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November 3, 2001 * Exaggerated allegations To all anti-Pahlavi/Monarchy fraternity, Since the contents of all letters concerning criticism of Reza Pahlavi, more or less, comprise the same repetitive arguments and do not merit individual response, I am presenting this collective response, in a summary form, to some of the recent ones. I begin with Mohammad Sahimi "Dream on". Unfortunately, the mass (simple folk) are always fooled and manipulated by the rhetorics of rogue intellectuals, especially if they happen to have some kind of catchy title (like Doctor, Mohandes, Ayatollah, Hojjatol-eslam...). And that is why we ended up with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Mr. Sahimi is one of those "intellectuals", who thinks that by carrying an academic title of some sort and by emphasizing that he "teaches in many Iranian universities", he will be able to sell his distorted facts and baseless logic to the discerning readers of the Iranian.com or similar media. Reading his piece was like listening to Mesbah-e-Yazdi, Jannati or other mollas addressing the mass of Namaz-e-Jomeh in Tehran. He appears to have gone a long way to, seemingly, prove that every terrorist act and terrorist organization can be traced back to the Pahlavis! I am surprised that he has left some of them out; like the IRA, the Red Brigade or, even, the assassination of Imam Ali! Using Mr. Sahimi's own logic, one can prove that Mohammad Reza Shah is even responsible for the existence of Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaida organization! It is simple (by his analogy): If Mohammad Reza Shah, instead of exiling Khomeini to Najaf in the 1960s, had had him eliminated by his SAVAK, the fundamentalist regime of Islamic Republic of Iran would not have been created and, consequently, Osama Bin Laden would not have been inspired to create his Al-Qaida terrorist organization! One really wonders; if the Shah's regime was so brutal and his SAVAK was so notorious, then why didn't they eliminate Khomeini? The reality is that those are exaggerated allegations, and TERRORISM has always been the trademark of Islamists? Evidence: Ahmad Kasravi, who was burned to death by Islamists; Hasan-Ali Mansour, who was assassinated by Islamists (even, allegedly by Hashemi Rafsanjani himself); or the innocent citizens of Abadan, who were burned to death in Cinema Rex in 1978 (for which SAVAK was blamed, at the time, in order to justify the Revolution, but has now been proven that it was the WORK of ISLAMISTS). Not to mention the murder by the mozdooran-e-Jomhoory-e-Islami of the opponents of the regime both within and without Iran; namely Daryush & Parvaneh Foroohar, Shapour Bakhtyar, Oveisi, Shahryar Shafiq, Boroomand, Farrokhzad, the Kurdish leaders in Germany, and the list is endless. If children were to blame for the mistakes of their parents, all of the more than 30 million youth of Iran, who are now CRYING for FREEDOM, should be blamed for the Revolution of 1979. Reza Pahlavi too was only a teenager at the time - so he should not be held accountable for the deeds of his predecessors. Reza Pahlavi, like any other Iranian, does not want the USA to bomb Iran. So, it is very wrong of likes of Mr. Sahimi to misquote him or misrepresent his statements. He is merely stating the fact about the nature of the Islamic Regime. At this point, I would like to quote Michael Goldfarb of MSNBC who wrote on Saturday 3rd November 2001 "The Iranian Revolution was an event that inspired Muslim radicals, including the Taliban, and the Saudi and Egyptians who make up the core of Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qaida network". The people or the government of the USA are fully aware of the true nature of the IRI. They have not forgotten their Hostages and they are still hearing Marg-bar-Amrica chanted in Iran everyday. And they are not that naive to act upon one person's statement and bomb another country. Please do not insult the intelligence of your audience, you are not addressing Namaz-e-Jom-eh at the reading of "khotbe-ye dovvom! The most repeatedly raised question in the recent letters seems to be "why should Reza Pahlavi lead the campaign against the IRI, for the liberation of Iran"? My response is why not? Who else are you proposing, or who is volunteering? First and formost, Reza Pahlavi is an Iranian and, therefore, is entitled to express his views and do whatever he can (like all of us) to help his country. However, the fact is that he is not an ordinary Iranian. He is who he is, and he is man enough to stand up to the challenges of the unique position and responsibility that the history has thrusted upon him. No matter how much anti-monarchists try to reiterate, the question today is NOT the revival of Pahlavi dynasty. But the establishment of a secular and democratic state in Iran. Reza Pahlavi is a mature, educated, intelligent and capable man, who belongs to the generation of today and is totally committed (at a great risk to himself and his family) to helping Iran and Iranians attain freedom and democracy. He has the name, the historic position, the world recognition and, above all, the courage and conviction to carry this enormous task forward. I know, there are those who are implicitly (or explicitly, in some cases) in support of the so-called reform movement (by Khatami), hoping that democracy may be achieved from within the regime. I believe that if there were tangible evidence from the deeds of Mohammad Khatami and his gang pointing towards such a possibility, even Reza Pahlavi himself would support that movement. But the reality is that it is not going to happen, because Khatami is just another molla who is sworn to uphold and execute the constitution of Velayat-e-Faghih. At this point, for those who call constitutional monarchy a "retrograde", I would remind that they compare the monarchies of Europe to the Republic of the Velayat-e-Faghih, in particular, or some other republics like Iraq, Syria, Cuba..., in general. It is not the form of the state that is essential. The essence is having a secular and progressive constitution and a democratic government to execute it. Finally, it is said that