|
June 26, 2003 * Ahang-e mobarezeh Hello, I'm Shamaizadeh. Man yek ahang-e jadid daram darbareye mobarezehye daneshjooya beh naame "bachehaye takhte jamshid". Mitavanid az website man (shamaizadeh.com) begirid va bogzarid ruye sitetoon. * Feel sorry for monarchy lovers If our youth are breaking the law by demonstrating without permission or interrupting the people's daily life and business they should be stopped by police or any other authorized law enforcement as people who were demonstrating against the World Trade Organization were beaten up by FBI and American police.[This one is their battle] Second, unfortunately despite of being clever to cover your main purpose of writing this article I have to tell you that I feel sorry for you and other monarchy lovers. History doesn't repeat itself. It is exactly the time for people to ask themselves what they want if regime is gone tonight. DO they want Mr. Pahlavi or Mr. Ragavi? Do they prefer that policy makers in Washington decide for them or they need some reforms that will happen gradually if they persist asking them from a regime that was selected by themselves. During the revolution in 1979 people chose Islamic Republic of Iran by 97%. You might not have been there at that time but I was there and I saw it by with my own eyes. If foreign minister of France says Iran has a Democratic regime he is right. It might not be the kind of regime that you like but they are democratic. Even President Khatami was elected by majority of people, definitely more than those who elect president Bush or his presedors. There are a lot of issues to talk about.But let me tell you that if you like many others has packed up to go back to Iran and become a prince or prince's secretory! is a little late. People in my generation have earned enough experience not to follow a bunch of students that they don't know who is supporting them. Badri M * While our youth are being harmed Your opinion/article is to the point and exactly what all Iranians It is shameful to discuss personal, political and ideological issues while our youth in Iran are being harmed, the country is economically devastated, and corruption and criminal behavior by some in the regime is on the rise. Thank you for your clear and honest observation. * Supporting all those "WE"s I enjoyed your article [This one is their battle]. Unfortunately there are 2 kinds of Iranians outside of Iran. There are those sitting on their butt complaining and asking every one "When are the mullahs going to go?" and there are those who are just counting the days and hours, waiting to get back positions they lost to the mullahs 25 years ago. We don't think in terms of "we the people". This has deep roots in Iranian
culture. We're not trained
to think
"we are one".
We need training. As you mentioned now is not the
time to discuss which idea is better. It's time to give support
to all
those "WE"s in Iran. Siavash A * Beyond comprehension A couple of days ago, there was a news story on Canadian television (CBC) about Neda Hassani; the young Iranian woman who set herself on fire outside the French Embassy in London in protest to the detention of Mojahedin e-Khalq's top members in Paris. Sixty per cent of her body was burned, and she passed away because of her injuries. To be honest, the whole matter is beyond my comprehension for the following reasons: How can a 25 year old girl, who is a Canadian citizen, and has all her life ahead of her take such a drastic action?.... I understand that some people might sympathize with the Mojahedin, but to this extent? Moreover, her profile doesn't even look like a typical Mojahed's; she grew up in Ottawa after her parents left Iran, and apparently she was in Europe to visit friends. If her parents were among the detainees, it could be understandable; however, they were in Canada at that time, and it is said in the news that they hope to take her body home to Ottawa for a funeral. Does anyone have any background information on her (beside the fact that her father is, or has been a member of Mojahedin, and spent time in jail under the Shah?) REPLY: See article about Neda Hassani in The Guardian * US assault in the interest of Iranian people Mr. Mirfendereski, [Naked in a tree-less forest] You talk about President Bush's shameless hypocrisy. Your article gives a new definition to the word shameless. You mention a list of oppressive regimes. Which one of those regimes practices barbaric acts of amputation, pulling out eyes, and stoning their citizens to death using carefully selected stones? What I found most amusing about your article is the part on Algiers Declaration. According to what international law is lending moral support to freedom fighters intervention in internal affairs? The US will not and should not tolerate a nuclear Iran even if it means full-scale or "surgical" military assault. Iran does not need nukes. Nuclear Mullahs are not only a threat to the peace of the world and interests of the US and Israel but also a threat to the interests of the Iranian people. Mr. Rafsanjani's "golden" statement is still fresh in memories: "a nuclear attack on Israel will eliminate that country but a military retaliation on Muslims will only kill a few millions." US military assault on Iranian nuclear facilities, should that ever happen, is in the interest of the Iranian people as well as in the interest of the US and other peace loving nations. * Bottom-line right to survival A reader of "Naked in a tree-less forest" wrote: "There is much to agree with in your article and some things I could disagree with. But I am disappointed that you do not comment on statements by Iranian government leaders that, the moment they have nuclear bombs, they will use them on Israel. What do you think of this? I note that I am a British Jew, now living in the US, as England, indeed Europe as a whole, is no longer a safe place for Jews. Yours Faithfully [Ph.H.]" Writer's response: "Dear Mr. H.: I regret your disappointment in my failure to comment on statements of the Iranian officialdom