Letters

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Monday
June 25, 2001

We ourselves are desperate

Dear Mr. Makhmalbaf, ["Limbs of no body"]

I saw a translation of your article in The Iranian, I read it in Hayat-e No, I read the letter you sent to Khatami and I also saw your name along with two whole pages of writing for 20 consecutive days in Nowrooz and thought: shomaa kheili az mahaleh parteen.

I have been reading newspapers printed inside this country for a while now and I can say that without a doubt, not one has ever dedicated that much space to all the horrors that are taking place right inside our own country. Yes, people are dying by the minute a few miles (even less) outside the borders of Iran.

Yes, we Iranians have always been known as "hospitable" people and unless we support the Afghans and give tremendous help, we would not have the right to use that word for our countrymen any longer. Yes, by ignoring them we are only acting like cold-blooded monsters.

But while you are busy writing, lecturing and shouting about things which are taking place in Afghanistan, I hear about people dying of hunger, of cold and of pure brutality right here in Iran... No, you do not have to drive for three hours and see it outside of Tehran. It is here, right in your own city but you couldn't care less, could you?

Over and over again you repeat these sentences : "Budha dar afghaanestaan az sharm rikht" or "yek million afghaan dar haal-e marg va gharb negaraan-e mojassamey-e Budhaa". You order the president to send financial help to Afghanistan and accuse all Iranians of being uncaring, unfeeling and monstrous.

If you are thinking that the Nobel Peace Prize may bring you a lot of prestige, that's a whole different matter. But have you really thought about your suggestions before writing them down on paper? Send financial help to the Afghans? When we are in desperate need of help ourselves?

Do you know that a lot of the horrors taking place right here, in small far away villages that nobody has ever heard of, are as horrifying, if not more? Believe me, you did not have to go all the way to Afghanistan and bear all the "danger and fright" as you call it to make your movie. The things taking place right here would bear a striking resemblance to the things you saw.

So why hasn't anyone heard of them? The only reason is that we cannot expect anything from our honorable "siaasatmadaaraan". They do not want to reveal them, and they will try their best to cover them up as much as they can. The only ones who could reveal just a little bit of what is going on (because I really think that no one could actually imagine the true horrors that are taking place) are the likes of you, and well, at least for now, you seem to be busy elsewhere.

By the way, I think I've heard of some terrible things going on in Africa.

Sincerely,

Najmeh Fakhraie

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