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Letters
December 13-17, 1999 / Azar 22-26, 1378

Today

* Soceity:
- What matters is freedom, not history

* Relationships:
- Personal problems

Previous

* Dubai:
-
So happy
* Inspiration:
- Uplifting
* Nostalgia:
- Finally separated
*
Fiction:
- Chossi aamadan

* Miss Iran:
- Hezb-e baad
*
Discrimination:
- Course of action

* Names:
- Removed from reality
- Glen Allen?

* Memories:
- Just very beautiful


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Friday,
December 17, 1999

* What matters is freedom, not history

In reference to Mr. Hashemi's letter, "Untidy semi-detached house", there's no doubt that Iran's history is far more affluent than the United States', but the sexual liberation movement encompasses most of the world, not just the U.S.

Besides, comparing the two countries' history does not elevate one's present conditions as being better or worst. Le'ts not forget why we all moved to the U.S., Europe and other countries. It certainly wasn't for their rich history, but their freedom. And let's not undermine the desperate urge of our fellow Iranians to get out of Iran NOW and in the past two decades.

Rich history or not, freedom comes first. Iranians in Iran want freedom like everyone else in the world. Some of them want to look at women some want better education or some want both. Nobody can choose for them, it's their personal preference. We have all chosen freedom over our past.

Personal freedom is a choice: it's matter of opinion. Except a few religious countries, all others allow personal freedom to some extent, definitely more so than in the Islamic countries like Iran! More countries are becoming less conservative due to the fact that they see personal freedom advancing into a new level, a new evolution. It's not about putting up a sex show, it's about change. With freedom we can think further and build better economies and technologies.

That's not to say rape or criminal activities should be allowed. That's not freedom -- that's busing the system. Unfortunately, with all respect to its rich history, Iran does not have a low number of sexual or other kinds of crimes either.

Past history can not relieve one's poor economy, but freedom can, one way or another.

Saghi Zarinkalk

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* Personal problems

This is in response to Ms. Zarinkalk's article ["Khodeti"] and others by Laleh Khalili ["Not their fault"]. Okay, what you are trying to say is that Iranian culture is dominated by wife-beating males who want nothing but submission from their wives.

But to Ms. Zarinkalk and others I have to say that your problems are personal, and you have to solve them with yourselves. I just want to say "Khodaa pedar-e in aamrikaa ro biyaamorzeh keh shomaahaa ro beh aazaadi va tamaddon resoond!

Khodadad Rezakhani

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Thursday
December 16, 1999

* So happy

Last night I went to see a film called "Mard-e Avazee" (Mistaken Man) at the Iranian Club in Dubai. The club is the largest in Dubai with a huge restaurant, sports facilities, a 10,000-seate fooball pitch and a cinema for about 500 people.

The land was donated by Sheikh Rashed to the late Shah and it is a property of Iran. In recent years it has been redecorated and it is a lovely place for Iranian family outings.

Coming back to the film, it was a good comedy and a definite sign of change in the mainland. For start, wearing ties and cravat are now quite fashionable in the movies, even actresses wear ordinary dressed with small roosarees!

The film was imaginitive and had a particular local flavor to it, certainly a family entertainment. Men with beards, women with chadors, manteaus and ordinary dresses, children with their grandmothers ... in short, a cross section of the Iranian society was there to see the film. They all looked so happy that they had just seen an Iranian comedy.

Reza Mousoli

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* Uplifting

Thank you for the words of Mother Theresa sent by Soroush Motahari. They are quite uplifting and my tearful eyes are a testmony to that!!!

Mahmoud Etemadi
Bolivia

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* Finally separated

Regarding the Nostalgia magazine clip from 1978, Saeed Raad and Nooshafarin finally did marry each other. They remained married until a couple of years ago. As the writer predicted in that article 20 years ago, they finally separated. But this time it was a divorce.

Pedram Missaghi
Webmaster, Iran Media

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Wednesday
December 15, 1999

* Chossi aamadan

I do think that Ms. Afsari's story ["The sixth man"] would be well suited in some chatroom but not as a feature. These so-called "chossi aamadan-haa" disturbs the image of your otherwise excellent web site.

K. Ghazi Wakili

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* Hezb-e baad

First of all I was very happy to find an old issue of Zan-e Rooz ["Miss Iran, 1978"] issue, and I dearly thank the people who have made this possible.

In 1978 I got tickets to see the Miss Iran event and I enjoyed the whole show. At the time I was 17-years old, so I was really into these events.

Few years later, when all the universities were open again -- after the cultural revolution -- everybody had to wear the hejab. One day I noticed one of the Miss Iran finalists Ms. Azita Takin in the university corridors wearing a huge maghnaeh, no hair was showing and she was always hanging out with pro-revolution and very religous groups. Of course , I could,nt beleive my eyes. But, I never said anything.

A year later, one day I was watching a science program on TV and guess who was the presenter? You guessed it, Ms Takin with her big hejab. This was about 15 years ago. And that was the last time I saw her. She is the most vivid example of "ozv-e hezb-e baad".

Bijan

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Tuesday
December 14, 1999

* Course of action

The matter of fingerprinting Iranians at U.S. airports has come up many times in the past, but it seems that this issue has not been fully appreciated by many Iranians. Sometime ago the well known Iranian film director Dariyoush Mehrjooi was fingerprinted. Mehrjooi is a former graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. A number of invited Iranian athletes were also fingerprinted. These two events and a few others have been publicized in the press, but routine fingerprinting of ordinary Iranian civilians have gone unnoticed.

This policy is a deliberate attempt by U.S. authorities to humiliate, insult, and degrade innocent Iranians and label them as terrorists. In fact it may be illegal within the U.S. on the grounds of discrimination ... I suggest the following course of action ... FULL TEXT

Jamshid Naghizadeh

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* Removed from reality

In reference to "No plain Jane", the author is fortunate that his life circumstances have been so far removed from our every day reality that he reduces our reasoning for changing names to easy assimilation in the work place. A job has to be there first, I believe, before you can begin to assimilate.

Plain Jane

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Monday
December 13, 1999

* Just very beautiful

Poopak jan, did you say ["Unsympathtic"] you do not understand the function of Hossein Samiei's essay ["A moon of our own"]? If I may write on behalf of Mr. Samiei, I don't think his essay was looking to serve a function. Still he has provoked two people to think and respond to his piece. I would think that is a very good result for a functionless essay, no?

Mr. Samiei is just sharing a historical moment of his life with us. Historical both on a personal and global level. The essay made me think where I was when Apollo 11 landed on the moon and also when was the first time I ever fell in love. It does not matter what his background is. You do not have to be a part of his social class to be able to understand the feelings he is describing. I wish I could express my feelings with the same honesty and beauty.

Yes, It might look self absorbed but they are his feelings. The same way that your response to him is based on your observations and your social background, right? Does that make you guilty of the same crime? No. I enjoyed your thoughts on the essay. I respect them and you also made me think about other things.

I think the best way is to read this essay and try not to analyze it. It is just a very beautiful innocent piece of writing. There is a poetic flow to it. Not everything in life is supposed to have a logical function. Love is not a logical act don't you agree?

Sepideh Golesorkhi

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* Glen Allen?

Regarding the article "No plain Jane", a friend of mine has changed his name from GHO-LAAM-ALI to "Glen Allen". We always laugh at him and even he says it's funny ... :-)

Mohammad Ali

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