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Friday
August 3, 2001

* Long hard look

Attention all Iranian men, ["ALL erroneous", "Sick and tired"]

Next time you decide to criticize the Iranian female population for not giving you the credit, which you believe you deserve. Just stop and take a minute.

First look at yourself. And I don't mean a quick glance, no, take a long hard look at yourself. And don't be afraid to be honest with at least yourself! If you don't find anything wrong with yourself start looking in your immediate surroundings and if you can with all honesty say that the accusation made are unfounded then start typing.

AZ ghadimo nadim goftan, gar nabaashad chizaki mardom nagooyand chizhaa. That goes also for some ladies. Taking this in consideration, I have to say some of my favorite men are Iranians, Obeid Zakani, My uncle Farzad, my grandpa, and two of my best friends. Although I wouldn't start dating any of em any time soon.

Peace out

Sahar

* It's wrong

This is a comment about "Move to Canada" pictures. I live in Canada and I heard all about the Miss Ontario and Miss British Columbia! I think the whole idea is stupid. Choosing a girl as miss whatever is based on her beauty & body. It's wrong.

Well, they say beauty is not all they look for. Give me a break. What do those swim suits and sexy clothes have to do with intelligence, career, and personality?

As for the questions they ask, it's all about one thing: "If you could change one thing in the world what would that be?!", and the answer is "PEACE..."

I think women have passed the time then they were only sex and beauty objects. Don't get me wrong, I love beauty and I love to be beautiful but it's not all I think about. I hate it when women represent themselves like this! After all what I like to change in this world is how women represent themseleves to the world these days :- )

A persian girl

* Continuation of Mossadegh

Mr. Zangeneh,

In your response ["The goal: Civil Rights"] to Minou, it was amusing to hear you equating Gandhi's Salt March to the ill-advised boycott of the most democratic elections Iran has ever seen. The historical situations could not be any more different. In your supposed desire for civil rights you forget Iran's history and our inexperience with democracy.

The civil rights that you see in the U.S. came about on the foundations of 200 years of experience and still such movement was resisted, to the point of assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. Iran's best chance for getting a little bit of democratic experience was cut short by the 1953 coup.

Khatami's re-election was the most important historical event in the long and hard process of Iran learning about democracy. The "opposition" boycott was a horrible error, born out of this inexperience. I think that the process Khatami represents is the continuation of what Mossadegh was trying to do.

It is no accident that the right wing "religious" conservatives, MKO, the Royalists, the Iranian "left" (naked "protesters" in Berlin), Israel, and the proponents of the "missile defense" (who need to manufacture a terrorist "enemy" or two) in the "military industrial complex" are ALL worried about the tree of genuine indigenous democracy taking roots in Iran under the reform process symbolized by Khatami.

I think what is being done to Khatami, is what was done to Mossadegh, almost exactly with the same tactics and motives. If you are interested in democracy, civil rights, and justice, please respect the will of people in Iran, where they hugely voted AGAIN for reform, despite ALL efforts to discourage them from doing so, including your boycott movement.

Long live Iran.

Moji Agha

* Reza Shah elected by parliament

The crowns has been for grabs all through the history of mankind irrespective of nations ["Who stole the crown"]. That was, and somehow still is, the way head of nations grab the crown or improve totalitarian power.

As far as I know, there are only two exceptions to this universal rule: Reza Shah in 1924 & Norway for King Hakon in 1906. In both these cases parliament voted for bestowing the kingship to Reza Shah & King Hakon. And that was the first time in Iran's long history that a king was elected by the representatives of the people.

If there is any argument about the legitimacy of the parliament, that does not call for stealing the crown. It was lawful decision made by the elected body. You can not even say that the members of the Iranian parliament at the time were hand picked by Reza Khan, since he had not yet become the shah. Your darling Dr. Mossadegh was indeed one of them.

When are we Iranians going to stop our prejudice, name calling, hatred for one another? Why should anybody call another person (gholdor)? Or even a thief? Do we have to use abusive words to assert our biased point of view?

To quote an email of a British gentleman to prove your accusation is indeed bizarre. It is an established fact that the Brits never got along with Reza Shah, for their own greed. The case of the 1933 Oil Agreement, sacking of Sheikh Khazal, building the trans Iranian railway, etc. If General Ironside was in favor of Reza Khan taking power, it was not for the love of Reza Khan, it was to make sure that he can take his & the British solders lives safe out of Iran to Iraq.

You can tell that British gentleman that if Iranians are still loyal to the Pahlavis it is only due to the fact that they stood the long lasting evil influence of the Brits in Iran. I do not trust any writing by foreigners about Iran & our nation. Time & time again they have proved that they are neither impartial nor properly informed. Any reference to them has to be taken with pinch of salt!

Best regards,

H. Hakimi
Norway

* 73-year chance

Dear Babak, ["1906 v. 1979"]

We did give the constitutional monarchy a chance for 73 years according to your calculations, and for all of that period, all we had was a dictatorship, and it ended up in chaos.