the youth of Iran today are politically aware and they know what they want and how to achieve it. That being so, it is not any one else's place (including likes of Mr. Sahimi) to speak on their behalf. If we believe in democracy, we should all have the right to express our views and opinions as individuals, but not act as the advocate of the entire nation of Iran and make sweeping statements like "the people of Iran do not want monarchy". After all, if the politically aware people of Iran opt for constitutional monarchy in a free (and UN-observed) referendum, that would be their democratic right, wouldn't it? Peace for all, and freedom for Iran. * Tired of baseless accusations Again we see more useless rhetoric from someone that basically puts the monarchists and the "far-right" clerics in the same basket ["Dream on"]. First off, the clerics are anything but "far-right" as that term evokes various shades of nationalism and cultural preservation, while the mullahs are about as anti-national and revisionist as possible. Second, I'm so tired of hearing baseless accusations thrown at Reza Pahlavi for speaking his mind. No, he never called for bombing Iran, and he has yet to claim any role in leadership, in a hypothetical future government. But you wouldn't admit that, simply because you haven't outgrown your "blame the Shah and his son for everything" phase. Iran actually had hopes of becoming a relatively developed nation in the 70's, back when nobody would have thought Taiwan and Korea would do so. But no, all the woes of Iran are the responsibility of the Shah and the ever-present Savak. If "the monarchists in Los Angeles cannot bring out even 2,000-3,000 of their followers" together, why do you even bother to get so worried for their role in the future of Iran? Do you actually think these 3000 or more can just dictate their will to 66 million people? The people will choose whatever they want, once and if a situation allows it. You can't decide for them, nor can any person not residing in Iran at this point. Or maybe you're worried because they challenge the legitimacy of your beloved "reformist movement", who will take another 2000 years to stop putting students and journalists in jail, to stop exporting and imposing fundamentalism and to stop countless acts of savagery against its population? But tell me, you do get to "teach" in universities in Iran and go in and out as you please, so you probably don't even notice the public hangings and crackdowns.. Not only do you try to discredit someone not because of his ideas but because of his supposed intentions, but you offer no alternative solution that Molla Light (AKA Khatami)? Please, leave now for Tehran, 23 years of IR haven't even begun to teach you anything. Lion and Sun * Madder than hell This article ["President Pahlavi"] is quite eloquent (and kisses up Reza Pahlavi royally). It is quite sad to see there are people who still call him "his majesty". Where have you been? Reza Pahlavi is his father's son. The man who may never rest in peace because so many of my wonderful and educated friends disappeared in the middle of the night and perished in Evin under his rein. And this very Reza happened to attend school in 1978 and did you see while our people were being shot to death by his father's troops, he was leaving $700 tips in bars and letting People magazine report it. Dishonoring the memory of so many souls who perished because of the crimes of the Pahlavi family makes me madder than hell. I despise Reza Pahlavi and his entire family. Thanks to them so many of us are suffering. May he suffer along with his family as well (with his billions in Swiss banks of course!). * You deserve a Nobel prize Bravo professor Mohammed Sahimi ["Dream on"] with your brilliant observations such as: "... we can see the direct and indirect role the Shah and his regime played in the rise of hijacking of passenger airlines, and international and state-sponsored terrorism." Now I would like to know what you inhaled or drank to come up with this cock o many stuff? You, sir, single-handedly discovered the roots of international terrorism: former shah of Iran Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, and for that you deserve a Nobel prize! Wow! It is mind boggling that just one person in a backward society like Iran caused the creation of Baader Meinhof terrorist group in Germany by just visiting Berlin in 1967! Then the same person helped the King of Jordan in 1970 to drive the PLO into Lebanon (I guess he must have been bored!) and then he helped the South African government somehow. I guess like all monarchists, he was a racist and hated Negroes! Violence against political opponents did not start with Reza shah nor will it end with the destruction of the Islamic republic (read some history book professor. God forbid IRI looses power and your political Islamic ideology and it's bazaari supporters loose power, then what would people like you do?) Thank you for your thoughts and observations professor. Now I know that the Sept 11 event as well as past and future terrorist incidents are clearly the fault of the Pahlavi regime, and as such I hold Reza Pahlavi single-handedly responsible for it! * Truly enlightening Your article in Iranian.com is truly enlightening ["Dream on"]. You have done a wonderful job in preparing the facts. You are also making a great contribution to Iranians abroad and in Iran as well as those who follow the Iranian affairs. It is very important that individuals such as yourself make the effort and continuously publish a response to those who truly are anti-democratic as was the late Shah. It is essential that humanity and the right of every individual be protected. Hope to read more from you in the future. * Support a third wave As a writer I am mostly influenced by feelings and emotions which can range from the intense to the sublime often caused by the degree of sensitivity I show towards a subject close to my heart. Readers of my stories will equally be moved to praise or criticism me. Both reactions I take as a compliment. To be fair the only time I may respond is if the criticism becomes personal -- fortunately such instances are rare. Such a seemingly tolerant