AM IN SEARCH OF MY FATHER. I THINK HIS NAME IS HOSSEIN
FATTAHI. IF YOU CAN HELP ME IN ANY WAY PLEASE I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET.
Mona Lisa Fattahi
To top
* I am REALLY busy
I was reading the satirical article by the fellow who speaks of people who use
"busy" as a status symbol [Freezing
cold]. It is very funny. I am watching it because I don't like the JAG character
with chubby cheeks who looks more like a chipmunk that a naval lieutenant. My computer
freezes, and rebooting will take 5 mins, so I go downstairs to get some eggnog left
over from Christmas and some walnuts to crack.
Like the author, I am busy, but REALLY busy. I spent this morning writing to my
former minister (of the church, not the government) about the failure of NASA to
understand that the weather is dependent on the relationship between the solar wind
and the Earth's magnetic field (through magnetohydrodynamics), red sprites and blue
jets (YAHOO), and the electrostatic potential of the jet streams. I hope he picks
up on the importance of the coronel mass ejections (CMEs) and the relation of the
status of jet streams and super cells. But perhaps my two hours was wasted.
Then the first thing in the afternoon I spent time explaining to my senator and
congressman why it was important to pass tax relief for dividends, and that the loss
in taxes should be compensated by a surtax on stock options, IPOs, and bankruptcies
that benefit the CEOs at the expense of the govt.
Then I sent email explaining why the US foreign policy has been coopted by Sharon
and how taking over Iraq will induce the Lebanese and Syrians to open trade with
the Mediterranean via Iraq and the Caspian area, thus isolating the Palestinians
and the Iranians. That will be the end of Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah, et al.
I must stop now, because it is time for my session and my shot. But tomorrow will
be busy, since I must explain why it is incorrect for CO2 emissions to be the focus
on global warming. Everybody knows that the CO2 cycle depends on photosynthesis,
and global cooling depends on the water cycle. And evaporation is a process of cooling.
But now I'm sooo sleepy...
Leonard Clapp
To top
* Elham Afshari
I am looking for one of my best friend Elham Afshari. She was born in 8 January
and living in LA please if you have any news from here contact me.
Fariba Tabrizi
To top
* Japanese incline
This is in response to Brian Appleton who asked about the Japanese incline. [Tehran's optical
illusion]
When the highway was built between Evin and Sevvom-e Esfand Square (the first
inner city highway) at one of the exits, there was an incline. It looked as if you
were going up the hill but in reality it was going down. The engineers explained
it as Japanese incline, an optical illussion first encountered and explained in Japan.
One bit of trivia. The spot turned int a make-out spot with young men driving their
girlfriends there to make out in the car under the city lights.
Siamak Moraveji
To top
* Going to rent the "cheesiest" movie
Dearest Azam,
In the midst of my crazy day, I took a few minutes to read your "Red
lipstick" article on Iranian.com. I found it absolutely fabulous, I
can't tell you how I feel now... I'm going to an Iranian store on my way home tonight
and renting the "cheesiest" movie they have.
Thanks for sharing your brilliant writing with the rest of the world.
Best regards,
Dokhtar Ahvazi
To top
* Don't do anything?
If one were to resume Ghassemi's advice to the youth of Iran that is fighting
to reclaim the same rights their parents abdicated when they VOTED for an Islamic
Republic, it would appear to be "don't do anything, please keep the status quo".
[That 70's
show]
So basically, we should preserve this tyrannical theocracy because the risk of toppling
it could present the risk of sacrifice? That's forgetting how cheap life is Iran
today, where you can be arrested, tortured or executed for formulating the most basic
demands, never mind the precious democracy and freedom your parents claimed to be
fighting for when they united under the banner of that enlightened Qom debris.
I was born one year after the revolution, as over 70% of the population, and no matter
how hard I'm trying to be fair to the previous generation, I still do not understand
why they willingly supported someone like Khomeini as a viable alternative to the
Shah, when he made his reactionary objectives quite clear from the start.
If they had an ounce of honesty, they would acknowledge the miserable failure
that this prized revolution has been, not only for its inability to deliver the political
freedom that did lack during the Shah, but for its clear intent in destroying every
single positive aspect of that time.
24 years on, you still claim that you expected "democracy" from a rag-tag
alliance of uneductated mullahs, stalinists and bitter people who put their hatred
for the Shah above all interests? What were you thinking?
Persepolis
To top
* Manzoor?!!
bebakhshid valy manzooreton az in aks [Mehdi
Mahdavi-Kia] chi bod???
fekr nemikonam oon ghadr aks gereftan ba in zan zogh dashte
bashe ke hade aghal khodeton ro motezaher neshon bedin, ke sar football namaz khon
va roze begir bashin va dastmal sabz be sareton bebandin baray ebraz hamdardy on
vaght eshg oo haleton ro be tamasha bezarin???????????
nemidonam tonestam dorost mafhom harfam ra beheton befahmonam
ya na???!!!!
Negin
To top
* Bakhtiar would have opted for Constitutional Monarchy
Fariba Amini's article on Shapour Bakhtiar is truly welcomed [The
first moderate]. I wonder why an article on This truly patriotic iranian
was never published on the Iranian Times. To think that he was assassinated shortly
before the First Persian Gulf War in 1990.
