Letters
June 7-June 11, 1999 / Khordad 17-21, 1378
Today
* Jews:
- Genetic link
* Agassi:
- Looks/sounds Iranian? It's
Iranian
* Anyway:
- Mexican actress
Previous
* Agassi:
- Let's not get patriotic over him
- Agassi's dad
- Nothing but disdain
- ONLY a good tennis player
- Leave him alone
- Andre beats Cyrus
* Women:
- No man can understand
* The Iranian:
- Best of all things
* Jews:
- Enemy within
email us
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Friday,
June 4, 1999
* Genetic link
As a person involved in medical research, I have something to mention
which may be helpful in the big arguement over the article "I must be a
Jew".
According to a gentical study done by scientists at Harvard University
(published in Human Immunology, September 15, 1997, Volume 57, pages
62 -67), it is very possible that non-Jewish Iranians and all Jews have
a common ancestral origin. Does this help?
Arman Sepehri
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* Looks/sounds Iranian? It's Iranian
About a year or so ago, Agassi's now estranged wife, Brook Shields
was asked by Jay Leno on the Tonight Show about Agassi's origin. She said
he considers himself Armenian ["Andre
the great"].
As for why he does not connect with Iran and Iranians? The answer may
be in his father's story of coming to America and the disdain which he
may have brought with him. Besides, given the anti-Iranianism of the late
to mid-eighties, very little would have been gained by this person as
a public moneymaker to be wrapping himself in a flag which was not very
much appreciated. Remember the Iron Sheikh, the punching bag in professional
wrestling and myriad of other subtle and not so subtle anti-Iranian sentiment?
Here is something else: I do not recall Pete Sampras ever making much
of his Greek heritage. Why do people root for him? For the same reason
that when the credits roll at the end of the movie, I look for Iranian
sounding or looking names. Call it a perverse way of vicariously experiencing
assimilation.
Guive Mirfendereski
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* Mexican actress
Who is Iran Castillo [Anyway
section, June 10]? She is a Mexican singer and soap opera actress.
She was born in Veracruz and you can see her on Univision in a telenovela
called "preciosa".
There is another Mexican actress with the first name Iran. She is Iran
Eory and who was born in Tehran.
Yes Spanish helps, even if it is helping with little things of not much
importance!
Thank god you have the Anyway section.
Malihe Evans
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Thursday
June 3, 1999
* Enemy within
When you talk about Iranian people and their hatefulness and lack of
compassion towards other nationalities, races and religions, you should
take a moment and try to remember who you are ["I
must be a Jew"]. The people of Iran consist of us. You and I and
others like us and if it so happens that some uneducated and ill-informed
individual, makes certain ignorant remark about certain creed or belief,
it must not be interpreted as a widespread preconceived notion, which Iranians
have been passing on through generations...
I would only like to inform you that you are very much mistaken when
you say "Jews are being perceived by Iranians as evil, cunning and
greedy creatures" and being "trashed" by them. What is being
detested and scorned by our people is not the nation of Israel, it is the
state of Israel that was brought to power and established by the West (Britain)
to be "a strong fortress of civilization and to defend it from all
those savages and barbarians who were surrounding it, at any cost."
... FULL
TEXT
Sara O.
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* Let's not get patriotic over him
Am I the only one who doesn't understand all the Iranian hype surrounding
Agassi? ["Andre
the great"] His father was an Iranian but that's as far as it
goes. As far as I know he's never mentioned it himself and doesn't take
particular pride in being born of an Iranian parent. Has he ever been to
Iran? Does he speak the language? Does he have any knowledge of the country's
past and present? Does he even care?
Although I always find myself rooting for him each time I see him play,
I don't see why we should claim him as one of our own. He is a great tennis
player and has an eccentric personality. But let's not get all patriotic
over him. I am curious whether he has ever been interviewed about all this,
or does he answer questions about these issues. Maybe an Iranian should
actually interview him so that we can see what this guy is really all about.
Payman Adjamian
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Wednesday
June 9, 1999
* Agassi's dad
Agassi's hatred of Iran and Iranians is a documented fact ["Andre the
great"].
