Letters   Write for The Iranian Editorial policy March 13, 2002 * Andoohe yek ensaan A letter from Afghanistan on Shokooh Mirzadegi's "Vaqtee beh jaaye to hastam": To top * Deeply touched my heart Hello Setareh, What a beautifully written and translated article [One Iranian woman]. I became so emotional listening to the translation, as it deeply touched my heart. After living in US for so many years, I often feel I am more American that Persian, but today your article reminded me there is still a big part of me that is very Persian. It was a pleasure to hear your voice speaking in zaban shirin farsi. In recognition of woman's day, I salute you. Regards Kiana To top * Valuable, informative, eloquent Setareh jan, Everytime I read your articles, I end up printing them to take them home for my husband to read and then I pass them along to my mother to read, and then I file them in my "magic treasures folder" where I store hardcopies of valuable or very funny articles I read on the web. Many of them are written by you. Kobra Khanoom was the last one [One Iranian woman]. I read it in English and listened to it in Persian and everytime I had a meaningful smil at the end. I know you have heard complements alot, but I couldn't resist writing you a note too. I find your articles extremely valuable, informative, eloquent, amusing, effective, and interesting. I just wanted to say thank you. I have a hard time expressing myself especially in writing. Sometimes when I see how well some people do it and the fact that they're Iranians and they are so educated, makes me proud. I'm very glad there are people (especially women) among us Iranians like you. Even outside of Iran, with the power of pen (and of course thanks to the internet) you can educate someone, make one's day, bring tears to one's eyes, ... and you do all those. I wish you the best and I thank you for sharing your thoughts, stories, and beliefs with us. Parastoo To top * It was because of Virginia Wolf I read the story of "kobra khanom" and all the positive comments about it [One Iranian woman]. I should admit that I enjoyed it very much. I think the popularity and enchanting aspect of the story is that almost all readers will recognize their own experience in Kobra Khanomî example. My family examples of Kobra Khanom were Nane Agha and Senobar. Had they lived in the post Virginia Woolf and Simon de Beauvoir era each one of them would have won at least one humanitarian award. Having said this, I have a footnotre to Ms. Sabety's beautiful and heartwarming article. It is true that it takes a common sense to be a feminist and admire women like Kobra Khanom, but we all should keep in mind that it was because of writing and activities of such notable women like Virginia Woolf and Simone de Beauvoir that this common sense was materialized. People before Newton could notice that a fallen apple from a tree would head the ground. That was a common sense. But, it was Sir Isaac Newton who explained it as the law of gravitation. There is a bit of difference between common sense, explaining that common sense and finally bring it to the forefront as a rule/law. Mahvash Shahegh To top * I love them I read One Iranian woman and also I listened to your voice. I just want to say that I love them. Thanks for sharing it with us. Sadaf Kiani Abbassian To top * Blew me away Your writing about our country - yours and mine, US - "No walls" absolutely blew me away! Beautiful writing and so exactly to the point of the way I think about life and the real question and meaning of true "Liberty". As I gather from your writings, we may be very different in our political views - I assume you're democrat and I know I am as strong a repub. as it comes! Just wanted to tell you how much I think you are on the mark with this wonderful article. I wish I could express myself as well as you. Thank you for doing this for me. "No walls" should be required reading for all hyphenated Americans. Thanks again. F.T. To top * Everybody is doing something illegal Dear Abjeez, I read with interest your advice column regularly. In general, I should commend you for your unbiased and wise opinions. I'm sure many readers agree that you have helped and continue to help many people who may benefit greatly from your service. But I could not believe your recent comments to the "Lone Girl" . To tell that poor soul that "some" people think she is okay but "some" people think she is evil and corrupt was shocking. This is a social advice column, not a diplomatic or legal forum. Telling us what you think is the very least of what we expect you to do. Isn't encouraging all people to stand for what they believe in, to hold their head up high despite what life has dealt them, and to foster hope for a happy future in the face of a repressive culture the very corner stone of what you must do? Everybody in Iran is doing something illegal. I don't see you suggesting to girls not to meet boys, even though their action is just as illegal. All women who walk the streets with strands of their hair showing stand punishment. In fact, as you must have heard, gays and lesbians in Iran are in some ways lucky because they can at least go out, travel, and even rent rooms together, where as a hetero couple would have to prove "kinship". I sincerely hope you realize what a grave task you have on your hands. We look up to you to give us encouragement based on common sense and hope. Diplomatic advice based on semi-veiled personal bias and spelling out our problems for us will not help us. Saeed Ganji To top * Bitterness women go through I was touched by your recent poem [Delhoreye atre seeb]. It expresses clearly the pain and the bitterness that somehow all of us -- women -- go through everyday and it's really sad, but so true. Keep up the great work, Love, Sahar To top * Zarif va aamigh Man hamin chand rouz e pish az iran bargashtam. sheaer e shoma mara [Delhoreye atre seeb] b iran bargardanid va kalamat e zarif va aamigh ehsas shoma mara b takhaiiol bord. nemidanam dar in harfhai e zarif cheh migozarid keh bishtar e aoughat cheshm hai mara matoub mikonad. khahesh mikonam bishtar benevisid.man hanouz moshtagham keh neveshtehaiam ra baray e shoma befrestam. eid e shoma mobarak. Iradj To top * Erotic, not porno I liked your poem [Delhoreye atre seeb]. Some part of it is really beautiful. On one hand, it seems to me that you live in Iran, but, on the other, because of some erotic images (I say erotic, not porno, which are completely different) it seems to me that you live out of Iran. S.G. To top * Del e dardmand sher e shoma ra be nam e Delhoreye atre seeb , mikhastam begam kheyli ziba va ba ehsas bood , maloom hast keh az del e dardmandi biroon oomadeh , shayad beh khater e inkeh harf haye del e man ro ba in keh yek mard hastam zadid kheyli khosham oomad, beh har hal omidvaram movaffagh bashid Emad To top * Speechless She is GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!! [Her lips to mine] Dear Sarvenaz, I was speechless reading this piece, all I can say is WOW!! You put words to every single feeling I had when I went through the same love making roller coaster. Keep writing, I love your writings. love, Creative Mind To top * I got impressed because it was brave Some months ago, I discovered this Iranian.com site. First of all I thanked Javid (in silence) for his enormous foozooli. He shamelesly wants people to write about their private life, simply because he dies (and probably kills) for seeing behind Iranian walls and so do I! He has succeeded to cheat some people in to do it ..;-) Thanks to him I found many interesting Iranian writers. I like this feeling of affinity with my Iranian people (which I hate sometimes and love always) when I visit this site. I enjoyed Nooneh's and lovely Nazanin's diary and many others, but I never wanted to write any comments about their writings. It was like u read an interesting story and u feel very good afterwards and that's all. But with u, it was different. When I did read ur first writing [The night flight], I got really impressed. Not because u described a sexual experience, not because I thought having sex in a cramped toilet in an airplane is so fantastic (having sex there, in my opinion is something that Hollywood's directors push us to like!). I got impressed because it was brave of u, as an Iranian woman to write about it! U write about the forbidden fruit, and this fruit is Iranian, which makes ur writing very interesting. But the main reason I like ur stories is that u have unveiled us and u made us naked!! Keep writing! Always, The woman PS: I have so many comments about the people in ur stories, wish I had enough time to talk about it with u! To top * Great talent I should confess you have a great talent in writing too [Her lips to mine]. Nice job, thank you, Behzad To top * Please don't go... Please don't go LESBIAN on us, dont over do it now darling [Her lips to mine]. BP To top * Glad SOMEONE can This was so real, I felt like I was with you and Goli... [Her lips to mine] I am more than a little jealous you have opportunity to smoke... but glad in the heart that SOMEONE can...