Hamadan's Brad Pitt
Iranians aboard have Brad Pitt; we have Haj Abbas
By Loren S.
September 29, 1999
The Iranian
I am a 21-year-old girl who lives In Hamadan and I am student. I check
this page often and I thought from here in Iran I write you about a very
loved character who has made life hell for young people. (By the way sorry
if my English is not good. I have tried hard by going to class to learn
it, but I am not clever enough.)
There is this character called Haj Abbas who is a Basiji in the good
old town of Hamadan. He is every single young girl and boy's nightmare.
I thought I write about this funny character so that Iranians aboard also
know about this Hezbollah brother!
He has a shop which sells plastic stuff. Every evening when his shop
is closed he comes to the Meydan Daneshgah (the fancy part of the town)
with a Basij Toyota. His mission is to make sure that girls and boys do
not walk around with each, and to make sure that masses of young people
don't gather in that area.
Also sometimes he has a go at boys who have T-shirts with Western writings
on them. For example once he had stopped a boy who had an Adidas T-shirt
and he was asking him what group he belonged to, since he thought that
Adidas is some new gang. The boy was trying to convince him that Adidas
is just a trade name.
The funny part is that when he sees a boy waiting for a girl at a junction
he will go and catch a taxi for him and gives 10 tomans to the driver and
tells him to get rid of the boy.
Also on Fridays there is a part of town which we go and skate. Haj Abbas
as usual is there with his Hezbollahi brothers and they make sure that
while we are skating we don't dance. Also he makes sure that we don't have
much make up on.
Once it was funny when a tourist couple wanted to take a picture of
Haj Abbas. Although he wanted to, he was too embarrassed because he is
too much of a Hezbollahi. Finally he took the picture with the couple while
he was holding his fingers like a V as sign of victory as if he is still
in the war against Iraq.
Anyway you Iranians aboard have Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt and us Iranian
girls just have Haj Abbas.
Since I thought maybe you like to know what is happening inside Iran
I thought I better write about Haj Abbas and tell you that you are not
missing much (just joking Haj Abbas has its own fun).
If one day you meet someone from Hamadan do not forget to ask him about
Haj Abbas (Hamadan's Brad Pitt). I do not have a picture of him since he
would kill me If I ask him to take his picture. I will try to get a picture
of him while he is having a go at some poor boy or girl for trying to look
Western.
Love you all.
- Send a comment for The Iranian letters
section
- Send a comment to the writer Loren
S.
