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October 10, 2001 * Coming home to roost Along with all peace lovers, I am appalled at the loss of so many innocent lives in America. But, I have to regard events there as an example of chickens coming home to roost. In 1979, Dr Mohammad Najibullah headed a pro-communist government in Afghanistan with strong support from urban dwellers. The warlike landlords and fanatical Islamists, the Mujahedin, took up arms against him. To support Najibullah's government , Brezhnev sent in his military forces. The U.S. immediately contacted the Mujahedin and supplied them, through Pakistan, with masses of arms, equipment and training personnel. One of those aiding the Mujahedin at the time was Osama Bin Laden. Faced with well-armed Mujahedin with an intimate knowledge of Afghanistan's mountainous terrain, Soviet forces were out-manoeuvred and eventually withdrew, after ten years, in 1989. Najibullah continued to rule as president with United Nations protection, until he was deposed in 1992,ending his UN protection. In 1996, the Taliban captured Najibullah, subjected him to torture and strung him up by his neck. A newspaper showed this happening on Sep. 27. At the time, the Taliban were reported to want friendly relations with the U.S., and the State Department was sending a delegation to explore the possibility of re-opening their embassy in Kabul. Had the U.S. not backed the reactionary Mujahedin so strongly in the Eighties, the Taliban would never have come to power and the thousands who lost their lives on September 11 would be alive today. THE ROOSTING CHICKENS HAVE EXACTED A VERY HEAVY PRICE. America and her allies should launch an invasion of Afghanistan as soon as possible. The first task would be to set up medical facilities for the destitute Afghan population. Then they should start rebuilding Kabul, and every town until the nation can hold up its head. Only if we really believe "LOVE YOUR ENEMIES CAN WE CONQURE EVIL." It worked in Germany and Japan after the Americans stepped in. Why not help our 'enemies' re-build their lives? Ba sepAs, * What we do best I have received many responses to my arguably inflaming letter titled "Equally important". To people who have sent me porfane reactionary letters, I have nothing to say. But I would like to thank those who responded reasonably and, respecting their point of view, I would like to make some clarifications. First of all, my statements where taken out of context, and therefore misinterpreted. I wrote: "As a civilized nation, we must try to protect ourselves and fight, ONLY WHEN NECESSSARY, TO ACHIEVE WORTHY OBJECTIVES". I did not FOR A MOMENT believe that Leonard Pitkiff's objectives where either WORTHY or NECESSARY. So there goes the difference between night and day. That said, I am very glad and proud to see a very interesting issue emerge. Thanks to Iranian.com we now know of at least one Iranian, named Kaveh Ahangar (nice internet pseudonym), who wishfully stated ["People & oppressors"] that he would "rather live under the American military occupation than the theocratic dictatorship of the mollas." It points out the understandable exasperation of many Iranians about the shameful persistence of the inhuman, corrupt and murdurous Hezbollah regime in Iran. To be brutally honest I personally believe the Iranian public not to be free of responsiblity regarding the persistence of the Islamic repression. Collectively, they can be regarded as being "guilty" of gutlessness and indifference by our very own national standards. According to our "Islamic Heritage" we are to display murdurous rage ("ghairat"), in defence of violated honor ("Namoos"). How is it then that we surrender completely and passively to the violation of our IDENTITY, CULTURE and CIVILIZATION by the Islamic invasion, initiated over 1000 years ago by the Bedouin Arab invaders and renewed 20 years ago by the savage Islamic fundamentalists. What I see and admire in the America, is the Americans' utter, unequivocal and uncompromising lack of tolerance for tyranny and repression in their own land. America is the nation that to this day upholds its right to bear arms so that they could fight the mere theoretical contingency of oppression. In contrast, the Iranian nation has bowed and yielded to heinous terror. Those of us who were present when the Khomeini regime sealed its grip on the future of our nation, read, in utter disbelief, consecutive issues of the dialy newpapers in Tehran, as thick as the WHITE PAGES, publishing the names of Iranian youth executed by the Hezbollah, because they were brave enough not to submit to what has become of Iran. There were many MONTHS that the sound of INCESSANT GUNFIRE, 24 HOURS A DAY, would not stop from within the fearsome EVIN prison. (Anyone remember that? Any other witnesses? Was it just a nightmare, a product of my sick imagination? If it was a nightmare, I just had another one on the morining of September 11th.) And what did us Iranians do in reponse? Some of us ran away. Many more chose to shut up and conveninetly forget because we understand and accept fear. That is what we have done and become accustomed to for centuries. That is what we do best and we then weave conspiracy theories to justify our misery and blame it on other superpowers ("Az-Ma-Behtaraan!") who are always of course for no apparent reason more powerful than us. Now, over 20 years into the shameful and murdurous tyranny of the evil Hezbollah, what most of us still care about is the "middle class" comfort of our relatives, the "stability" in their lives! Let us for once raise the bar for what qualifies as a purposeful, dignified "LIFE" to the level that matches our much flaunted "PRIDE". Let us be honest for once and admit that our dignity, bestowed upon us by our grand ancestors, has been taken away and is not going to be restored by itself. Let's draw the line and not pass the buck. My Iran, my heritage, what makes me infinitely proud when I declare to everyone I meet that I am IRANIAN, lives in my head, pieced together from memory and dream. The gun-toting bearded thugs reciting Arabic mumbo jumbo to justify their atrocious rule on a nation terrorized to complacency are NOT my brothers. I can never accept them just because they have taken my country and my nation hostage. They are the unforgiven enemy and should justly share the same fate as will befall the Taliban. Moreover the people who, out of ignorance or malice, rally behind the blood-thirsty Islamic regime are not bearers of the great heritage that has been passed to us through centuries of oppression. They are ignorant traitors and in principle, the well-being of their pathetic and undignified profiteering "lives" are worthless compared to our priceless heritage. Indeed, as we all know, the vast majority of Iranian people are silently hopeful but defenseless hostages to this regime. It is egregious that we have allowed the hezbollah to take our homeland hostage. It is far more shameful however be so compromising as to pay them a ransome with our dignity and our hopes. The people of Afghanistan stand a chance to break from murdurous fundamentalist tyranny, thanks to to the liberating force of the beleaguered USA unleashing hell to their savage rulers who outdid the Khomeini regime in murdurous ambitious. Please tell me whether or not it is shameful for Iranians to envy them their dumb luck. Omid Parsi , * Denying what is already known I have to partly agree with Gramps! (Yes I know everyone is sighing!). On the one hand Iranians are supporting terrorism by among other things HARBORING IMAD MUBTIYAH, head of the Hizbullah and the person who masterminded the khobar tower bombings in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 American dervicemen. (And I am not even counting, Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad, Hammas, the Said Emami gang, state sponsored assassinations abroad: Kurds, Bakhtiyar, etc.). However, we have to make a distinction between the Iranian PEOPLE and the Iranian GOVERNMENT! Whereas a good part of the German population supported the Nazis, the Iranian currently would like nothing better than to get rid of their Government. I disagree with Gramps in the sense that I think the Iranian people should not suffer because their unpopular and oppressive government and the Velayat-e Faghih (who has no legitimacy) decide to be pariahs of the world. After all, Iranians were the first to hold candlelight vigils in favor of the NY victims (until the state-sponsored Hizbollahis decided to break them up). So as Iranian-Americans are role should not be denying what is already known: namely, that Iran is a state-sponsor of terrorism. This just fuels all the right-wing haters' rhetoric and accusations that we are a 5th column in America. After all denying terrorism is not too far away from condoning it! We should fully support any action AGAINST TERRORISTS and NOT PEOPLES and push the American Government to provide moral support to the Iranian people by giving more media attention to just how unpopular the regime is (i.e. 10,000 people protesting in Isfahan 2 days ago got 0 media coverage here). Chakeram, * I was so naïve My name is Nazanin Rafsanjani and I am a student at UC Berkeley. These are some of my reactions to the recent events. The Iranian has given me some wonderful perspectives and I wanted to try and return the gesture. I was so naïve. How could I have believed that I was an American? I've lived here since the age of six. I was taught how to write these words in American public schools. Here in America, I was told that despite being a woman, I could achieve anything. Iran rejected me. Yet, somehow I am more Iranian today then I have ever been. I am the Middle Eastern voice for dozens of my American friends who called me to see what my reaction was. "My reaction??" I thought, "Why would it be different from yours? I am just as much of an American as you are" Right? Wrong I'm not. How can I help but feel my heart break as I hear the accented Farsi of the Afghani people translated into the English that my friends and my boyfriend and my entire world can understand? How can I watch the Middle East be attacked and further destabilized and devastated while the words "infinite justice" loom in the background? My family is there. In Tehran four beautiful children are growing up and I don't want them to grow up in this world. Americans think of Iran as a distant galaxy and that mentality is inside of me too. I want my loved ones here, now more then ever. And yet, here in America I feel the noose of propaganda and "patriotism" tightening around my neck. I feel stifled by a murderous freedom and a vengeful democracy. I want to leave but there is nowhere for me to go. The truth is, there is nowhere I would want to go. I love living here but at this moment I hate being here. These planes, these crashing buildings and this American revenge have made me want to hate. I want someone to tell me that I am wrong so I can scream. I want someone to hate me so that I can be justified in hating them back. I hate this American reaction. And yet, where else would I feel safe writing these words? Not in Iran So, where do my loyalties lie? They lie with the Americans who have died in this tragedy, they lie with the Afghanis who will die in its wake. I will not be pressured to rally behind a government that kills in the name of democracy and I reject the one that oppresses in the name of Islam. My loyalties lie with innocence and that is where they belong. * Mixed as I am I have no doubt whatsoever that I am an Iranian-American ["Ashamed of who you are?"]