attitude is not always easy for there are times when a deep sense of injustice may erupt inside me like a dormant volcano. This is particularly true when it concerns the past. I was sixteen when the revolution took place. Today I am 39-years-old. For me the events of 1979 are as vivid as a survivor of the Titanic. I can't say I saw the iceberg coming but when we collided I knew we were about to sink. I also seem to be able to recall the time before and after the accident and it isn't so black and white. But like all victims of accidents I tried to make sense of it all. Could the accident have been prevented? Maybe yes, perhaps not. This ambiguous feeling may stem from the belief that the past, in particular the historical events that led to the fall of the monarchy and 23 years of revolutionary turmoil, was caused by many factors and not by some abstract phenomenon >>> FULL TEXT * Reza Pahlavi is the man I would like to remind Mohammad Sahimi ["Dream on"], that MR. REZA PAHLAVI' S CAMPAIGN FOR UNITY STARTED BEFORE THE SEPTEMBER 11th HORRIBLE TERRORIST ATTACK. that has undermined not only the Peace process in the Middle-East but hurt the United States of America not only in human casualties, but morally as never before in its short history. Here in Europe journalists and intellectuals don't hesitate to compare this barbaric act with Pearl Harbor. NOW REZA PAHLAVI AND HIS FOLLOWERS ARE TO BE QUALIFIED AS RACISTS that is in your own words, associated with the far right : "one with the far right in the U.S. which is anti-foreigner, not to mention the fact that it has been preaching that all Muslims not born here should be expelled from the U.S., and that Islam should be outlawed in this hemisphere". Mr. Sahimi article "Dream On" subtly puts out of context the true goals of Reza Pahlavi's campaign which is not uniquely for the ears and the eyes of Iranians in America and that is a REFERENDUM UNDER U.N SUPERVISION IN IRAN to determine the nature of the future DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT OF IRAN, be it Republic or Constitutional Monarchy. IN THIS TROUBLED PERIOD IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND AND IRAN IT IS PROBABLY DIFFICULT TO FIND THE RIGHT WORDS TO ANSWER TO THE ASPIRATIONS OF IRANIANS WORLD WIDE >>> FULL TEXT * Do something positive Again according to The Connecticut Post of Oct. 30, 2001 , Reza Pahlavi in a lecture at Yale University stated that the Iranian regime "harbors a third of 21 most wanted terrorists currently on the FBI list" and "is in pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and is the principal antagonist to Middle East peace process." Dear Reza, Why don't you also join Senator Feinstein's effort to ban Iranian students from entering the United States and become the official spokesperson of Sharon's Israel to ask for bombing and annihilation of Iran? It is a shame to bash one religious government for the sake of another religious regime. Please remember that bad or good, still 99% of Iranians are Moslems, not fundamentalists. And like all other Moslems, they support the rights of Palestinians vs fundamentalist Jews. I am not supporting direct involvement in the Palestinian cause, but please do not repeat Sharon's slogans and be careful not to cross the line by siding too much with him. At these very sensitive times, regardless of our self interests, we have to dispel the false notion that Iranians are terrorists lest siding with Sharon and calling it a terrorist state (at least present Iran). And please do something positive like joining other intellectuals in writing letters of proposals to Iranian regime instead of constantly talking about negative things like repression and lack of human rights and torture etc that reminds us all of your father and your grand father. Please do not make us think that you ERSE KHOD MIBARI-O ZAHMATE MAA MIDAARI. * Frustration Mohammad provided a thorough perspective about the state of socio political environment as it relates to Iran ["Dream on"]. One point to make is that the demonstrations after football games have more to do with people's frustration with the regime, including its current moderate Khatami, than to do with support for monarchy or football. It is good to see that people are expressing their frustrations. Change does not come about without strong action. Along the same lines it is difficult to gain freedom without paying for it. Those who are willing to sacrifice are the real heroes of Iran, and should never ever be blamed for showing their anger at an unjust regime. They will expedite the process, and help the rest of us see a more positive outcome toward democracy. Even if in the short term it means more police action by the regime and more arrest and closing of the voice of intellectuals. Remember police action, and extreme actions are not cheap for the regime, thus eventually the louder, and the more diverse the voice of freedom, the more miserable will the forces of fascists will be. The fascists will yield if the anger and frustration grows. * Same ideas I think my open letter to Reza Pahlavi has caused some [interest in] other publications, although you have not mentioned my letter. On Aug 14, 2001, I sent my open letter, to Prince Reza Pahlavi, to the "The Iranian" magazine, and posted it on Jebhe BB at the same time and can be seen in that BB's archives. You did not acknowledge my letter and did not publish it, but three days ago, you published an article which is in many ways similar to mine. It's author is noted as Mr. Ghafour Mirzaei. I do not know Mr. Mirzaei, but if he has arrived at the same thing, it is a good confirmation of my thoughts:-)) and my pleasure. What is strange is that you did not publish my article, but published his article three months later with similar content. Here is my letter of Aug 14th. And here is their article of Ghafour Mirzaei yesterday: "President Pahlavi" Regards, * Let rationality determine our decisions Reza Azarmi wrote: Your dialectical analysis of democracy in Iran was interesting ["President Pahlavi"]. Can people afford to get out of the Islamic Republic, and fall in the trap of monarchy again? Only history will show. Dear Reza: As a student activist, when I was