Letters
February 14-18, 2000 / Bahman 23-27, 1378
Today
* Diaspora:
- Things have changed
- Redirect energy
* Abadan:
- Hotel
Previous
* Language:
- Khayli ham modeh
* Wine:
- Saheb ekhtiyar
* Photography:
- Dynamic woman
* Nostalgia:
- Saw it in Cinema Asia
* The Iranian:
- Big, big, big award
- Encouraged in ghorbat
- Best of iranian.com
- Modifying compound words
* Identity:
- Iranian outside Iran
* Women:
- Is that freedom?!
* Laleh Khalili:
- All my emotions
* Egypt:
- Little support for revolution in
Cairo
email us
Friday,
February 18, 2000
* Things have changed
My principal Khanoom Momen iat Dr. Valyollah Nasr High School ordered
me in her office and asked me to take part in the Zan-e Rooz competition
for Ms. Intelligence (Dokhtar-e hoosh va daanaaee) competition...
I took part in the match and won third place. It was not bad: I won
a motorbike and a sewing machine. A good woman must know how to ride a
motorbike and sew clothes for her kids and husband (ha ha!, it was the
70t's - old style feminism).
One year later, I took the university entrance exam and was in the university
(National University of Iran). Some months later, the revolution came along
and the universities were closed. I left Iran for Austri.a. I finished
my studies, got a good job, married an understanding sensible husband and
we have a sweet four-year-old daughter.
Last summer as I was in Iran, I went to Shahanshahi Park and visited
two of my friends from high school. It was not the park of my childhood
and I had nothing to talk about with my friends. Things have changed; we
have changed.
One of my friends told me: you were not here in the past twenty years
and "you can not understand what it was like during the war and all
the other things" >>>
FULL TEXT
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* Redirect energy
The unfulfilled expectations of the revolution, heartbreaks due to the
continued injustice in Iran, and succumbing to the daily pressure of the
Western mass media are taking their tolls, again. It's the season for bashing
anything Iran-related!
Have you changed a lot and want to pursue other venues in personal growth?
cool! Not wanting to assist Iran, when she most needs it, isn't dishonorable.
But, please spare the rest of us with over-intellectualizing the virtuosity
of "rootlessness," "degar-disi," and the like.
Comfortable in the West and admiring many of its contributions to the
civilization, I still loooooooove Iran, despite her imperfections. My heart
doesn't belong to her ONLY when all's well!
Redirect a bit of your energy from developing cute sarcasms about the
cultural pit falls toward care and action benefiting Iran and good things,
beyond literary tributes, will ensue.
K Khadivi
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* Abadan Hotel
I found that picture of the Abadan Hotel most interesting ["Abadan
1999"]. I was wondering if there are any other pictures of the
hotel on the Internet. I was working there in 1966-67 and we stayed in
the buildings directly behind the hotel. All our meals were in the hotel.
Ron Styles
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Thursday
February 17, 2000
* Khayli ham modeh
Reading the articles in Iranian papers, one can not miss the fact that
using verses from Quran, or other Arabic phrases without its translation,
has become very fashionable. Using Arabic words even though the Persian
versions of them exist, is an indication of one's knowledge of the religion
and consequently is a score for the author. The tune of writings very much
resembles molla-speech on the manbar.
Also Iranians who live abroad, like yours truly, are hard at work to
forget even the colloquial day to day Persian, never mind the proper version
of it. In my last visit to Iran, I had a discussion with one of the university
professors. During our discussion, I apologized for using too many English
terms in our Persian conversation. And the person's respond was "
Negaraan nabaash, khayli ham mode-h" >>>
FULL TEXT
Davood
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* Saheb ekhtiyar
This is a reply to the
gentleman who said that in my article ["High
spirits"] I was confusing Iranians with Indians for using the
word "sahib" which is really "saheb" like "saheb
ekhtiyar" or "sahebkhaneh", etc. That was how the story
was quoted by Dr Wills who had spent a few years in India. Mu apologies
for any misunderstandings.
Cyrus Kadivar
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* Dynamic woman
Thanks for information about Bahieh Khamsi's photographs of Equator
["Red
orange black blue"]. I had a short stop in the Washington DC area,
and had a chance to view her photographs and the team of her work. What
a dynamic young Iranian women.
There is a lots of hope for all of us with these future mothers. I was
proud and exited to see a young Iranian dedicating one year of her life
doing humanitarian work in Ecuador.
Thanks Bahieh. Keep up the great work.
Hormoz Hormozi
Illinois
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Wednesday
February 16, 2000
* Saw it in Cinema Asia
Yes. Of course! "Mashine-Mashti
Mamdal" was made in 1974 directed by Agha Reza Fazeli With: Reza
Fazeli, Mansour Sepehrnia, Noush Afarin, and Mastaneh Jazayeri.
