LettersAugust 2005 Sa'di, Hafez, Rumi... all celebrated gay love On the execution
of the two gay teens in Mashhad: The founders of Islam and Christianity never advocated hatred
toward same sex lovers. No homosexuals ever were punished while
these
prophets were alive. In fact, Islam has made it okay for men to
have sex with their male servants while traveling away from
their wives. Dr Payam Effort over struggleOn Ramin Kamran's "Miraase Mossadegh": Thank you for your article. Many good points. The only one I would like to emphasize is that originally people wished to be "given" freedom and democracy, later it was decided that it needs to be "obtained" and as you know in the recent decades we have come to realize that freedom and democracy are to be "learned". Fortunately we Iranians are learning it well inside and outside of Iran. Therefore I would prefer to make "efforts" for democracy and not to go through "struggle" -- if by struggle you mean fighting and defeating the other side and so on. We need to work together. We don't have sufficient energy and time to fight and you are well aware the more evil the other side is the more difficult for us to win. Look at
the past
100 years, the past 25 years... of Iran. Skinny accomplishmentsOn interview with Iranian-American model Sanaz on NakedNews.com: Well, more and more "Eyranian" (!)
women are going into modeling and pornography for quick money. Can
this be listed as another one of Iranian diaspora's accomplishments?! HUMAN not HOMO rightsThe reason the "gay issue"-- of the two-executed lads in Mashad -- is not a big deal to the Iranian diaspora is primarily because Iranians, like the rest of the human populations around the world are by and large HETEROSEXUAL. Irrespective of what position you are on, the vast majority of people in the planet are heterosexual. There is a negligible population of homosexuals throughout and we have all heard that argument. Another point is that Iranians are still fighting (arguing? contemplating?) basic constitutional rights and fundamental human rights, not about buggery and bestiality and fornication and adultry, et cetra. Also, most gays are closet-homosexuals in Iran and the Iranian community's few homosexuals either have AIDS or are ashamed of their probable bi-sexuality. Most gays whom I have met are really not homosexuals, but bisexuals who were abused as young lads....Finally, the execution of those two gays was a public service and they were mostly executed for their wantonness of "raping" or molesting another boy who brought charges against them. Coupled with of "disturbing the peace" crimes such as alcohol use, etc and you have a capital offense in the Islamic Republic of Iran. If they did that to a 13 year old girl, they'd probably have been executed tooo... so no big deal. There are different penal codes in the world that have different requirements and surely those guys knew that ignorence of the law is no excuse... Poles apartOn Samar Abbas's "India's Parthian colony": I read with interest your article. While I appreciate the
interest, enthusiasm, and research, I was also aghast at many iaccuracies.
I wanted to take some time
out to document all of them, but wanted to point out the most obvious
ones. Aravind Sitaraman Kar asani nistKHANOOM Azam Nemati, az zahamat shooma ghalban sepass gozaram. jam avary in hame music ke az asare melly ma beshmar miravd kar asani nist. choon dastgah hakem amrouzy mokhalef farhang mast. man be nobe khoodam lezzat mibaram az ashkhasee mesle shooma ke dar in rah mardom khedmat mikoonan. ghourban shooma, Deeply touchedOn Nima Sheikhy's piece remembering the late Karim Emami, "Marg paayaane kabootar neest": It has been years since reading a sad piece -- such as your recent vignette in the iranian.com -- has touched my heart so deeply. Not only do you have a nice style and a unique way of using metaphors, I enjoyed your eloquent description of what many of us share, yet fail to put into words. Thank you for this nostalgic moment. I look forward to more of your work. Real Brazilian societyOn Ali Akbar Mahdi's "Obrigado Brazil": You expressed yourself very good and with a great capacity to distinguish the real Brazilian society. David Pourkhesaly Ganji helping CIAOn Farrokh Ashtiani's "Civilized