at University at Buffalo (hereafter UB), I initiated an experiment in democracy. There were then more than 400 Iranian students with various political affiliations -- from monarchists, to nationalist, religio-nationalists, pro-Soviet communists, Marxists, "socialist Isamicists"... We formed a club to be all-inclusive. It was very difficult to hold the club together. For each group and member, "democracy" meant that they and only they had the rights to sociopolitical participation, freedom of speech and assembly,etc. In the first year, the President of the club was a monarchist, the second term, he was a pro-MKO, third year we had a pro-Tudeh party as president, and the fourth year, a pro-IRI, whose efforts led to the dissolution of the club. He told us later, this had been his secret aim when he was running and got elected. But we all learned many lessons. One was that the patriarchal nature of our social and family systems in Iran encourages "dependence", lack of self-confidence and self-reliance, and leads to a deep mass psyche that longs for "rigid order and discipline" leading to feeling comfortable and secure when only under an autocratic and despotic rule. Did the final dissolution of that "democratic" club mean that we, Iranians, are incapable of inspiring to, living in, and adjusting to a democratic system? Iranian expatriates who have lived in Western democracies for the past 20+ years, though have benefited from such system and have adjusted to it, yet have failed to actively participate in it. One indicator is to compare the number, prevalence, and the level of activity/engagement of highly active social organizations established by various other ethnic groups in U.S., such as Arabs (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Arab American Institute,..), Jewish Defense League, American-Israeli Political Action Committee, Polish-American League,., which are actively engaged to promote and protect the interests and rights of their ethnic group with that of Iranians. We have certainly failed to participate in the democratic system of our host countries while we so loudly proclaim our love for democracy and our need for it. Even recent Serbian and Bosnian immigrants have been more quick and active in establishing their own social organizations in the U.S. and carry more political clout, at least in local/state level, than do Iranians. Yet, we must not settle for the arguments proposing that we cannot change ourselves, that we cannot change our communities wherever they may reside, that we cannot change our social and familial systems, and that a tendency toward despotism and autocratic rule is innately inherent in us. If nothing else, the four-year life of that club at UB, showed that during the most volatile period of Iran's history, when emotions ran high and rationality was a rare commodity, we still, even for a short period, were willing to curb our socially-instilled tendencies and sit together through meetings and social activities, debate issues without silencing or excluding anyone, and act based on an majority will accepted by all participants. I often have described Iranians to others, including to some social anthropologist whom I have known and whose field of study is Iran (Drs. Hans & Erika Loeffler), that what the brilliant intelligence of Iranians builds, their passion destroys. I hope that we will be able to change that trend and let rationality determine our decisions and actions rather than our passions. Ghafour Mirzaei * IRI must go I have just come across the piece Naghmeh Sohrabi has kindly bestowed upon us entitled "His royal lowness". My views are known throughout the Iranian community and where it counts. I believe after 23 years of hell for the Iranian people in Iran and thousands of others who had to flee Iran for their own safety and of their families enough is enough. What we all need to look is ways of analyzing the situation before the revolution and now and ask yourselves these: * why did the revolution happen? and I could go on... I have seen the horrors now and I remember how things were. There is no point in blaming and there is definitely no good in living in the past. What will be, will be and what is done is done. The demise of the World Trade Centers has given the opportunity for his HRH to voice his concern and discuss his visions for a new Iran, some would regard him as an opportunist but if we are politically inclined you would agree that any one else under such circumstances would have also taken advantage of the situation. The fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran has to go is a MUST... The reason I guess many Iranians opt for monarchy is probably because as far as they are concerned under HRH there will be more flexibility, more freedom and more choices... whether HRH is the right choice I would hate to comment for even I am not sure that he is the right person for the job. You have President Bush with his father's advisors finishing off what his own father could not while he was the President, do we want the same thing in Iran? End of the day there is no point bad mouthing our fellow Iranians or telling each other I am right and you are wrong, none of us are perfect and there is no one person who is 100% right. If we have learned anything of the last 23 years is that we are all Iranians, we all love Iran and we all want the best for Iran so what is the solution UNITY and by uniting together that would give us the chance to voice our concerns and agree who would best serve our country and the Iranian people rationally and realistically for I believe we should never take the easy way out! * Half-baked socialist drivel I am by nature a republican and not a supporter of Mr 1/4 Pahlavi. However as a fair-minded person one has to give credit where it's due. And Ms Sohrabi's piece ["His royal lowness"] clearly lacks balance or judgment. I wonder where would she personally be if it weren't for the reforms of Pahlavi years. If we had a more traditional Islamic-friendly regime I seriously doubt if she would have received a Harvard education or had the opportunity to aspire to her ideals. By the way the vote for Mr Khatami shows nothing other than the Iranian people