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May 2, 2002 Today I received the following message from the US Consulate in Frankfurt regarding
the visa issue. It shows that, at least at this time, there is no change in the visa
procedure for Iranian applicants. Contrary to some rumors, Consulate in Ankara is
also accepting and issuing visas. (See below) If you want to write on behalf of Ms. Bina and express your concern, please send
your message to US Consulate at: Fredun Hojabri Hello Fredun, (see above) Melody I just heard that the visa application for Sima Bina and the Dastan group who were suuposed to come to USA and have perfromances has been denied. It seems that these are the first VICTIMS of the new ban on Iranian visitors [Huge blow, How could they?, Blanket mistreatment ]. I am wondering if anyone else has heard any other updates on this? Isn't it time for us Iranian-Americans to contact our representatives? Signing a petition on line alone is not going to be effective.
I would first like to say that this is un-official and I do not have this on paper to confirm, so if anyone has contradicting information please reply. The American embassy in Turkey has, as of the passing of this bill, even though
it is not a law yet, stopped accepting applications for Visas from Iranians. Just
recently a friend of ours, an Iranian national currently residing in Iran, had his
application not accepted by the American embassy in Turkey, one of the key locations
from which Iranian go to get American visas. He was simply told that applications
from Iranians were no longer accepted in that embassy. Petition 1: //www.petitiononline.com/pwc/petition.html
Dear Sir/or Madam: The vote by Senators of the United States of America may be one piece of legislation that was needed many years ago. I wonder why the American government took so long to wake up. Terrorism took place in 1979 when innocent American were held captive for 444 days in Revolutionary Iran. I am not against the Islamic Republic of Iran. I am a pro Iranian-American freedom fighter. Iranians would best serve their country better by building their nation. Running away from Iran won't help the Iranian economy. Let us agree that it took many years for Iran to elect a pro-American President like President Khatami. We need more American "Yes" men like Rafsanjani and Khatami in office. America is looking for the best interests of Iran. The more Senators push the right buttons the more Iran's great revolution will change for the better. Iran is on the verge of change. Islam was not created in a vaccum. Islam had the help of Bilal, the Ethiopean and Salman the Iranian. These were two of the great men of Islam. For Iran to advance as a society it needs the youth. The youth must not leave their nation. What the United States Senate has done is help the Iranian economy. Today Iran has many domestic assembled cars like kia Pride, Daewoo and Peykan. In the years after the revolution technology and education have advanced. If Iranians around the world should do anything it's to re-invest in Iran. Iranians in the diaspora are an economically advanced people. These people should try investing money in the father land, Iran. this way we in the diaspora can help Iran become an economically viable country. Over 20 years ago it was 70 rials to one US Dollar...today its 7990 rials to the dollar. If we all chipped in a dollar we could help strengthen the Iranian economy. Economics doesn't have anything to do with politics. Look how many Chinese made
T-shirts are imported to the United States. As Cindy Lauper the singer once sang,
"Money Changes everything."
I know it is too much to ask with everyone being busy but can we all get together
and do something about this new INS bill passed in the USA Senate?
"All people are created equal, but some are created more equal"..... This was one of the favorite phrases of one of my professors, back when I was in college..... Nowadays, at least in this country, it is not the best time to be an American of Iranian descent... America's latest attempts at securing its borders has pretty much resulted in labelling all Iranians as terrorists, until proven otherwise.... The true tragedy is that it will not stop the true terrorists from accomplishing their objectives.... [Huge blow, How could they?, Blanket mistreatment ] If the 19 fanatics that murdured 3000 innocent civilians are what this government has to deal with, they will get their missions accomplished, by hook or by crook.... At a practical level, if the current law passes, it will essentially effect maman-bozorg and baba-bozorg from seeing hassanee and mamalee in America before they leave this world, or it will effect dayee hameed from getting the chemotherapy that he desperately needs at the Mayo Clinic, or it will effect Bahman and Zhaleh's attempts to come to America for a better life.... If the current law passes it will effect Iranians, Iraqis, Libiyans, Cubans, and got knows who else... the ultimate tragedy is that 15 of the 19 murderers were from Saudi Arabia... and what do they get for killing 3000 innocent people ? Their "crown prince" gets the red carpet from "GW" at his Texas Ranch.. In GW's own words: "His Majesty and I saw a wild turkey, and that was good ..!" And these two are supposed to be the leaders of the "Free" world, and the Islamic world..... Talk about hypocracy.... Not a single Iranian participated in the September 11 disaster, and now, none of our relatives can come to visit us because 19 fanatics decided to kill 3000 innocent civilians..... To top it all off, every member who voted, voted in favor of the new bill.. If this is not a racist society, I don't know what is..... So, what is to be done? We can send petitions, complaints, etc.... But, I think we need a long-term solution..... It would not hurt to get more Iranians involved in American Politics... It will be a slow and tedious process, but at least it can be systematic, and it can gain momentum with time.... In hope of the day when we will not be discriminated, simply because of our ethnicity, and country of origin.....
Very good piece by Vahid Isabeigi [Up for grabs]. This is increasingly an important topic, one that requires thoughtful analysis, activism, and one that will have profound implications for Iran and Iranians for years to come. There are 30 or more countries actively involved in Iranian geopolitics each pulling for their own interests while the government (low expectations to begin with) the intellectuals inside and outside and the general population seem thoroughly oblivious to realities.
