Letters
August 21-25, 2000 / Mordad 31-Shahrivar 4, 1379
Today
* Censorship:
- Finally!
* dAyi Hamid:
- Vulgar
* Humor:
- Nothing wrong with a joke
Previous
* Persian Gulf:
- Taking over the Persian Gulf
* Ancestry:
- Maybe, just maybe
* Conspiracy:
- Smiles at the CIA
* Abadan:
- Fond memories
* Harassment:
- Seeking justice against sexual harassment
* Iranians:
- Lying is a habit
* Googoosh:
- Dreams do come true
- Qorbunet beram elaahi!
email us
Friday,
August 25, 2000
* Finally!
Congratulations! Just thought I would let you know that The Iranian
is now among the many sites that cannot be accessed in Iran through Neda Rayaneh (and possibly other Internet
service providers). I guess you too are officially censored now. When you
try to access it, it says "You are not allowed to connect to the requested
site."
S.
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* Vulgar
I am flabbergasted and ashamed, to find yet another feature story with
no substance: "Zan
gereftan". This parody, it maybe funny, but very offensive to
not only to women but to all of us. The feature is vulgar and chauvinistic.
Some of the words the author used are not appropriate for the general
audience. Is Iranian.com becoming a tabloid? This is not an attack
on freedom of speech, it is merely to point out responsible journalism.
Morteza Loghmani
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* Nothing wrong with a joke
In response to "Racist
jokes": I was born in Tabriz to Esfahani parents and was raised
in Tehran. I have lived in both the U.S. Deep South and the Yankee North.
Because of the number of years I have lived in the aforementioned venues,
I imitate the local accents quite fluently and get a kick out of making
facetious remarks about each drawl.
I personally don't think telling a Rashti joke or speaking with a Jewish
accent makes one racist. Indeed, there are people who don't appreciate
this sort of amusement, but they are in the clear minority. Stereotypes
begin in the first place because they are all somewhat true.
I don't think an Azeri was ever denied entrance to a university or an
Esfahani to a bank due to their ethnic heritage. If anything, Iran is one
of the few countries in the world where the capital has moved from one
corner to the next; most Tehranis today are, in fact, descendants of people
from the other provinces.
About your comment with regard to the Shahanshah starting this "racism,"
if you mean the late Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, then I suggest you do more
research on this matter. Moreover, if you find jokestan.com
full of bigotry, then stop reading it. Why should the thousands of other
readers of The Iranian be denied the most jocular Iranian site on
the Web?
Mehran Azhar
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Thursday
August 24, 2000
* Taking over the Persian Gulf
I'm a Kuwaiti citizen. That means we are very close to each other yet
my root is very Arabic and I'm Sunni .
I'd like to know do you really think that you should take over the Gulf
area and rule there ["Snake
island"]? What is happening in my country is that a lot of Iranians
cross the border as illegal immigrants and most of them smuggle drugs.
No offense, but don't you think since the revulotion pepole miss the
freedom and the luxury? Anyhow these are my thoughts and I would like to
hear your answer .
Amani al-Omani
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* Maybe, just maybe
In response to Sheri Zandi, "Behkhodaa
we're Italian": I think you must have had Iranian ancestors since
Zandi is a very prominent Persian last name. One of the dynasties that
governed Iran about three hundred years ago was called the Zand dynasty
and its founder was called Karim Khan Zand. So maybe, just maybe, you have
an Iranian ancestor in your distant past.
You can investigate your genealogical tree. After all Persia and Rome
where once powerful empires and neighbours and came quite often into contact
with each other. Even your first name is very Persian. Sheri is the abbreviation
for the Persian female name "Shirin". Shirin in Iranian literature
has the same meaning as Juliet in English literature because of Romeo and
Juliet.
Actually there are many Persian names which have found their way into
Western hemisphere like Cyrus, Darius, Roxana, Shervin, Shaheen etc.
Mohammad Yamini
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Wednesday
August 23, 2000
* Smiles at the CIA
I came across the article by Mr. Ashraf ["Conspiracy
theories"] while going through The Iranian. Although this
might be a late contribution to this topic, I felt it might be of some
help to Mr. Ashraf's research intersts.
