Friday,
September 29, 2000
* Truly gifted
Wonderful as expected ["Gisheh-ye
shomaareh 2"]. Appreciated as usual I am sure you already know
what a great and perceptive writer you are.
If you would allow me to humbly chip in my two cents: It's sad, depressing,
and most of all as real as it gets. You have the magic of making the Iranian
being so delightful and irresistible that I actually enjoy being reminded
of it instead of continuing to fool myself and ignore it.
I have never seen anyone spell out the modern Iranian existence with
such honesty. You are truly gifted.
Nezam
Go to top
* Laughs and tears
What a great piece ["Gisheh-ye
shomaareh 2"]. It is quite poignant and it managed to make me
laugh very hard about your friend who had to sleep "damaroo"
for two nights and also made me tearful about the lady who lost her husband
-- all in the space of 20 seconds. I really enjoyed it. By the way did
you get your visa or not?? :)
Afshin
Go to top
* Got a problem with LA-type women?
akharin kareto khoondam. jaleb bood mesle hamishe ["Penthouse
Haj Aqa"]. dar mahale kare ma dar Cisco koli Irani kar mikonand.
va ma ba ham interanal connection darim. man kareto forward kardam. nazdike
200 Irani oono khoondand.
dar neveshtehat 1 chizi ke baram soal hast inke hamvaerh be 1 teep zan
ya dokhtar be noee tane mizani. Nazali. Negar. va ya dokhtari ba arayaeshe
anchenani. ya LA typi. lol. enteghade to az in teep dokhtarha az koja nashi
mishe?? nemikham az inha defa konam.
vali test kon, bebin aya too inha ham mishe dokhtare honest payda kard??
aya inha in hagh ro darand ehesasteshoono onvan konad. khob in teep khanooma
teephaye mamoolie in donia hastand. va adamhaye zamini. lol. hame ke nabad
intelectuel bashand. lol >>>
FULL TEXT
Reza
Go to top
* I am in love
I just wanted to write in and comment on Mr Nikbakht's album, "Synethesia".
I am in love with it. Mr Nikbakht is obviously a very gifted artist whose
talent should not be ignored or forgotten. I cannot wait for more music
by him.
Farnoosh PK
Go to top
Thursday
September 28, 2000
* Backward mentality
I think that your article is symptomatic of the backward mentality present
in the Iranian communities in many parts of the world ["Doctor...
Doctor..."]. In Los Angeles this mental backwardness seems to
be all the more accentuated.
Iranians seem to place an important emphasis on professional, religious,
and academic titles as they serve as social identifiers used to distinguish
among people. We call people who have been to pilgrimage in Mekka Haji
and those who have been to Mashad Mashti. During the Qajar period many
people were Shazdeh or Doleh or Saltaneh. Nowadays people strive to establish
an identity for themselves by somehow prefixing their names with "Doctor"
and thus acquire notoriety.
I have seen many charlatans amongst these so-called doctors. They are
very good actors. They look at people and are eager to see how dumb people
are to squeeze them out of money. It is quite common to see that they make
patients come and go to their offices unnecessarily just to charge the
government or the insurance companies till they reach their income ceiling
>>>
FULL TEXT
Mohammad Ali Yamini
Go to top
* Killer article
Awsome job at humoring the true spirit of most iranians in Los Angeles
["Doctor...
Doctor..."]. Killer article.
Alireza
Go to top
* Try Prozac
After reading "Okay,
I'm a racist" and looking at Mr. dAyi Hamid picture for a few
minutes, I really had a hard time accepting a person with such facial characteristics
AND I tried hard to stop laughing...
How can anyone even say such crazy things about a place and its people?
No wonder, a lot of Iranian Arabs, Kurds, Turks, Sistani and others, have
some bitterness. It is because of people like Mr. dAyi Hamid who without
knowing their country's social formation, throw up garbage from their mouth!
AND honestly, I don't blame them for their resentments toward people like
Mr. dAyi Hamid!...
The problem is, racist people, like Mr. dAyi Hamid, can not comprehend
their own history, culture, literature or country. Iranian racists attack
Kurds, and the funny thing is many German racists say that Kurds are among
the purest "Arayans" in Iran......they can't even keep their
own story straight! They want to use anything and everything to further
their racist argument! Just like what Hitler did during WW2, when he tried
to use the Bible to further his racist propaganda. The irony is, he was
a half Jew who hated Jewish people and others!
Last but not least, I would like to add that MAYBE, just may be, Prozac
can help Mr. dAyi Hamid and people like him! >>>
FULL TEXT
Daniel Zang
Go to top
Wednesday
September 27, 2000
* Literary theft rampant
As one whose doctoral thesis was abridged in Iran and then shamelessly
printed and distributed in the United States under the name of another
person, I have something to add to Mr. Haddad's story ["What
goes around..."].
Literary theft too is rampant in Iran. A traveler recently arriving
from Tehran recounted that he had seen the gist of one of my postings on
iranian.com translated and published in Bahar Noe, a Tehran newspaper,
under the byline of a person writing from the United States.
One of the items on any agenda that leads to the renewed commercial
relations between Iran and the United States must be the issue of copyright
and other intellectual property protection in Iran for works created in
the United States.
