Letters
Sexual apartheid?Regarding Maryam Namazie's "Saying no": I cannot explain it any other way: Maryam Namazie must be delusional. Sure, in Iranian society, there are forms of discrimination against women, as well as a limited amount of segregation. But "sexual apartheid"? What planet does Namazie live on? Are women confined to women-only townships? Are women prevented from entering the same shops, markets, parks, movie theatres, universities, university classrooms, trains, aircraft, and taxies that men enter? The most ubiquitous forms of state-sponsored segregation are found in the cases of public bathrooms and public inner-city transportation (buses and subways). I do not endorse the segregation in buses and subways. However, I can see its underlying concern. I used to ride buses to and back from school. The buses sometimes got so packed with people, and the pressure of the crowds so intense, that on some occasions I was suspended in mid-air without my feet touching the floor! In mixed company, women as well as men may find this embarrassing. Even when the pressure is less intense, there is always a lot of jostling and I can see how some women would be concerned about possible molestation. A global movement to make bathrooms and buses co-ed? That is an entertaining proposition. However, I suspect that Iranian women may find the legal inequalities in family law more pressing problems than the segregation of buses and bathrooms. As for prohibition of public dancing, which she speaks of, for the life of me I cannot see what this has to do with apartheid, but the fact that Namazie considers it a priority for launching a global movement speaks volumes about how out-of-touch she is with the true problems of Iran's women, problems which are most acute in the underdeveloped areas and lower classes. Namazie's statements are reminiscent of Mary Antoinette's sage response when she was told that French women are crying for bread. "Just give them cake," she counseled. Bizhan Manavi (pseudonym) More than watching TVRegarding J. Javid's "Distortion": Before I start watching your pictures on presidential debates, I thought this guy has nothing to do but take pictures from TV! Once I clicked the first one, I thought to myself how fast, sometimes, we judge and misjudge! Very creative. Most even matched the personality of the debater! Good work! Nice email from SlovakiaRegarding J. Javid's "Distortion": This is Jafar calling. Salam. I'm in Slovakia now (moved here couple of years ago for the UN and will somewhere but don't know where yet) !! Just wanted to say hi and let you know that your new site is really cool. I loved your pictures of the debate. You are a true artist. Keep it up my friend come to Slovakia if you are in Europe. We are only an hour away from Vienna, Ghorbanat Well articulatedRegarding Maziar Shirazi's "Taking away our humanity": A wonderful and well articulated piece. I enjoyed it and concur completely. Too kind to BushRegarding J. Javid's "Distortion": Great job on the presidential debates. After viewing these photographs I concluded three things:] a. You were too kind to Bush. He should have had the biggest head. My favorite, you asked? The television melting into a cup of coffee. Brilliant! WonderfulRegarding Farrokh Shayesteh's paintings"Dots": Your work is great. I sincerely congratulate you on your wonderful paintings. I have never seen anything like it. Seasons of lifeRegarding Ray Rafizadeh's "I woke up": Mr. Rafizadeh, those were beautiful pictures and I enjoyed them very much, both the pictures and your commentaries on the fall season. But I want to say don't you think the way you felt about the fall season in Iran had more to do with the stage of life you were in than with culture? I really don't know how old you were when you felt that way about fall in Iran, but if you were a student, like I was, fall would always mean the end of summer and playing and having all the good times without worrying about school work and exams and getting up early to go to school. The arrival of fall was synonymous with the end of freedom and peace of mind, in the same way that the afternoon of "sizdeh bedar" was when we knew that Nowruz vacations were over and we had to go to school the next day. Also, on a more serious note, with all its majestic beauty and exquisite hues, fall always reminds many people of the beginning of the end of life; it reminds many people of the afternoon of life and that winter and old age, and eventually death, is not far away. So I really think people's feelings about anything, including the seasons of the year, has more to do with the stage of life they are in and their experiences in life than with culture. Even though culture is very