My lack of appreciation for Mr. Sick is long-standing and also of recent memory
[Huge blow].
A few years back he expelled me from his Gulf2000 website because allegedly he did
not appreciate the way I spoke of the complicity of the American policy-makers in
prolonging the Iraq-Iran war, just as any new fostering of divisiveness in the region
would create more suffering in the Middle East. How prophetic! Such who fanned and
fan the flames of discord, I said, had blood on their hands. Well, leave it to Mr.
Sick to give me the boot. His loss maybe became iranian.com's gain (Messrs. Mohammadi
and Farzin's opinions notwithstanding). One-half of the Iranian students in this country (approximately 15,000) could
have been deported. The policy was changed some months later because of the pressure
from the academic institutions. At the time, Mr. Sick was on President Carter's national
Secuirty Council, and advised on Iran and the Middle East. Mr. Sick's alleged participation
in that shameful roundup, unlike Cyrus Vance, who resigned eventually in disagreement
with President Carter's Iran policy, is hereby made a part of the record.
Mr. Sick, [Huge
blow]
As an Iranian-American who is very interested in shoring up our role and impact
on the US politics and civil affairs, I would like to proudly help and support the
National Iranian American Council.
By the way, if you ever need evidence or testimonials about his background, I
know an American couple in Texas who used to watch Andre Agassi play tennis in a
Tehran tennis club when he was 6-7 years old!!!
Dear Ladies & Gentlemen, All of you on this list have contacted me about forming an Iranian lobbyist organization. Let me first answer, collectively, some questions you have asked me regarding my self, before we go forward in establishing a real lobbyist group that will work. Then, I'd like to field some general ideas I have and get your input so we can do something to make a very important impact politically. My name is Cyrus Raafat, as you know already, and I have been interested in politics for sometime. I'm a 31-year-old graduate of University of Maryland with a BA in Government. Currently I am attending law school-1L and am planning to take the California Baby Bar in about a year. That is where I know for a fact there will be great potential in the political arena in the future and generally speaking I like the weather. I was born and raised in this country, Washington, DC and have visited Iran a few times recently. My main observation, being a "Washington Kid" is politics is fascinating and yet there is a lot of opportunity and power to get there, individually and as special interest groups. I also worked for a short time for a few organizations which basically did public policy research and did lobbyist efforts for Dutch business interests: Royal Dutch Shell, KMART, Crown, ETC. My contacts with quite a few diplomats, senators, congressmen, and other so-called "washington insiders" is pretty impressive to be honest. Over the years though, I have had conversations with such people and many times they had brought up the question to me,"what's the deal with the Iranians? They don't get involved". A very prominent Republican Senator, now retired, once told me at a Republican gathering,"you know, if the Iranians put 1/20th the effort the Cubans did then we'd have a different political landscape." I also worked with the now-defunct senatorial candidate, Robert Sobhani, who is Iranian. That was an eye-opening experience. Unfortunately he lacks the charisma and the political savvy of how the system worked and so it was a factor of not getting off the ground. Not to mention he was too paranoid and stuffy to back-slap the ordinary kind of voter and take harsh stances to his own benefit. Recent political activism by Muslim Organizations and others has brought one reality to the fore: THOSE WHO YELL LOUD ENOUGH GET HEARD. If we as a group don't simply get involved at a "grass roots" level(meaning simply organizing a meeting) and haveing a point to discuss, then one goes no where. Most interesting is most Iranian Cultural organizations or Student groups seem to always say, "non-political and non-religious". When in reality every organization is ultimately both, if it want's to be signifigant. Pakistani-Americans, even very unreligious ones, get involved in every single Muslim organization for instance. They make the organization "Paki" and on and on. My ideas as far as oganizing are very simple: 1.Spread my letter to iranian.com to 10-people or more. 2.Because of most of us being in different states then we must form meetings in our own neighborhoods then increase email, contacts, etc. 3.Once we have about a thousand members we will(I can do it in 3 days)form a non-profit organization Iranian Political Action Group. 4.Put advertisements in all Iranian publications urging people to donate(most like Mr.Jahanshah would give us discounts or free space). Once we've raised a mere $50,000 we can either field a candidate amongst ourselves or in support of someone opposed to someone strongly opposed to us. 5.This can be a simple ad in the LA Times showing our condemnation of HR Tom Lantos or Sen Feinstein for instance. Then making ourselves aware on Capitol Hill. 6.Now the easy part comes in: imagine Iranians give 1-dollar a year to our organization annually? About a million dollars. Then Oil companies will raise matching funds, and we are on our way to having meetings with pro-Iranian community people and getting even more money. 7.Congressmen KNOW WHO HAS MONEY and pays out. That is power. Think about these things and lets talk. Sincerely,
As I read some of the letters on Iranian.com, I wonder why do so many of us refer
to ourselves as "Iranian-American. What does it really mean? We are either Iranian
or American or French or Arab!!! In response to Mr. Rafaat's letter, that why we don't have lobbyists and Iranian
people as political figures I should say do you honestly think someone in suburban
area would actually vote for an Iranian person. Listen ,all they know about Iran
is the Hostage Crisis and Axis of Evil. They don't know any better and also, we live
in this commnnity now, If we are going to be a political figure we should work for
this country not just for a segment of population or a heritage.
