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Sill in denial
I guess times have really changed since I last heard from Iran!

By Reza Razavi
April 9, 2002
The Iranian

Many of us have not been to Iran in years and yet many others get to go there for vacation on a yearly basis. We all hear things from afar about how grave our motherland's economic conditions are and how the civil rights of our people are abused on a daily basis.

We may not have any proof of any of these civil rights abuses, yet we know that young Iranian men for some ODD reason can not go back to visit their birth country as freely as they should be able to. They can not go back and stay longer than three months.

And when young people do go back, their parents often whisper sweet little admonition into their ears about how they should keep their mouths shut and just go along with the family plans and parties.

And naturally when these young folk return from their adventurous journey, most of the time we hear about nothing but parties, orgies, drinking, lots and lots of drugs, young teenage girls who are itching to be spread-eagled by young Iranian-American males who happen to embark upon such a journey.

We hear about family parties, and girls met at these family parties who perform sexual acts for these fine young, American college-educated eligible bachelors in bathrooms, while their parents drink tea and tell jokes downstairs.

Or how so many different marriage prospects were introduced to them while each prospects sexual abilities were cordially tested by the fine stallion from the West; girls upon herb-smoking, screwdriver-drinking girls. And finally, "Aagha hatman boro taa aroosi nakardi haa, jooneto kheili haal daareh, faghat koss-baaziyeh." Alright!

Just makes me wonder if any of these clowns have ever heard about Ahmad Batebi, the Mohammadi brothers, Dariush Forouhar, or Akbar Ganji? Did they ever stop to think that while they're contributing their "bit" to the Iranian community, that some poor teenager's getting a can of whoop-ass opened on him by IRI agents for having illegal music videos in his apartment?

Do they give a flyin' American cockroach about how weak and insecure their nation has become under the leadership of the uneducated? Does it matter to them that while their reveling in their sexcapades with the local chics, a guy who actually likes one of those girls has to sit there and suck it up because he's not an American national and has to bust his ass workin' some bullshit job, even though he may be more educated than any KLM-flyin' yuppy? APPARENTLY NOT!

So, what are the results of all of this hedonism? A bunch of these wonderful and entertaining stories told to the rest of the community by a number of ignorant clubbers who happen to have saved up enough cash to go back home to finally do what they have been trying to do here all along; GET LAYED. And then what do we hear from the delightfully enlightened Iranian community members?

"Na baba, Iroon avaz shodeh, digeh meseh oon mogheha aziat nemikonan mardomo."; "Aslan aaghaa boro, go have your fun, fuck all this politic bull shet."; "It's really not as bad as everybody says, these Americans exaggerate for their own advantage."; "Hamash kaareh mojaahedineh in harfaa, migan keh iraano zaeef konan"; "I've never had such a good time before in my life, aaghaa dis is the best vacation you ever take, do yourself dis VAN faver."; "Eversince Khatami came to power, ozaa KHEILI behtar shodeh."; and last but definitely NOT the least: "Mardomeh oonjaa khodeshoon vazeshoono DOOST daaran."

OH REALLY?

Well, I guess times have really changed since I last heard from Iran. Ahmad Batebi's probably already released from prison and pardoned for his crime against "national security". Yeah, folks, our national security is dependant upon the picture of a guy on the cover of a magazine holding up a bloody shirt.

Akbar Ganji isn't really being kicked in the ass anymore for speaking up against the civil injustices being committed against the public. More than 30 newspapers have been shut down because people know what's best for them and they like it that way. Yes, the people of Iran love being oppressed and having their daughters and sisters clubbed down randomly after dark by agents of the notorious Ansareh Hezbullah for wearing high heels.

Yes and the stoning videos? Oh, I forgot! They're all a plot by the Mojahedin to overthrow the regime. Yes, and they actually had to stone a couple of their own volunteers to make that video tape. What a goddamn shame.

And what of the tortures and recantations that boys and girls as young as 15 are subjected to? Not ture? Then I guess Manouchehr Mohammadi realized how great the regime is -- after contemplating for a few months in prison while he was fed chocolate-covered strawberries and went on TV to "recant" and tell the people of Iran how he had betrayed them and how great he was treated while under the "care" of the valieh faghih. Yes, and 14 teenagers were lashed in public for not doing their homework on time, I suppose.

But it's all okay, because ever since Khatami was elected, apparently some tremendously positive reforms have taken place with regard to human rights, that we Iranians in the West have unfortunately not had the opportunity to witness.

Oh absolutely! Some of the most positive changes have been the closing down of 33 newspapers, and the arrest of a good portion of the student population in our country. Oh yeah, women can now wear bikinis in the shower, kids get to watch an extra cartoon on Friday mornings, and teenagers are finally allowed to purchase locally recorded and monitored cassettes and CDs. What a bunch of bullshit.

Well, the IRI has done a great job at fooling the Club X generation. However, I believe it's about time to pay attention to those intricate details, which most of us out here in the West are not privileged to witness. Maybe it would be a bit more productive to look after the stories of innocents serving bogus sentences and teenagers yanked off from school without parental consent to some detention center and labeled as Mojahed and such.

Maybe it's time we payed attention to why our country's military is so weak and our soldiers so goddamn unenthusiastic. Could it possibly be that they are forced to serve with absolutely no incentive but to be left alone by the government after their military duties are done? And exactly why is it that you can't even make it to college unless you possess such thorough knowledge of Islam?

And alas, a word about the ever-lovely IRI sympathizers who sincerely reside within the bounds of the "Great Satan" and pay tax in American dollars to a state that their people have basically condemned as the root of all evil. So many wonderful things they have to say about the Islamic Republic and what awesome feats they have accomplished for Iran. So much do we hear about how great the education system is and how incredibly our economy has improved since the days of the Shah.

Well, how 'bout they pack their stuff and LEAVE the "Great Satan" and allow their kids to receive better education IN Iran as opposed to being fed Western knoweldge? And how come they have to stay here and not help THEIR system strengthen against such dissidents as Ahmad Batebi and Mouchehr Mohammadi? What, are they part of some IRI propaganda to promote itself to the west? The hypocrisy is EVERMORE amusing with these folks.

Moreover, our country is never going to be revived as long as our people are still in denial. Our people back home will never experience the civil rights that we have at our disposal until we begin to open our eyes and ears to the darkness and not just the pleasures that our country can offer.

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