important, it is our experiences that shape us as human beings, including our understanding of the world around us. Two people raised in the same culture may have totally different views of the same event because of their life experiences. I hope you will forgive my "jesarat" and I wish you the best in whatever stage of life you're in. Iran is NOTHING without KurdistanRegarding Kamal Artin's "Pay attention": Yet again we have another "Kurd" who is disillusioned by "Kurdish Independence" and a "Free Kurdistan". Let me point you to the direction of reality, Kurdistan in a PART of Iran, and Iran is NOTHING without Kurdistan. Why? Because Kurdistan is the cradle of civilization. Yes, that's right, archaeoligists and historians have pinpointed the oldest remains of civilization in modern day Sanandaj Iran. In fact in biblical evidence the garden of Eden is in Urumieyeh. As a proud Iranian Kurd myself, I cannot be more emphatic - Iranian kurds DO NOT want independence from our great country Iran. There is a lot of propaganda that Kurds are a "suppressed" ethnic minority in Iran. This is not the case. Kurds are persecuted in Iraq, Syria and Turkey, but not Iran. In fact Kurds in Iran enjoy the most freedom, having the highest number of students entering university, freedom to listen to Kurdish dance music in public, relaxed laws concerning non-married couples and have many representatives in the Majlis. The only reason why there are Kurds in the prisons in Iran (not that it is just in any case), is because they were POLITICALLY active AGANIST the government, not because of their culture of language. So Mr. Kamal, what is your problem. I recently called one of these "independent" Kurdish channels and discovered that their managing director wasn't even Kurd! Yes that's right, all of these Kurdish "Freedom Fighters" are managed by non-Kurds funded by the CIA.
Your ultimate goalRegarding Kamal Artin's "Pay attention": Dear Kak Kamal, I hope all is well. I read your articles in Iranian.com and enjoy them very much. However, I disagree with your ultimate goal, which is an independent Kurdistan. I am a Kurd myself and I am proud of it, but your goal is not the answer to our problem. Just take a look at Israel itself and see how they have failed in attaining what they have yearned and bled for. Your solution for Kurdistan will ultimately lead to the same. Anyway, the purpose of this email was to humbly thank you for taking up the Kurdish cause and staying involved. By the way how can I purchase some of the eternal music of Hasan Zirak?
My friend, Ya'ghoob-e KohanReading your letter "Nokar Yazdi" in iranian.com I noted that your name, Jacob Cohen (or as in Farsi, Ya'goob-e Kohan) rang a bell and had a curious connection with being a Yazdi. Then I realised why! I remembered that back in the golden days of the Pahlavi rule, when I was a high school pupil in Tehran, I used to visit a classmate who lived in Yousof-abad. They had a big pond (or hoze) in the middle of the front lawn of their residence. Once a month a tiny little man from Yazd, whose name in his native Yazdi dialect was Ya'ghoobok-e johood (the little Jewish Jacob), would come and remove the stale water from the hoze, wash it up and fill it up with fresh water. In other words, Ya'ghoobok was an Aab-e hoze-kesh. It was so amusing to see Ya'ghoobok, removing his shirt, rolling up his trousers, jumping into water (his tiny legs were so funny) and with the help of a large tin of vegetable oil, in place of a bucket, empty the hoze by throwing the water into the surrounding lawn. Ya'ghoobok's real name was Ya'ghoob-e Kohan-e Yazdi. He used to earn enough wages by doing Aab-e hoze keshi that he sent his son to study in the US. I remember Ya'ghoobok was always grateful to the Shah and the Pahlavis for having provided him with such standards that he could send his son the US. Now
Jacob Cohen, I am glad that at long last, I have found you, the son
of Ya'ghoobok-e Yazdi, the Aab-e hoze-kesh from Yousof-abad who, honouring
his father, has assumed his name for himself, albeit with a few twist in his
story. But Ya'ghoob, I mean Jacob, you shouldn't be ashamed of your father's
profession as, water-logged as it was, it paid for your American
education, crap as it is, but still an education of some sort! More importantly
you must never deny your debt to the Pahlavis for making a Jacob Cohen out
of the Ya'ghoobok-e Aab-e hozy's son. Not a bad deal?
Thoroughly enjoyableRegarding J. Javid's "Distortion": Those photos were just excellent!
The altering of each image was perfect and impressive. I hope I was right
when I assumed that the more extreme "distortions" of
the image were photos taken when an obvious line of rhetoric was spoken. HAH.
