Letters

June 2007

Part 3 -- Part 1 -- Part 2

June 30

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There are mountains of evidence that these guys are plotting against us

On Ben Madadi's "Why are Iranians so concerned about Israel?":

Well Ben, I'm one of those anti-IR Iranians that has a seething hatred for Zionists. To label us in any way as anti-Semites is rediculous. This has nothing to do with Judaism, and everything to do with elements in Israel, and extremist Zionists.

There are mountains of evidence that these guys are plotting against us. For one thing, look at a list of the same people who pushed for the Iraq war, the Neo-Cons. These are the same people who are pushing for an Iran war today.

Their loyalties do NOT lie with America, they lie with Israel. I challenge you to go through the list of prominent Neo-Cons, if 90% of them aren't Jewish I will concede the entire argument.

And another product of their propaganda of course has been this myth that Ahmadinjad said he wants to "wipe Israel off the map", something that many of our fellow Iranians such as yourself have come to buy into. I strongly dislike Ahmadinejad, but I absolutely hate these agents of Israel that are plotting our destruction every day.

This so-called "new anti-Semitism" isn't a new phenomenon. The term was first introduced in the 70's and has been brought up periodically every time Israel found itself in a difficult situation. There's no merit to it and no evidence to back it up. In fact poll after poll shows a decline in anti-Semitism in both Europe and America, but it has served the purpose of silencing Israels critics, something that whether intentionally or not, you have done.

Bryan

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You can hate Zionism, but still love Jews

On Ben Madadi's "Why are Iranians so concerned about Israel?":

I think you are a little confused. It is one thing to hate an ideology or government, it is totally another to hate a race of people and their culture.

To some Iranians and many other people around the world, Zionism embodies western imperialism.` We can all see that Israel is very much a western country because it enjoys` it's support from the US via` corporate globalism and capitalism at the expense of their neighbors.` People seem to have amnesia over the fact that` Judaism and Zionism go hand-in-hand but they` are not neccesarily the same thing.

Zionism: The nationalist movement that resulted in the creation of the state of Israel.

Judaism: Belief in and conformity to the Old Testament,` as well as` its practices and ceremonies.

This means that Zionism is a political party, and Judaism is a ethno-cultural identity.

Now, doesn't it seem strange that it is politically correct` to say that` you dislike U.S. Republicans but not American` citizens; yet Zionists claim that if you hate their Zionist party, you hate Jews as well?

It all sounds like the Zionist strategy is to keep religion intertwined with their government so that they can` play the pity card whenever someone criticizes their leadership:` racism (anti-semitism).

Whenever someone says: "Down with Zionism!" people like you think that it is the same thing as saying : "Down with Jews!" In reality, this is definately not the case.

You can hate Zionism, but still love Jews.

Now to answer your question about why Iranians are concerned about Israel:

If you read your world history, and realized that the United States has been nothing but trouble for Iran, then it would make sense for Iranians to be concerned about any close allies to the United States, especially western countries that are in relatively close proximity to Iran: "Israel"

Thinnk of Israel as an American (or western)` colony in the middle-east.

Luke Afsar

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We have become such puppets of Israel

On Ben Madadi's "Why are Iranians so concerned about Israel?":

Why? Because some of them are well aware of just how much say israel has in US foreign policies. It is not anti-semitism, it is all based on facts. AIPAC is running US' foreign policies, Israel is running US foreign policies. I am hearing the same rhetoric about Iran that I heard about Iraq only months before the invasion. I do follow the Palestinian struggle. I have seen and read about Israel going back on its word over and over and over again. I have seen and read about Israel continuing to keep that bloody cycle going. I have seen and read about Israel creating new settlements while jippin' the world, us US tax payers and Palestinians by lying. You want proof, you want something that shows you how entrenched that little innocent country in the Middle East is in the US govt ... read this, a report written last year by professors from Harvard and University of Chicago - "The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy" (may take a minute to download).

I know that I as a tax payer am giving 'free' money to Israel while spending less at home on poverty, medicare, education and more and more. I as a politically informed citizen, know that AIPAC, although a group representing a foreign country, is getting away by not paying additional taxes and is treated as an American lobbying group. I know that Israelis actually do not treat our Iranian Jewish citizens over there equally. I know that those Jews that NOW make up most of the Israeli population are European and continue to drive out even the REAL Jews that belong in that region. I know that the Russian migration to Israel has given the Israeli govt another way to mess with the numbers and make it look like the Palestinians have always been the minorities there. I see and hear the same rhetoric from Israeli officials as I do from US officials - you're telling me they're not involved? Literally hear the SAME words and stories used by Israelis.

