Letters
Dec 18-22, 2000 / Azar 28-Dey 2, 1379
Today
* Religion:
- Worst Muslims
* Racism:
- No monopoly on Iranianness
- Terrorize women if they date other races
* Censorship:
- Not exercising true journalism
* Persia, Iowa:
- First Iranian cowboy
Previous
* Kurds:
- Reality rarely seen
* Diaspora:
- Only we understand
* Censorship:
- A lot of hypocracy
- Censorship, just like in Iran
* U.S. elections:
- Get over it
* Iranians:
- Origins of Persian fur
- Hairy Iranians not funny
* Politics:
- Have we become spinelss?
* Bush:
- The chimp might not agree
* Sadaf Kiani:
- I have an idea
* Racism:
- Nothing to condemn or condone
- Soaal-e saadeh
- Best disinfectant: Free debate
- THE most racist people
- Showing a new reality
- Example for all
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Friday,
December 22, 2000
* Worst Muslims
Let's admit it. Wwe Iranians aren't the most obliging Muslims. Out of
all the one billion adherents of Islam, Iranians adhere to Islam the least.
The majority of us don't pray even once a day let alone five, and most
of us drink alcohol...
The Islamic Republic didn't help our faith. It damaged it. If there
is another revolution it is very unlikely that the young women of Iran
would wear a scarf or chador on their own free will. They view the Islamic
Republic as an Islamic state, even though it's not >>>
FULL TEXT
Reza Shiraly
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* No monopoly on Iranianness
Mr. Racial Cleanser ["Iran
has seen worse throughout history"],
There are those of us who think being Iranian should not have any religious
or ethnic or racial criterias. Feeling like one is enough. And certainly
no one has a monopoly on the definition of "Iranian".
You can certainly be gay and be Iranian. Certainly our history has had
its share of gay and khaajeh personalities. You can also be a Jew or an
Armenian and be Iranian. And guess what? You can be a woman and marry a
Black man and still be Iranian >>>
FULL TEXT
S. Mashadi
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* Terrorize women if they date other races
This controversy about Iranian girls having sex with Negro guys ["Drawing
the line"] is a serious problem. Most Iranian girls regret dating
these Negros after they do it for a long time and become tainted and rejected
by the Iranian guys. It is the surest way for someone to lose his or her
racial identity...
Most Iranian girls I've known when I lived in the States were not decent
and many of them dated freely with Negros, and all the rest. The real concern
I have is that Iranians need to understand that our women need to get terrorized
the same way an Arab or a Paki would treat his sister or cousin for dating
anyone outside their races >>>
FULL TEXT
Bahram
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* Not exercising true journalism
This is related to Ali Parsa's letter "A
lot of hypocrisy". I completely agree with him. He said it all
so well. I am very glad that finally someone brought this issue up.
Jahanshah Javid, I do have a lot of respect for you as a person. However,
your work as a true journalist, at times is very questionable >>>
FULL TEXT
Babak Aminian
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* First Iranian cowboy
I liked your article ["Persia,
Iowa"]. It's really a curious coincidence to see a town in U.S.
called Persia. It's really a incredible to imagine that a compatriot immigrated
to the U.S. in 1882. This is really incredible and heart-warming.
I must note that an area southwest of Paris is also called Persia and
the streets are named after the names of Persian cities, like Isfahan,
Mashhad, etc... I believe that that the area was inaugurated when some
Persian king visited the King of France (Louis XIV?).
But in the case of Persia, Iowa, that really sounds strange and facinating.
So this guy was probably the very first Iranian Cowboy.
Darius Kadivar
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Thursday
December 21, 2000
* Nothing to condemn or condone
I personally can not think of any reason why Maryam
and Darryl's picture would be posted on this site.
By the way, congratulations to the newly weds. May they pave the path
of prosperity with their love. If they did not give consent to having their
picture posted on the Iranian, then that's a whole other foul issue on
its own...
If genuine admiration exists between a man and a woman, then their marriage
will prosper as it will perish if there existed reasons other than the
aforementioned. Either way, this matter is nothing to condone or condemn.
It is an arcane force between a male and a female and only time will tell
if it were to prove effete or immortal >>>
FULL TEXT
Reza
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* Reality rarely seen
A simple thank you to Rasool Nafisi who shares - even revels - in the
spirit of Oraman ["People
of Oraman"]!
With his lyrical prose and keen photographic eye, Dr. Nafisi depicts
a slice of reality rarely seen and appreciated by those of us who most
need to understand - city dwellers, who are caught up in the hustle-bustle
of self-important lives.
The Kurds of Oraman - as well as their guest - remind us what is real:
hospitality and grace amidst life's trials and tribulations.
Haleh Vaziri
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* Only we understand
I can't express my feeling about the poem by Mahrokh Pourzaynal ["Gham-e
bahaaraan-e Iran"]. All I have to say is that I could not stop
crying once I finished it & unfortunately I am @ work.
That was a piece that does not come around very often & only we,
the immigrant generation would feel thru our hearts. T
hank you for printing it. Doorood bar all of you.
Eliot Salehi
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* Origins of Persian fur
Making fun of hairy Iranians is a shameful activity ["Persian
worrior"] ["Hairy
Iranians not funny"]. Don't you understand? Don't you know how
much money we spend on Nair, razors and cream, laser operations and other
hair removal methods? Don't you know our history of hair? ...