If not, I still thoroughly enjoyed the photo set. Thank You!
Afghan fanHello guys in Iranian.com, Right now, I am listening to "Mara Beboos Mara Beboos Dukhter e Ziba..." and it reminds me of those beautiful Iranian girls wrapped up in black Chadur Namaz when I used to live in Iran. Keep it up and good luck.
Language of FirdousiRegarding "Parsi (quiz)": I think the best answer to this quiz (instead of translating it - that is too easy to be bothered with) would be: sad to see that some groups are so alienated from the mainstream of the Persian language and culture that are resorting to such preposterous means to reclaim the identity they never had. In doing so, they further alienate themselves from the language of Hafiz, Sa'adi, Rumi and even Firdousi.
Foreigners born in IranOn Heresh Rezavandi's "Roonis": While I could really visualize most of the six levels, I felt that you left
out a quite large group. Namely foreigners born in Iran, or living in
Iran for extended periods of time during their youth. I grew up in Tehroon, speak (and read) Farsi better than level 3 and level 4 Roonis, (although I am having difficulties with Shahnameh), am versatile in the finer arts of Tahrof, but am not Iranian. I feel closer to Iran than to Europe, know history and culture backwards front, if need be, am welcome to all Rooni levels, but fit into none. I miss Iran as if I was local, but can't quite bring myself to visit, for
fear that it might have changed - or worse, the knowledge that it hasn't. And
I'm downloading Rooni tune MP3s from the Net and am tremendously sad listening
to them.
Haji growing on meOn "Hajiagha's cartoons": You know what?! Up until very recently, I used to despise Haji and his foul stuff but in the past few weeks he has developed a style, albeit still dirty and foul, that I find unique and attractive in a way. For one thing, I think he has perfected the art of drawing naked Mullahs! And he knows how to draw the private parts. I think he is generalizing and being unfair, but his art is growing on me!!!! Please don't post with my name
Pathetic anti-Arab toneIn response to "Parsi (quiz)": With all due respect, these letters are not Arabic [If this pathetic attempt at coming up with a pure Persian invitation (using Arabic alphabet!) wasn't so ironically funny, I would have called it an anti-semitic Nazi propaganda.]! When they invaded Iran, they had no written language, how could these be Arabic? I also do agree that such anti-Arabic statemensts are distasteful, but what is wrong with trying to use pure Persian and/or Iranian words? Is the text pathetic because of its anti-Arab tone, or do you consider attempts at shaking off 1400 years of Arab dominance pathetic? (If you sense some anti-Arab emotions, you are absolutely right! After 1400 years and countless massacres, I do believe we have a right to be a bit upset!) Best Regards, Saeed Mahmoodi
PersianarabsIn response to "Bad thoughts, bad words, bad deeds": I usually read the letters section of Iranian.com
site with great interest. I have never written any letter to this section before,
but after reading the letter
from persian lover about our anciant
faith, I decided to write this letter, not as a response but as a extension to
what our friend had written and I really hope it gets published. However, the reasons for
the fall of zoroastrian empire are far more complex than that. Parthian
and Sassanid empires had long fought against rome and as a matter of fact this
long wars had become a burden on Iranian economy and that meant high taxes
on people. The empire had to defend itself against nomadic tribes from the
east
border as well. So we had romans, tribes on the east and finally arabs on west
and south west. To that we should now add what our persianlover friend mentions
and that is, pressure from zoroastrian priests and kings as well as some known
incompetencies and rivalities among kings and princes. Therefore, it's been long since we stopped
being
a pure persian nation and what we really are is a mixed nation as result
of mixing of persian and arabs. There're many cities and small towns that were
initially
arab stablishments. The city of Arak, for instance, is in fact what used
to
be called 'Araghol ajam' in the past. When you visit this town you notice
the strong
arab physical features among its population. Same thing happens in 'ghom',
tooserkan, malayer, toos and many other cities and towns across Iran.