using what little means available to them to deliver the biggest protest vote ever, it is not proof of democracy. If her idea of democracy is the limited freedom allowed by the constitution, which this blackest of regimes is trying to trample on, then she needs her head examined. We are only now beginning to get an inkling of the extent of the political crimes in Iran. If justice were to be served then the leaders of IRI should stand trial for genocide. How long do we have to listen to this half-baked socialist drivel of the so-called intelligentsia? And why is it that the so-called intelligentsia has to rubbish everything about our past? Why is there such a lack of equanimity? * Eliminate personal attacks Dear Ms. Sohrabi, ["His royal lowness"] I enjoyed most of your article and I can not agree more with your premises regarding monarchy and return to the past. I wished you would eliminate the personal attacks and challenge the guy on his policies and future plans for Iran. What qualifies him to be the future leader for the country? * Harvard or Howard? I read Ms. Sohrabi's article on the Pahlavis with great interest ["His royal lowness"]. However, I found the article very one-sided as other letters have pointed out. This definitely does not look like an article from a Harvard-educated person. I am still not sure whether the author attended Harvard, or Howard, which would sound like Harvard if pronounced quickly but definitely a school in a different league. * Let's not be stupid In the editorial article titled "Citizen Pahlavi", your intentions and your information are either misplaced, or erroneous. To compare of Iran today with Iran of 1979, and to say that Reza Pahlavi as a king is not either right or good for Iran, is to condemn our people to another 22 years of sick, sadistic bastards that have been running Iran to the ground. Let's not be stupid, like some Harvard folks ["His royal lowness"], and truly admit that had the Shah's regime been allowed to continue, Iran, would be in much better position geopolitically, technologically, and economically. Iran would have been the Japan of the Middle East, and would have surpassed Japan in many ways. Let us admit that much. Over 500,000 people need not have died in war with Iraq. So many drug addicts, and dis-membered soldiers need not have been produced. So many lives need not have to been destroyed, or demolished in such way as to never be able to recover fully. The problem with today's "educated" class is that, you are making the same mistake of 1979. Even though many Iranians within Iran have access to the web, and to satellites, the majority of country remains uneducated, and deprived of true knowledge of what is going on around them. Our supposedly "educated" class outside of Iran, are so pompous and arrogant, as to believe that they still know better. As they say "meymoon harchi zeshtar... , I like to say "Khar harchi tahsil kardeh tar. Bishtar az khar, khar tar." So here is the problem, we sit here in the Western world, surrounded with democracy and idealism (most of which bull-shit, as evident in the fraud of the elections in the USA), and we are trying to bring this kind of government to the people of Iran. Without first educating them, ALL OF THEM. USA is a great country, it is a kind of country that Iran was and can become. It took the U.S. over 200 years, a civil war, and two world wars to get here. What makes you think that it is going to take Iran any less. Keep in mind that Iran has something that everyone wants, OIL. For that, many countries will undermine anyone person or government that may give control to the people of Iran. We made a mistake with the Pahlavi family once before. Yes, of course there are few of them that we could do without. But Reza Pahlavi has a chance, and he is our best chance in 22 years. We have had 22 years to think about what went wrong, or what was wrong. I am certain that there are enough people out there, who will make sure that Iran will not commit the same mistakes again. As for the reasoning that Khamenei's son will come in 20 years ask forgiveness. To compare Reza Pahlavi, or his father, to these murderous bastards, is sign of weak mind and idiotic reasoning. To compare the bloodied hands of Mr. Khamenei, and his cohorts to H.I.M. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, is ludicrous at best. Were people jailed or mistreated during the regime of the Shah, yes. Were all of them innocent, no. What is done, is done. Let us stop point the finger, and like children play the blame game. We are all older and hopefully wiser. Reza Pahlavi is the beacon of hope. He is the only Beacon that is shining, and all he has ever asked was to be given the opportunity to lead Iran in to freedom. Alireza Hojati * Is this true? What's going on in Iran? I have been reading Daneshjoo.org's news and according to them demonstrations and fighting are frequently breaking out. Is this true? If so why aren't you guys covering it? Go to www.daneshjoo.org and go to the news section. I am looking forward to your response. Thanks, * Osama hates YOU too Re: Your article "Opposing John Wayneism" The two students interviewed for your article exemplify why the self-described "peace movement" will never amount to a hill of beans. Multiple slogans and cliches strung together do not make for a viable response to the massacre of 5,000 innocent lives on 11 September. What happened that day was not a "tragedy" as Mr. Raghia and Miss Wallace dismissively state: It was a cold-blooded, ruthless attack carried out with the express purpose of creating as many casualties as possible. Indeed, the the evil men who planned this assault would have nuked New York and Washington had they been able to do so. Dare I say, Mr. Raghia and Miss Wallace appear utterly incapable of recognizing, much less dealing with, Evil when it confronts them. They expressed little, if any, sadness or regret for the victims (hundreds of whom were immigrants and Muslims) or their families. Perhaps they were just "collateral damage?" The rage expressed by Mr. Raghia and Miss Wallace is that of privileged, comfortably-situated, bourgeois, self-absorbed brats. Why are we at war? Because Osama bin Laden