Letters
Nov 9-13, 1998 / Aban 18-22, 1377
Today
* Iran Air: Aviation
history
* Expats: Blind patriotism
Previous
* Persian: What the heck
is a "Rahbar"?
* Music: Guy de-you-know-who
* Music: Deep Dish
* Sufis: Great frauds
* Ta'rof: It's a virus
* Minorities: Not an Iranian
problem
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Friday,
Nov 13, 1998
* Aviation history
Very interesed to read your aviation history ["Balloons
to Boeings"], especially the earliest years. The early aircraft
you describe were probably Dominie (not Domino). These were twin-engined
aeroplanes made in England by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. We still
have two of these aeroplanes flying in New Zealand as museum pieces.
Peter Lewis
p.lewis-m.caisley@xtra.co.nz
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* Blind patriotism
I think Mr. Khalili ["Farewell
cherry tree"] has brought up an interesting point in Iranian
history, the Iran-Iraq war. Also, through his story and the response from
"Aroosie
Khooban," we now have hit an important point.
My opinion on Iran-Iraq war was that it was one of the most unpatriotic
wars ever, if there is ever such a thing as a patriotic war. I personally
object to wars and don't think I have the capability of grabbing a gun
and shooting down people who have suddenly become my enemies. Every person
killed at every front, is a humanbeing with loved ones and dependents.
Every person killed is a tragedy which we tend to glorify with words
such as martyrdom and dying for one's nation.
What made the Iran-Iraq war worse, were the two governments behind them.
This war benefited no one but the two governments eventually. This war
was a war between the Sardare Qadesieh and spreader of Islamic Revolution
and as such, people should not have wasted their lives for two dictators.
The story that Mr. Khalili described only goes on to show the magnitude
of the tragedy, the IRI has called, "sacred defense." Not only
we lost thousands of our youngsters to a meaningless war, but we also
lost thousands of others, who did not want to be part of this show, to
foreign lands.
As a last note, I would like to differentiate between the words patriotism
and blind patriotism. They are much like love and blind love. You can
build a relationship around love but not blind love. Same goes with countries.
If those people, who ran over minefields so Khomeini could attain his
dream of Karbala, would stand back and question the logic of going to
Karbala and Qods, then maybe our nation would not be in the deep economic
crisis that it is today.
Jafar Dehghan
jafar_d@hotmail.com
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Thursday
Nov 12, 1998
* What the heck is a "Rahbar"?
Many of you may have already received the first "Iran
Report" from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty by A. William Samii
in Prague at samiia@rferl.org. However
what I cannot understand is why they insist in using Persian words, while
they are reporting in English. If it is aimed at an Iranian audience, then
why not write in Persian using the English alphabet? And if it is aimed
for all, then why use words such as "Rahbar"? ... none of my
foreign friends understood who the hell was a Rahbar...
Part of the report reads: " The president and the Rahbar..."
Of course, we can all understand the president. But none of my foreign
friends understood who the hell was a Rahbar. Obviously "rabhbar"
is a leader in English, and if the correct term was used, the capital R
was not required making it look like part of the name. The same goes for
their Farsi service. I wonder if they have a Francaise and Espanole service
as well. Maybe this would be a good way of turning English into Persian.
As the slogan goes in Iran "Farsi ra paas bedaarim", maybe someone
needs to say: " Englishi ra ham paas bedaarim, too"... :-)
A.P.
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* Guy de-you-know-who
Regarding Guive Mirfendereski's "Giving
Batul a chance":
Guy de-somebody? It's Guy de Maupassant, who wrote "The Necklace"!!
Figaretti@aol.com
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Wednesday
Nov 11, 1998
* Deep Dish
Did you know that one of two of the biggest producers of electronic
music are Iranian? The Maryland-based "Deep Dish" is the creation
of Ali Shiraznia and Shahram Tayebi. Together they have been producing
their own brand of house music (dark, at times trancey) for over five years,
and have quickly grown to become the most sought-after producers in the
world, cutting up remixes for the likes of "Everything But the Girl"
and Janet Jackson. As DJs they circle the globe and are literally worshipped
like heroes in the UK, by far their biggest fan base, and by now their
home away from home.
This past week they played here in New York for the CMJ music festival,
and by Sunday they could be heard in the UK at the Notting Hill Festival.
Their latest release, on Deconstruction/UK, is called "Junk Science,"
and incorporates many Persian elements, denoting Ali and Shahram's special
attachment to Iran (unusual for expats who have been living Stateside ince
they were young and could have become completely americanized and ignorant
of their origin, like so many). One of the cuts from the album is called
"Persepolis," and ends with an entrancing playing of the tar
by a Iranian artist.
Ali Naderzad
ali@dewline.com
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Tuesday
November 10, 1998
* Sufis were great frauds
The discussion is anecdotal rather than philosophical [Iranica article:
"Refusing
to bow to Adam"]. The material is tendentious; its goal is to
show that evil exists within God; the Sufis who are cited are merely dualist
Manicheans disguised as Muslims; they are no more profound than Jehovah's
Witnesses.
The premise is actually rather simple minded; it intrigues because it
entails a fatal contradiction of good and evil within the Principle, a
contradiction which cannot be resolved. It can however, be avoided altogether.
One doesn't have to take the bait.
The correct answer to the problem is actually much more mystical and
it is the philosophically and logically correct doctrine that evil is an
absence of good, or an absence of reality. If evil had a positive existence
its essence would be absolute contradiction. Fortunately for us it doesn't.
It also means that the great Sufis were great frauds and/or great con-men.
something which is corroborated by our everyday experience today.
Dostoevsky fascinates until one realizes that his writing is merely
a game, a soap opera, which consists of mixing opposites into one impossibility.
Try to resolve the idea of Stavrogin, the mixture of Cross of Salvation
and horned devil into one apparent unity and you have a deep, deep mystery;
dismiss it as fantasy and you are free.
glasse@banet.net
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Monday
Nov 9, 1998
* Tarof is a virus
I really enjoyed the article "War,
Iranian style." I don't agree with Reebaha.
Tarof goes on all over Iran.
My family is from Azarbaijan and I was raised in Tehran (I don't know
if I would be considered bacheh Tehroon or not!) and my husband's
family is from Shiraz . I have not seen much difference regarding tarof.
This is an epidemic; it's a virus that has spread all over.
I think Mr. Taghavi should have mentioned the "eating war"
and the struggle to avoid eating a pastry or something that is not good
for you or something that you simply don't want to eat. He could have also
mentioned the "Khoda hafezi war" which is just as important and
takes long enough to be able to make quite a few moves on the enemy.
Simin Habibian
shabib@erols.com
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* Minorities: Not an Iranian problem
The fact is, in Iran, we have never had the problem of race prior to
this. In your article ["Forgiving
Salm and Tur"], you point to Persian Iranians several times, and
then talk about "Indo-Europeans" and what they are. Well, do
you know, or do you not know what they are? How excatly do you define this
unusual being called a Persian Iranian? Is he a fictional being or is he
real? You refer to "ethnic minorities" of Iran, Kurds, Baluchs,
Turks, Qashqayis. Have you ever studied them? How are they ethnic minorities?
Do they have different physical characteristics? Or is their blood of a
different color than your given Persian Iranian?... FULL
TEXT
Khodadad Rezakhani
khodadad21@yahoo.com
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