As for R.Sardar's comment ["Sense of irony"], I do have a genuine sense of humor, and I think to have a hereditary kind of goverment, the most practical way is to have the children of the Imam marry the children of Akbar Shah , then we will have a hereditary constitutional Velayate Faghih and we will exactly be equal to our European counterparts. After that we will all sit back and watch the poor Afghans, Pakestanis, Arabs and Turks climb up the fences of our borders to come in and write commentaries about their lost beloved governments.

Peerooz

* If we tolerated each other

Mr. John Mohammadi, ["Fighting against entire nation"]

If you have lost a loved one in the war or during the years of turbulence in Iran I am sorry. If on the other hand your letter is a political protest, my response is different. Tolerance is not for those we accept and validate, it is meant for those we oppose. If our people tolerated each other's differences you and I would not be out side our beloved country, today. Even Mojaheds would not be where they are today.

As people we did not show compassion to each other. The result is what we have today, a state characterized by no tolerance for what is different. Although many Iranians live in democratic countries "cheshm nadaarand hamdeegar raa bebinand".

If you have an emotional reason for hating Mojahedin such as a martyr in the War, again I am sorry for your loss. But if on the other hand your response is the result of old pre-set hostilities engrained in your psyche by the Regime's propaganda or other political groups and ideologies, I think you need to revise your information and realize the danger of having so much hatred. What you have mentioned about Mojahedin is exactly all the wordings that the Regime uses to describe them.

I do not agree with Mojahedin's ideology or their strategy. I am sorry that as a person I have to keep stressing this. Why do I have to keep swearing I am not a Mojahed? This, further accentuates my point. I do believe that as people we need to accept, respect and tolerate each other. Otherwise what you see is what you get.

Regards

Amir Hedayat

* Khayyam, the movie

Just wanted to say Iranian Americans have the rare oppurtunity to see the following film on national TV on the adventures of Omar Khayyam, a film I personnally have not been able to see in France.It is of course highly exaggerated but it can be viewed by kids and adults alike.

Go to the following website to see the schedule:
//www.tv-now.com/stars/jderek.html

Regard,

Darius Kadivar

* Not an idle promise

Dear Kobra Khanom, ["Doodool Talaa Syndrome"]

You are so kind for taking the time to answer me. I took a shot in the dark by emailing my troubles to the only Iranian source I could find on the Internet in hopes if getting a reply, and you took the time to answer me. Thank you!

You have truly enlightened me. Because I do not know the Iranian culture outside of it's WONDERFUL food, your advice and interpretations have made a huge difference in my understanding the dynamics of my relationship.

My boyfriend very much wants to marry me. It is not an idle promise or a carrot to keep me hoping. I definitely was not looking for marriage. In fact, I was not even interested in dating when we met due to poor choices in men in my recent and not so recent past. However, I had heard such wonderful things about this man for months prior to his asking me out, that when he did, I realized this might be the first truly good man whose ever asked me out. I hesitantly stepped out and accepted the date and quickly discovered for myself that everything I had heard about him was true.

He is the most honorable, respectable, and truly decent man I know. My one and only issue is all about his mother. I do realize it is not just her, as he allows her to treat him the way she does. He is the problem too. I recently learned that this is the Iranian way. The children serve the parents for life. So now it's not really that his thinking is wrong and mine is right, or vise versa, it is just cultural differences. Just is really a poor choice of words because this is "just" about as destructive as a title wave >>> FULL TEXT

The Other Woman

* Three words

Sorry this is a bit late. I have missed my dose of iranian.com lately. But sure glad I read the "FAQ" today. Three words: YOU ARE AWESOME!!! (and your daughter's letter was SO cute!). Kashki mardhaa bishtar mesleh shomaa boodan (I said "mardhaa" na mardhaayeh irani, OK guys?!).

MM

* Cheezee keh ayaan ast

My conclusion on Hassan's conclusion on "FAQ"!

1) So Hassan jaan in your word only unmaried men would think that women are interesting! Being excessivley interested in women issues and femenism comes from a fair and open- inded person whether attached or not. Erotic stories have been around for thousands of years and they are for men & women, married or single.

2) "Cheezee keh ayaan ast cheh haajat beh bayaan ast?" I think by now all the readers know that Jahanshah Javid has a daughter and was married, so save your breath.

3) Everything you wrote in your third paragraph was clearly said by Javid himself. So please don't waste your time and ours.

4) As you say, not believing in god simply confirms that he is divorced. believe me people rely on god more during and after separation, but people who reject their own previous beliefs have become wiser and braver.

And finally are you really serious that another woman would heal his religious beliefs? (What kind of a comment is that anyway?)

So buddy, no guessing games please, when eveything is on the table.

Eraadatmand,

Hamid Ageorlo

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