I saw this film in Cinema Asia in Tehran. We were laughing because it
had been made to be the Iranian-Version of A Crazy, Crazy, Crazy, World
(The classic American comedy, made in the early 60's)! Of course, honar
nazd Iranian ast o bas !
Reza Fazeli had a very adventurous life, moved abroad many times, played
in co-productions in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Pakistan ("Mamor e 008
dar Karachi !) made a lot of bad film and played in a very good film directed
by Kimiaie alonge with Saeed Rad, called "Safar Sang". Married
few times, among them with Nancy Kovac, American beauty of early60's. Later
he immigrated to the UK, was seen in a video with Manouchehr Vosough and
Sarkoub.Who can tell me about his whereabout today ? Will pay Yugouslavian
Dinars in cash!
Noush Afarin Khanoum is very active in California. Sepehrnia is seen
in supermarkets in Westwood ! Any more information?
Soroush Motahari
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* Big, big, big award
I just want to tell you that you need a big big big award for the work
that you are doing [on The Iranian]. I am proud of you. Future will show
what an amazing job you are doing. I am very impressed.
Hamid Rahmanian
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* Encouraged in ghorbat
I am very happy because I have seen your excellent network of Iranians
living abroad. When I read The Iranian magazine or see an Iranian
site I feel encouraged in "ghorbat". I hope you work better and
better and Iran & Iranaians will have a dialogue with the people of
the world.
Alireza Tavakoli
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Tuesday
February 15, 2000
* Iranian outside Iran
In response to Mr. Vaezi letter, "We
are American":
let me start by saying that you are certainly entitled to your views,
and you have the right to raise your children anyway you see fit. You may
have arrived in this country as a teenager or adult twenty- two years ago.
I, however, was born on American soil twenty-two years ago. I never
lived in Iran, and I have not visited in almost ten years. Nevertheless,
like Maryam Hosseini ["American?
Yeah right"], if someone on the street were to ask me where I
was from, I would proudly say Iran. While having grown up in this country
may have given me a certain viewpoint, I do not consider myself an "Iranian-American."
I am an Iranian living outside my homeland >>>
FULL TEXT
Saba Ghadrboland
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* Is that freedom?!
In the name of God.
I think we, Iranian women, have greater problems than our "cover".
I hear everywhere, most of the time, that Iranian women are forced to "cover"
themselves. This if far from the fact. Our real problem is lack of knowledge
and awareness among majority of women.
Can we say that women in improved countries have less problems because
they show their bodies freely? Is that freedom?! Is that progress?! Definitely
not. Our women have no "complex" for showing their bodies. I
hope we can stay in our real path towards the humanity, social justice
and revolution.
Sahar
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* All my emotions
Wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your article [Laleh Khalili's
"Absence"].
You summarized all my emotions and sentiment. Wish you all the very best
in your life. I hope you will keep writing these articles and keep us entertained.
Afsoon Poozeshi
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Monday
February 14, 2000
* Little support for revolution in Cairo
DOKHI FASSIHIAN'S INTERESTING ARTICLE ON CAIRO MADE ME REALISE HOW EVERY
EXPERIENCE IS DIFFERENT ["Imbaba"].
WHILST I AGREE THAT CAIRO'S POVERTY IS LAMENTABLE AND THE DIFFERENCES OF
WEALTH STAGGERING I IN NO WAY FOUND IT COMPARABLE TO TEHRAN OF THE 1970S.
FIRST OF ALL THERE ARE 1-2 MILLION PEOPLE OF CAIRO LIVING IN THE CITY'S
OLD CEMETERY WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE IN TEHRAN. SECONDLY TEHRAN WAS A MORE
MODERN ALBEIT CHAOTIC METROPOLIS WITH A WEALTHIER MIDDLE CLASS AND I DON'T
RECALL SEEING PEOPLE COLLECTING TRASH WITH THEIR HANDS NOR WAS IT AS DIRTY
>>>
FULL TEXT
Cyrus Kadivar
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* Best of iranian.com
If you ever decide to compile a "best of iranian.com" collection
and publish it under a title like, "essays from the revolution's children,"
you will have to include Ms. Kalaam's piece ["For
getting without forgetting"].
Ramin Abhari
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* Modifying compound words
This is just a reminder. Modifying compound words that come after the
noun are not supposed to be hyphenated. Thus, in the clause " CNN's
Christian Amanpour, who is half--Iranian," the modifying words should
not be hyphenated since they come after the noun Amanpour (half Iranian
would be accurate).
Of course you could say "the half--Iranian Amanpour," and
the hyphen could be justified. Second, apositives (words that explain or
clarify other words) need to be set off by commas. Thus, in the clause
"and her husband State Department James Rubin were at the Iran--USA
soccer match," you need two commas to avoid confusion--one after husband
and another after Rubin.
I sincerely hope that you won't find these assertions bold or irrelevant,
and I'd like to commend the kind of work that you do -- despite the fact
that you did not publish my article.
Mahyar
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