*smile* Trish To top * Feelings I thought I could never experience Dear Sarvenaz, [Her lips to mine] Reading your work made me homesick for the first time in the last 20 years. Your story took me back to the places I love and refreshed the feelings that I thought I could never experience unless I go back to IRAN and risk destroying all the dear memories I have from my city. Thanks and keep it coming. Respectfully, KB To top * What a great descent of thought. I just finished reading Cyrus Kadivar's "Democracy vs. Anarchy" article. I pretty much agree with his line of reasoning and his call for tolerance and mutual understanding, but believe me he is not the only one who has become the subject of threats and nasty Emails. Like him, I have been the victim of these low-life, feeble-minded creatures, too. These people finally forced me to change my Email. I have managed to get one temporary Email and one permanent one. Except for a few friends, relatives and Jahanshah, it is highly unlikely that I will ever give my new, permanent Email to anyone. All this happened because one day I decided to express my opinion and criticize the works of a number of Iranian poets. Suddenly all hell broke loose. I immediately became the subject of threats, infinitely vulgar letters and shameless accusations. They promised to ruin my name forever by sending nasty Emails to others with my name as the sender. One of these people who seems to be some sort of scholar always hides behind women's names (imagine that!). I have participated in other public forums too and, believe me, no one ever dared to post vulgar letters and articles. The moderators would simply not allow such things. Yes, at times we were sarcastic, but that was as far as we would go. Compare this to a site like The Iranian where "F" and "K" words fly about like shrapnel in the Iran-Iraq war -- not to mention those who enlighten us, in a very explicit manner, with the story of their moving, rapidly moving, experiences thousands of feet above the sea level. As if cheating on your fianc? throwing "ghorboon sadageh" (affection) at male genitalia, doing drugs, watching people engage in sexual acts, envisioning "ejaculation" just because a bearded guy gives you a ride, and thinking about anything and everything sexual every one hundredth of a second are not good enough and do not present a good picture of Iranian-Americans to the rest of the world, Sarvenaz finally shares her father's grand vision with us: "Oh my beloved daughter, I had a dream last night. When you grow up, you won't be like other girls!" Of course, to prove the depth of my ignorance and to publicly expose the shallowness of my backward, traditionalist views, our highly educated and liberal Iranians, such as Ms. Sohrabi, may jump to the rescue of our beloved angel: "How about something other than a knee jerk reaction at any and everything sexual? How about some appreciation of the kind of space that being in two cultures has allowed us? How about worrying a little less about what others are going to think of us and more how we look every time we look at ourselves?" Yes I know; it is my fault. I had a religious, though not a fundamentalist, upbringing and I was told that you respect women for what they are. You don't treat them as mere objects of sexual access. I am also familiar enough with science, philosophy and literature to know that there are famous novels that deal with erotic and adulterous subjects such as DH Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover" and Gustave Flaubert's "Madam Bovary", but the trashy pieces that are published in Iranian.com are a far cry from such works of literature. I am not responsible for how others live their lives and I am not blaming Jahanshah for publishing Sarvenaz diaries. I was just expressing my own opinion. However, the meat of my argument is something else, but more interesting. Many American and Europeans will simply laugh at the futile and childish attempts of a number of Iranian-Americans (including Jahanshah) who try to portray a more liberal and modernized view of Iran and Iranians. Those of them who are intelligent enough know very well how much damage and destruction Iran has endured in the past 23 years and they are happy about it! I believe it was Alexander Solzhenistyn who once said: "If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" I believe one of the ways, if not the best way, to interpret the above quote is that many of those who promote peace, also commit evil. Western nations will laugh at us when we thank them for their stand against terrorism and "evil wrongdoers". If you get yourself familiar enough with the social and political history of the post-WWII era, you will immediately realize that Western nations utilized the talents of the runaway Nazi criminals to a great degree and these same democratic countries were also responsible for bringing every single dictatorial regime, especially the South American ones, to power. Today, the majority of European nations are sympathetic to IRI and it is unclear whether America will launch a serious military operation against Iran. Why should they? Believe me, it is good to have enemies! It helps the economy, defense and military organizations get their submitted budgets approved, people back you up, you promise you'll never back down until you shed the last drop of your blood in the fight against terrorism and, of course, people love and your ratings go up! Now, the main question is how we Iranian-Americans living abroad keep ourselves happy? Well, we engage in silly monarchy/anti-monarchy debates, have fun with our wives, lovers and girlfriends, read the stories of Nooneh and Sarvenaz, tell those in Iran "to boro jelo, man havoto daram", eagerly wait for some sort of miracle to drop from the sky so we can return to our beloved Iran, and finally take pride at being "fully" liberated. Of course, only those of us who are unlucky enough to be half-liberated will be affected, in a negative way, by the erotic stories of Nooneh and Sarvenaz! Suppose, your beautiful wife and your best friend, who happen to work together in the same company, both leave for another state to teach classes. Suddenly your paranoid nature takes over and all sorts of impure thoughts keep coming to your mind. After she comes back, you accuse her of being unfaithful and demand that she tells you the truth! The poor Desdemona swears on her father's grave that she has been faithful to her beloved husband, but the jealous Othello does not believe her. Your suspicions become so great that they take the shape of a separate entity: "Iago": IAGO: Or to be naked with her friend in bed An hour or more, not meaning any harm? Othello: Naked in bed, Iago, and not mean harm? It is hypocrisy against the devil! They that mean virtuously, and yet do so, The devil then virtue tempts, and they tempt heaven. Of course, the condition of our half-intellectuals does not seem very promising, either. What a great descent of thought. From the glory days of such great