The French Police was unable to catch all the assassins who fled through Switzerland
and the ones who were arrested were soon delivered to Iranian Authorities thanks
to real politics. Bakhtiar was before anything a honest and citizen who was an "engage"
he believed in what he preached but was not always very diplomatic in uniting the
opposition to Khomeiny notably after leaving Iran for France where he established
the National Front new offices.
Bakhtiar was also a freedom fighter who had not hesitated to fight in Spain against
the fascists and also joined the French Resistace during WWII. He was extremly popular
after his brave acceptation of the post of Prime Minister among most iranian moderates
who refused the religious alternative proposed by the Ayatollah Khomeiny whome Bakhtiar
humourously and ironically liked to call "Monsieur Khomeiny" whenever interviewed
by the French Press.
Unfortunately Bakhtiar made a few strategic mistakes, but was he soley responsible
? Shortly after a first assassination plot was undertook by Hamid Nakash a Lebanese
terrorist working for the Hamas which fortunately failed but costed the life of a
French policeman, and a French Woman was paralized. Bakhtiar clumsily claimed "Victory"
which was the case but was misinterpreted by the French media who were shocked that
he had not said anything first about the Victims.
A few intellectuals and famous human Rights activists like Yves Montand critisized
this attitude. This somehow put Bakhtiar out of focus in the French press, where
he was constantly welcomed on TV news to talk about Iran with an impeccable French
which made many iranians proud to see him represent them, in addition Bakhtiars participation
in his fight against Fascism during WWII made him appear as both charismatic and
understandable both to the French Journalists, and French intelligensia.
However after the first assassination attempt the media instead started to focus
on another opposition force "The Mujahedin Khalg" whose methods we all
know were totally undemocratic, but never truly recognized by the Press since Massoud
Rajavi helped end an airplane hijack in the mid eighties which made them pass as
the major opposition group to the IRI. However Bakhtiar was a patriot and truly the
first moderate who probably could have saved the country had he been named earlier
at the begining of the events which led to the revolution. He would certainly been
more at phase with Iranian aspirations than the prime ministers named at haste by
the Shah, such as Sharif Emmami or the military Azhari.
I also think that Bakhtiar would have opted for a Constitutional Monarchy with
the Crown Prince as Constitutional King or for a secular Republic if the situation
had not deteriorated so quickly. However unfortunately for Bakhtiar and Iran he was
named at the very last minute when all cards had been played, and Bakhtiar had very
little space to manouever between an Army that required fast decision making that
did not trust him and an ever growing uncontrollable population.
I also think that as the article suggests that the Shah had by then realized that
he had misjudged the members of the National Front such as Bakhtiar and their motivations
which were truly patriotic. Had he named him earlier as his prime minister change
the course of history only Historians can attempt to answer that question.
I personally sadly remember Bakhtiars last photo in Paris Match where he was showing
signs of age. He had decided to retire from politics apparently, something I doubt
personally but that was what the article at the time suggested. He was brutally assassinated
by IRI henchmen along with his secretary and ironically after his own son who was
a French police agent( Bakhtiar first wife was French) in charge of his fathers security
allowed the agents to enter the residence.
The IRI was so machiavelic that it had sent agents who had become members of the
National Front for more than 10 years, and who had waited for the proper time to
strike with their evil action. Bakhtiar nor his son could therefore suspect these
men as IRI Agents and that was truly the sad reason that led to the National Fronts
leader.
Bakhtiar's closeseness to people who accepted to join his mouvement, from all
political sensitivities and his resentment for being treated as a cult figure made
him vulnarable and an easy target. He died as he lived that is as a brave resistant
to oppression and as an advocate of Freedom, and Democracy for his Nation. May he
rest in peace and not forgotten.
Dariush KADIVAR
To top
* Not in that league
Dear Ms. Amini,
I enjoyed reading your piece on Dr. Bakhtiar [The
first moderate]. Thank you. For your information, I am working on a biography
on Dr. Bakhtiar.
I only think the title of "The first moderate" does not fit the legacy
of Dr. Bakhtiar, as it puts him in the same league as the Islamic Republic's moderates.
He was not in that league.
Again, thanks for the article.
Sincerely,
Hamid Abkari
Chicago
To top
* No one of his stature able to fill that void
Ms. Amini,
As a nephew of Dr. Bakhtiar, I would like to thank you for a balanced and well-researched
feature you wrote for Iranian.com [The
first moderate]. There was nothing in the article that I didn't know, but
I think its true value lies in educating the current generation of Iranian-Americans,
who are not familiar with his life and character, about this truly exceptional man.
Other than a factual error, the article was quite accurate (Dr. Bakhtiar's father,
who was also my great grandfather, was named Mohammad Reza, not Mohammad Taghi).
Please don't take this as a criticism, but I would have chosen a different title
for your article. Dr. Bakhtiar was more of a visionary than just a "moderate."
The word "moderate" has been so abused in recent years that has lost it's
meaning. It's hardly a compliment in the lexicon of Iranian politics. As you recall,
even Rafsanjani was called a moderate at some point. And for the past seven years,
we have witnessed Khatami's moderation first hand.
In the current state of affairs in our God-forsaken country Iran, his leadership
is sorely missed and I think that's the very reason he was assassinated 11 years
ago. There is no one of his stature able to fill that void.