Indifference": Read Mr. Ganji's so called "manifestos" and decide for yourself. Mollas are not a good option for our nation, but "Washington and Tel Aviv Thugs" are worse. Those who call Sadaam with all his crimes against our motherland Iran their "pedar = daddy" are not a good option either. Best solution is to let our people mature up politically and perhaps gradual change will occur. I don't know what is best. But I can tell a Shabbon-Bi-Mokh" when I see one. Ganji is one. Him and his family are perhaps among those $20 M USA handout receivers to do to us what their ancestors did in 1953. Remember that? Silly poisonOn Haji Agha's cartoons: Please stop posting the silly cartoons of this HajiAgha guy. This guy is a remnant of the bullshit that led to this revolution. Stop allowing him to post his silly poison garbage. Bijan Alamdar Aeorodynamic doolOn Jahanshah Rashidian's "Damaged goods": I'm guessing you're either a girl who doesn't have a penis and
therefore has no idea what she's talking about, a circumcised guy
who doesn't get laid enough and cant last when he does blames it
on that, or an uncircumcised guy who feels weird that he doesn't
look the same down there as the other guys in the gym while taking
a shower. Either way, you have entirely too much time on your hands
to be thinking about penises so much. Beyond bordersOn music from Tajikistan: Bravo! I beleive considering Tajikestan's cultural heritage as a North Eastern Iranian culture is thinking in the right direction. I belielve Iranian culture goes beyond its current political boundaries and also includes all four parts of Kurdistan that could be classified as North Western Iranian culture. Since there is no harm to Iranian culture by Tajikis being a free nation, there should not be any harm either, if a free Kurdish nation becomes a reality and promote Iranian cultute from a Kurdish perspective. Risking life for youOn "Dumbtellectuals" by Anonymous: First of all your anonymity is worth zilch. You who do not have the guts to name yourself, cannot and should not criticize people like Mr. Soroush who literally are revolting against the ideas that are the foundations of this so-called regime in Iran, telling the world to recognize the lies that they hear. They put their lives at risk to say what seems to you too dumb, and you are too dumb to recognize the value of people like Mr. Soroush and Mr. Ganji in contemporary Iran, who by speaking loud and fearless about the evils of the regime in Iran, are totally calling the bluff of Islamic Stalinists. If I were you dear friend, I would be respectful of all positive movements of history even if they seem too small from where you are standing with your secure anonymity. Remember the enemy of your enemy may be your friend. Brotherhood of philosophersOn Ahmad Sadri's "Not private anymore": When after the loss of millions of lives finally the German Nazis were brought down, one would be hard pressed to find anyone responsible for all the atrocities they had committed. Everyone claimed innocence and pointed to the very few who had committed suicide. In a similar way, if finally one day the horrific Islamic fascism ruling Iran is in some way brought down, also, I am sure everyone who has contributed to the halal butchering of millions and banishing of many more will also claim innocence, perhaps even using Western philosophical arguments. Stories are being corroborated as we speak even now. Pharmacists turned positivist Luther-wanna-bes (some 500 years tardy,) claim that they didn't "close" universities and destroy a whole generation of Iranian thinkers, but helped "reopen" them in a halal way; and now the al-Sadr sociologist has found somewhere in Tehran some jackass even more "magical" than himself, who has denounced him as an "apostate," and now wants to use this monster he himself has helped to create as proof that he is not as hardcore as his beard makes him out to be. Whatever... don't worry baradar, we are not the ones calling for "death" to this and that. Not everyone is as philosophical as you. In all this, I would like to thank Mr. Ahmad (bin) Sadri (al-Islam) for deriding some names in his abgushti polemic against some "Aramesh Dustdar." Although I very much doubt that Mr. Dustdar is as interesting as Sadri's denunciation of him makes him out to be, nevertheless, it is heartening to know that there are some non-religious thinkers still around after the cleansing of Iran conducted, over-seen or tolerated by the Muslim brotherhood of philosophers, now throwing Weber and Heidegger around - as if they ever could hope to understand the difficult German grammar. So, again, thank you professor Sadri for this mercy. Beside Daryoush Ashuri, with whose clear