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January 16, 2004 Page 2 * Too true to be denied Dear Ms. Azizi, As an Iranian having lived outside Iran for the past 25 years, remembering the Iran I knew and the people as warm, hospitable, caring and mostly nonviolent by nature, your opinion/article [All Bamed out!] has devastated my fantasies as well as reinforced my fears. Fantasies are what I wish for to be the truth, fears are what have crept into my psyche to take their place. As I read and hear about the youth in Iran, their hopes and dreams versus the realities of their existence, I feel sad and powerless. Your words :
are bitter to swallow and worse to acknowledge, but yet too true to be denied. Here in the West, the Diaspora is constantly wooing poets, artists and painters, films and their directors, and most everything to do with Iran's culture from the past and present, and thereby actually avoiding most of what you have described. The political correct venue has become the motto of the day: 'Promoting Iranian-American participation in American civic life'. In my humble opinion the Diaspora could and should do more for those inside Iran, by uniting a strong opposition without self-interest to promote democratic regime change in Iran and thereby guaranteeing the citizens and especially the youth a better future. The least we can do here in the West, as you have done with your article, is tell the truth, wherever it may lead. Maybe you have let the Iranian Diaspora know how the country we remember and the people we love are no longer what we imagine but, in my humble opinion, with change of regime and help of educated and humane people, in time can change again to become caring citizens of a new Iran. * Yes Master! This woman, Shahla Azizi, disgusts me and makes me sick to my stomach [All Bamed out!]. I cannot believe that such abhorrent creatures come from Iran, my beloved country! Shame on her for demeaning and degrading her country, her language, the great poets of her country, and her hard working Iranian brothers and sisters. She disgusts me for saluting the West and anything Western like a lower level caste member who prostrates in front his master! Praising the West as "colonizers"! UNBELIEVABLE! Can a human being get any lower? For heaven's sake, where is your self-respect, dignity, and pride ? No matter how chaotic our country is at this critical juncture in its history and transformation, it is still our country, our home, our IRAN and our pride. One does not degrade and put down one's own parents, family, and home. SHAME ON YOU, SHAME ON YOU, SHAME ON YOU!!!! Get back to your beloved west and lick their ... and don't call
yourself "Iranian" because you will soil this great name. And
let me tell you something, Ms. Azizi "gharbzadeh-e gharb parast",
if you don't take pride in your own heritage and identity, those same
westerners that you love and worship so much will not have any respect
for you either; you will always be an "outsider" to them;
a miserable human being in purgatory, neither in hell, nor in heaven,
with no identity; neither the west will accept you as "Western" nor
your own country will accept you because you are a "traitor" to
your own people ! * All "bummed" out Regarding Ms. Shahla Azizi's article titled "All Bamed out!", well, I must say that I am all "bummed" out. Yet another person has decided to look at all the bad and conclude that we are a corrupt, "evil," perhaps savage society. This is exactly what the West would like for us to acknowledge our inferiority. I don't disagree with her description of how things are in Iran. In fact, she is right; things are bad. But does that mean we have to imitate the West. I don't believe so; after all, Cyryus the Great was fairly democratic, and many other democratic ideas and people were not from the West. The argument is not were these ideas have originated and who they have belonged to. Who cares? Let's say they belong to the West. OK, so if we are to follow in their footsteps, let's start by not naming our children Alex, John, David, Michael, and let's move back to our country and start to do some good. Afterall do you see John, Alex, and David changing their names when the move to our countries and never go back? No, they even go back to their hometown of Lincoln, N.C., and they make it a better place. If the masses return and try to do some good, and if a lot of us had not left; our country and society would be in better shape. Ms. Azizi may be in trapped in the prison of her mind, but she really disregards those who are truly imprisoned for openly fighting and voicing their minds. There are many Iranians who have stayed behind if you will who make their voice heard everyday; they write, they talk, they work hard and are true to their values. There are also many who have been burried for voicing their opinions, and some who have dissappeared. So, let's not be ex-patriot's slapping the true freedom fighters in the face with our idea of