I had the honor of knowing Dr. Bakhtiar very closely so I know I'm biased when I
say this, but someone with his mind and character comes along once in a generation
or perhaps once in a century. We will never see anyone like him with his courage,
vision and personal qualities in our lifetime. Of that, I'm absolutely sure.
Thank you again.
Hooman Bakhtiar
REPLY: I chose the headline, not Ms. Amini. What I meant by it was that since
we got into this mess -- since the revolution -- Bakhtiar was the first moderate
compared to the other options we had: Shah or Khomeini or Mojahedin or Marxists.
That's all. -- Jahanshah Javid
To top
* Ashraf Hejazi
My name is Faigheh and living in Sweden. Can anyone help me to find my old friend
Ashraf Hejazi whose was in Somayeh College in Tehran 1987-1990 with me. Please email
me!
Thanks so much
Faigheh
To top
* Bakhtiar "man of honor"?
I read Ms. Fariba Amini's article about Dr. Bakhtiar with much interest [Playing
with reality]. I clearly remember those chants in the streets of Tehran calling
Bakhtiar a "nokar-e be ekhtiar". I am in total agreement that his assassination
was ruthless and unjust, as is the case with all such acts of violence. However,
Ms. Amini and the un-named associate of Dr. Bakhtiar who is referenced in the article
make a number of claims which need further analysis.
The article claims that Bakhtiar was a "man of honor" and "would
have been an exemplary leader" and that "we all appreciate the true legacy
of this man". I beg to differ.
Dr. Bakhtiar visited Saddam Hossein in Iraq just prior to the start of Iran Iraq
war (1). Although the details of this meeting are unknown, it is thought that Dr.
Bakhtiar provided vital information to Iraq regarding the state of disarray in Iranian
armed forces after the failed Nozhe Coup that resulted in the execution and jailing
of some of the best and brightest officers of our land, numbering in the hundreds.
This certainly was an encouragement for Saddam to attack Iran and cause that devastation
we all know and needs no further mention.
Moreover, Dr. Bakhtiar accepted $40 million from Saddam, Iran's sworn enemy and
self-proclaimed "Sardar-e Ghadesieh"(2).
Perhaps Ms. Amini and/or the un-named associate of Mr. Bakhtiar would like to
explain why he visited Saddam in Iraq and what his motivations were. Why exactly
did he accept money from someone who went on to cause so much devastation to our
beloved country? And doesn't that give a whole new meaning to the word "nokar"?
I certainly don't think that Ms Amini or the un-named associate could answer these
questions. However, in light of these claims, perhaps they could explain how they
can call Bakhtiar "a man of honor" or an "exemplary leader".
Is this what we are looking for in honorable and exemplary leaders? And who appreciates
this kind of legacy?
Ramin Rofagha
References:
1 . Oral History Collection of the Iranian Oral History Research Association (Berlin).
Part I. 2001. Page 790
2. ibid, page 811.
To top
* Professional hacker
The guy who hacked you is called Mehrdad Honarkhah and a professional hacker (honarkhah.com) and here is his full info....
but it is probably false. I looked up his yahoo profile, found his webpage, and got
his info off register.com >>> see
here.
B.
To top
* Vaavaakieh mesleh inkeh
In response to hacking
of Daryaa Kenaar club,
In bacheh mozalaf Mehrdad_h4k3r mesleh inkeh baraaye orgaani kaar mikoneh ke az
tarafeh Larijani setup shodeh vaaseh hack kardaneh Weblog-haa va Web-sitehaa-ye degarandisheh
Irani. Taraf ye web-site ham daareh http://www.honarkhah.com/
Gorohaa maroham. He is actually an employee of takta.com.
ye baar omaad too HamedShowNet
va JAVANAN-e-SABZ ozv
shod khaast takeover koneh maa shenaasaaeish kardim endakhtimesh biroon. Chandtaam
ID mokhtalaf daareh.
I have reliable sources who do confirm this theory. He was behind the attacks
against Morteza Negahi and Massoud Behod's web-logs a few weeks ago.
Vaavaakieh mesleh inkeh.
Iraj
To top
* Hot potato
Finally after years of longing and intense search, Azam Nemati has found her beloved
mate: Esmaal Aghaa. [Haft
Khaan] A man who can fulfill her physical and emotional needs. A true match
for her.
I am hoping, however that Esmaal Aghaa is aware of the fact that he is going to
be courting a middle aged (two times divorced) female who is extremly bitter, arrogant,
self centered and hostile to men. One who thinks of herself as the center of the
universe and thinks "it's all about her."
Personally, I have a lot of respect for this poor fellow (Esmaal Aghaa). He must
be a very unselfish and naiive individual. To me, this is the highest level of self
sacrifice, to marry a infertile middle aged female, who is on the high way to obesity
(growing side ways).
Azam Nemati loves to boast about her "class" and her classy friends.
The fact of the matter is that "people with class" do not feel the necessity
to make such claims. She loves to write about how all men are dying to marry her
(inferiority complex) and draws outlines for men to follow, steps to take and instructions
to follow in the persuit of her! Her article [Make
it your bible bubba] needs to be published in the "bitch weekly magazine".