With that in mind, I wonder what is the great one giving his [Iranian]
dad on Fathers Day?
Khashayar@aol.com
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* Nothing but disdain
I look forward, on a daily basis, to reading and viewing The Iranian.
As one who is utterly proud of his Persian heritage, one who adamantly
believes that we (the Persians) have been the crown jewels of human civilization
for three millennia; I was insulted upon viewing your frivolous piece about
Andre Agassi. ["Andre
the great"]
By attempting to implicitly glorify this individual as somewhat of an
Iranian athletic success, while knowing that he has had nothing but disdain
for his half-assed Iranian link, is tantamount to injustice against all
of our true champions, past and present. I urge you, as a fellow compatriot,
to introspect further prior to dissemination of an article.
Farshad Zarrabian
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Tuesday
June 8, 1999
* ONLY a good tennis player
My intention in this letter is to merely ask, why would The Iranian
feature an article about anyone with an Iranian background who condemns,
critisizes and puts down Iranians, Iranian culture, the nation of Iran
itself, and has even gone as far to say that one of the things he most
regrets in life is being half Iranian?! Could someone please explain that
to me? ["Andre
the great"]
What the hell do Iranians need Andre Agassi for? Agassi is an incredible
tennis player; end of story. If people want to read about his game and
achievements, then they can read Tennis magazine. However, I read
The Iranian to learn more about Iran and Iranian culture. I do not
read this magazine to learn more about an Iranian who has no appreciation
of what it means to be Iranian.
Although Agassi might be one of the best tennis players of all time,
he is a poor role model for Iranian-Americans out there. If you want to
write about great Iranians in the global community, then I suggest you
NOT turn to one who spurns and belittles Iranian culture. There are just
too many good, decent, hardworking Iranians out there for that.
Sara
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* Leave him alone
Andre Aghasi does not like to be an Iranian ["Andre
the great"]. He openly discussed this matter a couple of times.
This is his personal life and his own business. To be more definite, he
was born from a non-Iranian mother in the U.S. and has never been in Iran
in his whole life.
If someone is not interested enough to be an Iranian, leave him alone.
We have plenty of people in our past and present with remarkable role in
the history and today's life to be proud of. However, photographs by Mr.
Javid were great (artistically and technically speaking).
Hopefully we read more about IRANIANs in the IRANIAN.
Pedraam Parsian
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* Andre beats Cyrus
The title "The Great" used to be so expesive in iranian.com's
neighborhood . Even someone like Cyrus couldn't buy it. See the article
"Cyrus
the (not so) Great" published in The Iranian a couple of
years ago where the writer believed Cyrus is not that great because of
this and that reason.
Andre Agassi is being called "The Great" because he won the
French Open ["Andre
the great"]. Probably if he had caught a cold the day before and
lost he would not have been that great.
How much of an Iranian Andre Agassi is is another debate.
(I hope people in The Iranian have the dignity to publish this
critical opinion.)
Arman Sepehri
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Monday
June 7, 1999
* No man can understand
I read today's cover story, "The
woman we wanted to be" with interest. Laleh Khalili is a thoughtful,
thought-provoking writer whose imagery is lovely and easily grasped. As
a regular reader of your magazine, who just happens to be a zan-e aamrikaie
married to one of your countrymen, what I can say is that the angst expressed
by Ms. Khalili's essay is more the angst of Woman -- not just the Iranian
woman.
Her longings are the longings of women in general -- just the names
are changed. Only a woman can understand the tides that rush in and cover
the shore and then draw the sand back out into deep ocean as they go diving
back to sea; these are the desires of Woman. No man can understand what
it is to be a woman and sacrifice self to the extent that a woman does
(particularly if she is a mother). No man can understand -- completely
-- the war of desires within a woman ... FULL
TEXT
Nancy Elami
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* Best of all things
Like many other Americans, I've had a lengthy love affair with Persian
art & culture, Persian history , and... if it's Persian, I'm reading
about it. I also had Persian friends I treasured for years, and your ezine
is something of the best of all these things. Thanks for doing it, it's
appreciated.
Bear Rowell
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