OverzealousIn response to "Bad thoughts, bad words, bad deeds": Sad you took a hereby unheard of late work of dubious authors and found it to be a picture of what Zoroastrianism stands for, do yourself a favor and more so, be true to your readers, take a cursory look at the Gathas of the Avesta which are the true works of the prophet, and you be the judge, or more so if you have any Parsi Zoroastrian friends ask them if they consider this as a work they would consider as part of the liturgy. Think my friend: could a nation rise with such lofty ideals as Iran did once with such barbarous, ridiculous thoughts ? have you ever considered why Iran achieved what it did and by what guiding philosophy ? were Hafez and Khayyam and Firdausi all so wrong in singing praises of their pre Islamic past ? keep in mind that Zoroastrianism was already 2000 years old when the Sasanains came to power, if some nut wrote this, in the time period that it was written, would that then be a reflection of an entire religious doctrine? In your zeal to find a better way for modern Iran
to live by you chose to ridicule a noble concept.... it's your right to do
so, The Arab conquest of the 7th century came as a shock to say the least, an Iranian scholar has dubbed the numbed aftermath of the conquest as the "two centuries of silence" one can gather something of the atmosphere of the early post conquest years in the writings of some of my forefathers as they were about to leave their homeland for India and I quote" the den faith was ruined and the king of kings slain like a dog...they have taken away our sovereignty, by force they take from men wives and sweet possessions and gardens .... and in a note very much as Firdausi laments ... he ends by saying ...."the world passes from us". I hope you do find the path ... under what ever title it may be.
Constructive feedbackOn iranian.com's new design [poll results]: Dear Jahanshah, I've been reading Iranian.com since I discovered it back in 1997, when I got my first Internet connection in Iran. I felt I should send this short note just to let you know that I think the best design it has had so far was the one with the colorful squares, in other words the one it had around/between 98-01 (or was it 2002 when you changed that one?). When I first began reading iranian.com, the design made it look more like a place to see and read about arts and literature. It had this arty/intellectual feel to it. Nowadays, with all the flashing ads --that are usually made in poor quality-- the site looks like just any other site. In fact, one could be in a chelo-kababi and see these ads (I hope you don't take this comment as a jab, which it is not meant to be). I believe your new design is better than the one you just changed, but still it doesn't convey the feeling of the first. I should also note that Iranian.com's content has changed from those days as well, meaning it has become more mainstream, which is not necessarily good. But then looking at the archives, one could still get the feeling of what the site was once. I hope you'll take this as an attempt to send a constructive feedback from an old reader (and fan) of your web site. With my best regards,
You've done it!On iranian.com's new design [poll results]: I love the new look of the site! I know it must have been a ton of work but you've done it! Keep up the great work.
OutstandingOn iranian.com's new design [poll results]: I could not believe my eyes; your journal now looks so beautiful. I congratulate you and your very talented art director, whoever he or she is, for the outstanding design. All journals should undergo a redesign on a regular basis. Publishing pros say that scholarly journals should probably update their look every seven to ten years, while other journals can't let more than a couple of years go by without changing to something new. Baa Aarezoy-e-Tandorousty-o-Shaadaby, M. Saadat Noury
RigidOn iranian.com's new design [poll results]: I don't know... may be it takes a little geting used to... but the new format is so similar to "typical" news site... it does not feel as "comfortable" as before... it is rigid... I, for one, very much liked the old look... it was more like entering a familiar place or room... now, it seems so strange and too formatted... just my opinion only... you own the site and can do whatever you want... peace.
Religion is only a toolIn response to "Bad thoughts, bad words, bad deeds": Thanks for your article. I am also a lover of Persia and her history. I think your points are quite valid. It is true that we romanticize and idealize the past. But I think we should pay attention to the fact that it is not Zoroastrianism that is the problem. The problem is that poeple distort the religion to the point that it becomes unrecognizable. People have done this with all religions. Look at Christians --they claim to be the followers of the prophet who preached love and only love, and then these people go wage wars in the name of Christianity! You don't get a bigger contrast than that! Islam has also been damaged by the same kind of people. It doesn't matter what philosophy you present to people, they will manage to bend it and shape it to fit their stupidity and ego. Religion is only a tool, some use it to get close to God, some use it to exploit others. A lot of people are quite sincere about it too, but it's just that they are limited in terms of their spiritual growth. Sadly their ignorance costs them and others around them. I think the solution lies in education on all levels, freedom of speech, tolerance, and encouragement of people to grow.