what democracy and freedom are and whether it is possible in our country. It is and will be. I have lived in the so called West of Ms. Azizi. She calls Guantanamo an exception for a time of war. What war? Perhaps one that the West helped create, not to downplay the role that menaces like Bin Laden, Saddam, and Sharon have played themselves to create this war. Guantanomo is no exception. The problem of drugs, street gangs, violence, theft, racism, and corruption (don't forget the Enron scandal) exist everywhere, especially in the West. Now if you open your eyes, and decide to dive deeper into the abyss you shall see my friend we are not alone, and perhaps we are truly following the West's example of corruption and deciept. * True to a degree My cousin, a bank teller was talking about the bribes he'd take to arrange loans [All Bamed out!]. I was rather shocked as he is a very decent man with high morals. I asked why and his response was "I have no choice. If I don't get it, they will fire me. I don't keep it all for myself as the branch manager takes his cut and passes the rest up the chain of command and then they give me a little bit of it. A former colleague here blew the whistle and an auditor was called in to check his claims. The bank manager was exonerated and he was fired for slander." So, what kind of a person is my cousin? Is he a corrupt individual? Or is he an innocent soul caught up in a corrupt system that is not of his making? I spoke to a Software Engineer who sought my advice about living abroad. After much discussion, I found that he makes the equivalent of 75,000 Tomans per month. He is 26 and lives at home. He doesn't have a car and is single. He'd like to get married but can't afford it. He is hopeless and doesn't know what to do. So, if I hear tomorrow that he's been caught robbing a bank, should I blame him? The problems that you describe are true and valid but Iranians, to a degree, should not be blamed. Iranians living outside of Iran are also not as moral and pure as you claim. As a rule, I avoid doing business with most Iranian businesses here as they tend to be tax-cheaters, liars and scammers and this gets worst when they deal with other Iranians. I've been burned many times by these so called enlightened Iranians. Iranians living in Iran, unless financially set and don't have to do it, lie, cheat and swindle for many reasons: 1. Morally corrupt. 2. Can't provide for his/her children and family. 3. Feels cheated at the growing gap between the rich and the poor. 4. Influenced by a culture in which "zerangi" equals making a quick buck using shady deals rather than an honest one. In conclusion, with the exception of the first group, we should give the rest a break. We don't have to live there and when we visit, our pockets are filled with US dollars. How would be react if we had to work 60-80 hours a week and still not have enough to live on? I know the cab driver took me for a ride when he charged me three times as much when he found out I live outside of Canada. But I don't blame him. At his age, he should have been retired and not "out there making a living". Let's blame the bugs infesting and feeding on the tree and not the three for being ugly. * Not taking any trips? Mr Younessi, [All Bamed out!] This was really weird logic! Are you personally not taking any trips, not buying anything other that vital needs, etc. and sending the rest of your salary to Bam? People are encouraged to and should help people in need, especially countrymen, but you cannot blame people for living their lives besides helping Bam victims! Now Hajj is not even a normal trip and the people who go for it have certain beliefs that do not interfere with helping Bam victims. I would say they're the type of people who would be first in line to send any help they can. I would also like to suggest that your relative wasn't asking for your permission to go to Hajj. When people ask for halaali it's a way of asking for forgiveness for any wrong they did to you at any time. It's certainly a curteous gesture and not a permission issue. This is not a rule in Islam that you must cancel your Hajj trip if your cousin doesn't give you permission (or even halaali) because he thinks every pilgrim should stay home this year and send that money to Bam victims. God bless this year's Hajj pilgrims as well as quake victims, * Ataturk did it Great idea! [Not this year] President Kemal Ataturk did this in the last century and people who contributed the fee to more needed projects were formally called Haaji. We need to learn. * The problem is not money The problem is not that people go on pilrimiage (hajj), the problem is that not enough people do so [Not this year]. To say that instead of hajj, pilirims should donate their money to earthquake victims is analogous to preaching that we should abstain from any thing that is deemed as excessive by others and send the money to the needy. Bam is in need, but our country is far from poor. The problem with