geniuses as Avicenna and Razi to the good, old days of brilliant thinkers and scientists like professor Hashtroodi and finally to the attempts of today's half-intellectuals who desperately and unsuccessfully try to reconcile science and providence. Their idea of democracy and "dialogue among civilizations" is similar to that of St. Augustine's pseudo-intellectual castle: the "City of God". Only those who were Christians and did not question the authority of church could enter the city! With the publication of this letter, I know I would be the subject of a new round of attacks, insults and accusations from our readers, but you can be sure I'll never respond to your attacks. If you receive Emails bearing my name, please know that they are not from me, but from those who are using my name (and maybe the names of others) for their own purposes. Best regards, Hamed Vahidi To top * Can she read others' hearts I take exception to Solmaz Ziad's article Allah in L.A.. Why is she so outraged when her stereotypes push their own boundaries? Can she read others' hearts to know exactly how they read that word "Allah"? Or perhaps she is disappointed because religious hypocracy is a right reserved only for akhoonds, and life will be too complicated if we can't judge people by their uniforms. And far, far too complicated if nothing is sacred... because then we might have to face the idea that everything is sacred, even that girl's ass. God forbid! Zara Houshmand To top * Getting rid of all remnants of Iran I read with interest the article by Gojeh Ezaafeh with regards to a new United States of Iranica!', and I hastily add that it was with much concern, as well as interest that I read this. I would like to commend Gojeh for putting together a well-written piece, which had elements of humour that everyone could relate to. However, as a British Iranian (odd as it might sound, a large majority of Iranians have had to assume dual-nationalities since the revolution, and one of those is a pre-1979 nationality -- as I'm sure many of us try to distance ourselves away from current politics and associations with present-day Iran), I was somewhat struck with alarm at this strong voice of American nationalism that could be heard so strongly in the writing -- and with it a complete ignorance of the problem and contradictions that face Iran today. Yes, I too was disgusted and appalled at the very mention of this 'Axis of Evil', targeted at Iran. Yes, I wish the Iranian govt wasn't as it is today, and agree that it fails to misrepresent the people. Yes the last 23 years has been an embarrassment to Iranians, Yes, yes, yes to so much of what has been commented onÖ However, to base a new reformed Iran on the current United States was not only 'unfunny' but it made me sick to my stomach -- especially as this was suggested by an Iranian. And the very fact that I have to even spell out the problem with this, shocks me further. OK -- lets turn our country into a superficial power hungry, greedy nation, which fails to recognise that any other nationality or country exists outside of its border. Lets turn our people into materialistic ill-educated people who recognise the power of the gun and green paper over humanitarianism. Let our children kill each other in their schools by putting a gun in their hand. Lets meddle with the institutions and governments of other countries, causing trouble and civil was wherever we go -- and then send our troops in to try and resolve the mess we had the biggest hand in causing in the first place. Lets sell armaments to poor countries in return for oil and money (so constantly fuelling our own greed) and then point the finger at that country and sending panic across the world when we realise they are 'dangerous'. Lets burn our rainforests and corrupt our auditors and still smile to the world and show them that we are number 1. NO THANK YOU! Do I really have to remind you all that the reason Iran is so fucked up now is because America had the opportunity to fuck it up for us? Who was it who pushed and pushed and pushed the King so far that he came out-of-touch with his people? Who was it whom encouraged Iraq to attack a country weak by revolution? Who are the real terrorists in current every day world politics? For the love of Persia -- open your eyes and remember why Iran is as it is now. And what makes the whole thing SAD -- NOT FUNNY -- is that the poor bastards who didn't have the money or resources to get out of Iran when they had the chance, now yearn for nothing more than coca cola, micheal Jordan nikes, mcdonalds, etc -- all those dirty signs of globablisation that are so destructive of cultures everywhere. While those woman hiding under their hejab chant 'death to America' and 'down with the Great Satan', the stand there with a bottle of coca cola in their hands. Funny? I don't thinks so. These are the pathetic contradictions we have somehow to try to make sense of and understand. You want a better future for Iran? Maybe you should try and read a little Hafez and try and learn something from the beauty of the values he spoke about -- let's look to ancient Persia -- an empire of great culture, science, philosophy and tradition -- the whole reason Iranians are such proud people today. YES, 'the ingredients are already there [in Iran] just waiting to be dusted off' -- but surely these should be from Iran's own culture and greatness and not of a country so critical in bringing about our downfall. Unfortunately the crux of what Gojeh proposes is to rid of all remnants of Iran and Persia once and for all -- I disagree. I look forward to norooz and Haftsin and Persian food and all our cultural delights. And I want them returned to their full glory. I'm sure in their heart of hearts, this is what all Iranians yearn for too. Your friend, Afarin Eghbal London PS: I urge all Iranians living in America to stand back occasionally from all the torrents of nationalism hurled at you daily, and to stand proud and resist this brainwashing -- if you don't believe this to be the case, just read Gojeh's article again and you'll see what I mean. To top * Humorous, original commentary At last, a humorous and original commentary that injects new ideas into the endless, old, tired and worn political debates we've been seeing here! [United States of Iranica!] Saludos / Regards Cyrus To top * Right on Gojeh: ...United States of Iranica!......!!! Voted the most salient and 'To The Point' article to appear on the 'net since the 'net got to be 'Cool' a few years back... ... Just the facts, no 'Ezaafeh'... Keep it up, Gojeh... You're in the Groove and Right On and the crowd does resonate with ya!! A diehard Jeffersonian, MMM M. Michael Massumi, MD To top * Ey kaash nemikhondamesh! Neveshteye ziibaye naziibatoon ro khoondam. [Harf-e beepardeh] Y´aas, naoomidi va t´aasoof loghathaii boodan ke mesle yek divare betooni jelooye cheshmamo gereft boodan. Khoondan iin neveshte b´aad az zohre garm o fatabii ro ke be nodrat gozaresh be iin shahr miofte zahr alood karde bood, va az hame bad tar rahe bargasht ke basteh bood. 18977435 baar bar khodam l´aanat ferstedam va be yaade soozane molla nasrediin ke az bikari be estefadehaye namarboot montahi shode bood oftadam va akharin l´aanatha ro ghabl az neveshtan iin javab nesar khodam kardam? Har bar ke gozaram be iranian.com mioftad va akse nazaninetoon ro mididam, chand saniyeii be modele moohatoon ke adamo be yade ghadiim nadiim ha miandakht, be labkhandetoon ke azar dahande tamaskhoramiiz bood va be dasthatoon ke bidaliil az khod razii rooye ham andakhte shode bood ,khire mishodam, ehsasii kamelan namrboot va bi paye o asas be man migoft: soraghe iin ye nafar naro! Va lezzate moztafiiz shodan az khondane neveshtehatoon ro be digar hamvatanan aziz vagozar mikardam.. Ta emrooz baad az zohr .. Dige hoselye bahshaaye khaste konadeye az ghabl neveshte shode o taiid shodey hamkarane swedim ro nadashtam, baa ghahveye abaki va bad mazam be otaagham oomadam va tasmim gereftam chand khatti bekhoonam?.. Hoseleye khondane dastane Bosh o Monarchi o iinjoor chiza ro ham nadsahtam, donbale ye chizi migastam ke khoone iranim ro bishtar be jaryan bendaze. Cheshmham be sar khate yek neveshte miofte, ''harf e bee pardeh''?.. -mmmm, bayad jaleb bashe. Harfhaaye bi pardaro hamishe doost dashtam, aslan kollan ba parde mokhaalefam, che tooye khoonam, che tooye harfaam va che? B´aad be esme nevisandeye neveshte negah mikonam, esme nazaninetoon ro mibinam?..dorost oon balaye safhe, dar entezare to`aamey rooz ?.''