I am positive Esmaal Aghaa will drop her like a hot potato, after he discovers
her egocentrism , arrogance and superficiality .
I wish Azam and Esmaal a happy union.
Javad Dehaghani
To top
* Child adoption from Iran?
Dear Friends,
Does any of our beloved hamvatans out there have any information regarding child
adoption from Iran? If so please fire me an e-mail at your earliest convenience.
With many thanks,
Masoud Abbasi
To top
* Staring at the devil
When I saw this picture [Hossein
Shariatmadari], I was breathless for a few seconds. Suddenly the legend of Medusa
(the monster who petrified anyone who saw her) took its full meaning.
Rarely in the history of Mankind has it been given to simple mortals to stare so
closely at the devil and survive it. Let us grab this gruesome but enlightening opportunity.
A. Afshari
To top
* Not about slander
Dear Ms Nemati, [Copying
facts. For what?]
Freedom of speech is not about slander.
Kind regards,
Cyrus Kadivar
To top
* Asshole of the day
I would rather choose Hossein
Shariatmadari as the asshole of the day not the Iranian of the day... :-)
Mani
To top
* Who saved whom
My dear John Mohammadi, [US merely uses people when convenient]
You wrote: "The examples you provide of cases where the US has 'liberated
Moslems', upon more careful examination, only prove the theory that the US uses people
and then casts them aside when convenient."
Make your own call on who saved whom, please click
the link I am forwarding... I don't want to go into much details, if this is
not enough lets move on. Due to proximity of our nation with Afghanistan this could
have been my mother, my daughter, my sister or my wife. Whatever political necessity
saved this from happening it is divine intervention for me!!
For Albania.. European powers reluctance to act against the fellow colonialist
power already created one very bloody debacle for the international community: Bosnia.
It is, therefore, imperative now, in the case of Kosovo, to act immediately and preventively.
Check here the latest from State Department, U.S Congress and Contact Group on that
issue.
Human Rights Watch suggested that International War Crimes Tribunal should start
prosecuting crimes against humanity in Kosovo holding Belgrade authorities liable
for them, and the Tribunal said that it might do just that. Helsinki Citizens Assembly
called upon sending peace-keepers to the region when there is still some peace to
be kept.
Society for Threatened Peoples (Gesellschaft fuer Bedrohte Voelker) wrote
a report on recent human rights abuses in Kosovo by Serbian police with an emphasis
on arbitrary detentions, interogations and beatings of Albanians who have relatives
living and working in Germany.
Sanjaki Refugee Center, comprised of Muslims "ethnically cleansed" from
Serbian region of Sandjak, warns about the "next" war.
My best regards to you and your near ones, love for all
Iqbal Latif
To top
* US merely uses people when convenient
Mr Latif, [Instead
of 'Thank you']
First, opposing the war on Iraq is not the same as supporting Saddam, nor is opposition
to the war limited to reactionary Islamists. It is in fact a world-wide phenomenon
which has very little to do with Saddam's alleged "Islamic Credentials"
that you harp on (and only you seem to take seriously) or the Pan-Islamism that you
have conveniently used as a strawman argument.
Second, the examples you provide of cases where the US has "liberated Moslems",
upon more careful examination, only prove the theory that the US uses people and
then casts them aside when convenient:
The US used Afghanistan to fight the Soviets, and then cast them aside to later
flirt with the Taliban when Afghanistan presented a route to access Central Asia's
oil. It had nothing to do with "liberating Moslems".
The US role in the Balkans was not about defending Islam either. The real reason
was to establish a secure route for oil & gas pipelines out of the Caucasus (see
"A meeting of blood and oil: the Balkan factor in Western energy security";
Keith Fisher, Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2002.)
The PERSIAN Gulf war was not about "liberating Moslems" either; it was
about promoting US interests by preventing the greater concentration of oil resources
in Saddam's hands. It was about oil, and not Islam. The next war on Iraq is to "reshape
the Middle East" to suit Israel, and not to defend Moslems.
In fact, the case of Iraq is a perfect example of the theory that the US merely
uses people when convenient and then casts them aside: The US used Iraq when it was
convenient to oppose Iran and then cast them when Saddam was no longer convenient
(remember what U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie told Saddam in response to his plans
to invade Kuwait: "We have no opinion.")
The US then enouraged the Shi'ite uprising against Saddam, and then cast them
aside too when they became inconvenient. After killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqi
children through sanctions and pollution by depleted uranium weapons, the US is now
is going to attack Iraq yet again but under the pretense of saving Iraqis from an
evil ruler - which the US had supported and armed in the past. And if characterize
these fact as "conspiracies" then you're the one who is in a stupor. (See
reply: "Who saved whom")
J. Mohammadi
To top
* She is animated because she is alive
A few of our fellow countrymen or women have been on Rudi's case [Moody
Rudi]. Complaints such as they can't stand skewed news she delivers, she
smiles, she is animated or else she does not have anything nice to say about Iran.
Rudi is an anchor woman and she does not make news, she delivers. News are prepared
by producers sitting behind. I could also see the rage for her smile, after all we
Iranians live in sorrow for a good part of the year and a smile on a preety face
is just hard to take. She is animated because she is alive , she has life in her.