Guive Mirfendereski
Go to top
* Tackle your resentments
In response to "Okay,
I'm a racist", I must agree with dAyi Hamid on the fact that most
of us don't like Arabs... Now hate me as you may. I really don't give a
damn. Not to feel obligated to explain myself or anything, but the main
reason why I still don't like Arabs is because every single one I've conversed
with tries to completely justify the actions of their filthy ancestors
by giving me a load of crap about the glory of Islam and how lucky we should
feel that we were BLESSED with the gift of Islam. Really? Seems more like
a bunch of horny Arabs lusting after some fresh "loot" to me...
Pinpoint the emotional hangup and tackle it with some intense conversations
with the subjects of your resentment. And if you feel like it takes more
than just conversations to settle your disputes, by all means be my guest.
Just don't call me from the county house and don't get your ass kicked
>>>
FULL TEXT
Alireza
Go to top
* Creative genius
Bravo Mr Hoveyda for sharing with us the creative genius of Iranians
abroad who are our real heroes for having stretched beyond the walls of
exile and diversity and found their inner calling ["Salt
desert tree"].
Cyrus Kadivar
Go to top
Tuesday
September 26, 2000
* Any great scientists before Islam?
It seems that Mr dAyi Hamid is completely mixed up ["Okay,
I'm a racist"]. He explains racism and how bad it is and tells
us how he suffers from it in Europe. On the other hand he says "I
hate Arabs and admit I'm a racist."
You can not love or hate someone, simply becuase he's from a specific
race, but can do so becuase of his good or bad actions. It's very obvious
that Mr Hamid is not against Arasb becuase of their race but because of
their religion.
He mentions the Persian empire. And my question is "What did this
great empire do for poor people?" Go and read the history. Were ordinary
poor people allowed to read or write in Daryoush's great empire, or only
the elite?
Read the history very carefully. Did the great Iranian scientists like
Razi or Abu Ali Sina appear before or after Islam? Wasn't it Islam that
encouraged learning for ALL and not only to a specific type/class of people?
Can you mention one Iranian scientist before Islam whom the world benfited
from?
History can not be writen by building big castles and palaces. I lived
with among many different nations. My principle is that irrespective of
a race/nationality, a man can be considered good or bad only based on his
actions, attitude, thought and teatment. I think the days of racism and
descrimination have alraedy passed.
Ahmed Toorani
Go to top
* When will we learn?
This is a reply to the letter by Bardia Saeedi ["Want
to throw up"]. I suppose this honourable person has forgotten
many facts regarding the past and the current situation of our country.
Dear Bardia, I don't know where you live or what political faction you
support, but you seem far removed from the feelings of the average Iranian
back home.
I was recently in Iran and the number of people who praise the Shah,
wish light on his grave and sole, is unprecedented. I am no supporter of
the monarchy and yet am touched every time I visit Iran and hear the average
person sing the Shah's praise.
Mr. Kadivar ["Requiem
in Cairo"] has every right to feel the way he does and is entitled
to write about it if he wishes. I suppose most of us in that situation
would have felt similar emotions. Likewise, you too have the right to feel
disgusted at those sentiments and tell us about it on a free forum as you
like.
But just consider this, don't you think our people have had enough of
someone telling them how they should feel and how they should think? When
are we going to learn and respect other people's feelings and opinions,
I ask you? Let's not be like the Hezbollahis and the Mojahedin who in desperation
to dominate have taken ordinary people's rights away and have lost support
among ordinary Iranians.
B. Khorasani
Go to top
* Sucks
Your work sucks man ["Googoosh
live!"].
Sina Rassam Haghighi
Go to top
Monday
September 25, 2000
* XXX
I have been reading The Iranian for almost for four years. I
look at it almost every day. Your articles and pictures are well chosen
and you are a good writer.
I am usually very quiet and do not mention my views to every one. But
some articles during the past few weeks have promted me to write you this
note.
First of all., one of the front page images was a nude
painting, a good painting. But my terminal is faced to the hallway.
I was worried that some of my co-workers would see that and would think
I am on a XXX web page.
I am not against these kinds of images, but it would be nice, if you
would put a warning like "Do not open this page if you are offended",
so I know I should not open it at work. I am sure, you have received a
lot of comments about that image.
The other thing is about the short story, "Karin".
I did not like it. My Farsi is not very good, but "Karin"
has a lot of grammatical errors and it is bad. Who cares if somebody's
friend's girlfriend spends a night with him? Who cares what happens in
the bedroom?
You have Massod
Behnoud's articles, which make me read each article a few times and
think about it for days. But it is not nice to select essays like "Karin".
S.
Go to top
* Educated Haji Bakhshis
After reading "Ansar-e
Los Angeles," I felt how much the Iranian opposition outside Iran
is similar in its actions to people like Haji Bakhshi in Iran. I don't
understand them.
Somehow, I can understand Haji Bakhshi. There are reasons why he became
"vahshi." He is illiterate, he is not exposed to any other culture
or way of life and probably has a low IQ.