What does Israel have to do with this? You go and check the background and bios of Perle, Feith, Libby, Wolfowitz, Abraham and Lieberman ... and tell me some of the things they have in common. They are all recipients of many awards from the govt of Israel. Some have dual citizenship (I think Lieberman and Libby). They all pushed for the invasion of Iraq right after 9/11 (Iraq had nothing to do with it, Saddam literally hated al-queda), led by Wolfowitz. They brought in that critical Israeli report that supported the so-called WMD crap on Iraq; later those shysters had to admit that they lied. They were involved in the incident where FBI caught a Pentagon employee (Franklin, who had worked under Wolfowitz, Perle and Feith) trying to pass very sensitive info on IRAN to AIPAC, which would then be passed on to the israeli govt!!!! Which reminds me, I wonder what happened to that case; I wonder if its even still being looked at by the FBI or the US govt! Wolfowitz is considered the architect of the Iraq invasion.

In fact he had that in mind since early 1980s, as a way to get into Iran after the revolution! All of these fuckin neocons have literally shit on the US political system and have gotten the US into war, and are looking to get it into another one. I, as an American and as an Iranian, have more than enough reasons to despise the israeli govt. I am not anti Jewish, not an anti-semite, or anything like that. As I have the right to criticize my US govt, I think I should have the right to criticize the israeli govt ... wouldn't you agree? Well, unfortunately, that's not the way its working these days in the US. We have become such puppets of israel, that no politician (except nowadays Ron Paul) has the guts to criticize israel and AIPAC and neocons (they‚re all the same) for what they have been getting us involved with - policies that in no way benefit the US (short or long-term), but certainly benefit israel.

You go ahead and trust the bullshit you see and hear coming out of this wacko media ... don't worry, you'll remain brainwashed. But if you go and read and do some additional research on this stuff, you'll begin to understand why some of us are afraid of an invasion (which will not help either side), and many of us are certain that israel is pushing for it.

Joe Joey

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We have a much greater problem in Iran

On Ben Madadi's "Why are Iranians so concerned about Israel?":

It is not the Iranians much against Zionism or Israel; it is the Islamic republic of Iran and its propaganda machine that tries to portray Israel as an evil nation.

Let's get some fact in the open Jews and Judaism has been part of Iran even before Christianity or Islam. They have been great contributor to the economic growth, cultural growth and the social growth. Like Bahais and other minorities they have been subject to discrimination and racism by a group of ignorant people. However, after the 1979 revolution this discrimination became violent and brutal. The atrocities committed against the Bahais, Jews and Christians by the Mullahs is very similar to what the Nazis did to the Jews.

Islamic Republic of Iran has brained washed the public and has created a propaganda machine to demonize Israel and Israelis. Do I agree with Israelis actions against innocent Palestinians? Of course not, but at the same time I don't agree what Palestinian do against Israelis. And that is not my problem because we have a much greater problem in Iran. Therefore, my dear Iranian friend before trying to solve someone else's problem and even talk about what they have done wrong or should have done let us face the reality; our own problem which is Iran and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Amir Nasiri

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In a good system of governance, all political parties are accepted

On Laerence Reza Ershaghi's "Opportunists, not academics":

Mr. Lawrence Reza Ershaghi thinks he knows what reality in Iran is more than his fellow expatriates. He wrote:

"In the end it should be remembered that the average Iranian lives a simple and pious lifestyle and earns a meager income."

He says this as a matter of fact, with no feeling of responsibility for such a state of affairs.

Mr. Ershaghi, no Iranian is happy and satisfied with a meager income! They are forced to be happy about it because of the environment in which they live in. Their government provides them with the basic necessities that the government ASSUMES is all someone needs to have a happy life. And meanwhile they don't sustain an environment where there are good paying jobs to hard-working Iranians.

I have yet to see a decent Iranian who, when opportunities exist for his/her success, doesn't at least make attempts to take on those opportunities. And those who don't take the opportunity are what I call lazy Iranians. And I don't care much for lazy Iranians because they don't care much for themselves nor their family.

How disrespectful is it to put our fellow Iranians who are not that well off into a box as if they enjoy being in that box? The wonderful aspect of being a Muslim is that Allah is wherever you are and even in the worst of circumstances, He is there beside you. Just because our fellow Iranians have this spiritual strength that gives them internal happiness doesn't mean they don't deserve to live in an environment where they could work to better their family's situation. Could it possibly be that many families cling on to their religion because it is the only force in their life that makes them happy?