. My mother is American-born of European ancestry. My father is Iranian through and through, though an American citizen. I have an Iranian family AND an American family, as well as siblings that are as mixed as I am. I was born in the US, and English is my first language. I love Iran, I lived there happily, and I learned the Persian language by an effort of will. I have dual citizenship and two passports. Which side would you prefer that I deny? I also know that my situation is not unusual. * Lacking foresight To all those compatriots who are concerned about "Reza Pahlavi's dream": Yes, another revolution is in the making - and this time it is going to be a non-violent, civilized and democratic one, as Reza Pahlavi is advocating and relentlessly campaigning for. Let us hope that despite some small-minded minority lacking necessary foresight at this crucial moment in the history of our nation and/or, perhaps, finding their self-interests in jeopardy, this revolution will take place, because Iran and Iranians deserve it. I would, therefore, advise my negaraan hamvatans that they don't have to be concerned about Reza Pahlavi's dream, and exercise their democratic right at the ballot box when the time comes. So, let the people of Iran decide not iranian.com. Peace and freedom, for all and Iranians, * Hugely funny I just wanted to let you know, and this is after reading a few letters of abuse ["Kheili ani"] I found on Iranian.com, that we find the stuff you draw hugely funny ["Saman"]. . Especially when it makes people go wild! Keep it up. Regards, * Power of your art For whatever it is worth, I really appreciate your fantastic wits, humor and artistry ["Saman"]. More so when I see your intellectual property recognized as worthy of pilfering ["I'm flattered"]. The strong, albeit rude, reactions invoked ["Kheili ani"], proves the penetrating power of your art. Thank you to the power of infinity. Bedrood, * Our best option Dear Kaveh Ahangar, ["People & oppressors"] I am surprised that you claim preference for living under American military rather than the Islamic Republic. I understand people may have problems with the Islamic Regime, but I would never want my country to be conquered (again) in order to change a regime. That would be humiliating! Our fathers had to live the under occupied allies during the 1940's and trust me we don't want that to happen again. Who knows who the Americans will bring to power. A military dictator could destroy Iran's chance for a democracy for another 50 years again. It's also not good if the Mujahedin take over. Our best option is to wait for change to take place in Iran gradually, like it is taking place now. An occupation or overthrow will put the country in even more jeopardy than it is now. * If he could be fooled... Dear Ham Vatan Peerooz, ["Dishonest"] With due respect, if elderly Dr. Karim Sanjabi, professor of law of the faculty of law of Tehran University, practicing lawyer for ages, political adviser, consultant to the Imperial Iranian Foreign Ministry for many many years, member of parliament, and senator, could be fooled by a cleric called ( KHOMEINI ), I take my hat off for KHOMEINI. And if Dr. Karim Sanjabi could be fooled, then entire bunch of so called intellectuals & the Iranian Nation are absolutely innocent for bringing so much misery upon them selves. By the way, is not it that history is written about dead personalities? Not being among us is not a valid excuse to ignore the historical facts. That little piece of tape is indeed a historical fact. Best regards, H. Hakimi, * Subject of conflict Dear A R Beglie Beigie, ["Arab nationalism"] In regards to your statement -While the American press adheres to UN standards and cartographic conventions, the British Media insists on calling the Persian Gulf anything but the Persian Gulf - unfortunately its also the case in France. Often the term "Gulf", and or "Persian-Arab Gulf" is used to describe what is historically admited as being the Persian Gulf. I believe that this is to calm down Arab nationalism, as well as north African moslem countries who have historical as well as political and economic ties with their european allies. However I also believe that it is also a strategic vocabulary which unfortunately is being usurped by European diplomats in particular due to their past colonial history. In a recent talkshow on the situation in Afganistan some French diplomats - while insisting on the fact that the current conflict should not be confused with the principles of Islam - referred to the fact that the roots of the conflicts in the middle East are related to the Versailles treaty after the First World War, where the modern frontiers were drawn for many Arab countries in the Middle-East (Iran's frontiers were not subject to any changes since first and foremost it was not a colony). It should be noted and reminded to the international community that the actual frontiers should be maintained otherwise we will face a Yougoslavian type of situation which is the result of the fact that the European democracies questioned the validity of the frontiers in the Balkans. We must maintain the frontiers as they are! Regarding the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, the problem resides in the fact that extremists on both sides try to undermine the peace process and this