She does not have anything good or bad to say about Iran, simply because she is
not a reporter or interviewer. Why don't just close your eyes and imagine Rudi is
back in Teharn wraped in a black shroude like everybody else, lifeless , she can't
raise her head and maybe that will calm your nerves.
I say God bless America, where Rudi or thousands like her taken refuge and have the
opportunity to realize their dreams and shine like Rudi does.
Gulagha Shahgholam
To top
* Grudge against the monarchists
I have always fixed as a rule not to comment, on encouragments or critisizms that
could regard friends, and particularily my brother Cyrus'
articles. However I found Mrs. Azam Nemati's rude comments regarding my brother
[Copying facts.
For what?] disgraceful, combined by personal attacks which should not exist
on a respectful tribune like the Iranian Times to which many talented and openminded
people of all political and social backgrounds contribute. the same could be said
of those held by Rom Adeli who has prefered not adding his email. [Please
go and die]
Mrs. Nemati (for whome I used to regard with a certain respect because she was
kind enough to share some of her enthusiastic comments regarding my film articles)
can indeed have a different opinion but she has no right to insult him. Since Mrs.
Nemati wants to clean the "dirty Lingerie in Public", I can only assume
that part of Mrs. Nemati grudge against the monarchists in general and the Shah in
particular apparently comes from the fact that her father served as the Shah's double
and chauffer for security reasons and was never quite thanked, by the former Shah.
On the otherhand like most Iranians who lived abroad prior to the revolution as
well as during the time the events were tearing up our country, she has apparently
been more impressed by all the anti-shah and pro-Islamic propaganda which covered
the World Press at the Time who saw in the Old Ayatollah a New kind of "Ghandi"
and tried to portray the Shah as bloodthirsty "cannibal".
On the otherhand let it be noted that neither my brother nor I have invented our
names, nor do we have any family or aristocratic connection whatsoever with the Royal
Family, or Mullah Mohsen KADIVAR as some seem to have thought. Like many Iranian
expatriates, I have an interest, and why deny it a certain respect for the monarchical
past of my country, which does not stop me from being critical.
I also have indeed hoped to draw attention on what, and how Iran has been percieved
as in the West from a cultural and historical perspective as many of the pictures
of items ( which are not personal belongings , but simply downloaded from ebay),
and articles sent to this tribune can testify.
Had Mrs. Nemati been in Iran as was the case of most of us, including my family,
and had seen the crimes commited against innocent citizens of our country, probably,
she would have a different viewpoint today. As for myself, I am not a political activist
and like any freeminded person I indeed have my personal views which may sometimes
differ from others including from those defended by my brother.
Dariush KADIVAR
To top
* iranian.com on LexisNexis
I'm contacting you because LexisNexis
is interest in republishing articles from The Iranian in our academic and
traditional news services.
If you are not familiar with LexisNexis,
we are a provider of information to academic, legal, and corporate markets. Our academic
products are used by over 80% of all college students in
over 1,200 universities nationwide.
Likewise LexisNexis news products are
currently used by millions of corporate entities. Our goal is to provide a "one
stop shop" for news and business information from national and international
markets...
We are currently working on a project to license content from a mixture of ethnic
publications for use in academic and traditional news services. I think your content
would fit nicely in our services.
Please let me know if this is of interest.
Sonia LaFountain-Ginyard
Acquisitions Manager
LexisNexis Academic & Library Solutions
To top
* Contentment
In reply to "Man
who had no feet", that Persian expression is a passage is from Sa'di's
Golestan:
On Contentment: I never lamented about the vicissitude of time or complained
of the turns of fortune, except on the occasion when I was barefooted and unable
to procure slippers. But when I entered the great mosque of Kufah with a sore heart,
and beheld a man without feet, I offered thanks to the bounty of God, consoled myself
for my want of shoes, and recited: "A roast fowl is to the sight of a satiated
man less valuable than a blade of grass on the table; and to him who has no means
nor power a burnt turnip is [as good as] a roasted fowl."
Hossein Shahidi
To top
* Americans do not want to learn from others anymore
I just read Your letter concerning the book "Not without my daughter"
and the question what really happened in Teheran that time... [He
was violent and selfish]Well, I just happened to see a documentary about Dr.
Mahmoody on arte which is a European network showing controversial and cultural movies
and so on. I have to be honest that I never had the urge to read the book Betty Mahmoody
wrote and thus I am not precisely informed about the "not that true" stories
she set up but I have followed the controversial discussions whenever it was released.
Sadly enough that she married an Iranian citizen seemingly not having the slightest
idea about the culture of his roods - in Iran. Okay maybe she did and just made up
the whole story but - sorry to say it - that is typically American. For me not being
US citizen it might not be apropriate to criticise but I stayed there for a year
and I know pretty well what I am talking about.
I am German and my cultural background taught me to first look and learn before
I judge. Of course Islam is not that easy to understand for a western person but
should not everybody, especially in our world that grew that close together at least
try to accept other laws and rules of cultural behaviour?!
I believe the fact that the vast majority of people in the United States do not
want to learn from others anymore and try to subdue other cultures to their own.
This is actually of the point but I believe that a book of Dr. Mahmoody would never
have the chance being sold in the US and if so nobody would really want to read it
since the story would be from the point of view of a foreigner, an Irany - That is
the sad truth!