It will in fact be these down-to-earth, spiritual individuals who won't allow an open capitalist environment to overtake them with selfish and materialistic thoughts. What I mean is that our fellow Iranians have a jump start over many other countries: not only are they deeply rooted and spiritual, but they also have a capacity to be financially wealthy as well. The sins of Greed and decadence come when those in such an open system abuse it and don't understand the importance of moral and spiritual values. Many attribute the lack of success of democracy in Russia to their lack of faith and their atheism (I’m not sure I necessarily agree, because corruption can come even from those with faith, but its an intresting argument)

Its been proven that a completely capitalist system does not work. Nor does a completely socialist system. All governments strive to find that balance between the two. Iran needs to as well. But we need all hands on deck if we want to create a great government.

We need the Muslim Iranians, the Jewish Iranians, the Baha’i Iranians, and even the secular Iranians to help in creating this great system. Having an Islamic government cuts off our abilities to get everyone involved in the process. I know I can personally contribute so much to the system, if only the system would accept me and not be as corrupt as I perceive it to be.

Mr. Ershaghi complains that Iranian scholars in the West don't even bother going to Iran and attempting at making changes there. This is in fact a false statement. Let the recent arrest of Iranian-American scholars who are now in Evin Prison be an example. And Dr. Dariush Zahedi of UC Berkeley, who was also arrested while in Iran, another example. The real problem is that Iranian scholars are afraid for their lives and don't make risky movements for the sake of their families and themselves. Many Iranian scholars will be more than happy to return to Iran and be a part of the system there if the system accepted them in the first place.

In a good system of governance, all political parties are accepted. The system Khomeini has bestowed upon Iran is far from that. Khomeini's system of governance makes an ultimate assumption that all Muslims make: that Islam is the only true religion and the path toward Allah. This assumption cannot be an assumption of an entire state, even if the majority of the people in the state believe it. Why? Because as a human being we all have a responsibility for our fellow brothers and sisters, even if they don't come from the same background and thought-process as us. We cannot disown a fellow Iranian just because of what he or she believes. We can feel sad about it and try to show him/her the way we think things should be, but we cannot and should not force a belief on them. But that is exactly what the Islamic republic has done with the Baha’is, and what they have subtly done with other fellow Iranians. If Baha’is ever attempt to force Iranians into their system of religious belief, then a good system of governance would quell such blatant disregards of basic human rights. We want a system where the majority rules, but the minority always has rights that the majority cannot step on. Only in such a system would you truly feel free and not living in fear. And only in such a system could there be a flourishing creativity, economic independence, tolerance, and peace.

Can Mr. Ershaghi handle such a system? Or does he think that Iranians can't handle it?

Eiman Zolfaghari

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The saying "ignorance is bliss" has never been more appropriate

On Laerence Reza Ershaghi's "Opportunists, not academics":

You are correct in your observations that the opposition is fragmented and disjointed, and a hardly organized group while supporters are united. Naturally that is inevitable when the "supporters" are not able to see the entire picture, but rather the fragments they have been permitted to view.

You describe the diaspora as "Gucci revolutionaries" and "bourgeoisie", however, you graduated from UCI and Kent? If anything that makes you more bourgeois than most. The Iranian diaspora are among the most educated and successful in the world, because of people like your parents, and my parents and others who have instilled core values and morals that have taught us the importance of education and success.

The mollahs have simply capitalized on the fear of the populace, by convincing them that wealth, success, material possessions are "un-Islamic", which is a load of nonsense. All the while, the mollahs are drinking liquor, cavorting with prostitutes, and stealing the country's wealth and filling up Swiss bank accounts. Where does it say piety and wealth don't mix? Just because the population` are blind to the facts doesn't mean that it is right.

The saying "ignorance is bliss" has never been more appropriate than in the matter of Iran. What they don't know is truly killing them, albeit slowly. The CIA, or the British did it before, and the mollahs are doing it now. I don't know about you, but getting screwed by your own is still getting screwed. If anything it's worse.

Kaveh Nouraee

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I suggest you learn a new trade. Blacksmith, maybe?

On Laerence Reza Ershaghi's "Opportunists, not academics":

Lawrence, you wrote a lot but you didn't seem to be communicating much, so I'll keep my comment brief.

You wrote: "This is the reality the US government, Iranian academics in the west, and expatriates must face. An Islamic nation which has raised its flag up high, with the hand of its own revolutionary people and declared its refusal to submit to any power other than God."

The US is prepared to face that reality. I think Iranians will soon find that God is not the only entity more powerful than the Islamic Republic of Iran. I'm guessing in a few years you will be looking at the garbage you've been peddling here on the Iranian Times and be saying to yourself "How could I have been such a fool!?". But, maybe not. Maybe when the "Revolution" is dead is gone and Iran is rubble, you will blame Iranians fro not being sufficiently supportive of the regime, instead of blaming yourself for working so hard at spreading the regime's militaristic propaganda. At the end of the day, it won't matter who you blame, because the government you support will be no more.

