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Tuesday
April 24, 2001

Digging dirt

In reply to Kerman01 ["Taste of your own medicine","Public life..."],

First of all, not every person who calls him- or herself an Iranian is so incredibly intolerant and/or stupid as to be offended by charges of lesbianism or smoking pot (even if they were true).

Second, I am sure the kind of corruption Setareh Sabety complained about when referring to Ashraf Pahlavi ["Nothing to hide"] had nothing to do with Ashraf having boyfriends. May she have as many boyfriends as she can handle. But when she runs the country from behind the scenes and as if it is her domain, or when she (along with her ilk) considers the country's treasury as her own bank account, then that corruption is our business.

Third, Ms Sabety originally attacked Reza Phalavi's claims to the throne, not whether he is a good or evil guy. So, in fact, your private emails to her threatening to publicize (whether true or not) that she is a lesbian pot-smoker DO constitute "attacks" and are vastly different than criticizing a public figure (such as Reza Pahlavi).

Fourth, the world is NOT black and white contrary to your opinion. Just because one dislikes the tryanny of Pahlavis does not mean that one condones the tyranny of a vali-e-faqih. Monarchy by any name, and whether wearing a turban or a crown, is a silly, undemocratic, antiquated, uninteresting, and absurd idea.

Fifth, may every diasporic community in the world produce such a journalist as Jahanshah Javid. If he had to have a penny each time one side of a political debate labels him as the hand-maiden of the other side, he would be a millionaire, I am sure. As far as I am concerned, I have never known a journalist with the gentle sardonic and critical gaze of Javid, and I hope and pray that he can continue his work as it is for decades to come.

Finally, I am sure if you are going to "research" our pasts on the internet, you will find much on everyone. Substantiated or unsubstantiated, information is out there. If you choose to dig "dirt" up on everyone that engages you in a debate, you will be wallowing in the lurid details of our lives rather than responding to valid questions asked publicly.

While lurid details make great soap-opera, they are really irrelevant to the terms of a public political debate.

The manner in which you choose to respond or attempt to silence a response only shows the extent (or lack) of your own capacity, intelligence and maturity. Nothing else.

Laleh Khalili

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