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March 2004 Page 4 * Live your life for yourself Natasha, [Shared
values] * Boy, do we have a problem! Dear Mr. Madadi, [We've got a problem] Your article makes me wonder if perhaps you are too young to remember the movie "Not Without my Daughter." There was a film--and a fact based film at that--about an American woman and her abusive Iranian husband. Lord, did we protest! I remember my friends saying they would refuse to see it so their money would not go to the makers of that film. Many actually abandoned Sally Field movies altogether! There were praises for Behrooz Vosooghi for the rumor that he had refused to play the part. I finally saw the film with ten of my friends, but not till it was out
in Video! We figured $5 for a group of ten wasn't going to help the enemy!
Two years later, they showed it in my son's school. Boy! did the Board
of Education hear from us! * Return from the world of the dead In response to Mahvash Shahegh's question about the origins of the black Haji Firooz: Dear Mahvash, * Yes it was for racial reasons In response to Mahvash Shahegh's question about the origins of the black Haji Firooz: Yes it was for racial reasons. Ancient kings of Persia used to bring
slaves from Africa, and on Norouz they would make them dress up in red
and dance for the king. This tradition extended until 1979, when the
Islamic Republic banned" HajjiFeerouz" because
it had racial connotations and had links to slavery
whichwere un-Islamic. We should remove this (Hajji Ferouz) from our culture, we must recognize our culture has flaws and bad pasts. We are all human. The Qur'an says: * Think beyond categories I read Najmabadi's respose [Don't straighten the queers] to Shirazi's piece [Being straight on queers]. I completely agree with Najmabadi and I think it is vital for Iranain youth to continue their discussion about queer rights. It is important to situate the debate on the grounds proposed by Najmabadi because it allows us to think beyond categories and polar distinctions. Nothing about gender roles is essential and the implications of this fact are social, political and personal at once. * What is she trying to say? I think I'm a fairly literate person.I read Afsaneh Najmabadi's piece [Don't straighten the queers] today and for the life of me, I can't understand what she's trying to say. I know she's a professor (history, women's studies, yes, all that), but between you and I, she could have used a bit of an edit on this one. * Quit the queer Please stop referring to gay people as "queer." * Straight judgement Dear Ms. Najmabadi, [Don't straighten the queers] I always enjoy reading your material including your recent article on "queers" and our judgements as "straights". It is also interesting to note the linguistic implications of the word "queer" as "strange" or "bizarre"! I also wanted to add that I greatly enjoyed reading your bood "Daughters of Quchan"... a few years ago and I would recommend reading it to every one. * Set to be gay I wanted to thank Golnar for her sensitive words. [Being straight on queers] It is silent and unspoken between those Iranians who are gay and the millions of Iranian who have been born to our civilization through the centuries as gay men and women, just what it means to live your entire life being disingenuine to yourself and the families we love for fear of society's hatred and misunderstandings. Less remember it took a couple of hundred years for Black people in America to be considered human (and this process still has a ways to go), a few hundred years for women in America to be allowed to vote, and how long to consider interracial marriage as being alright????? My prayer is that I will live to know a day that the day an Iranian child is born and his genes set him to be gay, that his world will accept and love him for who he is and understand that being gay is exactly as the world and the powers of our universe have set him to be and that there is nothing wrong with this. * Honest column Thank you, Ms. Shirazi, for your honest and brave column on gays and
lesbians! [Being
straight on queers] * I would recommand Chateau Margaux Dear Sanaz Salehi, [It wasn't just the whisky] I read with great sympathy your sad story. You, a warm-blooded Middle-Eastern woman, have by some cirmumstances been forced to live in a God-forgotten cold industrial town near the North Pole for two years without friends or lover. I agree with you, that's a Gestapo kind of torture ! But, you are being punished by Almighty God for your bad taste : You have rejected the possibility of living and studying in CÙte d'Azur, south of France and for your favorite drink, you have chosen whisky. Is there any person on the earth foolish enough to say NO to a prospective of living in Cannes (CÙte d'Azur)?!!! Even George W. Bush wouldn't do that ! You may have been spoiled in your childhood by a great wealth, but you certailny ignore even the basics of elegance... Choosing whisky as a favorite drink !! Whisky at best is a taxi driver's drink. Fortunately in our days