But what about "Ansar-e Los Angeles?" They are supposed to
be educated and intelligent. They are supposed to be pro-democracy. They
are supposed to be the leading Iranian intellectuals.
For those of you who are in Iran and read my comment here: Prepare yourself
for another kind of Hezbollahis. In case of any change in Iran toward a
more democratic society, these new haji Bakhshis are ready to beat you
up: MKOs, radical communists, Cherik-haaye fadaayi Aghaliyat and monarchists.
They haven't learned anything about democracy here. They haven't learned
even one percent of what we learned in Iran during the last 20 years.
Sourena Mohammadi
Go to top
* Gutless
I am extremely disappointed in the Iranian for featuring this inane
piece in the Wednesday's
Anyway section. I guess the editorial board of The Iranian has
thrown in its lot with the rest of America and determined that the only
religion unprotected by the politically-correct banner is Christianity.
The gutless thing about it is that you know your Christian readership
is nearly non-existent. I dare you to run a similar piece on the holy prophet
of Islam peace be upon him.
Elizabeth Dourley
Go to top
Friday,
September 22, 2000
* Ansar-e Los Angeles
I went to Dr. Kamal Kharrazi's talk today at the University of California,
Los Angeles (UCLA), yesterday. Unfortunately due to some major error my
name was missing from the invitation list...
However it was not all a waste, although of course I would have liked
very much to attend the speech. Instead I saw a demonstation by about 120
Iranians outside the place - real live theater! Sad rahmat be ansaar-e
hezbollah! These guys beat at least five or six people that I saw with
my own eyes. They cursed and insulted and hit everybody who walked in,
including me (mozdoor! khaae'en! vatanforoosh! aakhoond-e bi ammameh!
kesaafat! olaagh! ... you name it!) >>>
FULL TEXT
Ali
Go to top
* Fooling ourselves
In response to "Okay,
I'm a racist", and it's responses: I read the article and many
of the responses and I'm left with the solemn, worried Iranian look on
my face (we all know what that is). I have nothing against dAyi Hamid for
honestly expressing his views, although I may not neccesarily agree with
him...
We would be fooling ourselves to return to pre-Zoroastrian, newly Persian
ways, and we would be murdering 4000+ years of struggling to maintain our
one common thread (being Iranian) to retard ourselves into dark age fundamentalist
Islamic ideals. What would've happened if the Arabs hadn't invaded? It
would have been Christian influence, or Hindu, or Buddhist...
So we can all be ultra-proud about our past or fervent about our religious
beliefs, but neither one is going to take us anywhere as a whole until
we start respecting what we all have in common with one another: That we
are all Iranian >>>
FULL TEXT
Qtipp
Go to top
* Arab colonial legacy
In response to the article, "Okay,
I'm a racist", I think we shoud not dislike Arabs for invading
Iran. After all, the Arab people suffrered themselves at hand of their
repressive rulers. What, we should oppose is the colonial legacy that Arab
invaders left behind in Iran.
In my opinion, Arab invaders who came from a slavery-type of society
with utter disrespect for women, art and culture in general, left a colonial
legacy which was extremely reactionary, inhuman and backward.
The Arab colonial legacy is Islamic Shiism. The colonized version of
Islam which became prevalent in Iran, could be compared to colonized version
of christianity in the other third world countries such as Philipines,
Mexico, or Brazil, where the fanaticism is so strong that some people crucify
themselves on Easter Holiday.
Engscience
Go to top
Thursday
September 21, 2000
* If Arabs had not invaded Iran?
Regarding dAyi's article "Okay,
I'm a racist", it never seizes to amaze me when Iranians wonder
"what would have happened to us if the Arabs never invaded Iran?"
Well, let's see...
India was not invaded by the Arabs. China and Greece were never invaded
by the Arabs, and by any yardstick these ancient civilizations were at
least equal to - and in the case of China and Greece far more superior
to - Persian civilization.
As far as I can tell, China, India and even European Greece haven't
turned into social, scientific or cultural centers of modern world >>>
FULL TEXT
Sassan Behzadi
Go to top
* Narrow-minded chauvinism
I read the article "Okay,
I'm a racist" with a pinch of salt... Being engaged to a beautiful
Iraqi of Kurdish-Arab blood I realised how narrow-minded our Persian chauvinism
can be. The modern Arab - Egyptians, Iraqis, Jordanians, Lebanese, etc
- have a high appreciation of Persian culture and in my dealings with them
they have all quoted Hafez and Saadi to me whilst to my shame I was hard
pressed to quote any of their great poets until my fiancee handed me Nizar
Qabani's (Syrian diplomat) poetry books which in parts was influenced by
our culture. In fact despite the initial shock of the Arab invasion, many
Persians were to form the cultural backbone of the Islamic empire >>>
FULL TEXT
Cyrus Kadivar
Go to top
* Extreme poor taste
I find the item in your Anyway
section Wednesday in extreme poor taste. What is disturbing is that
the humor is lost on me and certainly the title leaves me perplexed. "Good
taste in bad taste"? What on EARTH do you mean SIR?! I thought
The Iranian was above toilet humor.
