 Dear editor salam
Collected emails
By Hamid Boroumand
February 14, 2004
iranian.com
Usuaully a selection of Hamid Boroumand's comments
appear in the Letters section. These are all his emails in the
past couple of weeks. -- Javid
Dear editor salam,
The other day I was thinking to
myself how those of us who have lived in the United States for
many years (or for not so many
years), and who now effectively call this place "home" could
return something valuable to a land and a people who, in our
time of trouble and need, extended a safe haven for us to live,
study, work, and generally feel "at home" in. The first
thought that crossed my mind was to show our appreciation by "being
good citizens" and by respecting the law. The second thought
that crossed my mind was that we should try to be the model community
and that we should try to set the standards of excellence -by
good example (not empty words)- in behaviour, conduct, achievement,
education, family relations, business dealings, politics, and
community involvement among other things, with the underlying
objective of improving the condition of the community and society
we live in. I do not think that society and community will persist
in a healthy manner if all we choose to do is to "take" and
not "give", and frankly one of the simplest ways of
giving back to a society anywhere is by being upright, honest
and productive people.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
***
Dear editor salam,
I look at the application of faith
from a number of angles. One facet which I have learned through
experience as being an extremely
powerful tool in the management of stress has been the physical
performance of the Muslim ritual of prayer when it is performed
right around noontime, in a place of quiet and solitude. I don't
quite know if it is the temporary disconnect from routine at
around that time of day, or the physical movement of the prayer,
or the flow of blood to the brain in the process of prostration,
or the spiritual reconnection to the Creator, but whatever it
is it acts to "reboot" my entire system at a pivotal
time of the day. I would strongly encourage those who have not
experienced this stress management technique, or who have put
it on the wayside, to try and acquaint or reacquaint themselves
with something that I have found to be very powerful and very
effective (I would also recommend it for people who suffer from
depression and anxiety.)
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
***
Dear editor salam,
I just wanted to clear some things
up in the event some of your readers may have misconstrued my thoughts
and intentions:
(1) Despite my sometime general support for American
foreign policy, excepting when and where it is unjust, partial
and oppressive,
I am NOT a CIA agent (sorry to disappoint the conspiracy theorists
amongst you.)
(2) My appreciation of members of the opposite sex
extends to their beautiful outer and inner qualities, and to treating
women respectfully
with kindness and compassion. I do NOT endorse non "mashrou" relationships
between men and women, and in fact am strongly opposed to pre-marital
and extra-marital relationships (sorry to disappoint the "heez" amongst
you.)
(3) My antipathy towards drug dealers and feelings
of sorrow for drug addicts is the result of observation and rational
analysis,
and NOT personal experience (shorry to dishappoint the "sheereies" amongsht
you.)
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
***
Dear editor salam,
While I would be a hypocrite if I were not to admit
that pretty and young Persian women make life and living that much
more beautiful
and exciting, I was somewhat unsettled when I recently learned
that one of todays foremost adult film actresses, Melody Max,
is a 19 year old Persian woman. Now I like attractive women as
much as the next guy, but we really shouldn't be having our women
going into either the prostitution or the adult film business-
it is not consistent with our "obohateh Irooni boodan." Another
avocation that we should stay far far away from is that of drug
dealing, as I can think of fewer things that are more sleazy,
crass, and unproductive than that of being a drug dealer.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
*** My fellow Iranians
salam,
Will you show solidarity and support me in my call
for a massive
nationwide strike and work stoppage to begin this coming Wednesday,
or will you abandon me like the Ahl-Kufeh abandoned Imam Hossein
on the plains of Karbala?
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
***
Mr. Reza Pahlavi salam,
I listened with interest to your recent broadcast
to Iranians both within Iran and outside its borders, and found
much to be commended.