Refering again to the documentary I watched Dr. Mahmoody seems to be a caring
and lonely father who just wants to get back in touch with his daughter. I wish him
all the best for that and hope that he can achieve that goal one of these days. I
believe that his daughter would not regret at least giving him a slight chance. Trying
to see this whole dilemma from an objective point of view it is not easy to tell
whose story is closer at the real happenings but there are things that you will never
forgive yourself: Not having tried...
Best wishes to whereever
E.Brummerloh
To top
* IRI: Nothing runs straight
Dear Compatriot Broumand, [Redeploy
German aerospace manufacturer in Iran]
I whished there were some good listening ears in our country to take your advice.
But as you know, nothing runs straight in the IRI. Every thing has to go crocked
way to satisfy insatiable Aakhods greed.
So if they indeed listen to your sound advice, it will be through Russians who are
adequately adapt to butter the Aaakhonds buttocks.
(Sorry for the language).
Best regards,
H. Hakimi,
Norway
To top
* Sorry for our state of mind
Sorry, I had to write these few lines.
Mr. Hashem Hakimi, apparently a diplomat in the pre-revolutionary government of
Iran, has an interesting article [Under
the surface] in your site.
In the article he describes how Prime Minister Saed[whose intelligence was the laughing
stock of the newspapers at the time], was secretly sent to London by His Majesty
Mahammad Reza Shah to negotiate some oil contracts.
In a telegram sent back to the royal court,Mr Saed, this 007 agent, secretly
informed the Shah that he had met with The Chancellor and Foreign Secretary, without
giving their names as a precaution in case someone else read the message.How smart
of him. [Now I am certain that those rumors were true].
And the conclusion of the article was that "Until the last day of the Pahlavi
dynasty ,they never ceased their struggle to safeguard our interest"
After reading this revealing article, one can not help but feel sorry for our state
of mind. One expects that after paying such a heavy price of going through the upheaval
of revolution and ruining the country by two successive regimes, at least we should
have learned something. Apparently not.
Mr. Hakimi, Sir, we thought His Majesty Mohammad Reza Shah was a constitutional
monarch, sworn to safeguard the constitution. What was his private
secret messenger doing in London, behind the Parliament and every other person's
back?
Mr. Hakimi, Sir, "our interest" was the safeguard of the constitution and
the right of freedom to decide for ourselves in the Parliament of what to do, and
not by sending secret messengers from the royal court to London's Chancellors
and foreign Secretaries? Isn't this an example of what was going on especially during
the second Pahlavi's reign,confirming A.Alam's memoirs? Have we learned anything
yet?
And is it what the constitutional monarchists are missing, Sir?
Peerooz
To top
* Well aware people will laugh
FROM THE MOON TO THE EARTH! What a stupid crisis was created in Iran because of
an old
cartoon, which was originally published 65 years ago. Picture of Roosevelt's
hand pressing on somebody's head, which seems to be alike Khomeini.
Two decades ago when Khomeini established his own favorite regime some of his
supporters claimed that they saw his face in the moon and some naive people believed
that and this incident brought much more popularity for Komeini. Now his admirers
got mad of this old cartoon because they are very well aware that the people will
laugh at it.
Beside all controversies around this issue, we should admit that the picture is
very similar to Khomeini and the subject of the cartoon is so suitable to today's
situation in Iran!
Davood
To top
* Saudi Arabia
Dear Manager,
I have pleasure to write this letter to you. In fact I was going through your magazine
and it is very nice and my pleasure to get a copy of your magazine to my address
please:
P o Box 270430
Riyadh 11352
Saudi Arabia
Abdulaziz Hussein
Thanks & Regards
To top
* Have you ever asked this question
In response to: ''Will
certainly unmask deceit ''
Dear Hamid,
You may call Pahlavis what ever you want to call them but please let's be fair, If
the Pahlavis where still in power you realy didnt need to beg Americans to let you
stay in their country, How many refugees we had during Shah's time?
How many countries did we need to have a visa to visit?
how were Iranians treated by any country? How Iranians were viewed by the rest of
the world? How Iran was viewd by the rest of the world? How Iranian culture was viewed
by rest of the world?
Have you ever asked this question that why we are being
treated like this? Maybe something we have done in the last 23 years that made the
world change it's mind! I wonder what we did? I can't come up with an answer, I was
too little to comprehend the events 23 years ago, can you help me to find the answer?
Who should I blame? The Pahlavis?
By the way check the link attached!
This letter also appeared in The Washington Post, December 26, 2002 issue.
Farsi
(Persian) Translation
For now,
To top
* 2 things in common
Nazanin,
You and I have 2 things in common: My sister's name is Nazanin and my daughter's
name is
Chloe.
Wish you a happier Valentine next time.
Alireza Kimiai
From Seattle
To top
* Are you a real person?
"Nazanin" I have enjoyed
reading a couple of your articles in iranian.com. However, I have a few questions
for you. But, before you read any of my questions, you got to keep this in mind that
I don't know anything about you, so I hope you don't take this the wrong way.
I am just wondering if you are just a free lancer writer who enjoys writing about
this interesting character named "Nazanin". Or you are really a person
simply writing your diary and not a character. If I get a response back from you,
you'll get question # 2.