and his henchmen hate America for her civil liberties, her modernity, her constant ability to reinvent herself, for her open political system, for her tolerance of even those who despise her, for her standard of living, for her Constitution, for her religious freedoms, and for her generosity to even defeated enemies. The miracle of America has made it possible for people like Raghia and Wallace to be where they are today. People like bin Laden would happily take all of the above away. Oh, by the way, Mr. Raghia and Miss Wallace: Osama bin Laden hates YOU too. He cares not a whit for anyone or anything other than himself and his own twisted concept of an Islamic empire. And all the "educational programs, teach-ins, and rallies" will never change that fact. Wake up and smell the coffee. Sincerely, * Secular and religious terrorism After I read Mrs. Sabety's emotionally-charged article, ["Anthrax of the masses"], in which she proclaims religion to be a "bloody f---- business" and outsmarts Karl Marx by changing "opium of the masses" to "Anthrax of the masses", I thought it was time to take readers on a brief historical tour. I understand Mrs. Sabety's anger and I hope she does not take this personally. I even agree with some of her views.My only problem with our hot shot scholars, professors and Ph.D. candidates expressing their profound insights is that sometimes they display the intellectual sophistication of a college sophomore in their writings. They don't support their arguments with enough evidence, make hasty generalizations, cannot put different issues into perspective, and their articles suffer from a clear case of intellectual paralysis mixed with emotional hyperactivity. Let's start with Eve >>> FULL TEXT * I "demand" Iranians come here to study Good news to all Iranian immigrants! Have you been filing and paying your taxes each year? Do you pay sales tax when you shop? FOOLS!!! You DON'T have to pay taxes because you are not citizens (that assumes that you are still just legal residents). Brett sez so ["Who are you to demand anything?"] and he wants you to keep your mouths shut. What was that about "taxation without representation"? Hey Brett! I'm not Iranian, just an "ordinary" American. I "demand" that we let Iranians come here to study. I don't know of any University teaching people to be terrorists. If there are, perhaps THEY should be the ones to pay the price. Better to build bridges of friendship and education than walls of hatred and ignorance. * Do you homework Dear Brett, What do you mean by "Who are you to demand anything?"? We are also law abiding, tax paying citizens of this country, hopefully you are too. Frankly, I have a hard time distinguishing between people like you, with such radical mind sets, and those terrorists that at one point commit to such atrocities around the world. I am not going to talk about Iran and support of terrorism here since it is subject to a lot of discussion. As we have seen by the recent events, even the US government has a hard time drawing the line between what country is supporting what kind of terrorism. I need to remind you that the Iranian immigrants in the US are among the most successful immigrants and their average incomes exceed that of white Americans. When an Iranian student comes to this country they pay full tuition. That is out of state tuition which sums up to more than $4,000 a semester. The money that foreign students pay is a great source of revenue for academical establishments throughout the US and are used for further enhancement of the educational means for people like you. The US government does not pay the tuition of the foreign students. So before blabbering about: "Oh why they come here and take advantage of our privileges" and other nonsense like that, do you homework and have some proof for your accusations. And while you are at it, why don't you take advantage of the facilities that US government has provided for you, courtesy of foreign students, and take a couple of more courses in college. May be you can finally be able to send a letter without spelling errors! Truly, * U.S. universities depend on international students In response to ["Who are you to demand anything?"]: First of all, right now, US is the one that demanding things from IRAN. Everybody knows that they have an excellent relation with each other. Unfortunately, US helps Northern Alliance and Iran gets the benefit of that. God knows what Iran pays to US in return. Calling "Satan" or such crazy things are only for making fools of you in the US and similar people in Iran. Second, do you think U.S. universities would be able to survive without international students? A person should be stupid if he or she does not know that International students pay sometimes, 5 times more than U.S. citizens or immigrants. They can pay half of that money to study in England, Canada or other countries. By the way, tuition fee in Iran is free. Hurry up. If it is the matter of education, Bin Laden's nuclear college in Pakistan is well known by now so those criminals do not need American education any more. Finally, I cannot believe that an American could be so ignorant to write such a letter. This letter should have been written by Pahlavis. The funny people who hates each single Iranian person and are afraid of US-Iran relationship. Because in that case they have to pay back and be punished. * Much wanted by US companies I read your angry mail ["Who are you to demand anything?"]