critique of the man with whom our young Islamists used to "wax philosophical" in the seventies, the notoriously convoluted TV-philosopher Ahmad Fardid, I was familiar, here is a list of people I need to research for kinship and a sign of life amid this atmosphere of Islamic suffocation perpetuated and justified by the Islamists who like to sport "intellectual" as a title as well: "Abdi Kalantari, Morad Farhadpour, Seyed Javad Tabatabai, Ramin Jahanbaglu." Thank you professor. Forough translationsI'm trying to find the translations of the following Forough Farrokhzad's poems: "Fath-e Baagh," "Aroosak-e Kooki," "Iman Biaavarim," "Tavallodi digar," and "Aye-haaye zamini." If you could help me, I would really appreciate it. Emigration for alwaysi emigration to america for always how??????? help me please i am cyrus from iran i am pupil disregarding and i want to obtaine america in field designing and work i have tallent designing granted by god the means god-given emigration to usa for always but i lover your cooperation. California dreamin'Lately I have notices a majority of southern California young people, including Iranian driving very expensive new cars while still living with parents or renting homes! not thinking about their financial future! Click on this link before you decide to spend $400 per month to impress some one at the stop light you will never meet and stay away from that daily $5.00 Cafe Mocha that cost less than 20 cent to brew and invest it for your retirement. Student needs supportHello there Dear Sir/Madam, I am an international
MA student from Iran at Reading
University in England. I need your help in this
difficult situation. I couldn't get a scholarship from academic
centres before coming here. Even for my food I am under pressure...
I want to get my degree and help my country. What can you do for me? I need your support. Silly, clever sausageOn Peyvand Khorsandi's "The late potato": Having read your most ap-peeling story, one would like to thank you whole-heartedly; everytime one thinks one's totally lost the plot or pot (as you wish) - if ever there was one- one discovers another standard elsewhere and all DO "live" ever happily after. You, Sir, are a very silly, clever sausage and I'm so happy that they haven't taken the "eyes" out of Mr Potato.' Bravo and Goodbye to all Mr Chippies Ideals cause bloodshed, or...?On R. Zia-Ebrahimi's "Mass graves of idealism": I was wondering where you would place the founding fathers of America in your selection of people with dangerous Utopian ideals? I ask because surely they wanted to build a utopia, surely they wanted their society to be at the pinnacle of human existence - did it all go right when their ideas meshed with realty, or did it end in bloodshed? Is it ideals that cause bloodshed, or do all states cause them? but then don't all states have ideals? i would argue the two are inseparable, every ideology is as much a tool used to pry power from the population as it is a principle of organisation. Every state has ideology's at its heart, and i would say most are used by those in power to stay in power. i do agree though, idealism without realism is dangerous because it is not based on sound reasoning - it is based on wishful thinking, and things built on such shaky foundations are not likely to stand for long. Thanks for the essay. I enjoyed the read. Demonizing IranI just came across and a "news" report on Iranian.com about two "gay" men having recieved the death penality in the city of Arak in Iran. This to me looks like a despicable manipulation of the news in order to mold the piblic opinion against Iran. In this article the two men who are actually rapists are presented as "bi-sexual" men living in ARAK and their sentences is linked to the "nuclear plants" of this city!!!! The article says: "Farad Mostar and Ahmed Choka were sentenced by an Arak court"... and then it says: "Arak is a city under the strictest possible conservative religious, political, and military rule because it is the site of Iran‚s heavy water plant˜heavy water is used in the production of fissionable nuclear material and is crucial to Iran‚s attempts to develop a deliverable nuclear weapon." The Western media as well as the abroad Iranian media are manipulating news to demonize Iran and are desperately scanning Iran under their microscope in the hope to find the slightest news that could affect the public opinion on Iran. Just for your information I talked with a lawer in Iran who had inside