I really don't know who my true Persian jaddo-aabaad were (like some
1,400 years ago) and how hairy they were. But I am fairly certain that
somewhere along the line some sheikh inserted his genes into my lineage
and thus gave me the beautiful 100% Persian fur coa >>>
FULL TEXT
Asghar Pashmak
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Wednesday
December 20, 2000
* Soaal-e saadeh
Yek soaal-e besyaar saadeh az Nariman
Neyshapouri: Aayaa ishaan midoonand keh saakenaan-e sarzamin-e Iran
az bish az 30 ghom va nejaad-e motefaavet tashkil shodeh?Dar in soorat
manzoor ishoon az "Iranian racial characteristics" chist? Besyaar
jaaleb ast keh ishoon khodeshoon raa "racist" nemishenaasand!
Zartosht, az Italia
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* Best disinfectant: Free debate
I applaud Mr. Javid's courage and respect for free and open debates
["Drawing
the line"]. The right to be heard only matters when it is granted
to those with whom we disagree. Perhaps the most unpopular ideas deserve
the most lattitude in being aired.
Race relations is an explosively tough issue. To tackle it , it takes
a lot of intestinal fortitude. But not to address it is arrogant and in
many ways oppressive. My experience is that the best disinfectant against
bad ideas is to allow them to be debated -- freely.
Tony F. Soltani
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* A lot of hypocracy
I know you will ot print this but I just have to get it out of my chest.
With all due respect for you, I think you are exercising some hypocrisy.
As a person who admires you for a lot of good work to provide a forum for
Iranian-Amricans I am compelled by my conscience to offer you some constructive
criticism. I do my part even though you have often choosen not to print
what I sent you because you personally don't agree with me >>>
FULL TEXT
Ali A. Parsa, Ph. D.
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* Censorship, just like in Iran
Dear Nariman,
Your
point of view of there being absolute censorship by the iranian.com
is validated and true. I am usually one who accepts all different opinions
and as a law student am most definitely used to two, three, or four sides
of an issue. It really disturbs me that there are indeed people who call
themselves "progressive liberals" yet who reject freedom of ideas
and expressions WHEN THOSE IDEAS CONTRADICT THEIR VIEW POINTS. I know now
that there is nothing redeeming in the iranian.com, and am saddened by
this fact, because just like the censorship laws during the pre and post-revolutionary
Iran, this gentelman has brought this archaic notion to something like
this >>>
FULL TEXT
Cyrus Raafat
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Tuesday
December 19, 2000
* THE most racist people
RACISM IS WRONG. Plain and simple. It's old news. We Iranians are THE
most racist people on the planet. Please don't deny it ["Everyone has
some prejudice"].
We even put each other down when we want to join families. As if the
other family is below us. This has always been the case.
As a kid born and raised in Abadan until Saddam decided to bomb us,
I hated Arabs, specially Iraqis. But when I went to Shiraz and witnessed
what our own people are doing to the Abadani families that fled to Shiraz,
I was shocked.
There is too much hatred among ourselves. I am not even Muslim, but
if you are, go read the Koran, it says all humans are equal.
Bardia Bakhshandeh
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* Showing a new reality
In response to the judgments made about publishing a picture from Maryam
and Daryl on Iranian.com ["Drawing
the line"], and its follow up articles, I just wish to point out
that we need to separate the two.
Publishing a picture of these two beautiful people, was an act of marvelous
journalism. It was a silent way of shaking up people and making them see
a new reality.
In my opinion, the follow up articles should not be seen as having anything
to do with Maryam and Daryl. They reveal the prejudice of its authors and
the problem of racism among some Iranians.
Having separated the two, I think the editor of Iranian.com has done
the right thing to publish racist points of views as well as those opposing
them. This type of open journalism is what attracts many people to iranian.com.
My only hope is that people are courageous enough to reveal their identities
when they write a letter. A coward does not deserve to get publicity for
his points of view.
Poopak Ta'ati
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* Get over it
It was sad to read your editorial ["And
the winner is..."]. Clearly, it is a partisan view of the recent
U.S. election. I do not want to discuss any partisan politics here.
Instead, I am writing this note to remind the writer about the fact
that there is no absolute election. In fact, this issue has been studied
extensively in statistics and many mathematicians have spent a lot of time
developing algorithms to better understand the dynamics of elections.
Like any "noisy signal" the entire sample must be manipulated
and not a very specific part of it. The Supreme Court ruling simply affirmed
this mathematical fact.
So, get over it.
Omeed Alaverdi
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* Hairy Iranians not funny
You actually published this article by Siamack Baniameri ["Persian
worrior"]? If this is supposed to funny, let me tell you it is
not! If this is serious, well then there is much more to worry about than
this article being published.
Not only does this article make fun of a great empire, but it puts down
every hairy Iranian and Iranians in general. I could get into the specifics
of the article to point them out, but I do not know where to start!
Please do one thing, DO NOT PUBLISH ARTICLES LIKE THIS. This article
was not humorous, if that was the intent. And I hope it was not real!
Thanks for listening to a concerned reader, regarding the content of
this page.
Saied Delagah
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Monday
December 18, 2000
* Example for all
You are a beautiful couple ["Maryam
& Daryl"]. Let no one ever interfer in your lives and may
you have a wonderful life together. If only more people were like you and
open-minded about the unity of mankind, there would be a lot less violence
in the world. May you be an example for all of us.
Congradulations.
Parisa Sarraf