. There are some things you need to know before you start accusing people: -- None of the terrorists in the September 11 attacks were from blacklisted countries. The terrorist acts were done by people from countries that are allied to the US. They were from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Egypt if I am not mistaken. -- The regime in Iran -- besides murdering its own citizens inside and outside Iran and helping what they are calling freedom fighters and you call terrorists in Lebanon and Israel -- has not been connected to any terrorism acts. -- You don't need to pay taxes to US government to start studying in American universities; you need to pay the fees. There are many foreign students in US, and we see no reason why we should be discriminated. If you check the list of students winning math, physics and chemistry Olympiads, you will see many Iranians who are now doing their masters or PhD in the US and are much wanted by US companies. -- Senator Feinstein has a very anti-Iranian attitude although she comes from Iranian-populated California. Maybe she is biased because of her strong Israeli links. She has been endorsing these actions long before these terrorist acts. What she seems unable to see is that in non-democratically ruled countries regular people oppose their regimes, so if the regime in Iran "hates" the US, Iranian people "love" the US. The same thing about Saudi Arabia that the regime there "loves" the US but Saudis "hate" the US. The only way for the US could really solve these problems is not to cut all contacts but to have cultural exchanges with the countries it accuses so that the misunderstanding between the countries gets resolved. * Scrutinize all, not just some Our country has certainly been subjected to unprecedented levels of criminal, despicable and savage terrorist acts perpetrated by foes from beyond our borders. It will inevitably take years before the criminal culprits are brought to justice, and such terms of endearment and ordeals as felt across our nation by the mass loss of innocent lives, and adverse ramifications on our economic and way of life is back to normal again. A proposed Bill as co-sponsored by Senators Feinstein and Kyle ["Deeply concerned"] to overhaul the INS's Foreign Student Electronic Tracking System, and fundamental changes to scrutinize all incoming international students applying to pursue their education in the US is indeed far overdue, and thus meritorious to pursue at once. Nonetheless, the Bill should ensure to legislate a set of laws that does apply to all world citizens regardless of the region of origin, thereby extending the conservation of the American "due process" to everybody. Hence, singling out any citizens from specific countries (innocent unless proven guilty), simply because there is a repressive regime in a region with which we don't have diplomatic relations, will disenfranchise such citizens from the aspiration of socio-economic and political empowerment that they so desperately need to bring about peaceful reforms in their own respective countries. Paradoxically, those specific countries singled out by the proposed Bill have never had any citizens convicted of terrorist acts in the US. So, I am afraid conservative isolationism might in the long haul undermine our global scientific and economic leadership role. Furthermore, there is sufficient indisputable data to substantiate that the tangible contributions of first generation American Citizens, most of whom have arrived as international students at one juncture, toward the advancement of our scientific and technological competitiveness particularly since the World War II, is indeed phenomenal. Senator Fenstein's sponsored Bill should not by any remote inadvertent means undermine our institutional and corporate capabilities to draw upon such vast intellectual resources from which our society has so immensely benefited from in the 20th century. Lastly, one must ensure that such legislation will not under any circumstances impede the personal aspiration and professional advancement of proud Naturalized Americans. David N. Rahni, Ph.D. * We are everywhere I want to respond to Mr. A.S., the gay Iranian man ["No straight iranian men?"]. First of all, let me say that I'm not "homophobic" or prejudiced in any way toward gays. My wife has a few friends since her college days who are gay (but not Iranian) and I have no problem with them. They're actually cool people. But where do you get this statistic that there are "6 million gay Iranians"? How is it that you feel you have it "better" than those Iranians who are not gay? The joke between your friends that "there are no straight iranian men" is so ridiculous. I guess that's why it's a joke. It's absurd to even read that. I am NOT gay, and neither are any of my male Iranian friends. I can assure you that we are 100% heterosexual! Let me tell you, God was a genius when he created women. The beauty of a woman and what God enabled them to do is an unbelievable thing, and I thank God everyday that I'm able to fully appreciate them, something obviously you will never know. You are who you are, and I respect you for that, but don't make it sound like it's the greatest thing in the world to be a homosexual, because I'm sure there are MILLIONS who would disagree with you. I'm sure there are gay Iranians out there, but I personally don't have any gay friends who are Iranian and I seriously doubt your view that there are that many of them in Iran. I admire your courage to be "out" with the entire Iranian and Iranian-American population around you, but it's obvious that gays in general don't have it easy. Just look at the news around the world. It's a sad fact that they will always face prejudice in their daily lives, no matter how old they are, simply because it's still not viewed as normal in today's society. I don't even like that term, "straight", as much as I don't like the label of "homophobic". It makes it sound like we are so scared of being around you and run away in fright when gays are around. It's silly. These must be terms that gays invented. I have no problem being around the gay people I know, but I would never, ever, trade my life for theirs. So if you're wondering where all the "straight" Iranian men are Mr. A.S., they are all around you. Maybe if you stepped out of the restaurants and clubs you go to, and really open your eyes, you'll realize that we are everywhere. * Absolutely no idea Maral Karimi in her nonsensical reply to Sheyda Hojati has absolutely no idea what she is writing about ["Cheraa farhange lompanizm?"]