information about the previous two men to were executed in public in Mashhad. She told me that these men had committed indescribable acts of violence and rape against a great number of victims and while the Court did not want to carry the executions in public, the tension and anger among people of this city had reached such a high level that they were pressured to execute them in public in order to calm people down. Now I am not defending the public executions, but there is a HUGE difference between what has really happened and how the Western and Iranian diaspora media are portraying it. Turning this thing into an issue of "homosexual" and "bi-sexual" rights!! and somehow including "uranium enrichment" and "nuclear weapons" into this is just disgustingly low!! And shame on all those sites (including Iranian.com) who are spreading this non-sense. One would expect more professionalism or journalistic integrity from the Editor of Iranian.com. Labkhand?I am Dave Agresti in Tampa, Florida United States. I am writing to you to seek your help in answering a question that relates to an expression you may use in Iran. In the United States, photographers ask the people they are taking a picture of to say "Cheese" as that is the magical word we think will produce a smile. I am checking around the world to see what other cultures might use as an expression for this purpose. If you care to help, I would like to send to you when completed the listing of all the responses I receive. I give credit to those who assist in this project. I am writing to photographers and others who might have knowledge of this practice in about 40 different countries so that we would have a world sample. If you share my curiosity, please write back and provide your country's custom phrase or saying to get people to smile when taking their photo. Thanks and looking forward to hearing from you. Use protectionOn Laleh Behjat's "Beer with a bang": I would like to ask her
as to why leave Iran for Canada only to drink beer? People
leave Iran for more important things than drinking beer. My
advice to her is to use protection after drinking the beer, this
way she will not spread sexual disease. Most fundamental issueOn Sudabeh Siavashan's "Soroushism": I really enjoyed your article very much mainly because finally someone puts her finger on the issue, once and for all. I am very much interested in this debate and I have tried to read whatever I have found on the net and it seems that my most basic questions always remain unanswered. I totally agree with you when you say how can we talk about Islam being compatible with democracy when we cannot even criticize the verses which are clearly in violation of some of the most fundamental human rights? And again as you say, there are people who keep talking about different versions and interpretations of Islam, etc., without paying attention to the most fundamental issue. Such discussions remind me of the so-called arguments made by Mr. Bush and his administration when they are asked about the reasons for their presence in Iraq. They talk about everything except the main point: weapons of mass destruction. They don't talk about it because they know if they do they will be forced to accept the fact that they were absolutely wrong. The same thing is going on here. And I am happy that finally someone is calling
it exactly the way it is. Of course, I don't think for a minute that your
article will cause them to change their approach but at least they know we
are not fooled or intimidated by the pseudo intellectual appearance
of their debate. Cyrus rejectsWhat the hell has happened to Cyrus the Great's descendants? Shirin Saving Pasargad?On Farhad Heyrani's "Sivand Dam will bury Pasargad and other ancient remains": Is it possible to organize
some easy and doable move such as signing a letter on your site to send to UNESCO
and the government of Iran? Would you be willing to take the initiative by posting
such a letter on your site and asking people for their signatures? I am sure
many people who are hurt but unable to do anything would at least have a mean
of getting their voices heard, no matter how efficient this step may seem. Not necessarily correctOn Sudabeh Siavashan's "Soroushism": While broadly agreeing with your article as appeared in Iranian.com,
it couldn't escape my attention that ironically you and the Soroushists
have at least one feature in common: you are both fearful of the
Islamic fanatics, hence your hiding behind a pseudonym.
