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Friday
April 13, 2001

Adab az keh aamookhti?

Mr. Babak Babakan ["Veghaahat"]: I don't know who you are and I wish not to know. It seems to me as your letter indicates, you have lived in a Western democracy for a while. But you have not learned one bit on how to have a polite dialogue with one of your compatriots, especially a lady. You use the word "Vaghih" and assume that I am lying. This line of thought is unacceptable among civilized people. And I consider myself one civilized person. Let others judge you.

If by a pure honnest mistake, I have referred to Khalkhali as the man attempting to destroy Persepolis ["Saving Persepolis"], and it was another reactionary clergyman instead, it did not deserve your rude response.

It seems your animosity and hatred of the National Front has overshadowed everything else. The National Front and the so-called traitors you are referring to are as much responsible for the disaster today as all the Shah's ministers, associates, members of the Royal family and above all the Shah himself.

The National Front was never given the chance to voice its opposition without fear of being arrested during his majesty's time. We had a dictatorship for 50 years prior to invasion of the mollas of today!

My father and many of his colleagues were arrested only for voicing their rights as individuals and citizens of Iran during the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlvai. In Iran and abroad, the reputation of Mr. Amini, who was first to resign his post as governor of Fars after only one month, is well known.

He abolished the Revolutionary Komitehs in the Fars Province and, yes, he did stop the invaders from destroying Persepolis. He and others should get a medal for standing up for justice. And we should never forget that all members of the National Front including Dr. Bakhtiar were prisoners of the Shah.

However, I for one will admit that the prisons during that era can never ever be compared to the prisons of the Islamic Regime. There is a world of difference. Nevertheless, injustice is injustice in whatever shape or form, we must fight against it.

We will let history and the majority of Iranians be the judge of my father and others. My only recommendation to you is, even if you disagree with someone, even if you think they are lying, the only way to prove your point is to address them in a civilized fashion. Vaghih is not civilized. As the saying goes, adab az keh aamookhti? az bee adabaan.

Fariba Amini

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