-mmm giresh andakhtam'', ehtemalan iin jomlaro ye jaii ye vaghti goftin, ya shayadam aksetoon boode ke gofte, nemidoonam? Gool mikhoram?..mashghoole khoondan misham, loghate ''rooze hashtome hafte'' nazarmo jalb mikone, moz´oo e pardeye bekaarat e va mardhaye irooni. Yade ghoroone vostaa mioftam, ajiib iin loghat e bekaarat va ghoroone vostaa ham vaznan!! Be omide shenidane yek harfe behtar va taze tar be khoondan edame midam be oonja residam ke riisheye taghsiirharo andakhtin gardane madar haaye iirooni Bar monkeresh ke man nabasham l´aanat ??..''az maast ke bar maast''? yade dooste ham daneshgahiim mioftam ke barye dokhatre 12 salash ke asheghe pesare hamkelasesh shode bood sakht negaran bood. -Chera negaran? -Khob maloome baraaye iinke dokhatre?.. -hmmm, baa khodam ye tabaadole nazare kootah mikonam va hameye haghe donya ro be iin khanom midam ke baraaye dokhatersh ke agar man madaresh boodam, sarapa lezzat mishodam baraye vogh´ooe iin tahavol e jadid va ziba, negaran bashe. Amma velkone ghaziye niisatm, 110% iirnaim, mooziane soal mikonam, mikham motmaen basham ke hagho dorost dadam. Miporsam: -aya hamin ehsas ro dar moorede pesaretoon ham darin? Negahii nabavarane va aghel andar safihane hamrah ba lahjeye shirine esfehani yadavar mishan ke man sakht az marhale partam va hanooz farghe beyne yek dokhtar va pesar ro nafahmidam .. Zarbeye potk ro rooye saram ehsas mikonam va zabane sorkham ro ke behem gofte shode dar ayandeye nazdik sare sabzam ro bar baad khahad dad be kar mindaazam va say mikonam be iin khanoom toozih bedam ke marg ya khoobe ya agar niiist na baraye man khoobe na baraye hamsaaye! Labkhandi aajezaane tanha javaabiist ke mishnavam! Be madarhaaye 60 saleye iranii fekr mikonam va arezoo mikonam ke ey kash tahavolii dar iin 30 sale akhir mitoonest be vogh´ood bepeyvande. begzariim?.ba khoondane jomlatoon va iinke markaze dard ro peyda kardin khosh haal misham, omidvaar misham va be khoondan edaame midam. Be jomleye dastmale kaghazi miresam, baavaram ro az dast midam, yek chand 100 bari mikhonamesh. Ey kaash nemikhondamesh! Be Attaar hesaadat mikonam va ba khodam eteraaf mikonam ke: ''ma hanooz andar khame yek koocheiim'' 101 bar arezoo mikonam ke ey kaash iin neveshtaro rooze nohome oon hafteye kazaii neveshte boodin ke vaghte biishtari sarfe peydaa kardane mesaali behtar az iin mesale toohin amize, nazibaye bi masooliat ro dashtin. Dar zemn be hozoor e mohtarametoon beresoonam ke jaadeye toohin kardan sakht yek tarafast ?nemishe ham toohin kard va ham m´aazerat khaast? Iin moghaayseye naazibaa va be door az haghiighat faghat va faghat taskiiniist baraye mard haye naa agaah va zaiifist ke tars az moghaayese shodan ba nafare ghabl va kaafii naboodan dar sex oonha ro dar iin dayereye siiah negah dashte. Khoondan e akhiriin jomalaatetoon man o be yaade oon siasatmadare nashenase inglisi mindaze ke baraye bish az pish dar jahl negah dashtane hendiha be jayye boosidane sare gav, basane onro booside boode! Jenaabe Aghaaye nevisande basane iin gav ro naboosin!! Az iin ghalame ziibatoon estefade konin ta iin tars ro riishe kan konim. Benevesiin zani ke badanesh ro doost dare, zani ke sex ro dar senne nojavaani, zamaani ke niazesh ro baraaye avaliin bar dar khodehs kashf mikone, bedoone tars az zesht boodan e iin kaar, be iin ehsas jolaan mide va be niaazhash pasokh e mosbat, yaad migire ke yek mard ro chetor doost dashte bashe, iin zan tavanaiiye eshgh varziidan ro dare.. Va eshgh paye o asas zendegist Kamii door tar ro negah koniim?be akhare iin n´oo ezdevajhaye mashmool e pardeye bekarat ke be vaghte residan be aab e mogheiiat va talaagh be shenagarani sakht maher mobbaddal mishan va be bachehhaii ke bi entekhaab ghorbaniye bii moghe pare shodan e iin parde!! Yek Zan e iranii To top * Misheh joor e digari zendegi kard man aval begam ke besiar az maghalatoon khosham oomad [Harf-e beepardeh]. Valli Iek matalebi hast iekam roosh kar kam kardehied. 1. In masaley e virginity az mazhab miad oon ra cover nakardid. 2. Irania roo hameh chi gheyrati hastan na gheyrati ha valli fekr mikonan harchi ke hast va daran behtarineh va baray e hamin iekam dir avaz mishan. 3. In maghaleh step e khoobi bood baray e iranian e kharej az keshvar chon man ieki az oon kasani hastam ke dast e rooz e gar mara bad az 20 sal indakhtemoon too iek keshvar digeh va baram jalebeh ke dar tehran ba dokhtari mikhay doost shi nemigeh dinet chieh valli hamoon dokhtar miad inja va migeh agar hamdinam nabashi maman babam nemizaran hata esmet ra biaram. Va az hameh jalebtar inkeh doostani man mishnasam dar inja, ke Jonoob e California basheh va markaz e iranian va begholi Iran ast ba azadi, tarz e fekrhaie darand ke khod e gheysar ke bara aberooy e khaharesh adam mikosht be pashoon nemireseh va jaleb injast ke aghaioon masraf e dastmaleshoon faravan balast va mitoonam begam Iran ham bozorg nashodan valli gooya khanevadey e anan be anha farhangi ra amookhteh ke agar too khiaboon behet chap negah kardan dava rah mindazi va zanet bakereh nabood hamoonja saresh ra mibori. Amma bezarin begam az javanan e irani e dakhel e marz ke man ba anha bozorg shodam. In javanan jeddi daran avaz mishan va agar eghragh nakardeh basham bayad begam kheili avaz shodam va hamoon virginity ke alan bahs e shomast bara kheilihashoon hal shodeh ast valli in khanevadeha hastan ke iekam hanooz gir midan va mozaheman. Albateh moraheman valli dar masaley e SEX ke iek chiz e kamelan khosoosieh mamoolan gheyr az 2 taraf e ghazieh baghieh mosalaman mozaheman hala pedar basheh ya madar. Mageh ma miporsim ke shab e aval oona chikar kardan pas oona ham hagh nadaran bedoonan ke ki key chikar kardeh dar mord e SEX. Valli khoshbakhtaneh migan harchi tolid bereh bala dar bazi mavared keyfiat miad paien dar Iran alan ghazieh bedin san pish mireh ke khanevadeha harchi bishtar gir bedam az oon var javoona dar miran va bedin tarigh tedad e roshan fekran dar mored e Bekarat dareh mireh bala va javoona khodeshoon daran yad migiran ke misheh joor e digari gheyr az pedar va mardareshoon zendegi kard va ba moshkelatesh dast va panjeh narm kard valli javanan e inja unfortunately chon tedadeshoon kameh va aghaliat hastan darin manjalab moondan Ziadi harf zadam lop e kalam iek try konid maghalat ro roo invar e donya which is kharej az marz e Iran bishtar tamarkoz bedid. Ba tashakor az tamam e zahamatetoon ieki az aghaiooni ke be virginity ahamiat nemideh To top * Be emam ali biehterami nakonin ba salam: be nazare man shoma har aghideyi dar morede masaele mokhtalef darin ghabele ehterame vali lotfan be emam ali alayhessalam biehterami nakonin [Beh monaasebate rooze jahaaniye zan]. na shoma ke hichkodoom az ma ishoon ra nemishnesim va nemitoonim beshnasim va ta kasi ra nashnakhti hagh nadari dar morede oon chizi begi. pas lotfan agar nemikhayn dar akhare maghalehatoon "ya ali madad" benevisin lotfan mashkhare nakonin va laaghal aslan chizi nanevisi. omidvaram in harfe manteghi va bi ghasd va gharaz ra ghabool karde ya laaghal dar morede oon fekr konin. yeki az asheghane emam ali alayhessalam To top * Main reason for 9/11 First, I want to express gratitude for President Bush's No-rouz (Iranian New Year) greetings to Iranian-Americans. President Bush's reference to civic duties in his No-rouz greeting prompts me, as a relatively new American citizen, to address my concerns to you about American Middle East policy. Six months ago the symbols of economic and military might of this great country were savagely attacked and with it thousands of lives were lost. Yet, not much has been published to illuminate what may have been the prime motivations of those who planned and carried out this barbaric and horrendous act. There