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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!


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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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