Bam and the rest of the country is not money and will not be resolved with money. The problem is a culture and its underpinings whereby a city like Bam can come crumbling down with a moderate earthquake. If all those developers who built Bam's schools, hospitals, police stations, and houses for that matter, had gone to hajj, circled Mecca and took its message to heart, we wouldn't have a travesty named Bam. * God does not need us, the unfortunate do I am so glad that someone else thinks the way I do [Not this year]. All my life I have fought against events that cost so much money in the name of God who truly does not care about them and is tired of them as well. Going to Hajj is just the same as those elaborate" "sofrehs" in Iran and around the world. Some backward Iranians throw a party so all the "well to do" Iranians decked up in their best clothing ad jewelry show up and read a few lines form the Koran and a few prayers. The food that has cost the host hundreds of dollars is devoured by these well to do people that act like hungry vultures. I vehemently argued as a teenager against these ceremonies in Iran and still do because the concept was originated to feed the truly poor and hungry not to show off. Didn't the Russian say that "you give anything to Iranians and they will screw it up"? The interpretation meant if you gave Iranians Communism they would screw it up as well. The point is that the Hajjis do not even have God's blessing because God does not need anyone. There is a great Sufi tale, which talks about the Hajj day when a pious religious leader saw the two angels in his dreams talking about the people who had visited Hajj that particular day. One Angel told the other that 6000 people visited Hajj (including the religious leader) today and God accepted none of them. However, God accepted so and so merchant who did not visit Hajj. The religious leader woke up really upset and went and found the merchant the angels had referred to so he could find out why he was accepted by God despite not going to Hajj. The merchant said his wife was pregnant and he was walking with her when they passed a poor neighborhood. She smelled the aroma of grilled meat and he went and knocked on the door where the aroma was coming from. A poor woman with tattered clothes opened the door. He apologized and his wife wad pregnant and the smell of the grilled meat had made her crave. He offered to pay for just a small piece to satisfy her craving. The poor woman began to cry and said, "Respected sir, this meat is not worthy of you and your wife. I am a widow with two hungry children and today I found a dead donkey and out of desperation I am grilling its meat to feed my kids." The merchant trying to hold his tears back said, "I had collected money for nearly twenty years to go to Hajj. I went home and brought the money and gave it to the poor lady because in my eyes she was more deserving and I have no doubt the divine would approve of my act." Well the moral of the story is exactly what you understood. The divine one does not need us to be in a special place with special rituals. He is in the heart of those who rare blessed with his friendship therefore he has grant them the enlightenment to give to those in need instead of putting on a show to impress fellow Iranians and Moslems. Those people appall me and I have big arguments all the time, which is why I avoid attending any of the elaborate ceremonies, held by the people in my state in the name of God and religion. I yelled at a 25-year-old mail-order bride last year that was proud her stupid husband had spent $5k to take her to Mecca! I made sure she would go back and told him what I thought about idiots like him and everyone present agreed with me. Let's not forget that those Saudi royals deserve the same plight as the Iran's crown cannibal and his family (and trust me their plight will be the same. Just wait) so until they are overthrown nobody should spend a dime in that country of oppressors. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to see that so many deserving people in Bam and other area of Iran could use the money these ignorant souls want to give to Hajj. I guarantee you that there are many truly spiritual people who may not have higher education but are devoted to being compassionate human beings an they do not approve of these "shows" some of us put ion in the name of God. * Quite offending This is in response to Professor Younessi's article, "Not this year". First, I would like to acknowledge that it was a very interesting and beautifully written (particularly the poetry) article. His point is certainly a valid one and clearly put. However, I would like to let him know that I found the following small section of his article quite offending and I hope that he would reconsider such remarks in the future. " ... But then again, if you have done so and you still have as much money to spend to go and walk around a cubical structure, throw stones at a worn out pillar and have innocent animals killed, why not donate that money too and go to a real Hajj in the heart? I am sure if there is one, this is what god would wish you to do." Thank you, p.s. I look forward to reading more articles from Professor Younessi. * The key is Wisdom I loved the article "Not this year". I have never agreed with Hajj anyway. Governments that help the Muslims to take the trip could always help out those who need it the most. Obviously Mohammad didn't think of that when he made Hajj mandatory. I think people should become more passionate and smart rather than believing ancient superstitions and worshiping a Idol or Statue or Spirit. Learn from our Ferdousi
