Letters
April 17-21 2000 / Farvardin 29-Ordibehesht 2,
1379
Today
* Women:
- Bitter, angry woman
- Anything but
pure
* The Iranian:
- Great resource
Previous
* Identity:
- Kavkaz ancestry
* Iran-U.S.:
- Rasht & history
- Did not live up to ideals
- Mistreatment in U.S.
* Politics:
- Just so you know
* Salar Abdoh:
- Since when?
* History:
- Aryan dreams
- Absolutely fascinating
* Photography:
- We HAVE changed
- Doesn't matter what women wear
- Pathetic, miserable...
* Privacy:
- Take out Googoosh
email us
Friday,
April 21, 2000
* Bitter, angry woman
This is a reference to a letter sent by one of your readers ... in regard
to a letter titled "Khodeti"...
I had the opportunity to meet this girl in person. We both live in the
same city. When I saw her, she made a very nice impression and we both
became good friends.
She told me about her past and how she has survived a harsh life. Unfortunately,
this harsh life has made her a bitter, angry woman who becomes hostile
toward any kindness. She has experienced everything you could imagine
about a lonely single girl in a city...
I found out she had been on Prozac. She had abused controlled substances
when she was younger, and she was an alcoholic. She had been with many
different abusing men. I could not believe the things I was finding out...
>>>
FULL TEXT
Ramin Adlparvar
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* Anything but pure
I will leave this short and simple. I will not waste the readers' time
arguing against Mr Raafat's chauvinism; such arguments are just too basic
["Real
Iranian girls?"]. But, the extremely naive Mr. Raafat should be
aware of a simple little fact: many of those pure Iranian girls back home
are anything but pure! The only difference is that they are trained from
birth to hide the truth well and fool the likes of poor Mr Raafat who for
a variety of reasons needs to believe that there is some "purity"
left in the world.
I don't condemn them at all. Unfortunately in the present structure
of Iran, lies have become commonplace. Girls in Iran, as young and 13-14
are so much shrewder than their Western counterparts. This is definitely
not meant in a negative way, but they have had to deal with a lot and have
become pretty tough indeed.
Good luck Mr. Raafat.
Nargess Shahmenesh
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* Great resource
I would just like to thank you for a great website with incredible resources.
I am a Georgetown University student who is doing a class project on the
1979 Iranian Revolution, and your site provides some great resources ["Revolution: 1979-1999 "].
Thanks again!
Lesley B. Foss
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Thursday
April 20, 2000
* Rasht & history
First off the email about this guy's eyewitness report of the civil
disorder
in Rasht. Baba joon! Either translate the thing into English or else
send a scan of the Farsi text.
Second, this article "Lost
opportunities" is one of the better articles I have come across
about Iranian history. I recommend translating this one into Farsi and
submitting it to Iranian newspapers for publication. This would be good
karma for your Web site too since the Net is becoming more of a common
thing in Iran.
Kamran Behzadian
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* Did not live up to ideals
Unfortunately, the United States did not live up to its laws or ideals
back in the 1950's ["Lost
opportunities"]. This pattern repeated itself over again in other
parts of the world. If the elected representatives in the States publicly
acknowledge their country's wrong doing and encourage primary and secondary
schools to be more candid about U.S. wrongs, then the U.S. government will
begin to act more consistently in accordance with its laws and professed
ideals.
Let's hope that in the meantime, relations with Iran can be improved.
Nothing is to be gained from both countries constantly snarling at the
other. Opportunities for change and long term sharing of interests will
be lost if we fail to take the initiatives at this time.
Marty O'Malley, Jr.
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* Kavkaz ancestry
You're articles are very interesting to read. But one issue that I miss
and want to have information about is the historical aspect of the fairly
large numbers of Iranians with Caucasian (Kavkaz / Qafqaz) ancestry. I'm
one of them on my mothers side.
People that are from Kavkaz / Qafqaz have little information or none
about the immigration from Kavkaz / Qafqaz. I don't know much myself, except
that I can see that we look different.
I don't know if you are able to write an article about this matter,
or if it's interesting enough.
Babak Tadjer
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Wednesday
April 19, 2000
* Just so you know
In response to Liane
Neshat's letter, I agree with you on the fact that the Albright thing
is no big deal ["Albright
in Tehran"]. Don't make an issue out of everything, right? But
the fact is that the Iranian government is far worse than anything China
could ever be. I hate the fact that people are ignoring the fact that my
people are being oppressed by a bunch of faceless, retarded sub-scum for
whatever reason.
What is oppressive about the government? How about the fact that religious
and political apartheid is in full effect? That Zoroastrians cannot walk
outside in the rain because they are "impure" and will pollute
Muslim Iranis? That a man cannot speak of true democracy without getting
threatened, beaten, tortured, and all too often killed by Hezbollah and
other groups? That one women is half a man and cannot talk to a stranger
in public?