An avid reader
Go to top
Wednesday
September 20, 2000
* Pride in Arabic Quran and prophet
I don't care if you like Arabs or not ["Okay,
I'm a racist"], but put this in your head till the last day of
your life: The Holy Quran is in Arabic and we are very proud of this as
it is a blessing from God. Prophet Mohammed is from the heart of the Arab
world .
Now let's see what your people are doing in my country... Well, mostly
smuggling drugs and many of them are illegal workers. Not only that, since
Khomeini, your country has been a source of racism. Please teach yourself
and your nation how to respect others regardless of their roots.
Amani Al Omani
Kuwait
Go to top
* Let's move on
The question of racism in Iran has nothing to do with race ["Okay,
I'm a racist"]. The main question is: we treat ourselves worse
than foreigners, so what is the big deal with treating them(foreigners)
bad?
When people lack self confidence they go around try to put others down
so they feel they have something different (not necessary better) whether
it is race, religion, language, you name it.
It's time for Iranians to wake up and realize they have missed the boat.
We should be proud what we have achieved in our own life time rather than
sit around and show off our predecessors as though they were inspired by
us!
The key word is human rights and "human" by definition is
what we all are. Let's move on.
S.S.
Go to top
* Brought up racist
Fine article ["Okay,
I'm a racist"]. I too am a racist. At times it just comes out
without thinking. Often I remember saying to myself "Arab dar biAbAn
mlahk mikhorad, sagheh Isfahan Ab-e yakh mikhorad."
All of us are products of our environment and we have been brought up
by our parents and culture to be racist without knowing it. Our parents
did not know that they were teaching us to be racist eihter. Let us hope
by knowing that we have racist tendencies we will be more careful not to
act racist. I enjoyed your article and thanks for sharing.
O.K.
Go to top
* Out of context
In the article "Okay,
I'm a racist" the author has a claim that the president of Iran
is as racist as himself with respect to Arabs. I think this is a good example
of taking words out of context.
It is amazing how people, when they don't understand the intellectual
and social context of a perspective, might interpret it with their own
"common sense." Unfortunately, this happens too often. Most teachers
and professors can relate to these types of simplification of their ideas
by students.
To understand any type of talk, one has to understand the social context
within which the idea has been presented, and also have a shared understanding
with the speaker about the meanings implied.
As someone who was present at the U.N. talk, I can attest that Mr. dAyi
Hamid's ideas have very little to do with Mr. Khatami's.
Poopak Taati
Go to top
* Ignorance
Your ignorance is repulsive ["Okay,
I'm a racist"]!
Ali
Go to top
* Representing an illusion
In reference to the letters regarding the Googosh
photographs: Am I missing something? Don't the photographs represent
an illusion of a time in Iran now lost and longed for?
Perhaps they would have been presented clearly if the country of Iran
wasn't now experiencing a lack of understandable image to those listening
for hope for a better tomorrow.
Just possibly, this lady is attempting to simply bring joyful memories
and not offer a definitive photograph. All of those admired by others don't
always present definitive images by which to view them.
Personally, I like the photographs.
Charles Roberson
Go to top
Tuesday
September 19, 2000
* Victims of "artistic expression"
I am not exactly sure what is happening as far as the photos of Googoosh's
concert are concerned ["Googoosh
live!"]; either my computer is having problems displaying anything
useful or we are victims of "artistic expression".
Although I found the idea of the garish photos to be interesting, I
for one would have appreciated at least a couple of viewable photos. Thank
you for the effort.
Hagdash
Go to top
* Don't leave day job
These pictures are terrible ["Googoosh
live!"]. They are neither artistic nor real. There are bound to
be better pictures than these somewhere on the Web. Please tell the photographer
not to leave his day job.
Mohsen Asadi
Go to top
* Innovative
The photos you took of Googoosh and then transformed ["Googoosh
live!"], were very innovative and eye-catching. Impressive.
Hamid Nazari
Go to top
* Happy memories
I have found your articles in The Iranian so very interesting
["Requiem
in Cairo"]. I was married to an Iranian, and have many happy memories
of my life in Iran during the reign of the late Shah. I was particularly
interested in your story of Tea
with with the Former British Ambassador, Sir Denis Wright,whom I had
met during my many years in Iran.
I was deeply moved by your article "By
the Pale Green Stone", and the more recent "Requiem
in Cairo". I, too, was anxious to know what had happened to the
Shah and his family after the Revolution, and found answers in "The
Shah's Last Ride", by William Shawcross.
I loved Iran and its people, and lived in Abadan from 1951 until 1958.
My husband then took an early retirement, and we came to live in England,
to be near our children who were studying here.
Sadly, my beloved husband is no longer with us, and I am now a widow.
I do miss Iran very much, and hope that I can return one day. Meanwhile,
I enjoy reading news of Iran in The Iranian and I look forward to
more of your interesting articles.
Margaret
Go to top
* Long for home
I have been reading your pieces [Sadaf
Kiani Abbassian's features] and always enjoy them immensely. They always
make me long for the home, the sounds and scents that you so much bring
to life in your writings.
Mehrdad
Go to top
Monday
September 18, 2000
* Most undeserving monarch
I happen to be a strong opponent of the evil regime which is now ruling
our land. However I fervently believe that the Pahlavis are the main cause
of the calamities which has gripped Iran today ["Requiem
in Cairo"].