(who was either forced or his book was changed to put some Islamic
stuff
in there) that begins his book with "In the name of the God of
Life and Wisdom". The key is Wisdom. Religion could be good or
stupid, but people who spend their money and time to SHOW OFF their
religious beliefs are just stupid. * Americans insulated Mr. Nugent's piece "Bottom line", raises some good points about scale and the possible biased point of view that Iranians have about media coverage, or the lack of it, of the tragic earthquake in Bam. Of course, we care more than most because of the devastation and we are more sensitized to it. It is true that few Americans would be able to locate Iran, let alone Bam, on a map. That, however, only reinforces the basic point that Americans have insulated themselves from learning or caring about their neighbors overseas unlike those overseas who know a great deal about the US. His admission that Americans are relatively unaware only helps Ms. Sadrameli's point as opposed to countering it. Yes, Americans are curious about Mad Cow disease, among other national stories, and rightfully so. Americans also seem to be rabid to learn about the Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez relationship, Britney Spears' sham wedding and whom Paris Hilton is "dating" for lack of a better euphemism. The chances are slim to none that any normal person would meet any of those listed above though they get a lot of media coverage. What is interesting here is that one of Mr. Nugent's justifications for less earthquake media coverage is Americans pay more attention to stories that affect them or their immediate families. How does Britney's Vegas wedding classify as such? I guess the earthquake isn't in that league, either. This is, at best, an academic discussion. The important thing is that people are providing assistance however they can. As an Iranian and an American, I am thankful that Mr. Nugent, as well as many other generous people in this country, extended himself to help those in Bam who are in dire straits. * More concerned about these guys Now why bother donating to American Iranian Council or Islamic Musilm Association of America? [LA telethon raises $750,000] Why not just donating straight to Khamenei, Khatami or Rafsenjani's bank accounts directly!!! I am more concerned about these guys retirement fund than Bam's resident. P.S by the way I thought it was a million, so what happened to the $250,000 ? * Open letter to Majlis members Dear Brothers and Sisters salam, In view of the latest outrage committed against the honor and dignity of the Iranian people by sinister and reactionary quarters, I am appealing for the Majlis Shura to convene an immediate extraordinary session to vote on the following agenda: (1) The immediate impeachment of Ali Khamenei and the dissolution of the position of Rahbar, and the appointment of a competent temporary caretaker council to assume the responsibilities and duties of that position. (2) The immediate dissolution of the following entities: the Shura
Negahban, the Shura Maslahat Nezam, the Dadgah Enghelab, the Sepah
Pasdar, and the Bonyad Mostazafan. (4) A timetable for a nationwide referendum to allow the citizenry to determine the future of Iran. * Abadani classmates I live in San Diego, California, and would like to know the whereabouts of my classmates from 25 Shahrivar High School in Abadan. If you could provide any info, it'll be appreciated. Do write to me and let me know what's going on. * Shooki... baa Ostad Shajarian?! I always wonder when we are going
to grow up as Iranians and start respecting our culture? I am specifically
talking about Ostad
Shajarian's picture and the stupid and tasteless rap song ...
I mean come one you guys could have been a lot more creative than
that but you went ahead and chose one of
the most experienced singers in "OUR MUSIC" not bull shit
music from LA, and you do this... PS. I was going to advertise my businnes with you guys and I actually know some people from THE IRANIAN. But this really changed my mind. You guys have to be a lot smarter than that, to try to attract all kinds of people to your site so eventually you can make good money you have to think like a business man. Anyways what do I know???? Pride More
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