First things first. I noted how carefully Mr. Ashraf has avoided the
use of the word Iran and replaced it with Persia. It is beyond the scope
of this note to enter into this debate. However, I wished Mr. Ashraf were
equally mindful of the use of the word "theory".
I suggest he should look up the word and then compare it with that of
the word "hypothesis". To make it easier for him, might I suggest
that "theory" is used when a "hypotheis" is established
by proof. I found it a little ironical that our great scholar chose to
ignor this subtle difference while religiously adhered to the use of the
word Persia for Iran!
Secondly, Mr. Ashraf's simplistic account of the word conspiracy and
its ramifications (adopted from a psychology text book) should bring some
smile on the faces of those working in the offices in Langley-Virginia,
Vauxhall Bridge-London, and Red Square-Moscow. After all, the idea of their
corresponding governments spending billions of dollars on a bunch of people
to delude other people, thousands of miles elsewhere, sounds ludicrous!
Parkhash
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* Fond memories of Abadan
As a 19-year-old in 1977, sent out from England to help in the language
lab department of Abadab Institute of Technology (AIT), I recognise many
of the photographs here ["Abadan"].
I have several hundred similar!
I have many fond memories of the people, and the places I visited during
the six months I was there and would welcome any contacts with anyone who
was at AIT at the same time.
James Alden
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Tuesday
August 22, 2000
* Seeking justice against sexual harassment
I am an Iranian medical doctor. I began practicing as an MD in 1985
in Iran. Then I left and came to the U.S., where my problem began. I am
writing for help from Iranians who can assist me.
What happened to me at the University of Nebraska Medical Center was
an obvious case of gross discrimination against me as a woman and as an
Iranian. The program director took sexual advantage of me.
Many people, when they hear about sexual harassment, automatically think,
"Oh, she's just trying to make money." I swear to everything
I believe in that I don't want any money. All I want is justice >>> FULL
TEXT
Marjan
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* Dreams do come true
Googoosh's concert in Los Angeles started at nine o'clock with the band
entering the stage. They started with "Talaagh" which is one
of my all time favorites. Who can forget her in that white dress with Farah
Fawcett's hair-do in the original video? The band played the tune and the
crowed screamed. Then there was a moment of silence. The lights went out.
Five seconds later there was a beam of light and Googoosh was standing
in the middle of the stage with her head down.
Bigger than life. That's the only way to describe Googoosh. God; is
it real? Please tell me the good old days will return soon. Oh wait it's
too soon for that; let's just enjoy the show. The crowd went absolutely
nuts. They screamed and cried and clapped and cheered and she stayed silent
and still for about a minute. Maybe she was saying a prayer, maybe she
was thanking about God, or maybe this was just part of the show. I don't
know but whatever it was, it was just right >>>
FULL TEXT
Shahin Rezai
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Monday
August 21, 2000
* Lying is a habit
Two years ago I was vacationing with my family in Cyprus. One day as
we were riding in a taxi the Greek driver began to make unwelcome advances
toward one of my mother's friends. As she was attempting to evade his proposed
date later that evening, the taxi driver said "I am not Iranian, I
do not lie." Later, he explained nonchalantly to me "Almost every
Iranian I have met has lied."
Shahriar Zahedi in "We
must lie" wrote, "it is safe to assume that there once existed
among the Persians, a certain preoccupation with honesty and truthfulness..."
Well, my reply to this statement is an unequivocal no. There are two
reasons why the famous Herodotus excerpt about Persian youth being taught
to "ride, shoot and tell the truth" is misinterpreted >>>
FULL TEXT
Farsheed Khosmood
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* Qorbunet beram elaahi!
Just got back from Googoosh
concert in Los Angeles. We had great seats, thanks to my friend Kambiz's
generous birthday present! It really was wonderful. Especially the interaction
with the crowd. In the midst of a beautiful Turkish song she was singing,
a middle aged tie-wearing man in the $500-ticket section screamed: "Qorbunet
beram elaahi!"
Shirin Bazleh
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