are, however, growing indications that US foreign policy in the Middle East in the past few decades has been the main reason for the September 11 tragedy. The American policy in the Middle East has been oriented toward nurturing unelected Arab rulers to protect US access to oil resources and unequivocal support of Israel vis-à-vis Palestinians. And these are the deep roots of strong anti-American sentiments among some Arabs and Muslims. The dominant US-Arab policy can be summarized by what the great American President Theodore Roosevelt, in effect, told the Saudi ruler: you keep the oil flowing and I will see to it that you stay in power. Oil is almost the only resource through which most of these oil-rich countries can build a sustainable economy; the resource that is not renewable. The wealth of this resource is in the hands of the rulers' echelon; thus, a great many Arabs are witnessing their black gold being squandered with the US interference. The one-sided American policy in favor of Israel in the Israel-Palestinian conflict is so well known that one need not labor to document it in detail: - America siding with Israel in almost all resolutions of the United Nations on Palestinian-Israel conflict - Annual American financial assistance to Israel, well above comparable help to any other country (both in magnitude and per capita) - One-sided public pronouncements by senior American authorities in favor of Israel When the US exports military aid to Israel; when Israel uses those US weapons to attack Palestinian targets and people; when the US is aloof about resuming the peace process because of 'regional disturbances', the US effectively grants Israel might at the expense of Palestinian rights and lives. It is high time for the State Department to revise its Middle East policy. The intensified bloodshed in the past few weeks calls for a swift and sustained action, not a cautious wavering diplomacy. The US must confer with the European nations to draw up a plan that includes Israel and Palestine as independent states. Security must be established for the two states by deploying international peacekeepers. The State Department "...advances US objectives and interests in shaping a freer, more secure, and more prosperous world through its primary role in developing and implementing the President's foreign policy..." Therefore, it is my great hope that this Department, free from lobby pressure, expresses its wise and sound views to the President. The hope and security of America and the world is based on strategizing and implementing a more balanced and just solution in the Middle East conflict. Respectfully, Behrouz Vafa New York City To top * Conversation with God This was really cool and kewl ["Beh monaasebate rooze jahaaniye zan"]. l love this conversation with this Persian Arabic version of God. i hope u have another talking and conversation with him and if u do can u please let us to read and have it? so God created Adam with mud but with flower!! hhhhumm. wonderful. so poetic. lovely. Yashar Ahad Sarami To top * Fond memories I used to live in Escan when I was a boy and I have great memories from there. [Ugliest city around] In a way it's the only place in the world that I would always call home. Therefore, I appreciate your Alidad Vassigh's words about the place where I grew. I have not been in Tehran since 1986 and my vision of Tehran is very different from what Tehran is now. What I remember is a beautiful city full of life. I grew up in Gandi Street near Vanak Square and later moved to Escan on crossroad of Mirdamad and Pahlavi. My parents had bought an apartment there in the early 1970's when the buildings were being built. As a child I watched those building being built and later I moved there and spent 7 years living in B building in Escan. Being a member of upper class and living in Escan I always felt as my schoolmates were resentful toward me. But I loved my home and no matter what anybody said I was proud to live there. I attended Razi School, which was about 15 minutes of walking distance from Escan. For more than 5 years I walked to that school. I would not be lying if I say I even miss those threes and sidewalks I crossed on my way to school. I also have fond memories from Farmaniyeh where my grandfather owned a beautiful large home with a great swimming pool. That's where my mom tried to teach me how to swim. My grandfather built that home in the early 1970's. I remember the day they moved in that house in 1976. I could never describe the beauty of that house, which was the fruit of the labor of my grandfather after 30 years of hard work. It had beautiful marble staircases and great French Windows. The ceilings were tall and beautiful. Being very close to my grandmother I spent lots of time in that house, which was a great place go grew up in. My grandfather used to have lavish parties in that house. One of those parties was in particular memorable to me. It was the wedding of one of our family members and the first real party I attended at early age of 6. But the dream ended with the Revoluiton. Several times after the Revolution the revolutionaries came to the house and wanted to claim it. Some guy wrote an article in the newspaper which said one could feed a whole family with money spent on the water for the garden of this house! Therefore, my grandfather was forced to sell to a bazari lowlife who only wanted that beautiful home because of its space. The day my grandfather sold that house was one of the saddest days of my life. As a kid I always promised myself someday I would go and buy back that home for my family and force those bazaris out. But today I hear that with all the constructions around farmaniyeh that house has lost its magnificence and now it looks small compared to the highrises around it. When I left Tehran the city had no subway, but now I hear you could get from one side of the town to another in 20 minutes. The Tehran I knew was small, but accessible. The city did have its problems, but it was not ugly and highrises were limited. Escan, Hiespay and Ecbatan were few of the taller buidlings. The neighborhoods were distinct. If one lives in Los Angeles one know that most of the suburbs look the same. The Tehran of my youth was not uniform and there were lots of variations. But it was a energized city full of life, which is the way I like to remember it. Ali-reza Kasra To top * Mess of a city What an accurate picture [Ugliest city around]. I travel back to Tehran for a visit once a year and your description hits the spot; it couldn't be closer to my assessment of the mess of a city they have created. Bahman (Dallas, Texas) To top * "Smell" the scenes Just a note to thank you for your apt description of our city! [Ugliest city around] I can just imagine and unfortunately "smell" the scenes -- in the corridors, at work and engulfing the city. What a shame, what a pity... And then there are those who praise and send out pictures to entice others to come to this cosmopolitan "beauty" - how very superficial and arrogant. It is also shameful that the government takes pride in such buildings, highways and shopping malls, while people suffer in prisons and a nation is suffocating not only from pollution but even more from oppression. Thank you for exposing what lies under the facades! Shahla Samii To top * You missed a couple of good ones Congratulations LEE! [Victimology] You've almost repeated the entire catalog of the standard Zionist justifications/excuses/straw arguments for mass ethnic cleansing and apartheid in a single longish article. You missed a couple of good ones though, like: 1- Jews Have Green Thumbs: Since Israel has been able to improve the agriculture in Palestine better than the Palestinians could have in the past, then Israel is entitled to the land and not the Palestinians. 