You wrote: "Undoubtedly, this nation will change and grow."

Possible. But how many decades will it take for Iran to rebuild after the war, to get back to where it is right now? And how many more decades after that, before the "growth" starts? If you are expecting teh US to come up with a "Marshall Plan" for Iran, I think you are in for a disappointment. The fiasco in Iraq has precluded any further attempts at nation building in the middle-east. You'll have to rebuild it yourself. Which means people like you, with law degrees, will be in little demand. I suggest you learn a new trade. Blacksmith, maybe?

By the way, reading your bio at the bottom shows an interesting progression. You've gone from being a well educated and westernized intellectual to being a hardcore Islamist. That's the exact opposite of what usually happens. You, like your country, seem to be moving backwards.

PS-Can you tell me what good a law degree does in Iran? Is there any respect for justice in the Islamic Republic? Is theer any respect for basic human decency, even? Even if Sharia was enforced in a just manner, what part of Sharia is compatible with what you learned in law school, anyway?

Tell the truth. You're stuck in a country where your expensive and LONG education is completely without value, and so you've found another way to try to make yourself feel relevant. Am I right?

Craig B

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Excellent

On Paymaneh Amiri's "Painful truth":

Excellent article. Thank you for publishing it.

Mohammad B Rajaii

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Beautiful

On Ali Majdfar's "Breathless":

Absolutely beautiful -- all of it!

Rita

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Shame on Bangkok International Film Festival

On AP news, Thai film festival drops Satrapi's "Persepolis":

Dear Artistic Director,

Shame on the Thai government, shame on the Bangkok International Film Festival and shame on you as the artistic director for banning the above.

No Regards for you or your festival,

Amir Rostam

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The whole world knows who Khomeini was

On Asghar Massombagi’s "Actually Orthodox Judaism is a lot nuttier than Islam" to Kaveh Nouraee's "Open your eyes":

Dear Asghar,

In response to your response to Kaveh Nouraee’s well written piece on Khomeini, I have only one thing to say... Huh!!? What are you talking about? You obviously missed entirely what Kaveh was saying and decided to go on a rant about the difference between Islam and Judaism and why one is worse than the other. I understood from your letter that, although both are bad, in some aspects Judaism is “badder!” so we should be... uh... happy!? with the fact that Khomeini caused the death of a million of our people!? Your piece merely pointed out that Islam is the lesser of the two evils. Again... Huh!!?

Listen, I am sure you have some investment in the IRI, weather financial or emotional and that’s OK, but the truth is the truth. The whole world knows who Khomeini was. I am not even concerned with world opinion, how about the majority of our people. Look at what happened 2 days ago after the rationing of gasoline. This hurricane that hit our nation 28 years ago was maybe a necessity to wake up the true spirit of Iran. The IRI, Khomeini’s brain-child, is taking its last breaths and the populace is merely waiting for an excuse. It is going to happen and it is going to happen from within. Scary for you guys, huh? Tick-tock, Tick-tock!! Now that, is the truth and the truth, shall set you free.

K Niakan

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Mouthpieces of those who set U.S. foreign policy

On Hillary Clinton's comments on military option against Iran:

Why are you surprised at what Hillary Clinton said about military attack on Iran? She is talking to AIPAC, the Jewish lobby. What did you EXPECT her to say? Anyone who wants to have a chance at U.S. presidency must make a speech to AIPAC and in that speech he or she must attack Iran, Syria, the Palestinians, especially Hamas, and support Israel. Otherwise he or she can forget about becoming president. Remember a couple of years ago when Hillary Clinton was first lady she went to the Middle East and shook hands and embraced Yaser Arafat's wife and hell broke loose` here in the U.S. ! !` She learned her lesson right there and then because she had plans for her future.

Plus, all of them are the same when it comes to foreign policy. (as we say in Farsi, sag-e zard baraadar-e shoghal-e !) U.S. foreign policy is set somewhere else; behind the scene with multi-national corporations and their interests -- whether they are` oil companies, weapons factories, fruit companies, electronics, etc. etc. These people set U.S. foreign policy in such a way that other parts of the world, especially those with oil wealth, remain non-industrialized markets for western goods and their regimes and rulers stay friendly "puppets" so the west can plunder their wealth. And if they talk about independence then.... remember Omar Torrijos, Salvador` Allende, Mossadegh, and so many others who were either assassinated or overthrown? ! !

So... Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barak Obama, Rudy Juliani, and the rest of the gang are just mouthpieces of those who set U.S. foreign policy. Right now "No option is off the table, including military attack" is the official U.S. foreign policy for Iran and they must all repeat it if they want to go past the primaries in the election.

