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Iranian of the Year

People

March 26, 1999
The Iranian

The following are comments in favor of various individuals as the Iranian of the year. Each comment is from a different person. Names have been withheld for reasons of privacy.

* People
* Simin Behbahani, poet
* Bahais
* Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi, former Tehran Mayor
* Maryam Rajavi, co-leader of the MKO
* Free-style wrestling team
* Dr. F. Shadab, community activist
* Unnamed artist
* Aqaay-e Haaloo
* Worst Iranians

* Back to the Iranian of the Year main index


People

I vote for all Iranain people who live in Iran and make all these [changes] possible.

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Simin Behbahani, poet

Contineously speaking out against human rights abuses in Iran while living there, and for arguebly being the best Iranian poet of the century.

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Bahais

Members of the Baha'i Faith murdered by the government for their religious beliefs.

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Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi, former Tehran Mayor

His relenless effort to make Tehran beautifull and his help to get Khatami elected which cost him his job. This is a difficult year for choosing Iranian of the year because we had many heroes this year.

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Maryam Rajavi, co-leader of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi is a highly educated and poltically, a sophisticated Iranian patriot. She is a true revolutionary modern Muslim woman who has struggled against two dicatorial-criminal regimes, that of the Pahalvis and that of the mollas. Her views, her dedication to the causes of freedom and liberty, her untyring struggle for democracy and for human rights, and her unique place in women's liberation movement in the Islamic world is unmatched in the twentieth century and throughout the world.

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Free-style wrestling team

For winning the world championship in Tehran in September 1998 for the first time in 33 years.

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Dr. F. Shadab, community activist

For his dedication to the Iranian community. He always tries to elevate the Iranian image within the USA and abroad. Dr. Shadab is a well-educated MD and he is the founder of Iranian Cultural Center of Orange County and also the founder of Iranian who's who (www.iranwhoswho.com). Not only is he is active to bring Iranians together within the USA but he also tries to establish a channel of communication with educated Iranians in Iran. I strongly recommend him for the Iranian of the Year.

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Unnamed artist

The Iranian of the year is the winner of this year's United Nations art competition. His painting depicted a flower, a gas mask and a condom. The judges were so impressed by his symbolic message proselytizing preservation of nature (the flower), reduction of pollution (the gas mask), and eradication of AIDS (the condom), that they gave him the gold medal. When asked by a reporter what he was thinking when he painted this masterpiece, this year's champion responded: "having sex with a condom is like smelling a flower with a gas mask!!!"

On the serious side, the Iranian of the year is every Iranian who spent time with his/her children, disseminating knowledge and wisdom while instilling self-esteem, not imposing their own will and rigid social rules on them. The Iranian of the year is every Iranian who loved other people's children as their own. The Iranian of the year is every Iranian who did not go into science, law, medicine, and engineering for the sake of status, rather holding love and understanding above all accomplishments. The Iranian of the year is every Iranian who did not consider blacks and Hispanics as inferior servants or automatic criminals. The Iranian of the year is every Iranian who did not consider white women as whores, importing virgins from Iran for marriage. The Iranian of the year is one who celebrated the success of other Iranians and supported them. The Iranian of the year is one who did not spend all his/her free time cooking up parties, rather spent time appreciating the arts and literature and instilled appreciation for quality (not quantity) in their offspring.

The Iranian of the year is every Iranian who reduced, reused, and recycled in order to minimize their impact to mother Earth. The Iranian of the year is every Iranian who volunteered her/his time to help needy people. The Iranian of the year is anyone who did not abandon a friend or acquaintance in the time of sickness, financial or emotional need. The Iranian of the year is one who lived a greed-free life of compassion, professing peace and non-violence in the process, and opposing injustice wherever it occurred. The Iranians of the year spoke against the injustice of the bombing of Iraq and the economic sanctions on the civilians, killing 1.5 million in the past seven years.

Finally, the Iranian of the year did all of the above unconditionally and as discreetly and anonymously as possible, not expecting recognition in return. The Iranians of the year are those who did not live a life of self-glory, not participating in the chauvinistic game of one-up-man-ship believing and professing that they are better than others simply because they are Iranian or simply because of their heritage. The Iranian of the year did not utter the phrase: "Man Aanam Keh Rostam Bovad Pahlevan".

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Aqaay-e Haaloo

Keh ey bikhabaraan, raah nah aan asto nah in.

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Worst Iranians

I have several suggestions: If you please add the WORST IRANIAN OF THE YEAR to your list you will get a better profile of the ideas of your viewers. Make a distinction between living people and the martyrs, who have sacrificed their life to defend and bring about our freedom.

For the living Iranian of the year, my vote goes to Arash Foruhar for his courageous stand in the face of the Islamic Republic, and his demands for justice while in Iran. The courage of Arash and his sister is admirable. They could have crawlled in a corner fearing further retribution by the Islamic secret police. They chose to fight for us all.

The Iranians of all times are those who have sacrificed their life for freedom and justice for all of us, obviously are all those heroes who fought the Islamic Republic's tyranny and fell by the sword of the Zahakmaneshan Islamic regime; to just name a few recent ones: Dariyush Foruhar, Parvenh Foruhar, Majid Sharif, Mohammed Mokhtari, Mohammed Jafar Pouyandeh, Piruz Divan, Rostam Hamedanian, Ibrahim Zalzadeh ... This is a list of over 200 people. Let's remember them with respect, love, and admiration.

AND for the worst Iranians -- shame on us all -- are the Islamic clergy who have shamed our country and us by their words and action.

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