Afshin
REPLY: Thank you for your letter. I am glad you have enjoyed the diary entries
in iranian.com (even though I think the publisher has forgot about me last week!!!)
I am not taking your questions the wrong way. It is actually the most popular question
I get from my readers. I will tell you what I always tell them: The diary entries
are "loosely" based on my life experience. How "loosely" I leave
it up to the reader to decide because... well... it's just more fun this way.
Take care and feel free to write with you comments.
Nazanin
:o)
To top
* Really "chasbid"
Thanks so much for posting Nimva's
Forough poetry reading. Though, I couldn't play any of the audio files due to
an error (possibly corporate firewall), I could view the video clip and it really
"chasbid", just as much as when I first heard it during the event back
in October.
Naser Sheikhzadegan
To top
* How many miracles you helped execute?
I wonder how many miracles (much like yours) you helped to execute in Iran during
your religious phase? [A
miracle] But I guess being a member of Hezbollah, you didn't consider other
peoples children worthy of living.
Being a father myself, I hope you never have to experience the anguish of losing
your children. But the likes of you manage to take away the lives of many Iranian's
miracles in the name of your Allah the merciful.
Afshin M
To top
* The real Dr. Mahmoody
A few days ago a TV documentation was broadcasted on ARTE (a french/german TV-network)
which explained the case of Dr. Mahmoody under the title "Without my Daughter".
I will try to explain - in very short - the contents: In this film, they showed a
man who used to work in the USA as a doctor with a reputation, of Iranian nationality,
but with a Green Card. When the war broke out, he decided to go back to his home
country (together with the family which they did), because he wanted to help the
citizens in his country with his knowledge of a doctor.
His wife went back to the USA and got divorced from her husband, who was still in
Iran. He only was informed about the "divorce act" after the case was already
closed by an American court. All his property in the USA was taken away and given
to his ex-wife. He did not have any permission to see or contact his daughter anymore.
There was not much said about Betty Mahmoody or her personality. People around who
know the Mahmoody family were questioned. Nothing was exagerated, many facts were
shown and there was no politics in this film. It was astonishing to see how authorities
in the USA reacted on questions of the (I guess French...?) journalists.
Please try to get a video tape of this TV documentation and try to spread it to the
world. This film shows the personality of Dr. Mahmoody. I hope that he will have
the chance to regain at least some of its reputation in the so-called "Western"
world.
Kind regards,
R. Pfaff
To top
* Happy about this mess?
Dear Narm, [And
melt you did]
How can you be so worried about what ever is said aboutyour life style & the
Canadian winter by any person? It sounds like you are a very sad and very very sallow
being. instead of having sympathy for them, you are happy about this mess? For a
welfare case refugee, you sure got a lot to say.
Shaw Breheny
To top
* You & I are immigrants no matter where we
are
I always wondered why all the "EYE-RANIANS" living
in Canada are dying for a chance to down play their HAM-VATANS in the USA.
After reading the article "And
melt you did" i can conclude that it all comes
from a mere fact of jealousy. Being jealous of the fact that they can't ever migrate
to the US, especially with the new laws. They just have to continue freezing their
buttocks in Canada while we "Persians" bathe in sunny California.
Oh well, He can say whatever he wants, but he just showed
that he's the MOST IGNORANT IRANIAN there is... for him to say "DANDETOON GARM"
after what happened to us "PERSIANS" with the INS law, I really do feel
sorry for this HAM-VATAN.
It's for people like him that there is no unity among IRANI-HAA.
I feel sorry for you because you haven't YET realized that you & I are immigrants
no matter where we are, Canada, US, Europe. It doesn't matter. But do not ever get
satisfaction out of your HAM-VATANS sorrow and pain.
MAY GOD BRING PEACE AMONGST US, PERSIANS...
Haleh
To top
* Canada: land of racism
I remember a few years ago I wrote something against a typical Iranian attitude
and I got many critical responses. [And
melt you did]
Iranians cannot see other (just other Iranians) success and happiness. If they think
someone is successful (obviously in their view and it's not in general) they will
looking forward to see something wrong in his/her life and make a big deal of it.
"And
melt you did" is a clear example of this behavior. What do you mean
by [Dandetoon Narm? Haalaa bekeshid]? Do you understand what you are wishing for?
Your dear relatives might have seen your life and are giving you their best advice.
Maybe it's best for you to move over there. I believe they are right because if you
had a chance to experience the right Canadian job you wouldn't have judged American
racism.
Canada is the land of racism and all the Iranian-Canadians will see it one day and
will not able to do a damn thing about that.
Farzad Shadkami
To top
* The only thing Canada is good for
In response to the Narm's letter, [And
melt you did] I have to say the opportunities that existed in this country
-- the U.S. -- does not exist in Canada or any where else in the world. I visited
Canada many times and I have families in Canada and neither them nor I want to live
in Canada. As a matter fact many Canadians come to the U.S. for a better life.
To answer your other questions, many other Iranians and I have not changed our
names and we are proud of our Iranian cultures. As a matter of fact after Iranian
demonstrations in L.A. more people are proud of Iranians too.
The only thing Canada is good for is that people become Canadian citizens and
then emigrate to the U.S. because that is the easiest way to come to the U.S. I have
seen the Canadian government deport many Iranians who applied for asylum in Canada.
