Wednesday, September 9, 1998 / Shahrivar 18, 1377, No. 559

Khayyam Fiction Open Air By Jasmine Darznik With time, he starts spending the night--just a few days of the week at first, but eventually most all nights. You are enraptured by the novelty and strangeness of the situation and find yourself more than a little thrilled by your own daring. With him you will shed your shy self and learn to laugh with the same youthful abandon as the American girls who surround you. Or so you believe. You follow him everywhere. You make no other friends. You mistake the anticipation of love for love itself. Your double-life begins. You call your father every Saturday morning after your boyfriend leaves to go for a run. Sometimes, though, he will sleep in and you'll have to stretch the telephone chord all the way to the bathroom, lock the door, run the water full blast, and call home from there. "Yes, everything's fine. . .I'm fine. . ." Your father says, "You must not shame me, Leily. You are not like the American girls. I did not raise you that way." You keep the phone calls a secret from your boyfriend, and you keep your boyfriend a secret from your father. After these furtive exchanges you step under a stream of water so hot it nearly scalds your skin. You wish you could deafen your ears to your father's voice and then, maybe then, strip your body clean of its shame and even the memory of shame... go to feature Anyway Saideh Pakravan, editor of Chanteh in Virginia recalls: After the 1979 revolution, one of the former senior officials of the Shah had been arrested and put in Evin prison. His son would visit him regularly, but for some reason he wouldn't drive to the prison; he walked. And he always looked immaculate. He usually wore a long coat and carried a cane, very gentlemanly. One day as he was walking up to the prison to visit his father, a car came up to him and stopped. The driver pulled down his window and said: "Excuse me, sir. Could you give me the direction to the Underground (London subway)?" History Revolution: 1979-1999  The day after "Bloody Friday" More Letters * Rape victims' double loss Abbas Soltani writes: One can argue that the woman in [Iraj Mirza's poem] did not scream for help. But one must look at the time this poem is based on. Even in today's Iran, a rape victim is not simply looked at as a victim. The actual rape is looked as an effect and the rape victim as the cause. As a result, a rape victim loses in two ways. First is the fact that she is raped, and second she is punished if the word gets out. * Let's not dismiss his point Babak Nabili writes: I had read [Iraj Mirza's poem] both as a teenager in Iran and as an adult after having lived in the U.S. for 15 years. And I must confess that in both instances "rape" was the last thing I would've thought of... The point he's trying to make is that the girl believed that being "najeeb" is having "chador & roobandeh" on at all times, regardless of her other actions. Iraj Mirza could've made the same point by describing a Haajee that prays five times a day and then "kolah sareh mardom mizareh." But since hejab was a hot topic in those days, his poem would've been more accepted through the hejab topic... FULL TEXT Satire Exaggerated achievements Thanks guys! Beat me up some more! More Community Announcements * Conference: Dialogue of Civilizations?, Tehran * Film: Mehrjui's "Leila," Ohio * Conference: Challenges for Iranians Abroad, Indianapolis" New section Music CDs Persian and general music CD store * Persian Classical Music Hossein Omoumi / Audio CD / Released 1993 * Persian Classical Melodies, Volume 1 Maroufi & Khorram/ Audio CD / Released 1996

More news  Khatami pledges peaceful solution to Afghan crisis TEHRAN, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Wednesday pledged to seek a peaceful solution to a crisis with the Afghan Taleban and said he doubted U.S. sincerity in its expressed concern. ``We cannot remain indifferent towards the lives of our citizens, and particularly our diplomats, who have been attacked and taken hostage in violation of international law,'' the moderate Shi'ite Moslem clergyman said ... FULL TEXT Iran Steps Up Pressure On Taleban Over Diplomats TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) - Iran has stepped up pressure on the Afghan Taleban over the fate of Iranians caught up faction fighting, and the United States warned against military action. The latest in a series of contrasting messages by Iranian leaders warned the purist Islamic movement that rules most of neighboring Afghanistan of unspecified consequences if the missing Iranians were not released ... FULL TEXT Iranians Cheer American Wrestlers TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Some 12,000 Iranian fans cheered American wrestlers taking part in the World Wrestling Championship on Wednesday, despite losses in a tough day for the American team. ... FULL TEXT Samad Behrangi: "Little Black Fish" 30th anniversatry TEHRAN, (Tous) - A tribute to Samad behrangi on the 30th anniversay of the publication of his memorable "Little Black Fish" ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN $ Rate Up five tromans, now offered at up to 615-620 tomans Sehaty Exchange (U.S.) 602-595-0777 Quote Unquote Your only place Alone now, your head is splitting with pain and you yearn to curl into yourself and sleep yourself into oblivion. But instead you rise to walk the length of your carpet. Back and forth, back and forth. Your only place on this earth might be this one tiny room, and this carpet may be the only field you ever let yourself roam. Jasmine Darznik "Open Air" The Irnaian The Web Jokestan Still going strong and growing... tons of laughs. More Web sites Photo of the Day Troops near Afghanistan Music Musician of the Week Haydeh Music artists index Books Book of the Week The Complete Poems of Iraj Mirza From Iranbooks See feature THE IRANIAN Bookstore New! Bestsellers New! Books on Rumi

Staff

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