2- There Are No Palestinians: This one goes somethign like this: Once, there was a land without a people when the Zionists arrived, and then all those sneaky Ayrabs came crawling into the land and having lots of babies, therefore the Palestinians are new-comers and not entitled to live there. But Shall I refute your canards yet again? I'll stick to just one refutation for the sake of brevity: 3- Palestinian refugees should be "taken in" by the other Arabs: This is the oldest Zionist canards about Palestinian refugees as "political weapons". The spin goes something like this: If the Palestinians are suffering in refugee camps, it isn't the fault of the Israelis that illegally expelled them from their own homes in violation of the Geneva Conventions, it is the fault of the other Arab states for not taking them in, and therefore Israel is not responsible for them. Let me rebut that canard yet again: Give me your home address. I will come over and kick you out and force you to go live in a tent on your neighbor's lawn. When you or your neighbor complain, I'll say "God says I have a right to live here, and not you, and Its not my fault that your neighbor won't take you in!" The fact is that the Palestinians have an INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED LEGAL RIGHT to THEIR OWN homes and property IN PALESTINE, and not someone else's. The idea that they should just happily move elsewhere in the Arab world because "heck, they're all just a bunch of Arabs anyway" is yet another example of the inherent racism of Zionism, which all of your 40-year old standard worn out arguments won't hide or erase. J. Mohammadi To top * Imperialists won't let us have peace :-) Dear Lawrence, [lLargely a myth] It finally happened. For years I've been waiting for this. I was wondering, hoping, praying that some day a true follower of the Imam's path would write for this infidel publication. And you did it. The late Imam's spirit I am sure is soaring down there (of course it is only reasonable to assume that the soaring will be done within limits since I am sure the prevailing movement at the current whereabouts of the late Imam is downward). Of course the mouth-pounding article that you wrote had to do with our opperessed Palestinian bretheren and their bloodsucker Zionist oppressors. This is only natural since as far as the internal affairs of our Islamic ummah is concerned everything is honkey dorey (I apologize for the possible misspelling of this last expression. It is something that I picked up in the corrupt west and therefore I never paid much attention to it). I am sure you have shut the mouth of the known element (again apologies for my inability to sufficiently translate Onsor-e ma'alomolhal which clearly is the superior Islamic terminology for this fatherdog). Now I am not going to bore you with the train of letters that come after my name. I would normally write them down to impress these satanic Iranians outside the country. You and I though don't need these formalities. I mean would my master's degree in international relations, specializing in the Middle East and Strategic Studies (The stuff they teach you about war and security), my honors BA in political science with specialization in foreign policy, and my law degree with specialization in international human rights law, make any difference to you or me? I don't think so! As the late Imam said about another group of academically oriented individuals, we are but mules with books in our saddle bags (khorjin) These idiots simply do not understand that the infidel Gandhi was nothing but an imperialist pawn, trained to stop the revolutionary masses from slaughtering their enemies, and their local lackeys. I mean the Indian independence wasn't even a revolution, with Gandhi and Nehru having been trained by the old imperialist fox itself. And to make matters worse instead of replacing the post-colonial (if you can call it that) judiciary with Islamic revolutionary Courts, designed to purge society of the stain of incorrect thought, the idiots kept the British judicial system and the rule of law which is nothing but fancy lawyer talk for oppressing the masses. As if that wasn't enough the poor simpleton Gandhi decided he didn't like the Hindus and Muslims killing each other. Eventually a so-called Hindu, who I know and you know was one of our own, killed him because of his objections. Never mind the intelligence service misinformation that this unknown soldier of Imam of the Age was a Hindu so that good Muslims are prevented from taking credit for the revolutionary action. The point is, Gandhi should have encouraged the revolutionary rage, and clearly sided with our Muslim bretheren. I also cannot agree with you more that we should wholeheartedly embrace the Islamic warriors of Hamas and associated brothers. The eventual goal of course is the annhilation of the hated Zionist entity, with a fair and democratic vote on which form of Islamic government should rule Palestine. For without Islam there is no liberty. Now if certain Zionist elements don't like this the brothers in Hamas would take care of them. And if certain Paletinians decide the western style human rights of the jews or themselves should be respected, again the brothers in Hamas will address the situation appropriately. In fact mass murder and slaughter is necessary for a period of time (until further notice) in order to wipe out the corrupt on earth. 'Coz darn it there are so many of them. That is why the rulers of the Islamic world are so keen on killing. The imperialists simply won't let us have peace with their exploitation and cultural onslaught and support for corrupt regimes and, very disturbingly, encouragement of the practice of jendegi by our otherwise chaste sisters. And they protest when we decide to just kill these Taghooti. They don't understand that the rule of law is just a tool of oppression and freedom of expression a western tool of weakening the unity of the ummah. These westerners support the hated (to varying degrees at varying times)Saudi monarchy or the Mubarak regime and they expect us to listen to them when they object to our killing of our own people (or theirs) based on the sacred Islamic laws. Of course we should get rid of Israel and assert our Islamic identity in Palestine, especially under the Hamas brothers. We can't have enough revolutionary struggles and Islamic justice, hell Islamic government, as long as there are any infidel, simpleton, hypocrite, corrupt, jendehs on our planet. Insha'allah. By the way, your name, not to cast doubt on your Islamic credentials, but I mean really, Lawrence. It reminds one of the cursed sodomite, Lawrence of Arabia. Perhaps you might drop it for your future contributions? Concerned Poetry Enthusiast To top * Nutty Professor II - the sequel "Nuts" defeated the Nazis! You may wonder how? This is one of those less publicised episodes from the dying days of the WW2 when the Allied offensive in the Western front, faced a serious reversal of fortune by the ferocious German shelling of their positions near the town of Bastogne in Belgium. You may remember it from your history lessons as, or from the epic movie of the same name, the Battle of the Bulge. The fate of the entire offensive and indeed that of the freedom loving world hanged on the outcome of this single engagement. Germans demanded a total surrender of the American 101st Airborne division that had stubbornly resisted their poundings. Confronted with the formal German demand to surrender, the American commander of the division, General McAullife, wrote only one word in reply: "NUTS!". This single word sent a wave of fear through the hearts of the enemy army that led to the victory of the Bulge. The rest, as we know, is history. Some sixty years later, reading Professor Valibeigi's extensive reply ["Pistachio and politics"] to my initial piece on the "Pistachio Nuts" exporters of Iran, I couldn't help comparing the above historic episode with the one that is unfolding now. While 57 years ago, the mention of "Nuts" put an end to the tyranny of "boots and bayonet", today "Nuts" are, in the business of strengthening a tyranny of a different kind: that of "turban and sandals" - thanks to the relentless efforts of a number of well-intentioned but ill-advised members of the expatriate