about using the bomb on Israel. Not everything in this world revolves around Israel. I am still waiting for the UN Resolution 242 to be implemented. But since you queried about my reaction to the statements of Iranian officials, here are two observations. First, there are many out there who have made similar statements about Israel and the Jews and some have these promises written up in their charters and covenants. Yet, last time I checked, the super-terrorist of my generation, if not of all time, Mr. Arafat, and his cohorts continue to spew such gibberish and yet at the same time talk to the Israeli officials and collect my hard-earn tax-money in stipends and whatnot. So what people say and are expected to do can be two different things. Second, the next point is about doing -- and in that case I believe parity in nuclear capability is the best form of deterrence and therefore I suggest that Israel develop a phenomenal response-strike capability to ensure that no country strikes at it with nuclear weapons first. But, in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the conflict was a hair-trigger away from going nuclear from the Israeli/US side and yet no Arab country possessed nuclear weapons. That tells me Israel has shown the proclivity to go nuclear in the Middle East and I begrudge it not for I believe every country has a bottom-line right to survival, to ensure it with whatever defensive means and the Iran's and others in the Middle East are no different." * Make no mistake: mullahs are trying to make nuclear bombs I do not recognize Mr. Sharif Mafi's name, or his background and information pool; I probably would have recognized him if he was in the business to know nuclear facts. However, I wish Iranian.com as a publisher would conduct some type of test of reality and truth of what is said in an article before publishing. In his article "Don Quixote’s Iranian bomb", Mr. Mafi appears to suggest that nuclear bomb making in Iran is not what is going on. Anyone with some background in the subject matter would know from reading the reports of IAEA, and other news articles, that by now what mullah's government is doing is exactly that: trying to make nuclear bombs. Now, whether they succeed in that endeavor or not is another matter, but do not make a mistake about it: mullahs are trying to make nuclear bombs. The direct result of such activity, besides of what U.S. or any other government think about it, is the damage to the liberty of Iranian people. A mullah government with a nuclear bomb will turn into another North Korea, where they will answer to no one, including the people of Iran! Mr. Mafi better learn the subject matter before expressing his unfounded opinion. The Iranian.com better to know the facts before publishing an article that is not accurate. * What does Pahlavi want? Years back, I think it was in 1990, I had Reza Pahlavi and a few other friends for dinner at my house. It was a beautiful summer evening and my wife had cooked her famous Tahchin. We had dinner seating around the table and the conversation as in all our gatherings was loud and charged with humorous memories of home. After dinner, people started to disperse in small groups around the house. Some watching a video, some listening to music. Reza and a few of us just sat around the table talking. As the World Cup soccer matches was in full swing, the conversation got to Iran's rather mediocre showing in the primaries. From there we started to talk about our dreams and visions for Iran. One guy thought that the only solution for Iran was to shed Islam and any institutionalized religion, detach itself from the Middle East like Turkey did. Another thought that the key to Iran's future lay with balancing its Islamic and Pre Islamic heritage. I thought that Iran needed a cultural shift of paradigms before its politics would change. Reza just listened to us without uttering a word. When we were finished arguing, he reached out to a plastic lighter on the table. The 75 cents kind that you find in any street corner deli. He then said: "Wherever you go, London, New York, Paris, Rio, Africa, Asia, you will find the same exact lighters. And invariably they are made in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, ingapore, Korea etc. My dream is to one day pick one of these lighters, or Bic pens or any other simple gadget anywhere in the world and read 'Made in Iran'." * Ready to re-consider a monarchy I just finished reading "Are we worthy?" and I enjoyed it. It pissed me off, but that is the crux of our nature. After this current disaster of a pseudo-religious experiment, I am absolutely ready to re-consider a monarchy. With the relatively high level of insecurity and overall lack of “Hambastegi” we have tended to exhibit as a people over the last 3,000 years. There is always a smart ass who thinks everything is bad and can be done better if only people would listen to him/her. Then as soon as they get the chance, the belly filling begins. In fact one could argue, our culture has prospered in this way more, through individual “pissed off at everyone” ingenuity, than any other way. Being pissed off at everyone was in fact Mossadegh’s exact tactic as well. To the point where he pissed off everyone in and out of Iran, and ended up a whimpering old fool. One thing we have not yet tried is forced play time. Yaani, no one has ever forced us to get along, who had a noble selfless intent. I take it back, maybe for a brief moment under Reza Shah as he rammed the 20th century down our throats. It is possible that Reza III (Why do people call him II?) who has by
now come face to face with his potential destiny (and demons), can be
the one to make us agree to cooperate with one another, and having seen
first-hand how easily one can depose a king these days, I am willing
to let him have a go at it. Maybe if someone decent would ram an honest to goodness Democracy down our throats, we could actually lift ourselves out of the Joob. Good piece. More
letters (June 26, 2003) |
Archive By
subject Music |
|