As the family member of men and women who have been and are victims
of this so-called government, I feel a need to let you know what is really
going on. Didn't mean to make an issue of a comment, but just so you know
a tiny piece of what is real yet oblivious to the people in this country,
who have in ways helped bring it about.
Maziar Shirazi
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* Since when?
As an avid reader of fiction and literature I think I'm forced to make
a response to Mr. Farhad
Bani's letter regarding the Iranian writer Salar Abdoh's recent intellectual
thriller, The
Poet Game.
While Mr. Bani concedes that Salar Abdoh's entry into the world of fiction
in the West is something to be applauded and that his writing ability is
something to make all Iranians proud, he seems to have trouble, however,
with the writer's portrayal of fellow Iranians.
My question is: since when does a novelist have an obligation to portray
anyone, including his or her own compatriots in a positive light? If this
was so, germany's Gunter Grass would probably have never written a single
novel and never won the Nobel Prize.
First and foremost Salar Abdoh is a novelist, and a pretty damn good
one at that. I say this even though I'm only half way through the novel,
The
Poet Game. I saw a review of it in The New York Times and
my curiosity was aroused. I didn't buy this book either to have the writer
be my teacher or get didactic on me. I wanted to read a good story written
by a professional, and that, I feel, is exactly what I got.
And besides all that, anyone who reads this book will right away notice
that the writer has created a sensitive and thoughtful protagonist who
just happens to be Iranian. Where exactly is the mean portrayal in that?
Kimia Izad
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* Aryan dreams
Regarding Fereydoun Hoveyda's "Mystery
Report", Reza Shah was infected with Hitler's Aryan dreams. Hitler
had promised Reza Shah to bring back the Arian glory of ancient Persia,
with Reza Shah at the helm. Who knows, had Hitler conquered Moscow prior
to the winter of his defeat, this email would have probably been in German.
Rest assures, Reza Shah was in full control of his government and ministers.
He clearly hated the Russians as well as the British for exploiting Iran.
It was no coincidence that upon his abdication he had requested to be
exiled to Argentina, the Nazi haven. Only mid way through the journey the
British officers aboard the ship had informed him that the ship was going
to South Africa.
Hafez Ameli
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Tuesday
April 18, 2000
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* Doesn't matter what women wear
The way the hejab is demonstrated in Shadafarin Ghadirian's pictures
["Present
in the past"] has nothing to do with the social development of
Iranian women. After all, women's liberation in the West has had its own
drastic downside for family life, upbringing of children, etc.
In other words, fashion and clothes have got nothing to do with women's
social development nor with freedom of speech, individual liberty, ethics
and unity of family life.
What is important is not what freedom we would like to exercise but
what freedom some person may need in order to do things beneficial to the
society.
Dr Fereidoun Abbasi
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* Mistreatment in U.S.
Please let The Iranian readers know, that Iranian National Fencing
team had arrived in Chicago last week for a tournament that is currently
taking place in South Bend, Indiana. Unfortunately, upon arrival at the
airport, the team was subjected to finger printing.
The representative of the government of Iran made the decision for the
team to go back to Iran rather than being subjected to this kind of treatment.
News here
On the one hand, Ms. Albright talks about friendship and laments over
the role of U.S. in our history and on the other, the U.S. is still putting
our people through this demeaning treatment.
It is a great loss for our young athletes not to be able to participate
in international tournaments. It is the participation and being involved
in this type of competitions that will help our athletes achieve their
full potential.
With much sadness and anger,
Mali Evans
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Monday
April 17, 2000
* Absolutely fascinating
Fereydoun Hoveyda's rendition of the events leading to the invasion
of Iran in World War II was absolutely fascinating ["Mystery
Report"]. In fact, it inspired me to look more into the matter.
From what I've learned the day of the invasion was one of the darkest
in Iranian history. Aside from the bloodshed, Iran's national sovereignty
was completely overlooked by the superpowers of the time.
It was probably the second ugliest ordeal concerning Iran and foreign
powers in the twentieth century, the first being the 1953 CIA-led coup.
Nima Faghihi
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* Pathetic, miserable...
My heart-felt congrats to Khaanoom-e Shadafarin Ghadirian for her excellent
taste in photography ["Present
in the past"].
But, in responce to the article about those photos, you are such a pathetic,
miserable, narrow-minded person that no matter how hard an artist tris,
you still have this negative thing to say. Shame on you.
I have been living in the U.S. for the past 28 years. The last 14 here
in Las Vegas. And I have seen "it" all. So, I don't want to hear
crap from you bad-mouthing our Iranian way of living.
Issa Hajjizadeh
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* Take out Googoosh
Would you like it if someone was to take your personal photo and post
it on a Web site for the world to see?
You must take this picture
of Googoosh off of your site because it was taken to be in a personal
photo album and the person who distributed it should be ashamed of this.
If Googoosh had wanted her current picture to be posted, I am certain
she would have come to the U.S. and done the whole celebrity profile in
Los Angeles.
I hope you do the right thing!
Abbas Soltani
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