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December 18, 2003 * Pathetic double standard Regarding "The hanging judge is dead", The author, "Iran Watcher" (IW) refers to two specific instances of executions ordered by Khalkhali, namely that of ex-Prime Minster Hoveyda and General Mehdi Rahimi, the last Military Governor of Tehran. To set the proper context, this is not a defense of Khalkhali and what he did or how he did it. This is to highlight the omission of certain facts in IW's article. By most accounts (not all), Hoveyda was the least (if at all) corrupt member of the Pahlavi regime, in financial terms. He did not apparently own massive amounts of property either in or outside of Iran. The revolutionary papers at the time more or less attested to this characterization and spelled out his corruption based on his associations and his long tenure as the Prime Minister rather than any specific financial misconduct. Of course, it is not possible to prove such a point without having access to relevant documents and archives of information. But nevertheless, it is worthy to mention the fact that it was the Shah's regime that imprisoned Hoveyda to make a fake show of the regime's desire for uprooting corruption, quite a comedic affair. Other far more corrupt figures were allowed to leave the country along with their inappropriately acquired funds. It is common sense that given
limited resources, a murderer should be caught and tried before a shop-lifter
is attended to, as the former causes far more harm to society than the
latter. Common sense, however, and any other sense for that matter, was
long lost on the Pahlavi regime. Had the Shah's regime not imprisoned
Hoveyda, chances are that he may not have faced execution (of course
we will never know that). IW ignores the presence of literal millions on the streets
in Iran during that time. Whether the revolution was a mistake or not
is the topic of another discussion and for history to judge. The fact
that it was the actual people of Iran in the streets is not really
deniable. Complaining about Khalkhali while defending Rahimi and
his implied desire to "shoot at all protests even in those late
months" is a pathetic double standard and reflects on the author's
poor judgement. * 135 years of suffering So, the discussions regarding the relative merits of the long-departed Qajars continues - ad nauseam. One could be forgiven for thinking that by now, even the modern-day "shazdeh's" would have closed shop, brought down their shutters, and allowed the legacy left behind by their ancestors speak for all to hear. That not being the case, the following summarized analysis is hereby proffered: Without doubt, Iran suffered tremendously as a nation-state during 135 years of weak, self-serving, decadent, and treacherous Qajar rule. The revisionists concerned with painting a benign face on the otherwise seemly
portrait of this decrepit dynasty are - by and large - descendants
of the rulers themselves, and confirm their identity as intellectually
inferior equals of their forefathers by the very nature of their vain
and self-serving attempts to re-write such history. As Europe embarked upon an age of revolutionary fervor, intense nationalism, and colonial might driven by the engine of the industrial revolution, and while the New World embraced the modernizing fruits borne of democratic seed, Iran swiftly and steadily lost much of its territorial, intellectual, and cultural integrity, as well as any relevance and standing it may have enjoyed in the 19th century world. Even the Ottoman Empire, by then decidedly second-rate, managed
to retain a sufficient measure of national sovereignty and internal
dynamic to eventually transition into a modern state. Surely such progressive and democratic forces would have merged
to form the requisite political dynamic, as agents of change, at
a much earlier point in history, had Iran not fallen so very
far behind the rest of the civilized world during the reign of this despotic,
regressive clan of pseudo-lords. * Prevent future Zell-e Sultans In response to "Savage life style", I think Iranians, in general, are responsible for destruction of their own history and culture. There is no point in picking one group or the other. Perfect examples are not hard too find. For example, walking around Ali Qapou, you can find hundreds of graffiti carved into the walls of the palace. Paintings that were recently renovated and repaired have carvings such as so and so was there and these are dated 1382. In the Shah Mosque, part of the minaret was being repaired and the respectable looking father was watching his son running over the tile work. Walls of various sites are covered with posters of politicians running for one office or the other. In general, people are disgusted
and shocked at the destruction of Iran's heritage but the same
