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Monday * Everything is sacred In the Name of the Most High Dear Sirs, Thank you for an interesting site. I would like to make a comment on your choice of label "Nothing is sacred". I think it is a stupid invention at least when we remember that Iranian culture has always had a strong sense of sacredness, from Zoroaster to the contemporary art of a painter and poet such as Sepehri. Rumi's poetry, for instance, depicts everything between heaven and earth, even the lowest dirt (!) in sacred terms. I would believe that "everything is sacred" is more correct from the point of view of Iranian theosophy, philospophy and mysticism. * No right to put down gays Here is what I wrote in a fit of anger to the authors of "Persian Judaism." I am not quite comfortable with publicizing it but thought you might want to see it. You can publish it under a pseudo name if you wish. I understand that you are unhappy with the influence of the orthodoxy among some sectors of the Jewish community, but I wanted you to know that your letter was terribly offensive to gays as well as those who have intermarried with non-Jews. I simply expected more from your men, who are after all going to be medical doctors and are raised in the U.S., to express such intolerant views. This kind of language is common among the elder members of the community, Muslims and Jews, but from you two it was truly upsetting. Don't you know that Iranians, including Iranian Jews, have their share of gays and lesbians? What makes you think this community is different? Persian poetry is, after all, filled with same-sex love. Do you think it just disappeared in the modern age? I am writing this as a straight, married woman, and mother, but also a teacher of history. Do you know how many women have become miserable in our community because gay men go through the routine of getting married, having children, before turning to male lovers? A society that recognizes gays is a much more honest society because it allows people of different sexual orientations to live an honest open life and not make others miserable. The Reform and some Conservative wings of Judaism have recognized this. Secondly, what makes you think you should speak for all Iraniain Jews and condemn intermarriage when again the majority Jewish congregations of this society (U.S.), in which we live, have recognized intermarriage? In the same way that you take offense at the Orthodoxy for not recognizing your Judaism as "kosher" so too others take offense at your narrow definition of who is or is not a Jew. Judaism, like Islam and Christinity, can be interpreted in an orthodox, conservative, reform, feminist, or even secular way. If we have learned anything from the experience of Iran, it is that a healthy society must allow a plurality of religious discourses. The fact that you condemn the orthodoxy does not give you the right to put down gays or others who do not fit your definition of a Jew. Juliet * How about: "No Sigheh Baazy, please" Recent homophobic letters you have published in your Letters section has forced me to want to write a reply. Such homophobic letters, with titles such as "No gay rights, please!", are proof of how much work is still to be done to bring iranians from 1380 to 2001. Maybe iranians are indeed still in the 14th century! Maybe iranians deserve the mess their country is in right now, if they think that only a segment of their society should have rights but not others. Here are some of my suggestions: How about: "No Sigheh Baazy, please"!? * Public life and private life Regarding Setareh Sabety's comments, "Nothing to hide", I think you have now painfully understood my point. If you want freedom of speech and a civil society, which is supposedly the reason that you do not live in Iran, then you have to distinguish between an individual's public life and private life. Otherwise you will bear the consequences of your indiscretions sooner or later. Whether it is Reza Pahlavi or Ali Kamenei or any other public political figure, his political agenda should not be debated on the basis of whether he is gay or his aunt had a boyfriend. Which one of you guys have set Reza Pahlavi to task on the substance of his poiltical opinions? Have you at all critically looked into the subject of Velayat Faghih or a monarchy or a republic? You keep slinging unsubstantiated, undocumented, utterly false mud at people and when you are faced with hard facts about your own personal lives you scream for the heavens. To set the record straight >>> FULL TEXT * Because I defended the right to publish a joke In response to Kerman01, "Distinguish between...", you will not give up! You do not reveal your name. God knows what you are afraid of or do they have AOL in Iran? Everything you say about yourself cannot be substantiated unlike Mr. Javid or myself who do not try to hide anything and who write under our own name. You did not even answer any of my questions. How on earth do you expect to be taken seriously? If this is the quality of the "followers" that Mr. Pahlavi has, I am truly sorry for him. It used to be that people would die for their king, now they won't even sign an email to defend him. How can you even begin to talk about "democracy" when you write letters threatening to expose me -- not because because I attacked anyone personally -- but only because I defended someone's right to say a joke in his own magazine! >>> FULL TEXT * Grow up already Are all the shahdoosts ["Taste of your own medicine"] this sick? Can't you just express your opinion without attacking people's personal life? Do you really think people take your comments seriously? I don't know Ms Sabety, I only know her through her letters and that is what I respect. It disgusts me to see how some people are still using these kind of threats to accomplish their unworthy causes. Just grow up already! * Touched a nerve I was appalled by the letter attacking Setareh Sabety ["Taste of your own medicine"]. I don't know you and I may not agree with your opinion about who's the worst, mollas or the shah. But I do know you have a lot of integrity and courage, and I believe your comments were very illuminating. This would explain the violence of the attack. You have definitely touched a nerve or else it would not have provoked such a disgusting outburst from Kerman01. In my experience, people lash out when you force them to confront the ugly truth. Wear Kerman01's letter as a badge of honor. * Fool me twice... I completly agree with Setareh ["Nothing to hide"] that Mohammad Reza Shah is solely responsible for the present goverment of Iran.Without his megalomaniac behavior and,his selfish, childish, and idiotic arrogance and ignorance, the mollas had no chance of taking control of the country. Reza Pahlavi may have a short memory but he better remember his father's oath while swearing in the Majlis to respect freedom and democracy by avoidig to repeat Reza Shah's behavior. Instead we had many more years of dictatorship and it delayed the country's progress for another 55 years. We have seen these promises many times before. Fool me once shame on you , fool me twice shame on me. * Worst piece of garbage I have a question. Can anything be printed in The Iranian? Because, honestly, "Just Breathe" is the worst piece of garbage I have ever read.. I don't know how old the author is, but the writing is absolutely terrible. I could honestly care less about the subject matter. That's not the point, I mean the stories make no sense. There is no plot detail, it's just a bunch of stupid scenarios thrown together with no thread of continuity. Yes, I realize they are different stories. I'm speakinga bout each individual one. If the author is a freshman in high school then she is doing wonderful! Keep up the good work. If not, then WOW, IT ACTUALLY AMAZES ME. I'm a 20-year-old student/worker and I am amazed by this suckass writing (excuse my farsi) I mean I'm actually amazed. But if the author's point is to make her writing suckier day by sucky day, she has succeeded because I check out the articles every day just to see if get's any worse and it does. Other than that, I freakin' love this website. I could honestly say that I wasn't tangibly proud to be an Iranian before I saw this website. I have learned so much from it. Tank you so much. * Need to master glorious Persian Behrouz J. Roohi's "I can read" was very inspiring. I have been put through many hours of reading and writing Iranian with my mom. When younger, I always dreaded it and never understood why I had to learn this language. However, this article made me realize why I need to gain a mastery of this "glorious" language, no matter how impossible it seems. I agree that our generation of Iranians is at a crossroad; we provide a link between the past generations, that is between our parents and grandparents, and our children. I feel that if we do not gain mastery in all aspects of our culture, there shall be no link and our "true identity" shall be lost. Please let us not allow that to happen!
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