we have great French wines everywhere in Europe with quite reasonable prices. For you, living at the vicinty of the North Pole, I would recommand Chateau Margaux, two glasses a day ! It's good for your health and gives you a divine pleasure ! Now in two words, you should dream about living in Cannes, you should change your favorite drink, and last (but not the least) find a strong lover to give you warmth and happiness, otherwise you'll need the help of Dr Freud ! Omidvaram pishnahadat-e injaneb ra bepaziri va az zendegi bishtar lezzat bebary. Az mowgheh estefadeh mikonam va eyd-e Nowruz ra samimaneh tabrik miguyam. Lazem be tazakkor nist ke baray-e eyd-gereftan hich ashamidani behtar az Champagne (THE real one!) nist ! Eyd-e Sanaz khanum mobarak. * Respect Iranians not insult them Today, I read the article "Shabah-e
naamatboo" written by "Alborz" in
your website and I am sorry to say that I wasted my time reading it. Afshin * Insulting to all women I can't believe such bigotry! [Shabah-e naamatboo] This person is both racist and sexist. He despises Arabs and he has no shame in letting us no. But he also insults women -- not just women who wear the vail [by calling them animals], but all women: "France is a country where the value of a woman is in her witt and beauty"! implying that a worthy woman is smart and pretty just like a good horse or dog. * So where did the money come from? Dear Ms. Farah Diba, I saw your letter on yahoo news, "After 25 years in exile widow (Farah Diba) tells her story" [Yahoo News 03/16/2004]. I have many unanswered questions for you since I read the letter. 1. You say that you and your husband didn't steal any money from Iran in order to relocate as refugees in the Egypt, the United States and France. So where did the money come that you purchased 2 houses one in France and one in Massachussetts? Did Allah, your Muslim God send you dollars from the sky? 2. You say that your husband tried to stop the SAVAK's abuses. Ms. Diba, I am neither Rashti nor Turk. Please explain. Your husband from my knowledge accepted the creation of SAVAK. Your husband was the final word in Iran during that time. How different was you dear husband from Ayatollah Khamenei? Maybe they dress differently. The Ayatollah wears a turban and your husband wore a crown. It is my belief they were very similar. The Shah has a thrown and the Mullahs have a "mambar". What is the difference between your husband and the Ayatollahs? 3. Your daughter's overdose on perscription drugs had nothing to do with the Iranian Revolution. Life was just probably unbearable in a country where you can't get "Akbar Mashti" icecream. 4. I hope you stop talking. It makes you look like a bafoon. You were an architectural student. You seem smart. But you want to put a spin on history that I don't believe. 5. Queen Soraya was better looking than you and was ethnicly Iranian. You are ethnicly Turk. Are you envious of her? Rahbary * They are so nice It's a joy to look at the pictures taken by Nader Davoodi [Faces of Molavi]. They are so nice. Finally some original faces apart from those upper middle class pseudos! Thank you Mr. Davoodi. * They are real Thanks for showing us the photos in "Faces of Lalehzar". They may not be the prettiest faces of Iranian people, but who are we to judge them only buy their appearance. To the lady who didn‚t like those pictures and addressed them as "disgusting looking people" you have no right to call them by such names. These are our people, that
are the way they look whether you like it or not, and I think its time
we see these faces other than seeing Eye brow plucked, nose reshaped
and hair dyed young men of our new generation. * Oh my how little has changed! I always look forward to seeing pictures by this talented photographer [Nader Davoodi] that uses subject matters reflecting a unique aspect of our social or cultural heritage. I truly enjoy his attention in presenting images that are actually stories without words. Although I vehemently oppose the concept of Nazri and have always considered it an ultimate hypocrisy spread by Shia tradition which makes God really mad for feeding bunch of "well to do" people in his name and charity's name! These images [At least a plate] show bunch of well dressed savages with their big pots that need anything but charity. I hope non-Iranians do not see these pictures. Oh my how little has changed! I wish the pictures showed bowls the size of a cup to convey the message that people were only interested to take a few tablespoon for blessing. God must be shaking his head in amazement that a population with so many educated people claiming to be religious do not know the most simple rule of charity in Islam which is absolute anonymity in act of charity. But then again we Iranians interpret everything the way, it suits us. Any pictures of preparation of Nowrouz? How about Big buckets of Narcissi flowers (better yet just the flowers), gold fish in clear bowls and decoration for the celebration of new year? More letters (March 2004) |
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