Ask Hillary Clinton to apologize? ! ! ! Of all the people in the world we Iranians should know better.

Nahid Shafiei

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To those Iranians that support a military attack on Iran - I say, go f*ck yourselves

On Hillary Clinton's comments on military option against Iran:

As Iranians, as Persians, as people that truly love their homeland (no matter how crazy and extremist of a govt we have), we must unit here in the US and participate in the electoral process. We must demonstrate our influence in the elections and show these candidates that if they want to keep their jobs and keep our votes, maybe they should also listen to us. Maybe they shouldn't get bribed and bought by AIPAC and all of those israeli lobbies. And to those Iranians that support a military attack on Iran - I say, go f*ck yourselves. We have a bloody govt in Iran, but the israeli govt isn't that great either. If you favor an attack, then call yourself an israeli, do not call yourself a Persian or Iranian. You are just like those neocons where you favor policies and/or actions that are best for israel, while ignoring the well-being of your own country.

Iranians, Persians in the US are considered the most successful and highly educated minority group ... and most of the successful/well educated ones are NON-jewish. So all of the crap that the one-sided and blind jewish Iranians spew out about the non-jewish ones is none-sense. Don't get me wrong, there are also many one-sided non-jewish Iranians in the US ... but in terms of political involvement, it mostly includes the jewish Iranians, which is why most candidates say that they want to go and bomb Iran. The only one with the balls is Ron Paul!!!!!!!!!!! He is the TRUE Republican, the non-neocon, the non-AIPAC asskisser, the non-2faced politician. You go and check all the jibberish that we heard before the iraq war began ... we're hearing the same crap over and over again regarding the potential attack on Iran ... on our homeland .. on the country that has NOT committed one single terrorist act!!!!!

And don't believe this crap about Iran helping this group and that group. If anyone is to blame, it is Bush and his shyster neocons that destabilized Iraq and created a nice breeding ground for al-queda. Saddam, just like Iran, hated al-queda. And now Iraq is the 'holy' land for those bloodthirsty terrorists. That's enough for now ... but my main message is - get off your asses and get involved in the US political system, tell your reps what you agree/disagree with and hoepfully we can influence them in not taking the sever action of bombing iran for the good of their master - israel.

Joe Joey

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God bless

On Laerence Reza Ershaghi's "Opportunists, not academics":

Thank you Mr. Ershaghi.

God Bless Iran, Iranian` People and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Nader Iranpour

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Might is not right but will always win

On Mohammad Kamaali's "Blair's future is Brown":

This is the first time that an article has had quotation mark around the phrase "internal community" and righly so. Order words and phrase that need to be put in quotation are "the world", "the world community" All of these now means United States and those who are willing to go along.

And oh, the "United Nations", the bankrupt entity, the place where deals are made for few countries against many, a shameful organiztion, a pimp of an organization. Many people have advocated doing away with it for many reason but I think it was flawed from the very beginning when few coutry were given veto power. It is true now and it will be in the future that might is not right but will always win. Don't forget "democracy".

MJ Morshedi

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Iran has no right to detain and question 4 individuals that have open ties to Think Tanks and opposition groups residing in the US?

On Camron Amin's "No crime is sacred":

Professor Amin, Salaam,

In your short piece to Iranian.com, why do you claim that the four people in Iran have been detained "without any evidence of wrongdoing" ?

Even the most controversial of the detainees, Ali Shakeri, whom the media has many times called a "peace-activist," have deliberately ignored the fact that he was a founding and active member of a well-known opposition group, called "Ettehade Jomhourikhahan-e Iran." On his web site he has detailed the process of overthrow of the government of Iran, and replacing it with what he calls his interpretation of "true democracy."

The other three have had open ties with Think Tank groups that have had open projects on mapping out ways to overthrow the current government in Iran.

At a time that the US has openly declared war on Iran, and has openly stated it is spending millions and millions of dollars in opposition groups in Iran, and the US has had an open hand in training and funding militant opposition groups in Iran (and let us not forget the US's tactic safeguarding of the MEK in Iraq), you don't think Iran has a right to detain and question 4 individuals that have open ties to Think Tanks and opposition groups residing in the US?

Does the Islamic Republic not have a right to defend herself against acts of aggression, and keep its citizens free from the reign of terror that the US would inflict upon it through instigation of civil disobedience and a possible military strike (which is downplayed as just two or three strikes, yet everyone knows it will instigate a full fledged war).

I would like your opinion on this.