The late shah was the most undeserving monarch to ever sit on the Peacock
Throne. Underneath his public grandeur he was a frightened and weak individual
who on several occasions packed his bags and abandoned his land at the
first sign of a storm. Indeed he should have never been allowed to return
the first time he fled in 1953...
Do they really believe that Farah would dare return to a public life
in Iran? Can Reza ever dare to believe that the young generation would
allow an uneducated, inexperienced son on Mohammad Reza to ever call himself
monarch? >>>
FULL TEXT
Kambiz Ameli
Go to top
* Many still care
I read your article ["Requiem
in Cairo"] with a lot of enthusiasm and have since sent it to
anyone I thought would have an interest. It brought a few tears to my eyes
and to many others who have since read it.
It is refreshing to know there are still a lot of people out there who
truly care about Iran as a country and believe in the traditional values
we once had and try to preserve.
My father especially wanted to congradulate you on your efforts to bring
to the masses an experience many of us would have liked to have had. We
wish you great success in your endeavours.
Lida
Go to top
* Not ONE clear photo?
I was there at the Googoosh concert in Washington DC and I'm glad your
site is the first one to put any pictures from that night on the web ["Googoosh
live!"].
But weren't there any better, clearer pictures? I mean these are nice
too but how about at least ONE good, focused, clear picture of her?
A devoted fan of The Iranian web site who's kind of disappointed,
let's say!
Negar Tehrani
Go to top
Friday,
September 15, 2000
* No surprise
It is no surprise to me that Jafar
Panahi won the Lion D'Or at the Venice film festival, given the make-up
of the jury. I have not seen the film; I am sure it is worthwhile. But
in the picture showing Samira
Makhmalbaf amongst other members of the jury, their is also Jennifer
Jason-Leigh who happens to be Reza Badii's step-daughter.
This is the same Reza Badii who directed many TV shows including the
"Six Million Dollar Man" with Lee Majors, "The Incredible
Hulk" and "The Magician" with Bill Bixby. I wonder whether
The Iranian Times could get hold of Reza Badii for an interview
on his career. It would indeed be very interesting to hear from him.
Darius Kadivar
Go to top
* Those folks at the airport
And to think that I thought those folks at the airport with their 3-ring
binders of 8 x 10 glossies were really trying to help the oppressed ["Millions lost
in Iranian charity black hole"]. Man, was I naive.
William Phillipson
Go to top
* Gay Googoosh
Letter to Googoosh.Com: I am writing on behalf of the large Iranian
gay and lesbian group in Los Angeles. Your concerts have been great and
seeing you was long overdue. We hope that you are happy and in peace and
that we will continue hearing from you from now on.
We know that everyone wants a personal glimpse of you, but we thought
to ask you to consider coming to a party in your honor whenever you are
in Los Angeles. We promise you that you will have a good time. We also
promise you we will not bother you with any questions nor will we expect
you to perform. We just want to have the honor and pleaseure of your presence.
We have a gay Iranian man in our group whom we have nick-named "Googoosh",
since he always impersonates you with your old songs/dancing and style.
His impersonations of you were the closest we could get to seeing you again.
Well, our fantasy came true. Finally seeing you again, in concert in
Los Angeles. If you want to get in touch with our group, please call ...
Best wishes and love from all of us.
H.D.
Go to top
* Right thing
I applaud your kind and generous gesture in trasnferring
the ownership of Googoosh.Com. I think you did the right thing and
I think Googoosh-e aziz will do the right thing as well by allowing you
to carry on the good work on Googoosh.Com.
Sattar
Go to top
Thursday
September 14, 2000
* Be a little less cruel
In reply to Bardia Saeedi ["Want
to throw up"], My dear friend, it seems we have also lost our
compassion and sense of occasion. Be a little less cruel. I never liked
the Pahlavis but the fact that some guy still gets emotional about it ["Requiem
in Cairo"] is really not worth throwing up.
We all have our cultural baggage we carry. So what if the author has
someone in the family who has influenced him. Is it a crime not to be a-political.
Or has all the TV we watch here numbed us to the point that we can not
harbor any ideology or any sence of history? Are we to only get emotional
about pop singers? Ex-kings are somehow too old fashioned to be icons.
Anyway please save your vomit for those who are at the moment depriving
our sisters and brothers their basic human rights on a daily basis. Those
same people who sent little children to war. And murder people without
explanation.
Maybe Mr. Kadivar remembered all this when he stood before the tomb
of a man who many believe was the lesser of two evils. Maybe he was crying
not so much for the Shah but the country that we (or at least some of us)
lost. In fact if the people in Iran read this they would find Mr. Kadivar's
emotions proper. Because they at least have not lost their emotions.
Mashhadi
Go to top
* Utterly pathetic
In response to "Where's your decency?"
by Hojabr, I must also admit that I also truly felt like throwing up when
I read "Requiem
in Cairo". That article was so utterly pathetic that I even felt
ashamed of wasting my time reading it!