Sassanian aberationIn response to the article by Persia Lover, "Bad thoughts, bad words, bad deeds": The author (hiding behind a poorly chosen alias) exhibits some of the worst characteristics of propaganda. It seems that this character has hand picked the worst examples of Zoroastrian writing in order to reduce this groudbreaking religion into an unrecongnizable and evil creed. He (or she) concentrates on the last two centuries of Sassanian rule, when state and religion were intertwined, in an attempt to reach a logically errouneous conclusion. Any student of comparative religion knows that this period was an aberation and that Zoroastrianism was far and above a tolerant religion, not given to the excesses that can be found in some of its minor texts (which the authors attempts to portray as the dominant dogma). It is important to point out that all world faiths (Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism etc) have the capacity to drive believers to unspeakable acts and that the world would likely be a better place if more emphasis was placed on the true teachings of Zoroaster- "Good Words, Good Thoughts, Good Deeds." Sadly, the author also betrays the self-hatred that so afflicts some Iranians (the guilt of converts?). Again, I encourage the author to spend his or her time in a positive way by contributing to the advancement of a positive image of Iran. Hurling insulting vindictives at a religion that has so profoundly influenced all other monothiestic religions and contributed so deeply to world civilization is a crime against the culture and history of Iran. May the light of "Good Words, Good Thoughts, and Good Deeds" penetrate the dark and distorted world the author inhabits.
Big deal!I could not disagree more with Moji Momeni ["Sh'es OK"]. Big deal, we have enough representatives in high-tech, engineering, and medicine. Rich technocrats. What about all of the writers and historians and musicians and artists? Or are we going to continue the Iranian tradition of looking down on these people as well, only there for our amusement and nothing more? But I digress - that indeed is not the point. The point is that Ms. Ameri has shown herself to be a dangerous enemy of the Iranian expatriate community in this country with her distinctly Conservative, pro-Bush platform. I know this because I know about her family and their attitudes and the way they really think about us immigrants to this country. Don't be fooled by the hype! Do you honestly think that an Iranian would not sell out her own people? Of course - our shahs have been doing it for the last 2000 years, and now these thugs in Islamic Republic are doing the same. So what? Rafsanjani is Iranian, too - it doesn't mean he's good for us. As my mother always says to me, 'ba har khari doost nasho faghat barayeenkeh Iraniyeh! ba adami doost besho keh ADAMeh!' Just my two cents. Goli Ameri, you should be ashamed, but you have no ABEROO.
Mexican Ku Klux KlannerRegarding the testimonial to Ms. Goli Ameri of Oregon ["Sh'es OK"], am I supposed to admire her because she's Iranian-American or because she's Republican? I think the overriding factor should be that she's Republican. Let's see, in the last few years the Republicans started an unnecessary war, created a chain of gulags throughout the world and swept away a whole slew of domestic civil liberties in the name of "national security." They also created an atmosphere of fear that resulted in the rounding up and deportation of many middle-easterners, including Iranians. I'm sure Ms. Ameri is a nice enough person but I just don't get why, in the current poisoned atmosphere, any Iranian-American would gravitate towards the Republican party (unless they're really, really rich, but that goes without saying). No offense to anyone but being an Iranian American Republican is like being a Mexican Ku Klux Klanner! Ghorbanat.
David Rasool-AllahRegarding "Rasool-Allah for the living room": When looking at the enlarged picture, one can see at the the far left a cave aperture covered with cob web. This man is: KING DAVID Notice the words of David when he was fleeing from King Saul. Notice the words: God that performeth all things for me. (Jewish Aramaic translation of the Psalms): David was in the Cave of Adullam. King Saul with armed men was close on his heels seeking his life! Would they find him? The Targum tells us that a spider spun its web over the door part of the cave where David was concealed. Seeing the Spider-web King Saul did not enter the cave because he thought that David could not have entered it without breaking the spider's web. Thus David was saved. October 13 | October 21 | October 22 | |