Best Regards,

Dariush Abadi

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If I were Israel, or its ally the US, I would not sit and wait

On Asghar Massombagi's "Vast right-wing conspiracy":

Mr. Massombagi,

Your attack of NewsMax may have had some merit if you had a bit more facts or pointed to other reasons to support your claim. Never mind the hate for the American people you demonstrate by calling them dyslexic, or the standard line of attack known as the 'Vast Right-wing Conspiracy' invented by some in American Media that you are dittoing. Mr. Leiberman's comments came on the eve of several classified and unclassified reports pointing to the trouble that the Iranian government is causing in Iraq by supplying the insurgents with hundreds if not thousands of IEDs and not only its desire to acquire nuclear weapons. Those IEDs are killing American soldiers inside Iraq and not at all by invitation form the government or the people of Iraq.

Furthermore, there is ample evidence supplied by the UN, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch pointing to trouble that is brewed by the Iranian government in Lebanon through its proxy the Hezbollah (which did not exist before 1982), and their new proxy the Hamas in Gaza (which did not exist before 1981). The 60 year old conflict in the Middle East which began as an Arab-Israeli conflict and then transformed into an Israeli-Palestinian problem, when Israel, Egypt and Jordan decided to put their weapons down has now morphed into an Iranian threat. It is not Israel that is calling Iran an illegal or occupying nation. It is Iran that is making such claims of Israel. If I were Israel, or its ally the US, I would not sit and wait until a nuclear warhead is pointing to Kiryat Shmona from the Bekaa valley or to Sderot from Gaza.

What is it that Iran wants short of annihilating Israel and removing America from the Middle east is pretty evident and need not be disputed. The age old claim that the West is stealing oil from the Middle east is gone, Israel is a reality sanctioned by the UN (UN Resolutions 242, 338...1701) and has been for 60 years (almost 3 generations) and those regimes there have had ample time to improve their social, political and cultural being. But, with all its oil money, the government of Iran would rather spend it cash exporting hate and disrupt the otherwise calm nature of the various ethnics that make up the country of Iraq. Iran can only become a regional power in the Middle east by cooperating with its neighbors and promoting trade and modernization throughout the region, not by sending IEDs to Iraq and rockets to Lebanon and Gaza.

Human nature over the generations has been conditioned to blame the stronger and support the weaker; such is the plight of Iran that you are demonstrating. The Iranian aggression demonstrated by the government of Iran is totally ignored. What is funny is that the people of Iran like America despite the rhetoric coming out of some of its politicians. I can only feel sorry for them.

Tony Sikavi
Los Angeles

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What courage!

On Behrouz Ghamari's "A step towards the right direction":

About Mr Ghamari's recent little article, sorry but this is the best expression that comes to mind: Mordeh Goozid.

I have been waiting to see what these academic apologists for the Iranian government, such as Mr Ghamari, will have to say about the wide-spread attacks on human rights in Iran. After all, they can not deny or try to whitewash all the videos and the first hand accounts and pictures of hundreds of women and young men and students and workers being persecuted, thanks to the glorious power of the Internet. They could not arrogantly pretend these accounts were all just a Western conspiracy. And they have not even said a word about their fellow academics who have been imprisoned lately. Not a word. Dead silence. Hello... Anybody home?

And at last.... our very own Don Quixote writes to New York Times protesting.. the use of a wrong picture! What courage!

yalda hakimian

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One-sided outrage

On Behrouz Ghamari's "A step towards the right direction":

There is no doubt that we should always be watchful for mistakes made by journalists and newspapers and it is always a good idea to correct these errors. But sometimes one wonders why some people always see mistakes made by one side and the other side is ignored. For example, I don't know whether the kind of sensitivity shown in "A Step towards the right direction" is also shown about the gross fabrications of journals and newspapers such as "Keyhan" which are published in Iran.

My guess is: No! And my guess is that similar letters by many Iranian academics living in the US have not been sent to "Keyhan" and similar publications. In fact, everybody knows that the consequence of writing such letters to newspapers like "Keyhan", "Jomhuri-e Eslami" and... is that one will immediately be placed on the blacklist of people like Mr. Shariatmadri (the editor-in-chief of "Keyhan" and one of the head investigators, and frankly torturers, of the notorious Evin prison and a consultant to Mr. Khamenei) and then when one goes to Iran (for research trips!) the same thing that happened to Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh and others will happen to him.

After the arrest of Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh, Keyhan published a few long pieces about these two and without showing any documents made a range of accusations about them. One of these accusations was espionage! I just hope that some of our academics have written letters to "Keyhan" suggesting their "misleading" and 'un-journalistic' approach.

Yes, we should always expect reporters to respect the principles of journalism but one-sided outrage is reminiscent of efforts made by some lawyers who try to save a criminal on technicalities. And let's be clear about one thing: The Islamic Republic is a criminal regime and to see some of its recent crimes one needs to just glance at video clips which show bloody faces of Iranian boys and girls who have been confronted by the savage morality police simply because of their outfits or makeup. And no matter how many honest or intentional mistakes are made by New York Times or other newspapers, let us not forget the brutal nature of this Islamic regime.