Babak Aminian
Go to top
* Aryan, German, Iranian "kinship"
Regarding the article "Qaziyeh-ye
nejad" by Mohandas, and the letter
by Nick, I think Nick missed the point. Mohandas didn't say that Germans
don't think we are Aryans--just that they don't believe we Iranians are
related to them.
Mohandas and the Germans are right, since Germans aren't Aryans but
Nordic. This notion of Aryan superiority was propagated by the likes of
Hitler to make Germans feel special and different from the rest of Europe.
It was a political ploy pure and simple.
Most Germans are ashamed of their behavior during WWII and are made
uncomfortable by any mention of Hitler and his ideology. One can hardly
imagine what they must think of us when an Iranian tries to ingratiate
himself or herself by bringing up this notion of our "kinship"!
Heidi
Go to top
Wednesday
September 13, 2000
* Certainly not brainwashed
I am sorry that one of your readers felt like "throwing
up" after reading my article "Requiem
in Cairo". It surprised me to receive such a crude response from
someone who has never met me. I too can say that the events I witnessed
during the 1978-79 revolution and the tragic waste in human and economic
potential suffered by Iranians in the last 20 years also make me physically
ill...
Freedom of expression is a luxury of Western democracies and I exercised
it. I am certainly not brainwashed nor did any member of my family persuade
me to write my feelings about an event which in my view was both personal
and necessary >>>
FULL TEXT
Cyrus Kadivar
Go to top
* The right to throw up
In "Where's your decency?", Hojabr wrote:
"Don't we have the right to express our emotions without some pervert
THROWING
UP?"
I think you have got the meaning of freedom wrong. We have the right
to express our emotions, but we don't have the right to tell other people
how their reaction to our ideas must be.
The same way that you are free to express yourself, others are free
to throw up! (It is another way of expressing emotions).
What you suggest sounds like what is going on in Iran! Many of the people
in prisons are the ones who threw up....
Neda
Go to top
* Under veil of praise
I wish to commend you for "resisting temptation" to undergo
a lengthy legal battle over googoosh.com
which you most certainly would have, at great expense, lost... To me Mr.
Golbabai's condescending message is, "Hey fool, you had the chance
to make a buck and you blew it!" >>>
FULL TEXT
Omar Iam
Go to top
Tuesday
September 12, 2000
* Conspiracy theory -- again
It's very interesting to read the letters in response to the article
"Not
THAT good" ["Bubble
gum cinema", "Film
du jour"]. Ah the conspiracy theory again. Those bad Westerners
exoticizing Iran, robbing us of our cultural riches, etc. etc. And of course
if European and American film festivals had not paid any attention to Iranian
films, there would have been another conspiracy at work, that of silence...
A big part of this is the decline of European cinema's presence in North
America, caused in large by the emergence of the so-called Indies in the
United States. It's very hard for foreign films to do well in the U.S.,
hence marketing the exotic, the unknown is essential. And remember that
this is a niche market, consisting of urban intellectual and other chance
taking souls, not the stuff of suburban movie complexes >>>
FULL TEXT
Go to top
* Democratic tradition
In reply to Changiz Tavakoli's "Satirizing a popular
president", I would like to point out this
site and show you that it is the tradition of those who call themselves
"honarmand-e baa farhang va demokraat" to do cartoons such as
Saman's.
Ramin Tabib
Go to top
* Where's your decency?
You indeed did THROW UP by what you wrote for The Iranian Times ["Want to
throw up"]. How can you permit yourself to act as a spokesman
for the entire Persian nation? Don't we have the right to express our emotions
without some pervert THROWING UP ["Requiem
in Cairo"]?
If anybody has escaped any sort of a camp, I am afraid to say, it is
your self. How long do you have to live among Western people to learn to
respect the opinions of others, rather than THROWING UP?
Neither Internet nor The Iranian Times is a place for anybody
to THROW UP. Are you Persian? If you are, where is your traditional decency?
Hojabr
Go to top
* Eating vegetarians
Yet another (perhpas more important) reason Zagros
is a gross place to eat: Some people may find eating kabobs gross but I
think EVERYONE would object to eating VEGETARIANS.
Pedram Moallemian
Go to top
Monday
September 11, 2000
* Want to throw up
I have an unusual habit of becoming physically affected by emotional
and intellectual confinements and restraints. Every time, I find myself
trapped in situations where everything about the situation is against my
beliefs, emotions and my whole being, I start to sweat and itch and want
to throw up. Unfortunately that's how I felt when I read "Requiem
in Cairo" >>>
FULL TEXT
Bardia Saeedi
Go to top
* Resisting temptation
As much as this (transferring
googoosh.com to Googoosh) to a lot of people might seem like the right
thing to have done, I know many others would not have done it.
As a telecom marketing consultant and someone who spends a lot of time
on the Net, I know first hand the great potential this site had for making
money.
Unfortunately a lot of our fellow Iranians, if in your position, would
have seized the opportunity of Googoosh's tour to exploit the name to no
end. You resisted the temptation.
I commend you, Mr. Ardalan, and Mr. Bahmani for a wonderful job, and
a very very special encore (forgive the music pun, I could not resist!).