community such as Professor Valibeigi who insist on equating the interests of the Iranian government and monopolists of Iran's pistachio market with those of the Iranian people and the impoverished peasants who grow them. There is no need in resorting to extensive arguments to show how unfair is the so-called "nutty tariffs" that the American government is imposing on the pistachios imported from Iran. This is self explanatory. The points that our Professor is still avoiding to address are: * Where do the proceeds of this trade are likely to end up? * Whose pockets are likely to be filled? * Who are the principal beneficiaries of the war on tariffs? The hardworking Professor, who is assiduously filling a 50-page application form, admits, rather coyly, that although a large portion of Iran's pistachio exports are due to Rafasanjan Pistachio Producers Co-operative (RPPC) and that "RPPC may be related to Mr. Rafsanjani's family", he still sees it as his duty to the homeland to protect the interests of the "leaders of Iran's pistachio industry". Our Professor is proud of his "superior handling" of the tariffs war, on behalf of a minor company - Nima Trading, but is not bothered by the fact that "if and when" the tariffs are removed, ALL of the pistachio exporters, including the majority share holder RPPC, will benefit from his "selfless" efforts. While there is no doubt about the Professor's stance on moral and humanitarian issues, it is most surprising that a market share in excess of 70% by the Rafsanjani-owned companies does not pose any ethical dilemma in his efforts to increase the profits of the pistachio exporters. Perhaps, Professor Valibeigi, who is an advocate of transparency, should come up with a few transparent evidence on such issues as: * the market segmentation of Iran's pistachio market, * the identity of the key players of this market, * the pay structure within the pistachio producing industry, and more importantly, * the portion of profits enjoyed by the farm workers in the fields as opposed to the farm owners in the towns. It is fine to publish an article in iranian.com and inform your compatriots of the unjust nature of the taxes and tariffs levied against the Persian pistachios but it would have made more sense if at the same time the equally, if not more, unjust and extortionate excesses of the IRI's monopolistic export practices were exposed. It is singularly amazing that our Professor of "political economy" sees nothing political about the economics of exporting "Nuts"! Parkhash To top * Right and wrong I would like to respond to Mr. Hodges argument about Victimology. Yes he is Right but No he is also Wrong. Point one : If it isnt Americas responsibility to foster "foster free societies" it is also not its responsibility to deter such things in oil rich Muslim lands. If you read a proper history book you will learn how the western governments(and particulalry the US) bring to power client "thug based" dictatorships for "strategic interests" . Can't strategic interests bee achieved through genuine democracy ? And also can you answer question number 2: Can the US do what it did to the Native Americans today in the century of mass media and human rights? Obviously not. Maybe we should just fall back into the dark colonization ages where slavery was everywhere and the strong conquered the weak. That is always an option. regards, Salman To top * Total ignorance Dear Mr Lee Howard, [Victimology] I must admit you are a man who is talking through total ignorance. You have hit the nail on the head. Let me make this clear to you, "I am not a MUSLIM" but I have been born and bread in the Middle east. Not all Americans are Christian OR are they. This business of middle east is Muslim is totally crap. Well we do not want America to save us. All we are asking of them is to get the hell out of our lives. We would rather deal with some sophisticated and civilised nations in Europe rather than with a bunch of Cowboy politicians. Regards Ray To top * What do you expect Dear Reza, I understand your rage [Largely a myth] after reading the racist article by Lee Hodges [Victimology]. Please be careful. This country has a very SAVAGE aspect, which we "colored" immigrants need to turn, with patience, to civilization. Mr. Hodges, is a robotic product of this savage industrialized consumer society. So, of course he does not feel any responsibility toward how he is raping the planet, or give a damn about its less powerful inhabitants--whom he blames as victims. As a product of the U.S. major media, he is a prototype of a truly ignorant (not aware) self-centered being, who sees his robotic survival as the only "value" even to preserve it if he has to commit horrible crimes against humanity, such as the genocide of Native Americans, slavery, or "nuking" and killing over 2 million civilian Japanese in the 2nd world war and its aftermath. What do you expect from such savage robots? Conscience? Come on! Please be careful about your safety (because such creatures can be very dangerous), afterall you are responsible to civilize Mr. Hodges, so that he can begin to ask questions about why 9/11 happened, and how he and Mr. Bin Laden (and the Taliban) are no different, when looked at deeply enough. Right now Mr. Hodges is an angry selfish dangerous robot. Protect yourself from he and those like him, while praying for their soul. Remember, WE are the civilized ones, with LOVE in our hearts, even for the truly ignorant victims of this savage "civilization," which is destroying our fragile planet and its vulnerable inhabitants for short term selfish gain. Blessings, Moji Agha To top * "Vodu" or "Nefrin"? What a bunch of utter non-sense you wrote [Largely a myth] in response to Lee Hodges interesting article [Victimology]. It's a typical whining third world style! add to that "Death to America and Israel" and it will be perfect sermon for people like you. >My nation of Iran considered U.S. as her enemy since >it sheltered our number one enemy the toppled Shah. Bull shit! It's only folks like you and your associates (mullah's and hezbolah's) who consider U.S an enemy, the rest of the decent oppressed people in Iran do not consider U.S as an enemy, if anything they want U.S back in their life. In fact your beloved Islamic leaders in Iran want U.S back in their life much more than average citizen does, since they have just realized the country needs over 130 billion dollars worth of investment just to remain a float otherwise the party is over, gone, finito!) further more since U.S helped over through former shah of Iran which folks like you obviously hated, then the least you can do is to thank the U.S! >tell you Mr. Hodges, we are men of struggle. Our >youths have fought and battled against tanks, >cannons, and machine guns and this is the kind of >indignation you bestow upon us I am sure generation of youth that lost their life in useless war with Iraq and now live aimlessly with no hope for better futures sympathize with you on this one.