. How much does she know about the Iranian social system? How does she know how youngsters live in Iran? What does she know about Iranian politics and history or Persian literature? She has just taken the pen and put it on her paper, or her fingers on the keyboard, and written a bunch of unrealistic points. Sheyda Hojati lives in Iran. She feels, understands and copes with exactly the same problems as the rest of Iran's young generation. For God's sake, Maral, keep your pen to yourself before giving us headaches with your articles. At least Sheyda Hojati had a point or was trying to make one by and from her own first hand experience. What is your point, besides believing in a bunch of lefties and leftist ideology? Lefties made Shamlu famous, otherwise he was one of the worst poets ever and Jamalzadeh called you and people like you who are educated in the West Marmulak (and other animal names). Peerooz bad Iran, BT * Well-made videos for children Could you pass on a note to Linda Shetabi ["I give up"] that Mary Apick has put out a few very well-made videos for children? She can check out: www.maryapick.com for more info * First Iranian Harvard graduate? This title in the letters section caught my attention: Harvard-educated should be more sophisticated. Does anyone know who was the first Iranian, undergraduate and postgrad, from Harvard University?? My research on this so far has come up with an Armenian-Iranian undergraduate student (class of 1905) and a Khorasani gentleman with the same family name as I, as a post-graduate (class of 1955). If you know of any Iranians before them, I'd appreciate your emailing me. * Studying Iranian behavior Dear all, My name is Orly Sofer and I am an Iranian graduate student in clinical psychology working on my doctoral dissertation. I am doing a study about attitudes and behaviors of Iranians. I welcome you to become a volunteer. If you, or someone you know, are between the ages of 21 and 50 and have emigrated from Iran as a child or an adolescent, before or after the revolution. The study is completely anonymous and you will be assigned numbers. It consists of questionnaires that will take about 45 minutes to complete. If you are interested please contact me at osofer@prodigy.net and I will send you the packets and the necessary instructions. Thank you very much for your attention, * Games My name is Oriol Ripoll and I live in Barcelona (Catalonia). I'm writing a book about games around the world. I'm searching information about games played in Islamic countries... is it possible you could explain some games to me? I'm searching for some information about a game called haft sang (seven stones) and I see you talk about this. Can you explain me how you play it? And how you play alak dolak or gol koochik? Sorry for my English, I can read this but is very difficult for me to write. Thank's! * Looking for Mitra Nazarian I'm looking to find a very dear friend, one of the most significant friends in my life. Her name is Mitra Nazarian. She was born in Tehran, she is in her early thirties now. She was married to an Iranian, who divorced her, and they have a daughter named Shuka, who is now 12 years old. Mitra and I met each other in Moscow, Russia. We were both enrolled in film studies at the VGIK / the All Russian Film Institute in the period from 1992 to 1994. Mitra, Shuka and I used to share a small flat, living like a family. Mitra had been through some emotionally painful experiences right before she left Moscow. Her problems had to do with the traumatic divorce and economic instability. Before reaching Tehran to go back to living with her parents, Mitra spent a short vacation with Shuka in Turkey at our common female friend's of Turkish roots (who have also lost track of Mitra). I have been so worried about her life and destiny for many years. Each time I tried to phone call her on her parents' telephone number, I couldn't reach her or leave a message because of the language barriers. I never got any response to the cards I sent her by mail. Knowing how fragile and emotional she is, I am in fear for her life. If there is any way that some organization or individual could help me find her, I would be more then happy. I also have Mitra's parents' home address, so if that can bring new hope, please let me know. My name is Jelena Markovic ("Lena" was my Russian nick name) and I am from Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Thanks in advance for any help that would bring peace and happiness to both Mitra and me. * Prominent people from Yazd Searching Cultural Institution -- Reyhane We have pleasure in notifying you that Searching Cultural Institution , Reyhane, began to search and study the history and culture of the city of Yazd in spring of 2000 and is performing a great plan to collect and publish the biographies of prominent people from Yazd. We look forward to gaining the biographies and stories of great and famous people from Yazd living outside of Iran. We want to gather a rich and complete collection of literature and thoughts. Please accept our appreciation in advance. Sincerely yours, * Disrespectful and indecent Can you please consider removing the photo of Angylina "cyberchik" from your Iranian of the Day section due to the nudity? This site is for all ages, at least I believed it was, and many people including me find that type of image disrespectful and indecent for a site of your caliber. Please do not disappoint many loyal readers and viewers of your wonderful page... advertisement has a place and time, but advertisements for adult oriented sites don't... please reconsider the posting of the above photograph. Thank you kindly from a concerned Iranian and loyal reader of iranian.com, * Formal apology? Hello, I found this message posted on the CNN's Iranian football message board. It refers to something appearing on your website. Please read:
Having seen the above page on your website for myself I have one request. Would you kindly refer to a family-oriented website where our children can safely explore and learn about our culture without being subjected to pornographic pictures? I anxiously await your reply. DH Editor's reply: Right here: //www.imam-reza.com/ Reader's reply: I will keep emailing this until I receive a formal apology from iranian.com's editor for your rude reply. If you really ARE the editor then you're probably too stupid to formulate a response... in which case I will keep sending it anyway. DH Editor's note: Mr. DH has emailed the above note 30 times -- so
far.
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