Kamran Golbabai
Go to top
* Satirizing a popular president
Hich honarmand-e baa farhang va demokraati baa president montakhabeh
aksariat-e ghaate' mardomash kaari keh shomaa dar safheye kaartoon kardid
raa nemikonad [Saman's
cartoon].
Changiz Tavakoli
Go to top
Friday,
September 8, 2000
* Why are we so rude?
Regarding the article "Qaziyeh-ye
nejad" by Mohandes: I have so many questions but I can't come
up with any answers! I just want to know why we think that we are the best,
and nobody is like us? Why are we proud of what happened 3,000 years ago,
while we have nothing now?! I mean just look at us now! What happened to
that huge empire? And what are we now?! If we are the best, and the rest
of the world is nothing, how come we are all refugees in America, Europe...?
Has anyone ever thought of this? The pride we have for 3,000 year old things
has made us so blind that we can't see our present situation or think about
our future FULL
TEXT
Sara S.
Go to top
* Persians & Aryans & ...
Regarding the article "Qaziyeh-ye
nejad" by Mohande: intoor ke az maghaaleye shomaa daryaaftam,
shomaa bishtar dar in soe`tafaahom gharaar daaarid taa digaraan. nemedunam
ke cheraa in maghaale raa IRANIAN ejzaseye chaap daade az anjaa ke in eshtebaahe
shomaa, meetune baraaye deegaran ham olgoo baashe!
inkeh mardoome aam dar in baareh che megooyand hamisheh baa hagheeghat
hamsaaz nist. zamaani bood ke mardoom, khomeiny raa dar maah didand va
hamaknoon ham in eshtebaahaat meetune rookh bede FULL
TEXT
Nick
Go to top
* Knowledge & wealth
Thank you for dAyi Hamid's article "Elm
behtar ast yaa servat?". It brought back a lot of memories from
many many years ago, when I was in 4th or 5th grade in the Jahanbani elementary
school in Tehran.
In those days life was very simple and specially people were more simple
and innocent. What a shame that those days have long gone and will never
will be repeated.
Just like you, I obviously chose knowledge over wealth in my essay.
I agree with you that in this capitalist society we need money to have
a comfortable life. The bottom line is that we need both knowledge and
wealth together.
Ahmad Poudratchi
West Palm Beach, FL.
Go to top
Thursday
September 7, 2000
* Free expression has no limit
In reply to the comment made by one of the readers regarding nude art
on the cover
of The Iranian ["Hope God guides you (or
destroys you)"]: As an artist and scientist I believe in freedom
of expression, art has no limit!
I would like to remind the reader that we came to this world without
the hejab. Why should women cover their hair? Just because men can not
control their sexuality and get aroused easily by women's appearance?
Try wearing a scarf on a hot summer day and then see if you can say:
"I ask God to guide you and if not destroy you!"
God should not be feared. God does not destroy.
Morteza Loghmani
www.morteza.org
Go to top
* Little people's history
Regarding Mr. Khodadad Rezakhani's view of how Iranian history should
be studied in the universities ["Not
too deep"]:
First off, I certainly hope that "every midwife and plumber"
*DOES* come up to you and give you the reasons why an historical event
took place. History -emphatically- *IS NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE* the bastion
of elite historians and researchers who get bogged down in the minutiae
of a war that took place 25,00 years ago.
History is lived everyday by all of us, we each have our own version
of it, and frankly no amount of "historical documentation" makes
the lived experience of the "midwife or plumber" down the street
any less valid than the recorded version the scholars proffer >>>
FULL TEXT
Laleh Khalili
Go to top
* We forget
I agree with Nicole
Radmand's comment about Shahyar Ghanbari. Unfortunately we always forget
the people behind a successful singer. In Googoosh's case, nobody denies
her talent, her voice, her appearance and the emotion and feelings she
puts in her songs.
It is interesting to know that Ghanbari started his career as a song
writer at 18 years of age and he wrote"Deegeh ashkam vasseh man naaz
meekoneh" for Googoosh. Before that, she used to sing other singer's
songs. Ghanbari wrote about 25 songs for Googoosh. Coincidentally, "Hejrat"
was the last song that Ghanbari wrote for her >>>
FULL TEXT
Simin Habibian
Go to top
Wednesday
September 6, 2000
* Sarah Wright's granddaughter
To Robert Burgener, author of "Iran's
American martyr": My name is Laura McDowell, the granddaughter
of now-deceased Sarah Wrigh who grew up in Tabriz during the early 1900's.
She was the daughter of Presbyterian missionaries John and Mattie Wright.
She was also a personal friend of Howard Baskerville's.
I've had the great fortune to read a diary she wrote when she was 15.
In it, she details the news of Baskerville's death and his April 21 funeral.
The diary is a very interesting portrayal of the rich events and mosaic
of personalities and cultures in the area at the time.
Sarah ultimately married Phillip McDowell, who was also from a long
line of Presbyterian missionaries in Iran. They raised my father, David,
in Iran along with their other children: Martha, Phillip and Ed. I enjoyed
your article. It has helped me put my grandmother's diary in context.
Laura McDowell
Go to top
* Why do we forsake each other?