Have you asked why the Canadian population has been 26 million people for the last
10 to 15 years?
Farzad Khalili
To top
* Thanks for rare music collection
I was wondering if you could post my thanks to the reader who sent me his collection
of tapes he had brought with himself from Iran in 1978. (They are old but I listened
to one of Ahdieh's movie songs and for the first time in 3 years I missed the exit
as well as the entrance to my company.)
My sincere thanks to Mr. Halvaei one of the readers of Iranian.com who has sent me
his entire collection of cassette tapes which he had brought with him to the US in
1978. I am truly touched and honored for you to have considered me worthy of giving
your collection of tapes to.
I will cherish them and would try and compile some of the rare songs for the rest
of the readers to enjoy as well.
Azam Nemati
To top
* You should travel a bit more
Hey Narm! [And
melt you did]
Your attitude is extremely "seft". In DC we'd call it "salty about
your life." Have a Coke and a smile! Canada's considered to be America's largest
national park! What do you mean Canada's better than the US? Are you still in 3rd
grade? May be you haven't noticed other forms of racism -- in and out of Canada.
You should probably travel a bit more to learn about other cultures, including
your own (Iranian)! Instead of running away from the system, please respect those
who live in it to correct the system. It's easier to run -- isn't it?
That's probably what my parents were thinking when they ran away from Eye-Ran.
What the hell do I know? I' m one of those Eye-Rainians in US -- you Iranian/Canadians
are much smarter -- or is that a racist comment?!
Saman
To top
* Hedye
axe shoma ro ke hedyeyi bud baraye dokhtaretun didam, [A
miracle] fekr konam behtarin va khatere angiztarin hedye'iye ke yek pedar
mitune be farzandesh bede, hedyeye shoma yek omr va yek gozashte va yek asar ruye
khatte tarikhe, hatta agar ba kamtarin emkanat va ba kamtarin ettelaat dar morede
akkasi bashe.
man ham be nobeye khodam az in hedyeye shoma motshakkeram, chon man ham be sahme
khodam az axet lezat bordam, makhsusan aghaye manuchehr ke az un posht saay mikonan
va gad mikeshan ke durbin ro bebinan, va hamchenin amme susan ke besyar matin va
dorost ru be jahate vazesh bad istadan... be mahdiye jun ham tavvalodesho az tarafe
man tabrik begin.
mercy va mamnun
Mohammad
Az Tabriz/Iran
* Bitter and twisted
Sorry to read how bitter and twisted you are about "Iranians" [Forsaking
Iranians]. Was just wondering what you are doing on this site??? So glad
I am not you.
Ebi Rezaei
To top
* Real good laugh
I had a real good laugh at the "Bavaaseer"
audio clip. Funnier than the content is the guy's Shirazi accent.
Kehili mamnoon.
Abbas
To top
* Please be advised
i read the "Vaaaaay"
lyric. please be advised that this was one of the keeriest lyrics i have ever read
in my entire life and believe me i have heard and said lots of kosso shers in my
lifetime.
Respectfully
Saeed
To top
* Trash next to gem
Looks like you have done it again. Just about when you were gaining a great deal
of respect and credibility by publishing relevant, intelligent and valuable articles;
you do a 180 degree turnabout and place a trashy and insulting audio on your site.
[Bavaaseer]
I don't know what you where thinking. Maybe there is a little devil on your left
shoulder who nudges you once in a while to put something stupid on your site and
for some reason you listen. Maybe you get tired of being intelligent and credible
and want to act naughty and retarded. Or if I may be allowed to practice my psychology
101, is this a cry for attention?
I know you don't get much praise from us Iranians for the valuable service that you
are providing. I know you only hear from us when something goes wrong. But, that
is our culture and that's how we are.
I hope the next time your devil nudges you, you will take a few moments and don't
act upon impulse. I think you are an intelligent and creative person and have created
a great venue for the Iranians on the Internet. It can only get better if you don't
put trash next to gem.
Respectfully
Bahram K.
To top
* Free advertising for this lame "school"
You recently published this letter
by Sean Mason. Except, he works for Canadian College of Business and Computers
(CCBC). From the company's web site: "Sean
Mason joins the CCBC team as Public Relations Manager, with a commitment to increasing
CCBC's local, national and international exposure."
So in fact you actually published free advertising for this lame "school"
he works for. He's just a PR flack spinning something so tragic into a "good
news" item that would get your attention and publish it. Shame on you.
Thank you,
Craig Sebastiano
To top
* Sa'di's tale of the shoeless man
In reply to "Man
who had no feet"
As I recall, the tale of the shoeless man thanking God on seeing one in worse
situation than himself is told by Sa'di in Golestan. He says how in Baghdad's Nezamiyyeh,
penniless and barefoot, he once ran into a man with no feet, took this as a message
from high heaven, and thanked God, exercising patience until his situation changed.
If you wish, I'll find the exact reference for you.
Best wishes,
Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak
To top
* Vaqte 'oryaanist
Salaam bar Javid,
maa aadamhaa hamin joorihaa roshd mikonim [A
miracle]. vaqte 'oryaanist. taa berahne nashavim kasi negaahemaan nakhaahad
kard.
Tabrik
Shahab
Go to:
Page 3
Page 1
To top
|