Most Iranians in America share the same feelings and views of many of your readers who wrote to you about the recent US Senate bill to limit visa issuance to Iranians. Many also wonder what would the most effective action we can take at this moment to oppose this specific act, or at least request the proper authorities to set reasonable procedures to avoid excessive delays and hardships for ordinary Iranians including students. Of course, a long term goal as pointed out by Mr. Cyrus Raafat (see above) would be to have our voice heard in political circles in US. I think writing or calling to our Senators and representatives should be very helpful first step. I was wondering if your readers have any other suggestions or practical tips. Regards,
I agree with the comments of Daryoush Mehrtash [We're all terrorists?] in regards to Gary Sick's article [Huge blow]. Iranians are not politically active. I, for one, am not going to sit here quietly. And neither should any of you. Those of us who are citizens of this country should make our views know. Make noise. Before I even read this article, I had e-mailed my senator expressing my views AGAINST this. A couple of months ago I signed a petition against another one of my Senator's bright ideas, banning student visas to Iranians - and I sent her an e-mail. Luckily, that one did not pass. No thanks to us, but to the strong lobby of colleges and universities who receive much of their tuitions from foreign students. Yes, Feinstien is a gem! And she represents California, home to the LARGEST Iranian population outside Iran. It is our duty to communication OUR issues to our representatives. Otherwise, change will never happen. Take control - we have the power, we just need to unleash it!
I am becoming increasingly convinced that the entire "Axis of Evil" stuff was concocted by the Bush Administration in order to skewer Iran. I just cannot imagine how such a bill restricting travel to and from the evildoer countries would inconvenience the Libyans, North Koreans, and Iraqis, who are in this country and come-and-go in such great numbers!!! But then, the nationals of the countries that have been under the US (enemy) sanctions
regime, such as North Korea, Iraq, Libya, and Cuba cannot willy nilly travel to the
US. So this latest effort at the Cuba-ization of Iran is consistent with the stupid
policy that this country has followed with respect to Cuba. If the US is so picky
about which nations it wishes to befriend, then why does it get all bent out of shape
when others choose not to befriend it? There is a sort of lament implicit in this wish in that if the Jews can do it, so can the Iranian-Americans. Wrong. Here is why. The Jewish community in America is American. The Iranian-American community in America is Iranian-American. Second, Judaism and Christianity share the same holy book and the traditions of this country are decidedly Judeo-Christian. There are six million Jews in the United States. There are only one million Iranian-Americans (at best) in the US. The overwhelming majority of the Jews in the United States are US citizens; the majority of Iranians in the US are not as yet citizens and if they are citizens they still sit on the fence of a dual identity/dual passports. Jews are Jews. Iranian-Amercians are for the most part Moslem (of the Shia variety, which is
different from the Sunni brand of Islam that most American Moslems practice). The
Israeli government did not take American hostages. The Iranian government did. No
wonder therefore if the cause of the Iranian-Americans in this country does not resonate
with the US Administration or Congress, or that the US government is more in tune
with AIPAC than any Iran-centric organization. To whom it may concern, First of all, I would like to commend Iranian.Com for understanding, and covering
such relevant issues that are imperative for out existence in this country. As a
16 year old Iranian-American young adult, who was born in America and has never set
foot on Iran's soil, I am appalled by the recent legislation that was passed 97-0
on the senate floor. I could not agree more with all of the statements said by my
fellow Iranians, and I also wanted to comment on the young adult opinion also. I
respect, admire, and cherish my heritage and culture, and I try my hardest on a daily
basis to educate those around me to broaden their depth and understand on Iran.
I am an Iranian living in Sweden. I think Americans & American-Iranians need a reality check! [Huge blow, How could they?, Blanket mistreatment ] With all the facts that has been revealed time after time from people working/worked for US government/ CIA there has been no doubt that US is directly sponsering, creating and benefitting from the terrorism. This is a well known fact in the whole globe. As you might not know it there is a huge wave of anti-americanism sweeping through the whole world this time much more in Europe and inside US. People are abandonning American products in protest against her anti-human policy. US might want to accuse anybody for being terrorist but the facts are there for people who look for them. You Iranian-Americans should get organized and work for justice at least inside the US. Thousands of well known academic American people are working hard within US against US policies. What makes you doing nothing? At least check zmag.org or johnpilger.com for some inspiration! Thank you!
For once let everybody notice us and gave us a bit respect that we are in title to. They humiliated us in the hostage crises and we sat quiet, INS raid the university and pull out the Iranian students from the classroom to find out why instead of 12 hours they took 11, and we sat quiet. They put our student in detention because they have to drop one class, think these people were responsible for 444 days that "America Held Hostage", and thank god American soon find out most of the time they were hostage by American political party. Even though Iranian in US are most educated minority, and average income is highest and their children are among the best students, but American Senators are still having problem not see all Iranian the way they government is. No question that this so call "Enhance Border...." act will pass the house then what we can do to open the eyes of American? 1) Sell all American Stock. 2) Move 90% of your money (saving) out side US bank. 3) All single Iranian boy or girl should marry to an Iranian in Iran. 4) No Iranian should contribute to any money to any organization in US. 5) No money will be given to any of the political party in US. 6) As much as you can, to those Iranian who are well off, do not buy any expansive clothes in US, after all in Europe they have better quality. 7) Minimize your traveling or vacations in US, you can do twice as much is Mexico or South America and even Canada. Anybody there to hear me?????