Sara Sayhoon

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You are pissing up the rope

On Dariush Abadi's "Falsehood and lies":

Hey Dariush,

How much of a moron are you? Or do you think we are all just a bunch of idiots?

When, in the past 50 years, have you heard of a bunch of Zorasterians kill anyone for any reason? The barbarism of the people in THE VIDEO is the result of Islamic culture and tradition and nothing else. Included in the Islamic culture is a bunch of Arabic traditions which have unfortunately worked their way into our Persian culture.

Stop defending Islam because you are pissing up the rope. Noone buys this crap anymore. And more importantly, go thank God for Iranian.com which despite the garbage you write continues to honor the tradation of "no censorship" and "nothing is sacred" and keeps publishing your nonsense.

Faramarz

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Look at what the Sassanids were doing

On Faramarz Fateh's "You are pissing up the rope":

Faramarz,

When did I claim Zoroastrians were the ones killing in that video? The people killing that girl in the video were Yazidis, which is a satanic cult based in Northern Iraq, that have a mix of many beliefs. They worship satan.

They killed the girl because she CONVERTED to Islam, they weren’t Muslims themselves.

And regarding Zoroastrians killing, just rewind 100 years and look at occupied India (during British colonial rule) and you will see how many people Zoroastrians killed when the British installed them in power in certain provinces. Or just re-wind 1 year prior to the Islamic invasion, and look at what the Sassanids were doing.

Dariush

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Delam barat kheili tangeh

On Mahasti's death:

I can not believe Mahasti died.Last time i saw her in Lodon and i could to kiss her hand and being happy for her because she was very good and she told us about her health and i was sure she will live for many many years.

Now i am sad, i am very sad and i am listenin to her songs...how is possible ? Mahasti and Haydeh were our Queens of Iranian music and now they are dead and we can not do nothing :( .

Dard-e delam kheili ziadeh, Mahasti delam barat kheili tangeh...

Redwinex

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Alas what an awful time it was

On Mazdak's "Aghebat hameh mesle ham nashodim":

What a true and wonderful piece. I really enjoyed it since I lived that life.... Alas what an awful time it was for us to be teenagers and be young.

Fariba M

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Afarin

On Mazdak's "Aghebat hameh mesle ham nashodim":

afarin az in neveshteh zibayetan.

movafagh bashid.

Ali-Reza Baghi

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Nobody will do anything for you if you don't acknowledge

On Faramarz Fateh's "What has happened to Iranian men?":

Okay, here it is. I just could not let you get away with your commentary and abuse of "pussy whipped Iranian men of U.S.A."

First of all, the "Iranian men of U.S.A." are fundamentally smarter than the men of Iran. The Iranian-American man realizes and appreciates that there are NO, and I mean NO, other women of the world who work as hard as Iranian women (or those married to Iranian men) to satisfy their men as such. It takes hours upon hours to prepare and cook Iranian food, to prepare and cook all the dishes that will satisfy an Iranian man and to care for a home that will satisfy an Iranian man.

Iranian-American men are very, very smart and they know this...how do they know this you may ask? They know this because they are so busy supporting their own mothers, who have subsequently DIVORCED their own Iranian fathers, who refused to acknoweldge this and they realize the amount and care that Iranian women or those married to an Iranian man give to their husband and to their household.

How did I come upon your article anyway? I was searching for the BEST Gormeh Sabzi recipe for my Iranian-American husband. Would anybody bother to search for you? The answer will undoubtably be a resounding, NO--NO WAY! Iranian-American men understand this, and because they understand this, the SEX is phenomenal, the Kama-Sutra could take some lessons here!

All I can say to you is this, "Grow-up, get yourself fully in the present! Nobody will do anything for you if you don't acknowledge and realize what someone else has and continues to do for you! Iranian-American men are the smartest in the world and if they don't realize this, then their marriage will end in DIVORCE, just as it has for their own mothers!"

Cynthia Withrow

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In Iraq, not Iran

On Kaveh Niakan's "Only one way: armed struggle from WITHIN Iran":

I just wanted to bring to your attention that the horrific video that you are referring to did not take place in Iran. The stoning was done by a group of` people in` northern Iraq, where honor killing is still being practiced widely. This is the result of ignorance. Revolution or` regime change` will not change the way these people deal with their` delima. Education is the key.` I` do admit` that offering proper education` is a tougher job under the U.S. occupation and under the rule of a ` fundementalist regime.

D.M.

