THE IRANIAN
Letters
May 1998
Letters section main
index
Homosexuals Cyrus Millennium Future Iran Air Iran-U.S. Tehran
|
Soccer The Iranian Names Mojahedin Cultures Iran
|
* Gays aren't "good Iranians"
[On "In front of the embassy"...] Quite disappointing to see that The Iranian now publishes articles [about] "being gay." This is despite the fact that, at least in this case, the [narrator being] g-- appears to be irrelevant to the article.
Something that has become so central in American culture is now beginning to creep into our own revered and sacred culture. Apparently to be a "good person," or a "good Iranian" now we have to accept this issue. Something that g-- people will never get through their thick heads is that it is not always advisable to be "open," ESPECIALLY in this forum where your audience is the Iranian community, and ESPECIALLY when there is no place for it within the context of the article. Alemi should realize the audience he's dealing with.
Very disappointed
Sina D.
zerangi@hotmail.com
* Being gay: None of our business
I personally was not offended by the piece at all [On "In front of the embassy"...] . In fact, I admire Mr. Alemi's honest attempt to take something as unpopular as homosexuality and write about it in a popular magazine. And it wasn't even the main story, it was a sub-plot.
If we wanted to live with censorship, we should have stayed in Iran. I think it's time to learn that what people do in their private lives or who they love is none of our business. I believe they should be free to express themselves as freely as the rest of us do.
Personally I applaud The Iranian's decision to publish such features. It's decisions like these that make The Iranian the wonderful, democratic magazine that it is today.
Shawn Moradi
sepehr21@hotmail.com
* Hoping for the best
[On "Iranian football: Freedom aborted"]: Frank O'Farrel made the Iranian natinal team the most feared football power in Asia. During his tenure many club coaches worked under supervision and moved Iranian football ahead. As a matter of fact, Mr. Mohajerani was his assistant during that period.
I remember in one of the first practices, he made the entire team jog in the hills of Davoodieh. This almost killed half of the players who were smokers and druggies. He did the same with George Best, who was a well known drug addict.
We are all hoping for a great show from our national team regardless of who is in charge. Let us keep the bickering for after the games.
Hosain Massiha
massiha@usl.edu
* Relevant, interesting, Googoosh
I just started using the net and I am glad to see cool countrymen creating the type of web site that are relevant and interesting for all Iranians. WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH WE LOVE GOOGOOSH. More please...
Mehdi Nejad
59645411@ect.uce.ac.uk
* Cyrus, Reagan, Bush
Cyrus cylinder: "...My great army entered Babylon peacefully..." ["U.N. chief awarded Cyrus cylinder"]. Sounds a lot like Ronald Reagan when he invaded Grenada, or George Bush when he invaded Panama. This cylinder should be considered the magna carta of public relations campaigns we see today.
Shahram Mostarshed
smostars@compuserve.com
* Pragmatic name
I disagree with the author of "Why change a name" in his assumption that Iranians change their names mainly to hide their identities and ethnic backgrounds and other spurious reasons. To be fair, one has to say that there are many different motives. I feel that if prejudice gets in the way of an Iranian getting on in life (especially in the job market) then a dose of "pragmatism" is not a bad thing.
I live in England and have British citizenship. I Have, on several occasions, been asked whether I would mind working for a "Jewish" company. Presumably, I would not have drawn so much attention to my religion and ethnic background if I had not had such an obviously Iranian name (or should I say Middle Eastern, as my family name contains two words both of which are Arabic).
It would also be unfair to assume that it is only Iranians who change their names. Other Middle Eastern communities as well as the large Indian-Pakistani community in Britain and other parts of Europe have as many prejudices attached to their names as we do. I have known of an Indian who could not get a job as a lawyer with his real name on his CV (Khan) so he simply changed the spelling to "Cohen" and had enormous success in getting interviews.
Iranians have been good at surviving in hostile environments for centuries. If changing the spelling or pronunciation of our names leads to better jobs and better prospects, then I think a clever Iranian will do what is necessary to achieve his/her aims. We do not have to parade our "Iranianess" in the work place where the only thing that ultimately matters is our intelligence and ambition to do well.
Name not attached for professional reasons
* A name proves nothing
I haven't change my name and I won't ["Why change a name"]. I like my name. But there are so many people who don't. They didn't choose their own name, someone else did. Why do they have to suffer their whole life for that? u say it is a culture identity...what culture..what identity? does my name prove anything. Does it say that I am a good, beautiful or goodhearted woman? It doesn't.
Mahshid
mahshid.r@sigtuna.mail.telia.com
* Need to wake up
[Regarding "United People's Assembly"] I think we should all think more about becoming global citizens. What good is nationalism when those in charge do not have the people's interests in mind? Prosperity of the few at the expense of the many should not be the model by which we live. It is model of greed and, as the author so succinctly notes, it won't work. The Sassanian dynasty showed this a long time ago; the U.S. government is showing this now. We all need to wake up to the reality at hand, instead of blindly going along with the proganda being dispensed in "news," entertainment, and advertising. As a sidenote, I had no idea Khodaa meant self-awakening. What a powerful concept. Once glimpsed, there is no turning back.
