Letters
Jan 25-29, 1999 / Bahman 5-9, 1377
Today
* Alphabet:
- Patent non-issue
Previous
* Conspiracy:
- Foreign interference no myth
* Economy:
- Shared oil
* Googoosh:
- Key az roo miri?
* Rostam & Sohrab:
- Only an accident
* Mojahedin:
- Mixed message
email us
Friday,
January 29, 1999
* Patent non-issue
Babak writes: While I appreciated the spirited
defense of the Arabo-Persian script by the author ["No thanks"], I wonder who on earth brought the subject up
in the first place. I see some of these Iranians living in the West pondering
such questions, and think how ridiculous and pathetic they are. They are
in no position to make the decision, one way or the other.
Furthermore, it is only the residue of the Pahlavi
regime that escaped to the West that have this distaste for their own Middle
Eastern background (have any of them actually looked at themselves in the
mirror, saw that they had big noses and dark curly hair and screamed, realizing
they were far from European or Aryan??). Changing the script is a patently
non-issue.
While I appreciated the spirited defense of the
Arabo-Persian script by the author ["No
thanks"], I wonder who on earth brought
the subject up in the first place. I see some of these Iranians living
in the West pondering such questions, and think how ridiculous and pathetic
they are. They are in no position to make the decision, one way or the
other.
Furthermore, it is only the residue of the Pahlavi
regime that escaped to the West that have this distaste for their own Middle
Eastern background (have any of them actually looked at themselves in the
mirror, saw that they had big noses and dark curly hair and screamed, realizing
they were far from European or Aryan??). Changing the script is a patently
non-issue.
Babak
University of California, Los Angeles
Go to top
Thursday
January 28, 1999
* Foreign interference no myth
While I must admit that conspiracy theories is prevalent in popular
Iranian culture, I was surprised that Guive Mirfendereski in "The
blame game" cited the American-organized coup against Mossadegh
as one such example.
Putting aside the issue of whether Mossadegh's goverment would have
survived with or without the coup, it is well recorded by both American
and British archives that the events leading to the overthrow of Mossadegh
were directly orchestrated by the American Embassy with the aid of unscrupulous
Iranians who were paid handsomely.
I knew the Iranian who was the head chef in the U.S. Embassy in those
days. He said that the night before the anti-Mossadegh demonstrations began,
there were stacks of rials piled chest high in the basement for use the
following day.
Although it is a sad testament to us that we can be manipulted so easily
- there can be no doubt that foreign powers (chiefly Americans, British
and Russians) have succeeded on more than one occasion in direct interference
in Iran's internal affairs.
Maijd Abedi
abedi@vengen.com
Go to top
Wednesday
January 27, 1999
* Shared oil
Mr. Mirfendereski as usual is great in choosing the right topic in the
right time ["Pretend
we have no oil"]. I agreed with most of his article except for
the part when he wrote: "A barrel of oil left in the ground is one
saved for future."
I am not sure but many of Iran's oil reseves in south and the Caspian
Sea are shared by other countries as well. It is a good possibility we
lose all our oil even if we stop production in many locations. I hope I
am wrong! Would some petrolium engineer comment in this regard?
Thank you Mr. Mirfendereski for your contribution.
G.H. Massiha
massiha@usl.edu
Go to top
* Key az roo miri?
[Letter
to Googoosh:]
Salaam. Raasti khejaalat nemikeshi? Key az roo miri?
Ansaar Hezbollaah
Eslami_M@hotmail.com
Go to top
Tuesday
January 26, 1999
* Only an accident
I like to make a comment about Jerome Clinton's following comment about
Rostam
and Sohrab:
"However appealing a young man Sohrab is, this decision makes him
an enemy of the shah. And being anenemy of the shah makes him an enemy
both of Iran and of God. As modern readers we are inclined to see Sohrab's
desire to overthrow Afrasiyab and Kay Kavus and replace them with the far
worthier figure of Rostam as commendable, as a proto-modern anticipation
of rule by merit rather than inheritance. But the Shahnameh is the
Book of Kings. It has as its the fundamental belief that, for good or ill,
Iran will endure for so long as it is ruled by a line of divinely appointed
shahs."
I may be wrong, but Mr. Clinton seems to be portraying Rostam as one
who would have slain his own son, to punish Sohrab for his military undertaking
against the Shah. He fails to make it clear that Rostam was devastated
by the accidental murder. I have read the original poem, not Mr. Clinton's
book, and I got the impression that Rostam would have nurtured and helped
his own son, had he known who he was.
Sohrab's mother, had appointed an entrusted brave warrior to pass on
the message to Rostam, and avoid a father-son confrontation. That warrior
was also accidentally killed by Rostam, when Rostam was spying on Sohrab's
camp. The tragedy is that neither the son or the father wanted this ending,
and only a very unfortunate and complicated sequence of events led to a
"patricide."
In short, I do not think Ferdowsi had an underlying message, arguing
or justifying the preservation of royalty. He was simply reciting a grand
tragedy with epical proportions.
Babak Honaryar
babak_honaryar@hp.com
Go to top
Monday
January 25, 1999
* Mixed message
I myself am an advocate of freedom of speech and
expression, but I was shocked to see that you have linked to the Mojahedin radio station.
I persume, "The Iranian Times" just
like any other reliable news source tries to go through all efforts to
remove biases or propoganda. You may be well aware that the United States
recognizes the Mojahedin Khalq as a terrorist organization and by linking
to their radio station may, for some, give a mixed message that "The
Iranian Times" supports terrorism.
I am guessing that "The Iranian Times"
does not support the MKO and simply linked to their site because the site
was Iranian and on the internet, but I think in this case it would have
been wise for you to at least write a short disclaimer directly above the
link in the email. This would make clear the position of "The Iranian
Times."
I appreciate your time. Keep up the good work.
Ashkan Yekrangi
Webmaster CyberIran
cyberiran@home.net
Go to top