Comment on "A
lot of barking" article: Have you ever thought about this that why among all the minorities here in the US we are the most scattered nation ever. We have done nothing to help each other's in bad days, who we are is just a personal effort not a group work. Let's take a look at other minority group in United States. For instance, Chinese,
Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and all those Asian people are so united that when it
comes to help and support they all get together and do it no matter how hard and
impossible. I would like to ask all of good Iranian people here in US to put their power and
resources together to help their brothers, sisters, mothers and in general their
country men and women to travel freely. According to the recent statistics, Iranian
are among the wealthiest and most successful minorities in United States, so why
don'twe prove to the world that we are as great as other nations that to sit back
and enjoy suffering of our people.
Bravo! [A
lot of barking]
When are Hamvatans living in the United States of Israel finally going to digest that all this grovelling and crawling on all fours whilst sucking your senator's knee caps will not advance the lot of Iranians one bit. The ban on non-immigrant visas for all Iranian visitors simply reinforces the unequivocal fact that the American politicians run by their Zionist puppeteers think that you are all terrorists. [Huge blow, How could they?, Blanket mistreatment ] Your Ame Shahin and your Dayee Hussein are apparently a danger to US national security and capable of carrying out terrorist attacks according to this thinly disguised racist law unanimously passed by all 97 senators. All Iranians living in the USI thinking that George Bush's cordial message and Senate Resolution 173 with flattering laudatories towards'Iranian Americans' are a victory are being extremely naive and complacent. Iranians should be weary of these hypocritical politicians and should not fall into their conniving tricks. The Americans clearly cannot draw a wedge between the government in our homeland and normal Iranians and all the past niceties have been a total con to get your votes. I am appalled by the way so many Iranians are trying to reinvent themselves as phoney Americans thinking that they can curry favour with these sycothan politicians. Shame on you Iranians who dance and cuddle Americans in the stadium in France 98. And in return they turn round and call our beloved athletes part of the 'axis of evil' during the Winter Olympics in salt Lake City. Shame on Iranian parents intoxicated with American cultural imperialism who parade their children before CNN on the eve of the American football match saying 'I love america'. Shame on you Iranians who lit pathetic candle light vigils whilst they barely flinched at the downing of our passenger jet killing 290 of our beloved hamvatans. Shame on all Iranians who have lost their dignity and reinvent themselves Iranian Americans. Stop grovelling to your politicians and asking favours and treat yourself like inferiors and maybe then they will respect you. So Senator Dianne Frankenstein, Feinstein, or whatever the f*ck you name is you
don't like me because I'm Iranian? Good. Because I hate you because
you are American. Do I really mean that? Maybe.Maybe not. But it takes two to tango.
In response to "What crisis?" I would like to say that it is not only sad that there are people out there who care nothing about the crisis in the Middle East, but that there are also people out there who know nothing about it either. For those of us who live here in America, it is a shame that we choose to joke
about world affairs instead of picking up one of the millions of newspapers, news
magazines, quarterlies, web pages, news programs and learning more about all that
which exists outside our own little selfish bubbles. We may not be under curfew,
no one might have taken our land (although that's a discussion all in itself), and
no one blows themselves up all around us, but I will never forget the saying that
goes as such, "Bani adam azaye yek digar ast..."
I read responses to Mr. Baniameri's story [What crisis?] and it made me wonder why we Iranians are so passionate about Palestine. I was attending a state university here in the US in 1982. A friend told me that a group of Palestinian students have arranged a party to celebrate the anniversary of Iraqis invasion of Iran. I heard that the party was a big hit and over sixty Arab students showed. I confronted the organizer (a Palestinian student) the next day. While laughing, he said that after Sadam annexes parts of Iran, Palestinians will occupy the land and make it a temporary base for their fight against Israel. He also said that they would make Iranian women have real MUSLIM children for a change. Tens of thousand of Tootsies were massacred in Rwanda years ago and we didn't hear a single protest coming from Iranian community (we Iranians don't like blacks). Atrocities committed by Serbs in Bosnia brought very little out-cry from Iranian community (we hate the Europeans too). But when Israel attacked Palestinians, we Iranians went crazy. We Iranians are Jew haters and Arab lovers. It's the master-slave mentality that's hovering over our head for 1400 years. I don't care about Israel and Palestine. Fuck both of them. These are the same Palestinians that were cheering Sadam on while he was killing Iranian children. These are the same Palestinians that were celebrating in streets after thousands of innocent people died on 9/11. You are a bunch of hypocrite Arab-lovers who are serving your masters. Why don't you all move to occupied territories and help clean up the mess Israel left behind and bow down to your masters.
I wished to god that us, Iranians, had one tenth the compassion that we have for
human rights in foreign places such as Palestine, for our own motherland. [What
infuriates people]
I am very confused. We used to be a non-Arab Muslim country of that region. But why should we lower ourselves to their culture and civilization, instead of
advancing ourselves with all the potentials we have -- pride in our old and great
civilization and culture, an abundance of natural resources, brainpower that is serving
around the world instead of in Iran, brave and strong women, and a people that are
more gentle and kind than brutal and bloodthirsty than in any country surrounding
us?