Alex Bettesworth
Alex_B@pacbell.net
* Mojahedin deserve it
[Letter to the editor, Washington Times:] Not all Iranian-Americans agree with the sentiments in recent letters to the editor supporting the People's Mojahedin (April 24 and 28). One of the letters, for example, acknowledges "flaws" of the Mojahedin. Let's consider some of those flaws: ... full text
* You never know
On the occasion of reading Mr. Tabib' amusing article ["Hot Implications of U.S.-Iran Relations"], I concluded that he has not visited Iran recently. Just about all the things he has mentioned are already a reality, albeit all underground!
But I especially enjoyed his conclusion about the rightists and the leftists: don't worry however, we are a nation that are good with rejecting things -- ideas and people -- just for the hell of it and just to be in opposition. Historically we have said ''no'' to Amir Kabir, Nasseredin Shah, Mashroutiat, Russia, Britain, Reza Shah's dictatorship, Mossadegh, Mohammad Reza Shah, a weird mix of eastern/western political ideas, as well as a weird mix of caricatures of eastern/western political ideas, religions... all within the last 130 years!
So, it would not surprise me if Mr. Tabibi's ''casino'' project is implemented on either the campus of Tehran University or next to Imam Reza's shrine in Mashad. You never know these days: Fereydoun Farrokhzad may also come back to life and be the entertainment minister... or the head of the judiciary!
Azerifinco
Azerifinco@aol.com
* Manless balloon or fireworks?
I was amused by the "Balloons to Boeings" piece. Your writer is wrong. Manless balloon, made of paper with a wicker lamp inside both for illumiation and to generate heat to lighten the air -- and thus make the flimsy thing ascend -- was a feature of fireworks on various occasions early in the evenings of the dry seasons in our part of the world. Thepart about supplies flown to various parts of the country prior to 1927 is very much over the top. The planes that flew to Shiraz in 1943 were military planes, and were sent there as the government's show of muscle to the tribes chieftains who had attacked and killed many soldiers and army officers, had started troubles with the land owners and were harbouring Nazi agents. I do not think these planes were called Domino. I think the writer should have said DeHavilland.
Anonymous
* Biased terrorism report
I found "Overview of State-Sponsored Terrorism," issued by the U.S. Department of State, to be a biased report. It failed to name, for instance, Israel as a state-sponsor of terrorism, even with its recent terrorist activities uncovered during the last few months. Ironically, whomever is considered its foe by the U.S. also will be labled as a terrorist. Because of self-interest, U.S. official reports lack credibility. Instead, much media coverage should be given to the numerous statements concerning terrorism given by United Nations each year.
Arash Ashkanian
aa28@mailexcite.com
* Old cars in Tehran
I enjoyed your article "Tehran: Too sweet to be true" by White Cloud very much, and I particularly liked the old Tehran photos that accompanied it. I, however, think that the date on the cover photo "Istanbul Crossing 1956" is wrong. The picture must have been taken in the early 1960's because at least one and most probably two of the cars shown are 1960's models. The light colored Mercedes (model 190 I believe) that is cut off on the left corner of the photo is definitely an early 1960's model year Benz, and also the DKW in the middle of the picture with its back to the camera is, I think, an early 1960's model also.
You can see how the DKW (which is now the Audi) looked from the front by looking at another iranian.com photo entitled "Evolution of Taxis" under 'Snapshots' (it's the second car from right). Hope you don't mind my nitpicking!
Kourosh 'Cyrus' Homayounpour
cyrus@nucea.edu
* Love tahdig
Truly excellent article ["The life & times of tahDig"]! I love tahdig, especially with a little gheimeh on it. My father owns a restaurant -- Persian of course -- and on Sundays as it's a loooooooong day, he gets a HUGE pan with a HUGE circle of tahdig, and we have a khoresh on it too. It's the most amazing thing.
Goli
Manchester, England
unyversal@mcmail.com
* Tahdig - for the unemployed
I loved the tahdig article ["The life and times of tahDig"] -- somebody has a lot of time on their hands, huh?
Haleh Nazeri
haleh_nazeri_at_cfr1@email.cfr.org
* Same stuff, different language
Persians aren't alone in this ["Those (pesky Persian) women"]. I am American [well, the family has been from New York since it was New Amsterdam, over 300 years] and every time I go to a family gathering and meet cousins and aunties I have never met before, I get the same sort of grilling-who am I seeing, what does he do, what am I doing, how much do I make. Same stuff, different language.
Marilyn Traber
mtraber@email.msn.com
* Ready to go home, if...
[Regarding "Iranian of the Year, 1997"] I want to say I think Khatami will make a difference in the near future. If he does, we all will be able to go back to the country we love -- even the singers!
Susan
neda97@hotmail.com
Related links
* Letters Section main
index
* Cover stories
* Who's
who
* Bookstore
|
|