What I found most interesting about Mr. Mosadegh's piece ["Love
at first click"] was not even of his own doing. His piece is so
arrogant and egotistical that I was forced to laugh a little bit as I was
reading -- but it did make me think about the idea of human interaction.
What really makes this piece an interesting read is how Mosadegh characterizes
his marriage as "a happy marriage." He found a beautiful, humble
and submissive wife whom he sees as perfect -- yet he falls in love with
an anonymous confidante via the Internet. Technology is his culprit --
the cause of isolation and what drives us expose ourselves from the safety
of a modem connection.
I guess I'll leave this letter with a final question and thought: I
don't understand why we forsake each other in person and seek each other
from the safety of distance. And why choose a partner to build a life with
if that person does not engender your trust and rouse your emotions? Food
for thought.
An Iranian javan
Go to top
* Putting down plumbers
Mr. Rezakhani's article ["Not
too deep"] is anything but deep. And isn't it a little insecure
to put down midwives and plumbers in an effort to obatin identity and make
a confused and incoherent point?
If Mr. Rezakhani is a historian, no wonder why "every midwife or
plumber" feels free to express views on the subject matter--while
not wasting time carrying out the necessary "research" of the
type that in any case apparently only Mr. Rezakhani knows how to do.
I also advise Mr. Rezakhani not to envisage lecturing an electrical
engineer (let alone a midwife) how to do their job! Signal processing (not
to talk of bringing people into this world) is too valuable for him to
pester with.
Hossein Samiei
Go to top
Tuesday
September 5, 2000
* Googoosh, Khomeini & the moon
In the midst of all the hyper-adoration of the legendary Googoosh ["Baptized
in tears"], undoubtedly the most influential and mimicked Iranian
cultural icon in the past century, it may be relevant to remember that
at the time of the Iranian republican revolution she is said to have seen
the likeness of the Ayatollah Khomeini on the face of the moon and eulogized
the leader of the revolution, only to be sent packing, shut up and left
to sing in private, as she has said, for her husband. On the occasion of
her second coming, the irony should not be lost that the future that she
promoted robbed her of twenty years of artisitic life, for which we are
all the more poor.
Guive Mirfendereski
Go to top
* Tears for Googoosh, not just Iran
In addition to the "Malaagheh"
letter, I would like to respond to "Baptized
in tears" gibberish as well, point by point, and more. I was also
at the New York concert. Yes, everyone was crying but every tear shed was
out of joy. Rozeh khooni is a melancholic event. The comparison was absolutely
irrelevant.
I have never known an artist being able to make 15,000 people cry at
the same time. All the tears were shed for Googoosh and not just Iran and
nostalgia of good old days. If Iran had never experienced a revolution
and was still under Pahlavi monarchy and Googoosh had still decided not
to sing for 21 years, the same tears and wave of emotions would have existed
in her concert >>>
FULL TEXT
Fariba Behnegar
Go to top
* Some have wider view
In reply to Mehdi Payravi's letter "Hope God guides
you (or destroys you)": You should not assume that you can speak
on behalf of all Iranians. Some Iranians have a wider view that doesn't
exclude any aspect of human experience from the realm of what art can legitimately
address.
Zara Houshmand
Go to top
Monday
September 4, 2000
NONE
Go to top
Friday,
September 1, 2000
* Hope God guides you (or destroys you)
I surf your site every day. But this week you had a so-called painting
of a naked
woman on your front page. Shame on you.
You are not Iranian. Iranians have "hojb o hayaa". You are
a disgrace to the Iranian people. I ask God to guide you and if not destroy
you!
Mehdi Payravi
Go to top
* Tired of films with poor kids
If we really think about movies like "Children of heaven",
"Apple", etc. , you see all these miserably poor kids, doing
incredible things so that they can buy a god damn "shoe" or "watch".
I'm sorry but I can't sit there and watch a movie where all women are covered
by a chador all the time and you hardly can see their faces. I'm also getting
tired of seeing misery and suicidal people...etc.
It doesn't represent my reality and it doesn't inspire me... it just
reminds me how awful things still are in Iran >>>
FULL TEXT
Dario Margeli
Go to top
* Ghoncheh Tazmini?
I wonder if you can help me. I rented a movie The 13th Warrior with
Antonio Banderas that came out in 1999. At the begining of the movie, there
was a brief appearence by a beautiful Iranian woman. Her name was Ghoncheh
Tazmini. Could you tell me about her; where she is from and is she a popular
actress?
Floyd Gadd
Editor: Never heard of her. But there's a poem by a person by that
same name (very uncommon name) in the Iranian women's web size, zan.org.
Go to top
* Jokes made to protect Reza Shah
I just want to mention that there is a research that shows that jokes
against Turks and Rashtis were part of a strategy to prevent protests against
Reza Shah. Unfortunately I have forgotten the reference but I hope if someone
knows about it will provide information.
Also I should remind you about the famous poet Ostad Shahriar who said
about this subject: Beh rashti kaleh maahi khor, beh turki turke ... gofti
Ali Moradi
Go to top
Related links
* Letters Section main
index
* Cover stories
* Who's
who
* Bookstore
Copyright © Abadan Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
May not be duplicated or distributed in any form