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Friday
May 18, 2001

* Impressive insight

Thanks Ms. Sabeti, I enjoyed reading your article ["Googoosh, the myth"]. It was quite scholarly,without being boring.

I am not interested in Iranian radio or TV shows, and therefore, could have easily ignored your comments. However, I am glad I did read it.

I thought your article was to the point, articulate, and your insight was impressive.

Nahid Javadi

* Let's make a deal

Dear fellow Countrymen,

There is no doubt that recent articles published in this magazine have stirred up some controversy. I'm sure everyone is familiar with "Bahram"...that sexy devil. Hard as it was, I was really good about not writing a complaint. I figured what good would it do? Most sane people know the difference between good and poor writing.

We'd just stop reading the articles (not the entire magazine). However, I have noticed that more and more people are upset with the "stories" (for lack of a better classification), and I really did enjoy reading this magazine.

Therefore I think WE, the readers, should stand together and make a deal. I'll write an artice every week for you, let me know if you want something like a soap opera, or a new story, op-ed, health and science article, poem... I'm flexible. So long as we deviate from poor writing.

Yes, Mr. Javid, there is something between the Koran (or other holy books) and Playboy. No one is denying that Michelangelo's statue of David is obscene. It is a creation of art which was tastefully done. The medium between all things holy and Playboy ranges from extreme conservatism to extreme sexuality.

I strongly believe that if the author had written these stories in a more tasteful manner, we wouldn't have stirred the controversy. Every Editor has the right to use their discretion in printing a piece. What is imperative here is HOW you use it. Let's keep it real.

Mitra
University student
20 years of age

EDITOR'S REPLY: I like your offer Mitra... the part that you would like to write... just write... about anything you like... and I think I will publish it. Pretty sure, in fact. I look forward to it. -- Jahanshah Javid

* False & malicious

I hereby challenge Mr. Ali Foroohar ["Good point smeared"] to specifically identify any portion of my opinion article, "Ghost of Khobar" which he falsely and maliciously identifies as being "anti-Semitic." I never once mentioned a single thing about all Jews or even Iranian Jews, so Mr. Foroohar, if your definition of "anti-Semitic" is "telling the truth about a well known event in Israeli history" then I suggest you move to Iran because you share much with the Orwellian and repressive guilt-by-association thinking that goes on there.

John Mohammadi

* Tolerating everybody

I thank you for being so professional to post different opinions including my letter ["Bunch of chickens"]; you seem like a man of principles. Keep doing this fine job although you might have two decades ahead of you to reach to where every body learns to be respectfull to others but that day won't come unless you keep tolerating everybody. Even by publishing those that you don't like you get credit, both from them and from those who agree with them. You are teaching them something that way, you are being their teacher rather than letting them to teach you (just treat your audience like you treat your child)!

Ali Ahmad Keshavarz

* Tired of all organized religions

In regard to "God's messenger to humanity ", please note that all organized religions are the same and they all claim to be the last God's religion. Conversion of so many Mollas (whom now , we know better), to Bahaism, as claimed, is hardly an event to brag about. On the contrary , it proves that they SARO-TAH-E YEK KARBAASAND and attract the same kind of mentality.

If Bahais have not YET done what the Taliban and Islamic Republic -- or for that matter the Christians -- have, it s because they do not have that kind of power YET. But they are heading that way by trying hard , like many other religions, to convert every possible living soul to their belief.

We have seen that before and we are tired of all organized religions who try to bring the lost wandering souls to their RAAH-E RAAST, first by choice and then by force.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Azar

*All prophets the same

Another Moslem-Bahai argument ["God's messenger to humanity " "Bahaullah schizophrenic", etc. I can't tell which one of these people are more misguided.

Cyrus is quite right to say, "Bahaullah was not a prophet, he was just a schizophrenic with his delusions and hallucinations and some naive people believed him and follow him." But the same can be said about all prophets. Adam and Eve, Heaven and Hell, God's messengers to humanity, Holy Books, Imams, etc etc are all delusions and hallucinations, and only naïve people believe these things.

No 12th Imam or messiah or Shah Bahram is ever going to come. When are you going to grow up and stop believing in these ancient stories? Put it through to your thick heads, Father Christmas does not exist.

Babak Babakan

* Give me a break

My name is Ghazal Vaghedi and I am a 21 year old college student in Boulder, Colorado. Just recently I came across an article, more like an editorial, in your magazine that appalled me ["Embrace"]. It enraged me enough that I had to write you guys and let you know exactly how I felt about what this person had to say. So, here is my response to Yariz's article. I probably could have written a lot more, but I had to limit myself somehow.

Yariz, It is awesome that there is an Iranian magazine, where Iranians (and others) from all backgrounds can express their opinions about what they believe. Unfortunately, your article says little about yourself, thus I really don't know what your personal experiences have been with regards to Iranians in America.

You base so much of what you say on sweeping generalizations about a group of people in a foreign land. Many of the people you are talking about, are like my parents who gave up their lives (my father lives basically in exile here) and everything that was familiar to them so that their children could live some dream even if it was the American dream. Although I agree that Iranians should learn about and to embrace other cultures in which they live within...I totally disagree with you that just because we live in America we need to think of ourselves as "Americans"...give me a break.

You are telling me that my 52-year-old mother should completely emerge herself in a culture that is still pretty foreign to her, and thus forget about her true identity. I don't think you even understand how hard it is for someone who has spent almost their entire life in Iran to come to America learn English and enter the work force, especially if that someone is above the age 40; much less learn about "Southern Black Blues and the Holy Bible" >>> FULL TEXT

Ghazal Vaghedi

* Hamaame zanaaneh

Dear Kobra Khanom,

Thank you very much for answering to my questions. Your explanation about "Hamaam e Zanaaneh" was very logical and scholarly. At this moment I'm writing a short article about "Hamaam e zanaaneh" in my city in eastern part of Gilan and it's role in spreading neighborhood news and gossip all over the city. As soon as I finish the article, I send you a copy of it. I believe, if CNN hires some of the women who have some affiliation with "Hamaam e zanaaneh" in Iran, it's success in news broadcasting will be doubled. Don't you think so?

Mehdi

* Adopted in 1975

I was adopted from Tehran in 1975. My mother (adoptive) says I was adopted from Queen Farah's orphanage and it was destroyed during the seven-year war and there is no way to trace any records of any kind.

Is there anyway I can find out if there was an orphanage and if it has been destroyed? I have had many emotional voids due to unrtracable roots and little to no information. I would be so grateful if you could respond with any information you may have. Thank you so much for your time.

Amanda Leila Long

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