(Ya right!) >You say Palestinians are terrorists Damn right they are! Gee if a person or people who blow up Pizza parlors or throw grenade in a middle of wedding, machine guns cars with children, elders and pregnant women in it, are not terrorists, then I don?t know who is a terrorist, may be mother Teresa is! >I will end with the words of Scholar Hamid Algar ... Personaly I take dAyi Hamid any time over Hamid Algar, vulgar, whatever! > of UC Berkeley, which wonderfully expresses the way >we feel: By "WE" you must mean, Islamic fanatic like you, hezbolah, hamas and the rest of the terrorist organizations out there? I doubt any decent, honorable and civilized human being want to part of your ?We? coalition. >"As a Muslim living in this so-called Judeo-Christian >country: I am tired. Wallahil-azeem, I am tired. I >am tired of people talking nonsense, I am tired of >hypocrisy, I am tired, I am tired. And Muslims >across the world are very tired. How about you and Hamid pack up and leave! Adios, bon voyage, no one will miss you! I am sure in Mid east no one talks none sense, no one is hypocrite and better yet there are hardly any Judeo Christians out there (well, there used to be more, but since compassionate Muslims like you made life so difficult for them, their number have shrunk substantially!) >Malcolm X, the greatest man that this country has >ever produced what have you been in haling and snorting?.. >Chickens came home to roost," and I tell you, if >matters continue the way they are, not only the >chickens will come home to roost, vultures will come >home to roost What? Chickens, vulters??? what does that mean? >I warn you! Boy that is scary! will you be using "Vodu" or "Nefrin"? One last note, is it appropriate for people like you to have Judeo christian names like "Lawrencee"? Mr. Irani To top * Film critic In resonse to "Where is Nazanin Mofakham Saniee?", I know her. She lives in Tehran and is pretty famous for her film critiques. She is also a film editor. Her recent editing work was Baran by Majid Majidi. Now after a little bit thinking, I think I have read her writings as a reporter for Film magazine, not as film critisisms. I don't really remember that much. I know her but I don't remember her writings. So, I have to correct myself this way: she was a writer on film issues, at least to the time I left Iran six years ago. Recently I have heard that she is married to Behnam Monadizadeh, a well-known photographer. mmmm, ... che ghadr khaale-zanak shodam! Fekr nemikardam akhbaare ezdevaaj-e mardom ro radd-o-badal konam! Sourena Mohammadi To top * When Iranian dad makes the rules Being a teenager is hard enough, but when your american mom isn't alive and your iranian dad makes the rules the job can sometimes be impossible... Everyone remembers being a teenager. Those happy, carefree times where anything was possible. So far being a teen has been GREAT! my dad lets me do almost everything i want to and doesn't ask too much of me. but when it comes to boys, that all changes. he says i can't date anyone until i'm 16, but in america, that's just weird. really. all my friends started dating way back in elementary school. it's not a big deal. most "couples" last a few months then break up. when i asked him if i could go to the movies with a boy (I'm 3 months short of 15) he said no. his reason was "it wasn't our culture". i'm not totally up to date on iranian taboos, but i think he meant that it was improper. in groups he said it was okay, but not two together. (this makes no sense because why would a group stop someone from kissing? if anything, they ENCOURAGE it) and.... my culture isn't iranian, it's american!!!!! i think a lot of iranian girls growing up here face this problem. their dad's still think like they're in iran with all these arranged marraiges or whatever. it's not like i'm asking for a lot, just... not to be so restricted about boys. he thinks that if the other parents know they'll think i'm a slut or whore. what he fails to realize is that everyone else's kids in america have had boyfriends. (notice the "s") i can kinda see his point tho. after spending numerous summers with my grandma in iran, i understand why he might think that way. i definitely don't want to be thought of as "loose". but you CAN have a oyfriend and be a good girl. it's all about how you act in public. so....to sum it up, it's not fair not being allowed to date until ur 16, but some of his ideas are right. i guess i don't really know what the point of this article was except to express how i felt about having to deal with the clash of culture. i know all u girls out there get me. Zee To top * Australian universities? I need some advise for getting admission for a master degree in one of the Australian universities in the field of Agricultural Engineering (Livestock Sciences). As every application form in Australia needs a payment without a guarantee for the success of application, please could you advice me name of a university with more change of getting registered with a Bachelor's Degree in the same field from an Iranian Azad University. From your web side I felt that you are kind of person that would not mind to advice others especially Iranian. Please could you help me for this matter? If you would like I could call you personally if you please give me your number. I would be highly grateful if you could help me for this matter. Your time is very much appreciated. Yours sincerely, Sima Shirali To top * Qajar dress conference We would be very grateful if you could inform your readers about the upcoming conference on Dress and Costume of Nineteenth Century Iran, which will be held in Leiden, the Netherlands, on 20-21 June, 2002. Further information can be found on a special website: www.qajardress.com Best wishes, Willem Vogelsang To top * Iran Daroudi Could you please let me know how to get in contact with a gallery selling Iran Daroudi paintings Jack Verdich To top * A very great man I would like to say that my wife's mother's brother Ebrahim (Staka) Fiaper has passed away. He was many years ago a very great ski champion in your country. He was a ski champion in the 1940's. If you know anything of him please reply to me. He was a very great man. Colin Dartnell To top * Pegah Babai Lavasani I am looking for a friend of mine Pegah Babai Lavasani from Iraj Rostami High School. I havn't heard fom her for 15 years. If you have any information please e-mail me at tinooshdibamehr@hotmail.com To top * Book on Mossadegh I am an American journalist who has recently published a book about Turkey ("Crescent and Star") and, some years ago, a book about the 1954 CIA coup in Guatemala ("Bitter Fruit"). Now I am writing a book about the 1953 coup against Mossadegh. Presumably you have some readers who have information or memories about the coup. I would like to reach them, to appeal to them to come forward and share their recollections. Would it be possible for us to arrange a story in The Iranian about my project, so that Iranians in this country would be aware of what I'm doing? I will be in New York next month and would love to come by and discuss this. Many thanks, Stephen Kinzer To top * Khoda Karam Khan I need information about KHODA KARAM KHAN epic , in 1936-1938 . He's Iranian and lives in ZAGROS mountain. He's chief of KOHKILOYE. Bahador To top * Info on weddings I'd like you to give me some information about the wedding ceremonies in Iran. I am more focused in the PLACE. I mean WHERE do Iranian people do their weddings. In the groom's house or the bride's house? Houses or tents? WHERE do they go for honeymoon. WHERE do they usually live after they get married? In the separate house or with their family. Thanks in advance, Toto To top * Narang = Orange 1. Where does the word "Ghahve-Khaaneh" come from? Did Iranians used to drink coffee before tea was imported from India? 2. The words "Narenj" and "Toranj" are original Persian words. Today these words are used in western languages as "Orange" in English and "Naranja" in Spanish. Ironically we don't use these words anymore. We use the word "Porteghal" apparently because the Portugese exported them to our southern ports a few hundred years back. Tourang Birangi To top * I couldn't imagine you going so far i just discovered one of the links introduced in your Web section: Caged Persian to be honest with you i am shocked. i couldn't imagine that iranian.com would go so far. i mean i have no problem with erotic expressions as art or even pornography in general. what i cann't swallow is that iranian.com is (was) always a nice meeting place if people were looking for literature, art, culture, communication, etc. i realy don't get the point why you want to have it in your site. could somebody just tell me if pornography has found a stage even inside iranian.com! Reza To top * Can not help pulling his leg! I love Saman's work. He is superb. At the same time I can not help pulling his leg! Regards, H. Hakimi, Norway To top RELATED March 2002 This month's archived letters Letters index Letters sent to The Iranian in previous months Email us

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