Although I commend you for providing a forum for free speech and encouraging Iranians to write editorials for your website, I was ashamed, upon visiting your website, to find such juvenile and baseless article as that titled "The Queen Bum". I am an Iranian living in the United States and certainly have no ties with the British Monarchy. I, however, was appalled to find such an immature point of view of the British monarchy and monarchy in general. This "writer" failed to make a point, nevertheless to support her point. I would suggest that you encourage more researched and well-analyzed editorials by denying to provide forum for articles such as "Queen Bum." Upon some research in to the life of the Queen Mother, your writer would have at the very least, despite all of Queen Mother's supposed faults, found that the Queen Mother played a key role in boosting and maintaining British moral during World War II. The author insults the British public as well as the American public, accusing them of idolizing their government and being too patriotic. Well, wouldn't we, as Iranians, be better off if we were a little more patriotic? I suggest to your author that she read up a little more on the history of these countries, maybe read Alexis de Tocqueville's 'Democracy in America', before her next editorial. Remember, even an editorial warrants a well-researched article.
The vindictive and hateful article by Sana Aryamehr is in very poor taste [The Queen Bum]. The Queen Mother was a beloved figure in England for many reasons; Mr. Aryamehr should read about her life and give us less hateful rhetoric about what she looked like and how she behaved in her old age, and at the same time he should leave it to the British to judge what they think of her. She has passed away and we should not malign the dead. If he is against the British
monarchy, then he should write about them with facts, and not with a tirade against
a deceased member of their family. Dear Mr. Aryamehr, I don't know if your name is a pseudonym but nevertheless I'd like to tell you
that your article on the Queen Mum, irrespectively called The
Queen Bum, is particularily cheap. The Bum as you like to call her was "The
most Dangerous Woman in Europe" according to Adolf Hitler. The irony is that
this "Dangerous Woman" outlived the I admit I admire the British for there attatchment to an institution which has proven stable despite heavy blows such as the excesses of some members of the Royal family and the Diana mania that seemed to challenge the monarchy. Yes why not recognize that despite some inevitable shortcomings the British Monarchy has done amazingly well in keeping Great Britains national identity. It has done so while disolving central power. Giving Scotland its administrative freedom while knighting Nationalists like good ol' Sean Connery and by negotiating with the Sin Fein in order to solve the Anglo-Irish conflict. What the Queen Mum and the Royal family are cherished by the British nation as the funeral of the oldest member of the Royal family proved. The respect of the Royal traditions and pageantry is what England is so attractive and are the best in displaying them. Beyond the obvious tourist attraction it implies the Royal family is what has cemented Great Britain together avoiding it a bloody Revolution like in France or the creation of extremist parties like in France where Le Pen seems to have rocked the country. In the trouble waters of this millenium Great Britain is indeed lucky to have been able to conserve its identity. I also believe that Prince Charles has been a dignified crown Prince who has shown Great concern for his subjects. To attack the British Monarchy as a general attack on Monarchists in General and Iranian monarchists in particular (otherwise why would the "Queen Bum" appear in the Iranian Times) overly too simplistic. Republicans seem to cherish on the fact that the Monarchical institution costs
a lot. It is far from being the case. In anycase I must admit that your article is truly a crap and quite representative
of Republican Chauvinism at its worst.
I wanted to thank you for sharing Mr. Hashem Hakimi's recent opinion article with
your readers [Democracy
my foot]. I look forward to reading more of his works. Sheema Kalbasi, USA
In all fairness, Ms Sabety's poetical skills have not received the press they
truly deserve. Despite its unlikely title, [Have
you ever chased a cow?], her latest poem speaks idyllically of a dream that
keeps recurring and yet is never realised. The last verse is particularly telling:
Dear Setareh, I don't know how you feel now,but I am furoius having read that trash of man's statements ["Mr. Hosseini"gets his turn]. Of course, I balme you for openning an old wond and having him put salt on it.I don't beleive a word he said.But that is not the worst part,the worst is that he has the audacity to answer you.If it had been me, I would have gone to no man's land. He is proud of being in meca and other holy places.What did you learn from those places trash? You just went there that is all.he had his letter written by another person, so all of his close friend know about him playing with a 9 year old girl,and he is still around.GOD, what kind of human have you created?is he a man or an animal? As a father of 2 boys, I try to make sure that my boys are well taken care of, and I balme your father too.no job can be an excuse for neglecting one's child.that trash of man is the head of a big charity organization in Iran , and he is proud of what he has done to you that shows how Iran is being run and who is running it. God only knows how many others like you have been suffered by this garbage of a human.so I feel for you and hope you never see him again. Be good and make sure you take good care of YOUR children. A caring father, KK EDITOR: "Mr.
Hosseini"gets his turn was a joke. To top The photo of His Majsesty is not funny!! He is doing the right thing and we support him 100%. Do you not have something more appropriate?