Of course, nobody can blame you for choosing a pen name, I
do the same. But the difference between you and the Soroushists
is that unlike them, you are sincere and confident in what
you say. Confident but not necessarily correct. There is no solution to
the age
old dilemma of creating a secular Islamic state -- the cocktail,
as proposed by Soroush, containing a triple shot of Popper, double
shot Ghazzali, single shot of de Tocqueville, a pinch of Rumi and
oh! lest credits are lost, a few drops of Webber, courtesy of the
Sadris, has lost its appeal to that of "Rajaee on the Rocks" --
the Soroushists should know better. Simplistic analysisOn Sudabeh Siavashan's "Soroushism": Next time you want to criticize an ideology, a historical event or a philosopher
such as Dr Soroush, please make sure you at least have some "basic" knowleadge
about it. This way, you'll avoid boring used up cliches and childish analysis
that make you look like an uneducated pseudo-intellectual! Your article was
filled with so many mistakes and immature and simplistic analysis that it
is not even worthy of debate. Abyss of blind faithOn Ali Nasiri's reply to "Soroushism": I do not appreciate your patronizing tone and I believe this approach will not get you anywhere. It is very easy for me to write something like: "Hello. Next time you didn't have something intelligent to say you better fight your primitive impulses and read and think for a change. Who knows, maybe you get lucky and save yourself from the abyss of blind faith which is preventing you from seeing the obvious." You see? It is very easy! But I have a better suggestion. Nobody is preventing you from writing a few paragraphs and describe the "mistakes" and "simplistic analysis" in my article. I am sure Iranian.com will publish it. I am looking forward to reading it. Ugly accusationsIn reply to Sudabeh Sivashan: I am not interested in witing any article in your response since: 1- There is absolutely nothing in your article [Soroushism] that is "new" to anyone who has followed these kind of debates from the era of Ghazali to this day. All you did was to repeat the most simplistic and primitive arguments and questions that have been answered and replied to a zillion times in philosophical debates. You better try to catch up instead of having the illusion that Dr Soroush and other philosophers have been trapped by your questions!! 2- Your accusations towards Dr Soroush are not only completely
false and cliche, but they are extremely unfair: Secondly, before irresponsibly repeating he old stupid "ghahveh-khooneh" rumour about Dr Soroush's role in closing down the universities during the "cultural revolution", you should have taken the time to do a little independent research on the subject and made sure you understood the difference between "SHORAYEH AALIYEH ENGHELAB FARHANGI" and "SETADEH EGHELAB FARHANGI", and then you would have realized that Dr Soroush actually RE-OPENED the universities after only 2 years while the original plan of the hardliners was to keep them closed fo at least a whole generation (25 years)!!!! Third, the ugly accusation that you made towards Dr Soroush suggesting that his main priority has been his "own interests" is not only unfair but it is also unhuman. When Dr Soroush still lived in Iran, he had been savagely beaten up, threatened to death and attacked so many times by the Ansar Hebollah and other pressure groups that he would come to his lectures and speeches wearing a white cloth (Kafan)!! Nonetheless he kept writing and making speeches and was the first person IN IRAN to have openely challenged the concept of "Velayateh Faghih" and the current version of Islam in Iran and called for reformism in the Islamic world!!! He was fired from university and banned from teaching or doing
reseach in Iran ever again. His observatories and magazines were
closed down and he had to leave Iran because his life and that
of his family was in danger!! And then someone like you who has
absolutely no clue whatsoever about him or about what's going on
in Iran for that matter, dares to make such ugly accusations towards
him based on a fraction of one of his speeches that you read on
Gooya!!!!!! And the sad part is that everytime there has been someone who wanted to make some political or ideological reforms and adjustments in Iran while respecting the beliefs of others, there has been people like you who unconsciously teamed up with the radical hardliners and fanatics to bring that person down. There were people in the Berlin Conference who made the exact same accusations against Akbar Ganji than you did against Dr Soroush because they were too intolerent and close-minded to accept that someone with a religious views can also be an advocant of freedom and democracy. And now they have mostly shut up from shame. There might be a lesson here!! Translate for AmericansOn P. Shabrang's "Shahr-e Ashoub": That was a great description of how it felt living under the Islamic Republic rule. I only wish someone would translate it to English for our American friends. Reminded me, in some ways, not only of Hedayat but also of Golshiri's "Camel story". Iraj Mirza: Idiot of the Year 2005On Iraj Mirza's poem "Anam beh rishat": I got only one thing to say to you: Mr. Iraj you just crowned yourself as the Ignorant Idiot of The Year for 2005 with your shit-load excuse for a poem! >>> Page
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