Thursday
October 28, 1999
New generation
I think that if anyone would like to read the opinion of the new generation
of Iranians, they should. I have lived in England for 10 years, I only
lived in Iran up to the age of 4. There are many things I love about my
country and many things I hate; my hate has come from the contrast I have
felt from living in a country run by religion and so-called "order"
and living in a country where there is a freedom of speech, of action of
independence.
Do not get me wrong in Britain there are problems also, but not to the
extent of my motherland "Iran". I am sick of the narrow-minded
attitude of not only the people in power but from the Iranian's in Iran
that: "we are right and everything else is wrong, we are superior
to the Western world, our religion is the right one, our beliefs about
society, politics, religion, and people are correct and everyone else
is corrupt and OBVIOUSLY wrong..."
I visit Iran every year. Last year one of my family members wase killed
by Hezbollahis simply because he wrote. He was a writer; he was kidnapped
and killed. I have seen secret filming of the public deaths of two women
in Tehran, being stoned to death for adultery, and so you know what makes
me more sick, the people throwing stones at them were my fellow Iranians;
the so-called adults of Iran, and they were calling the name of god when
they were killing these women. Like most Iranians, the name of god is used
to portray an existence of corrupt and disgusting politics.
I love my country; the smell, the air, the mountains, the people. But
I can not "respect" my country. I hope one day me and others
will be able to overcome our fear of death and stand up for our rights
and others' rights! My dad's best friend was killed simply because of his
beliefs and my dad was shot in the leg when he was a young man because
of his communist friend! I do not believe in communism I believe in democracy
and freedom to live life in the quality which the individual wishes!
Please take my opinion seriously because one day when other countries
are thriving and my country still remains in economical and social turmoil,
you will not be able to blame the government or others but only YOUR SELVES.
Please: discrimination and narrow-mindedness and being socially handicapped
and intolerant should not be the image which others see of us, because
even I, an Iranian, have that image of the last generation of Iranians
and even the new generation! I have homosexual friends, Christian friends,
Jewish friends, and I have atheist friends, transsexual friends, black
friends, Iranian friends, Muslim friends. And I look at a person and always
see them for who they are not for what my country tells me to see!
Neda