Mr. Tavakkoli's very humorous request made my day [Aagahiye eszdevaaj]. I laughed so hard and loud that my colleagues knew it had to be something Iranian and I ended up translating it for them. They laughed too. I am curious about a few minor issues. Is Mr. Tavakkoli on Viagara? I do not think a 65 year old Iranian man (no matter how young at heart) having been on a diet of red meat, white bread and tea with tons of sugar will be up to fulfilling a 22 years old physical needs. Also, with a one bedroom apartment (no matter how luxurious) where is he going to house the other three wives? Unless of course he plans to have all four of them in one room. I doubt that will work. Fair warning brother Saeed, you may end up a young martyr at the hands of four exuberant 22 years old. Cheers
In response to the cartoon "Fatwas from beyond the grave" by Just Anonymous: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Falling off my chair :-))))))))))
Dear Ms. Houshmand, I regularly read, and enjoy, the Rumy poems. I always note your translations of Rumi's poetry in the IRANIAN. In a few occasions, however, I have noticed your English translations of the poems out of context, and sometimes meaningless, if you permit me to be so blunt and critical. The poem, and its translation, on the IRANIAN of April 29, 2002, may be cited as an example. You have translated the second verse of the poem as: I ran from your trap, home to my heart, But trapped in my heart I'm your captive. This translation not only does not do justice to the poem, it is actually wrong. I am no poetry translation expert, but I know an incorrect translation when I see one. Translation of the second verse of this poem should be more like: "I ran from your trap to my home at heart, Thank you for your restless work. Sincerely,
I was delighted with the images and wish that I could see them in person [Hanging life on the wall]. So evocative, textural, symbolic, they entice me to a mysterious place I've never been, and at the same time, reach into my own memory as though returning me home. Both personal and collective, the images are beautiful and inspiring. Thank you...
This guy Mr. Nader Davoodi takes nice pictures [Gone tomorrow] but I get the feeling that he is a bit anti-SHAHRESTANI because TEHRANIANS sell their houses to non-TEHRANIANS. I am right in being RIGHT, that if Mr Davoodi like people opened their mouth in
this way in another country they will be branded as RACIST.
Dear Mr. Farzad, [Crystal clear] Some times I wished that I could make such expressive beautiful pictures. Lucky you You certainly have what it takes to be a photographer, EYE! We all look but we do not see. Regards,
Dear Jahanshah, Many thanks for the exposure [Crystal clear]. It made me clean up my site and add new images! I heard from an old college friend of mine that I had not heard from for over 33 years. Many thanks for keeping the Iranian art, artists, and traditions alive. Regards
This is a responce to the "Gone tomorrow" by one punk-ass called Nader Davoodi: "Shahrestaani-ha- Tehran raa kharaab kardan" you said? Wet-back, I shit on your Tehran. That hell-hole "Kharaab shodeh bood" all by itself. I lived in New York (Flushing, Queens) back in '72 when I first came to this country.
You Tehranis are the first cousins to the New Yorkers. Ask any American about a "New
Yorker". A bunch of low-down, egg-sucking, chicken stealin, gutter-trash .
Dear Siamack Salari, [Fat boy] I am very pleased you are sharing your problem with readers of the Iranian. Weight Watchers is helpful but not exactly the answer. Your relationship with food is not healthy. And you have this constant need for carbohydrate. You need to discuss your issues with a medical doctor and evaluate your relationship with food through a personal psychiatrist. You cannot change your entire food culture with a couple of lettuce leaves and a diet coke instantly, and expect not to have fantasies about bread, sugar and all the other items which cause you pleasure and guilt. You need to find why your body and mind has this non-stop craving. And being called "fat boy" might seem funny and enduring once or twice but in long term will bring complete hopelessness. You should not be alone, dealing with this and you need expert advice on what to eat and how to eat. I do very much hope you will be better very soon. I have seen photographs of the lovely V, your wife and you and have always followed and enjoyed reading your articles. Keep us posted on your journey to a healthier life.
Yadollah Sahabi [Man
of peace] took part in the Moslem rebellion of 1979, and he betrayed all
that was Persian and Persia. Although he realized his grave error in undermining
the Iranian culture and progress but it was too late and he never did enough to redeem
himself. To top Shaban Beemokh is a two time loser. For him to terrorize Iranians anywhere is a dishonor to Iranians everywhere. His actions against Mossadegh speak for itself. Sha'abaan is opposed to any type of democracy in Iran. For a man to oppose the human being who nationalized the Iranian oil industry is totally disgusting. Mossadegh liberated Iranian oil. To write a book about this goon is disgusting. Historians say that if Mossadegh has succeeded he would have been overthrown by the Tudeh Party and Iran would become communist. Communism is a lie. The Soviet Union couldn't last several decades before ceasing to exist. Simply put you can't build a castle on quicksand. Democracy will triumph over all. And maybe the hands of Allah (God, almighty) are involved in this odd plot to humanize a barbaric world. Sha'aban bee-mokh is what he is called, "Brain less". And history will never forget this loser. Sincerely Yours, To top Salam laila jan: [Seh gaaneye Leila] ba inke sherhat ra doost daram vali emrooz dar shere 3ganeye laila ke baraye pedaret neveshte boodi chizi khoondam ke be khodam in hagh ra dadam ke azat enteghad konam. emamha ra hamradife damha va goorha neveshte boodi. azizam agar rooye emamha shenakhte dorost nadari be khodet ejazeye towhin va bieterami ham say nakon bedi. ma hichvaght nemitoonim rooye oonha shenakht peyda konim va hatta dar madhe oon bozorgvara ham nemitoonim haghe matlab ra ada konim che berese be inke khodayi nakarde biehterami konim. azizam oonha malaja va panah va yavare hameye ma hastand.va age to in ra nafahmide bashi dalil nemishe ke baraksesh ra tabligh koni. azizam omidvaram bishtar fekr koni. To top I was "playing hooky" at work and I just finished reading "The
inevitable" by Raha N and it saddened me. She seems to have a considerable
amount of anger or frustration about this issue - the title is proof enough. Before
I go on, however, allow me to say that I am also a single woman. Nothing is stopping her from taking an active role in shaping her life experiences.