is enhanced by the way the occupied territories are handled by the Israelis. As for Iran it is in its interest to have cordial ties with its Arab neighbours, besides the Iran-Iraq War, Iran has always maintained good relatrions with its Arab neighbours and in that Khatami's government parodoxically follows the same policy established by the late Mohammed Reza Shah, with probably the exception of openly criticizing Israel, which is only possible today given the shift in geopolitics since the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is important for Iranians and Arabs to be aware of the importance of maintaining good relations and condemning terrorism. However in no way should the frontiers of the Middle East be a new subject of conflict. We saw how terrible the Iran-Irak war was as well as the heavy human and material casualties which were inflicted upon both nations because of the Shat al-Arab strip. As for the problem of minorities such as the Kurds for example, France during François Mitterand's presidency tried to help the Kurdish cause in vain. While being absolutely sympathetic for their predicament and with the belief that their basic rights must be respected by the three countries sheltering them that is Iran,Iraq, and Turkey. I am not favorable to the creation of a new nation for the kurds or any other minority in the Middle East. I may sound vehement, but the European balkanisation proved to be a disaster in the aftermath of the first World War which led to the Second World War, and the drama continued after the collapse of the Soviet Empire. On a short term, it is important to fight terrorism, however on a longer term, concrete solutions should be brought to solve the deeper conflicts and problems in the Middle East, be it economic, social or political. Some scholars at this tribune claimed that the solution is to topple existing states and replacing them by secular republics, to which I also opposed by insisting that each country is different in the Middle East, and no immediate global solution could be envisaged. Jordany which is a monarchy does not advocate terrorism as Syria which is a republic but which also hosted ex-nazi's for years who trained their army. Even if the recent terrorist attack have accelerated reactions in the West and concerns towards the situation in Afghanistan and the middle east in general, their is a necessity for clarification and explanation of the historical roots of the conflicts be it political and or religious. It is through this effort of explanation that we can maybe avoid in the future further conflicts in the region. This is also true for journalists, politicians and citizens alike. Regards, * What are you saying? In regards to the article, "Anti-language": Without going into side tracks (is there a loaded meaning with that term? I hope not - none is intended) of current world events (I am an American living in Australia - with family in New York and friends who died in the WTC incident) I would like to say I am writing my PhD thesis on 'Conversational analysis of Chatroom 'conversation' which for the most part I see the turn-taking in chat rooms as anti-language. This topic is well written about by Halliday (a critical sociolinguistic, see articles of his on this topic at: //www2.ocn.ne.jp/~yamanobo/re_halliday/articles_halliday.html) and he writes that this is a way of speaking developed by members of "anti-societies" such as criminals and prisoners, and adolescents (for example, those who are into the hip-hop culture as well as most adolescents have their own language). Your "The idea of devising an anti-language or a language of defiance" is not un-common. Especially when cultures the world over have been colonized by the 'Queen's English' and we live in such a patriarchal world (please don't say that Muslims respect women more than any other religion - it is impossible for my Western - Feminist (and I am a male) mind not to sense that women are treated very poorly in the Mideast and controlled by men and covered so not to be seen or heard and on and on. But I want to stay on track here so we won't go down that road) - and I don't quite understand what you are saying. Aren't you implying that you want another language - one of defiance? Why? Why not a language of love and understanding. One of compassion. One which respects all beliefs, cultures, genders. As my topic is chat rooms - I am interested in anti-language as it is developing using emoticons, abbreviations - not as anti meaning against or negative but as another language in which to communicate. I came across your article whilst researching anti-language and felt like saying something. My thesis work is at //se.unisa.edu.au I am at the University of South Australia. I am interested in communication especially between different cultures and belief structures. As I can not read the 'talk' in Arab chat rooms could you direct me to one which is in English. I would think the chat protocols would be quite similar to one in English. Thanks, * To know what's going on I appreciate The Iranian Times. I am the chairman of the Social Concerns Committee at my church, and I am interested in the issues of war and peace. I am convinced that it is important in the present time for Americans to know what is going on in Iran, so I am glad to see you emails. Please send more. * Bad words This is first time that I opened your web site, and I have to say; I am so sorry to see all these bad words in your web site ["Kheili ani"]. Please check any email people send to you and don't let anything that would make your web junk web. Thank you,
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