While I will premise my observations on a strongly held belief
that the time for monarchies (autocratic or constitutional) in
today's modern world has come and gone, and that republics are
more conducive to the participation of the masses in the political
process, I feel that your thoughts on Iran's political evolution,
as a private citizen and as a concerned Iranian, have a great deal
of merit. I particularly think that you speak what is on the mind
of a majority of Iranians when you suggest that the road around
the obstacles facing Iran and Iranians today is the need to acknowledge
that the State must understand that it is the servant of the Nation,
not that the Nation is the servant of the State. Of course, the
best way to achieve the aforementioned objective is to vest the
power of decision-making in the popularly elected representatives
of the Nation, or the Majlis Shura, in consultation with a democratically
elected president, free of the interference of unelected bodies
and influences. As an aside, for those concerned about possible
moral decay accompanying a popular democracy, a popular democracy-in
a conservative society- has its own inherent mechanisms (notably
the "drift" of democracy in that society, public opinion
and the power of the vote) which will prevent or limit the influence
of elements out of sync with a societies norms and values.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
***
Dear editor salam,
The simple reason that the Majlis Shura elections
must be boycotted, even if the Shura Negahban removes its objections
to the merits
of the candidates, is that the Majlis Shura will always remain
weak, ineffective and powerless as long as an unelected and
dictatorial body like the Shura Negahban holds a veto over the
demands of
the representatives of the people and citizenry. The only realistic
solution is to dismantle and dissolve the unelected and autocratic
Shura Negahban, and return the seat of power and decision-making
to where it belongs: the people and the Majlis Shura.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
***
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani salam,
While I am sure you are a very busy man sharing
your opinion on a variety of topics with many curious or concerned
individuals,
I feel that my recent question on your opinion for unobstructed,
free and fair participation in Iran's Majlis Shura elections
warrant a priority response as your opinion may be of interest
not just to myself but to millions of others as well. In the
case of Iraq, it is my understanding that you are prepared
to issue a fatva calling for a total election boycott should free
and fair elections be hindered. Are you willing to issue a
similar
fatva calling for a total election boycott in favor of unhindered
free and fair elections in Iran as well?
Va salam and respectfully awaiting your prompt answer,
Hamid Boroumand
***
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani salam,
You have been very outspoken in calling for direct
democratic elections in Iraq without the creation of obstacles
or interferences in
the election process by third parties. I am interested in your
opinion, as an Iranian by birth and heritage and as a religious
scholar, as to the current situation regarding Iran's upcoming
parliamentary elections whereby a popularly unelected group
of individuals consisting of twelve individuals (Shura Negahban),
complicit with a popularly unelected leader (Rahbar), have
taken
it upon themselves to determine who is and is not a Muslim
in Iran, and as such whom the people can or cannot vote for in
elections.
Aside from the personal agendas and grievances that the popularly
unelected Shura Negahban and popularly unelected Rahbar may
harbor in their selection process, am I not correct in my understanding
of Islamic Fiqh that a person/candidate is considered a Muslim
(upon making the Shahada) and that the burden of proof of establishing
otherwise rests on an accuser (keeping in mind, all the while,
that suspicion is forbidden in Islam). Also, if you make an
exception
for Iran- for whatever reason- doesn't that damage your credibility
in regard to your demands for free and fair elections in Iran?
Va salam and respectfully awaiting your answer,
Hamid Boroumand
***
Dear editor salam,
I would be curious to know how Ayatollah Sistani,
who happens to be Iranian and is at the forefront of calls for
an unadulterated
democratic process in Iraq, feels about extending the same
privileges and rights to free and fair elections for his own countrymen
in Iran? Many parallels can be drawn between the obstacles
Mr.
Sistani objects to in Iraq's elections, and the flaws in Iran's
existing constitutional process and structure. Mr. Sistani
where are your calls of protest with respect to the charade and
humiliation
that Iranians have to endure, not at the hands of foreigners,
but at the hands of their own oppressive countrymen and co-religionists?
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
***
Dear editor salam,
Can someone tell me why 40% of Iran's population
lives under the poverty line, or why we hear of individuals in
Iran having to
work 3 jobs at one time just to pay for basic food and shelter?
Wouldn't, among other things, an all-out war against poverty
and ignorance in the 1980's have been a better use of Iran's
limited resources than a futile eight year bloodbath to "...reach
Jerusalem through Karbala" (or whatever other messed up
priorities are being currently contemplated)? Doesn't it bother
the "leadership" of Iran or hurt its non-existant pride
to see its own people beggaring? How can a group of people supposedly "in
charge" be so incompetent in this day and age?
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
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