I suspect that once she accomplishes all of this, it will not be an issue of taking
out personal ads to find someone - it will be an issue of choosing which suitor she
would like to know better out of the many suitors trying to get her attention.
I find it quite sad that a 22 years old is worried about not finding a husband [Evolution]. You should be concerned about getting an education and working in the field that you enjoy. You have to feel accomplished so you can be happy. First of all, a tall, good looking man with a six figure income these days will not settle for someone simply because she has a heart of gold. He wants someone with the same qualifications and income to match so she can spend her own money (not his). I can not believe that in this day and age an Iranian father will say such things. 31 years ago my father used to tell me to reach for the skies because I was too smart to just settle for a husband. He used to say that I should marry someone only if I love him not because the society dictates or he can support me. he also used to say that the more independent you are, the more respect you command. My little sister, As a 46 years old woman, I can tell you, that is so true. Stop being pessimistic and concentrate on what makes you happy and the hell with what people say. My dad to this day tells me "khanoom khosgele, tell people who give you advise to stop paying your bills and make sure their son does not come and ask for your hand! Please change your attitude. Having a husband and being Mrs. somebody for the sake of others will be hell. I know of numerous cases. Do not fall into that trap. To top Dear Saher, [Evolution] Another thing: as you must know, men are aroused by site and women by emotions. Just imagine if this was reversed. Man arousal by emotion and women by site. Pretty much most men would never be wanted, not to mention it would be impossible for their women to arouse them since men are not programmed to be emotional or pretty. I believe men are so programed to react to what they see, and that it is nearly
impossible to change a man's plans to get married, for example, no matter what he
hears about his prospect wife. He just turns blind, deaf and dumb. Hi Sarvenaz, A.A.
Dear Siamack Salari, [Fat boy] I am very pleased you are sharing your problem with readers of the Iranian. Weight Watchers is helpful but not exactly the answer. Your relationship with food is not healthy. And you have this constant need for carbohydrate. You need to discuss your issues with a medical doctor and evaluate your relationship with food through a personal psychiatrist. You cannot change your entire food culture with a couple of lettuce leaves and a diet coke instantly, and expect not to have fantasies about bread, sugar and all the other items which cause you pleasure and guilt. You need to find why your body and mind has this non-stop craving. And being called "fat boy" might seem funny and enduring once or twice but in long term will bring complete hopelessness. You should not be alone, dealing with this and you need expert advice on what to eat and how to eat. I do very much hope you will be better very soon. I have seen photographs of the lovely V, your wife and you and have always followed and enjoyed reading your articles. Keep us posted on your journey to a healthier life. * Yazdi should support Pahlavi I see Mr. Ibrahim Yazdi's
is back in Iran after having had a medical treatment which he as well as
his henchmen so vehemlently opposed for the late Shah of Iran as well as defenseless
soldiers and officers he sent to the fire squads. I can only smile with irony that
he and the so-called reformers have come to the conclusion that the country should
extend a hand to national reconciliation. If Mr. Yazdi believes that then he should
endorse Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi's campaign for a free and just referandum for the
nature of the country's future form of government.
First let me state that I am soooo proud of my soon-to-be-doctor [Nokhod farangee] nephew, Mazda Aghamohammadi and his honest and reflective article about the pains of "in-between-ness" (my word). Mazda Jaan, You are describing the dilemma, the DEEP pain, that I (along with countless other immigrants) have lived all these years of living out of Iran. This is, in essence, why I am turning 44 and have no children, yet, and you know SOME of the flack that I have got from the family for not being married and having children. At one level, lucky are the ones whose cultural hearts are not divided. As for another kind of in-between-ness, as the youngest child of my family, I am in the generation in between your generation and the generation to which your father (my oldest brother) belongs. In some strange way, this kind of generational in-between-ness (and the resulting "loneliness") has given me some painful practice in enduring the nuances of cultural-in-between-ness, which your heartfelt article describes. I can relate, not fully though, to my older brothers and sisters, and also I can relate to their children, like you, again not fully. The resulting situation has forced me to rely on my own intellectual, emotional, and spiritual juices and has maximized my human sensitivity, in a painful yet blessed way, to the pains of our fragile planet and its vulnerable inhabitants. I don't know if what I have said above is helpful, but at any rate, it is the word of my heart. I am proud of you. Love, (Amoo Moji) * Pleasant and not so pleasant Yesterday I read Dr. Noorbakhsh's story about the Eshghe naafarjaam,and it brought me back to the time of my youth.I have been preoccupied by that story and my own.Mine also had the same ending.I was 16 and she was also 16.she had come to visite her sister from sanandaj and saw me playing football infront of her house in Tehran. At frist, I did not pay attention to her but later I realized she was looking at me.she had the longest brown hair ,and I thought she had the most beautiful green eyes that I had ever seen untill then.we fell in love right there and became friends very soon.We spent most of the times toghter that summer,and I never new that could end.the night she told me she was going home,the whole world was distroyed for me.I remmeber crying in each other's arms for hours and finally she left. The next summer, i went to sanandaj to look her up ,but they had changed her house and no one knew where they had gone to.her sister refused to tell me anything about her.till now I don't know where she is or how she is,and I wonder what it would have been like if.... So Dr. Noorbakhsh thank you for reminding me a pleasant and not so pleasant time of my life.I have not been able to take her thought out of my mind. y Your friend,