people contribute to its destruction. Zell-e Sultan
was a vicious man and there is no doubt about it. Let's just work
on
what
it takes to prevent the creation of more Zell-e Sultans. * Rich story Dear Ms. Nooriala, [Saayeh beh saayeh] Thank you so very much for your rich story! I hope you will make time and write more for us. Mohamad Navab * Fresh air Thank you for featuring Shahrzad
Sepanlou on your
site. I have been following her career and had lost track. I was happy
to get new information on her on your site. She is truely a breath
of fresh air in the Persian music scene. * Christmas is more than presents First of all, I found very nice the article about the Iranian lady that was attracted by our Christmas, and apparently she liked it, being Muslim or heathen as she called herself. [Santa in certain terms] Christmas is more than presents, Christmas tree, food and parties; we celebrate the coming of Jesus to this world and this occasion should be shared and celebrated with others in love and peace. Second, although I'm not Iranian, I agree with the joining of Iran to the Arab League as observer [It would be a sad day]. Iran is being singled out in the international community -the only "Persian" nation in the Middle East-, mostly for the arrogance in cultural issues, than the real danger of being swallowed by the Arabs. Alberto Castellanos * Back in the days On Azam Nemati's compilation in the Music section: Although I do not belong to your age group by a few years, I am shocked to find in me so much in common with your likes and experiences. I perfectly share most of your nostalgic feelings of those good old days. I really yearn sometimes to find myself back in those days when I was below 8 or 10 walking with my uncle along Pahlavi St. in Tehran meeting Aref on his way to a performance and enjoying the experience. More than that, I remeber all those songs and I still murmur and mumble them them while driving long distances. Please continue with this work of yours on iranian.com. I listen most often to the songs while I also continue with my work. But one request. Is it possible to include more of Mahasti's or other 60's and 70's traditional (classic) songs? There are plenty of all these. Can we download some of these to burn a CD? It is absolutely necessary for driving; soothing, cooling, relaxing, and simply pleasant they are. * Charges my soul Dear Azam, Thank you very much for your excellent selection of Iranian music masters. Iranian classic music charges my soul and makes me a human after a hard day work. Keep up good work, * You blew it, bro The bareable by one M. R. Rashed... bad taste...iranian dot com, bad taste. You blew it, bro. It would have been a totally different matter had the model been of a feminine gender, for example cindy crawford, I would imagine. Issa Hajjizadeh * Set an example In response to Banafsheh Pourzand's reply to my reply of Nazak Pahlavi's nude art [Why not], I am asking her to kindly put some light on the: "backward mode of perception" of many of us Iranians who are opposed to nude art being forcefully incorporated into Iranian art. If we were to put a simple formula to her beliefs then it would be: nudity = progression of society. But since everyone is entitled to an opinion, I respect her views. Furthermore, if she isn't as "OMMOL, OGHDEHYEE and execrable" can she please get her father/ brother/ boyfriend/ fiancee/ husband to take nude photos of her (prefreably no corset or knickers), with just a little roosaee (veil) on her face, with the background of Orange County, and post it on Iranian.com (it can be titled "Nude Art, part 2"), so she can set an example how NOT to have an "archaic and boring mentality among our fellow Iranians" as she put it. As they say, put your money where your mouth is, or in this case take put your knickers where your head is. * Holy mother of Jesus In response to Nazak Pahlavi's photos [Why
not] : Issa Hajjizadeh * You're back :o) Dear Saman. [Cartoons] I am one of your cartoon fans. I love you work and I go on iranian.com at least once a day to see if they have posted any new work by you. So I couldn't help to notice you were absent for quite some time now; I was checking both your own site and iranian.com. I am glad you are back. You are briliant with your work and your ideas. Keep up the good work. A fan, * Agar befahmand On Iraj Mirza's chador poem,
* Finding information I am interested in finding information on Manoucher Yektai and am hoping you can help. My parents met him in New York during the 60s and we have lived with his work ever since. I would be very grateful for any help you can give in expanding our appreciation of this important artist. Many thanks, * Coincidence or...? All of them are Iranians? [Cover photo] Is your title a coincidence or do you mean it? |
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