Dear Mr. Jamshidi,
Sadaf jun!I read your HASHT RUZE BA'D .I see the same nice ANAASOR in it,again.Congratulations!But I have some talks about VAGHAAYE"E last year in US.Nothing changed!Protests are the same and YENGEYE DONYAA is the same! I don't like to get involved with politics,so return back to your story. You seem depressed, kind, BAKHSHANDEH in your story. It's the nature of the depresses(psychologists say it!). Hanaa flower, DERAKHTE BEHH, Autumn and NASIME KHONAK, warm light of the sun, KOKAB HAA, and ....are the nice ANAASOR of your story. Again, I like them very much. Mostly poem, not story! Like TARKOVSKY's films.You know he was a poet and made his films more beautiful than a normal director. An airplane in the sky was flying.....It's a nice finish.Means thinking about any other or others safe life or lives!Same accident,same crazy terrible. Good luck! M * Stronger in poetry I'm crying for your very beautiful poem, "Delhoreye atre seeb"!.It's very very nice!I remmember FORUGH's poems. You are so stronger in writting poetry than stories. Let me write about it,another time. Very Sincerely Yours
Since writing my letter entitled "He's Jewish, I'm not" i have been reflecting on my situation considerably.i would like to thank the abjeez for their advice which, without a doubt, succeeded in snapping me out of my miserable and deluded state. Deep down i will always love the object of my affections, however i have come to realise that as he is not the bigoted man you suggest, the reason for his break up with me must really have something more to do with me - this is much easier for me to get my head round. to all women out there experiencing similar situations i think that if a guy gives this reason as an excuse not to be with you then the warning signs should go on. if he really does LOVE you then nothing should get in the way. if he can't see that then why do you want to be with him anyway? you deserve more from the guy who you love and want to spend the rest of your life with. this is my attitude anyway as i have realised i will never find any comfort or resolution in thinking that me and him are romeo and juliet. it is far more useful to think realistically about these things; he doesnt want to be with me, but that's ok, i'll get over it and find someone who appreciates me for who i am. girls please take it from someone who knows! t thank you abjeez for opening my eyes! * May not be practical I read your reply to BW's "He's Jewish, I'm not" and although I agree with the advice you gave. I must object to the words you used to describe BW's ex-boyfriend. Religion, for some people, is not just a "once a week, for a couple of hours" event, rather it is a lifestyle (which also makes it uncomparable with people of diffrent races dating or marrying). Essentially, religion may play, or possibly come to play as in BW's ex-boyfriend's case, such a big part in someone's life that it may not be practical or realistic to share it with someone of another religion. Conversion certainly is an option for some. Sincerely, h Houman Agha * Serendipity$$$ The other day I came across the word serendipity. I kind
of knew what it meant, ok I really did't!,
Oh my god! How... seductive and sweet! :-) [Eastern cuisine] And very well written for that matter! Shadi * You call yourselves "The Iranian"? Dear Sir/Madam, I came upon your page titled "Cyrus the (not so) great", while searching for materials about Iranian history. I must say I found it appalling, not the article itself, since every person is entitled to his/her own opinions, but the article's title for which your organization is responsible. "Cyrus the Great" was admired by all even his enemies, the Greeks, called him "The Great", "The King", and in their description of heaven, Cyrus the Great is along side Plato and other noble men. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, for using the phrase "not great" in the same sentence as this noble man's name. And you call yourselves "The Iranian"? Shame on you. * A good start Anyone who wants to see the Persian Gulf retain its proper name should register a complaint EVERY time they come across anyone or any organization that gets it wrong. A good start is to go to pgtf@iic.org whose supporters are doing a great job of winkling out media abusers and demanding changes in their editorial policy. Regards, Kewmars Bozorgmehr * Will I come back to this site? I've been a visitor of your site for the past 2 years and have enjoyed most of
what you have on-line. I specifically like the photo section on your site. But, I
must admit after seeing today's photo of the day, April 15, 2002, I'm debating if
I ever will come back to this site.
I'm looking for my friend from elementary school Dabestan Pooya in Tehran (1976). His name is Ramin Saremi. My name is Atoosa Rezai and my email address is arezai@yahoo.com. Merci, merci.
My name is Nazanin Ghassemian. I am a 19 year old freshman at the Univ. of Maryland,
College Park. As part of our weekly Iranian Students' Foundation meeting, I will
be doing a short presentation on famous Iranians in the entertainment, business,
literary and political world. If you have a list of such persons, I would greatly
appreciate it.
I am a American student of kamancheh. I am looking for "morghe sahar" to down-load. It is not in revolutionary songs. Where then? Thanks,
I find it ironic that China, the most blatantly un-Islamic country in the world, is Iran's biggest trading partner. There's hardly a day in China when a Muslim isn't arrested, harrassed, or even executed, much like the Christian Falun Gong. Yet, Jiang Zemin comes to Iran, and the mullahs trip over themselves to please him. If America is the "Great Satan" what do you call China? |
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