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Dwelling on negatives

On Peyman's "Look beyond few cranes":

Peyman,

You are wrong` in thinking that I take my $ to Iran to live it up. So far in the past ten years I have been back about three times. When there, living in my brother house, and spending` interest, accumulated` on two to three years,` on modest inheritance from my parents. In this country, I am retired and living on fix income after 35 years work in my field.

As for cranes, they are not a few of them and they are not only in Tehran. They are many of them and in every city and town. It is not only cranes but exporting items like TV, Refrigerator, air conditioner, milk, rice, oranges, paper products...etc. to neighboring countries including Iraq currently.

As for employment it is higher than I would it to be but` in the US figure of 4 to 5% is really misleading. Consider the followings:

1- Millions of people while "working" have to depend on $20 per week` food stamp.
2- 40 to 50 Millions of people while "working" don't have basic medical insurance.
3- Millions of people are homeless not only in big cities but smaller ones as well.
4- Public education in dire need of infusion of money while we are spending Billion $/month in Iraq.

So Peyman, if you like to dwell on negatives, they are on both sides. I am not defending theocracy or like to take` cheap shots at my adapted country. The fact is that by any measure Iran is` vibrant, alive` with all its short comings. Even with all media censorship you find more daily, weekly papers and journals on newsstand` in` Tehran than in a comparable city in the US.

Iran has not been turn back to stone age but has made the years of Pahlavi dynasty look like a stone age period.

The most disadvantage group in Iran unfortunately are women. I am extremely proud of them who, rather than sitting home and taking it,` chose to penetrate every level of societal lives in Iran. One day I am sure they will attain their rightful position in Iran. I just hope I'll be alive to see it.

Foad

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Not everthing you dislike is hypocrisy

On Jalil Bahar's "Stabbing at Muslims":

Yes there is a lot of hipocrisy in the world but one of the rare good things in europe (not so the US) is the conviction that nothing is sacred, at least not forever and we all have to be aware that there is no truth at all, only opinions.

There are around 40% atheists in Europe, and imagine, they don't get stoned! Aint that wonderful!!?? So to say that Rushdie got his "Sir" for the inabillty of many muslims to have a relaxed relation to their religion is an insinuation. According to the writers qualities even an insult.

I read the Satanic Verses and I think he deserves it. It read it years after publication, because I just wanted to see its literary qualities and it is really a great book.

I doubt that all these protesting muslims in Iran and moreover in Pakistan have read a single line of Rushdie themselves, not to speak of the necessary education in western and asian thought to comprehend what this book is all about.

In Europe the big rift, and this is often not understood, is not between religous groups, but between different attitudes towards religion at all. Quite often you can see discussions between imams, mollahs and bishops and patriarchs and rabbis. But this discussions are just "beehoodeh" because these people are all believers. They understand each other anyway there should be discussions with atheists and people who think religion is just shit, just another way to manipulate the masses.

Yes I admit thet there is a lot of hipocrisy in the west, but not everthing that you dislike is hypocrisy. So I really appreciate that Mr. Rushdie gets his "Sir".

By the way, there is an Austrian Cartoonist, Gerhard Haderer, who ridiculed the Life of Jesus, and even the catholic church would not demand to kill him for 2.5 Million Dollars (like Iran concerning Rushdie). There is a kind of muslim paranoia. "They just do this against Islam" is often heard. Nevertheless it is not true.

Every year there a loads of antireligious books on the market(not just against Islam, quite generally ). But the people here don't make much fuss about it. And US Media would not inform the general public about this publications because of the influence of christian fundamentalists.

In Europe these christian fundamentalists are just a very small minority. This also makes a different political-cultural framework.
Anti-islamic propaganda you can find on another level. Fiction is that there is a wave of islamic terror in europe fact is that only 2 or 3 out of 498 terroristic activities had an islamic background (Europolstatistics 2006). But the fiction is believed as fact. And this is much more important than Mr.Rushdies "Sir".

Sina

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Getting rid of the mollahs is NOT the same thing as helping Israel

On Jon Goldust's "Iran's independence is our number one goal":

I want you to go back and read every word I have written that has been published on this website. Show me where I have advocated helping Israel. Getting rid of the mollahs is NOT the same thing as helping Israel. Perhaps you don't realize that because the fumes you have inhaled from keeping your head in your ass for so long has poisoned your cerebral cortex` and prevents you from constructing thoughts that are based upon facts and logic, rather than the narrow minded bigotry, profound stupidity` and terminal ignorance you are clearly afflicted with.

Are you THAT much of an idiot that you cannot realize the difference between political rhetoric or posturing and` the true threat of military action? Again, READ what I have written. The US military is stretched to the point they are practically ineffective. As far as Israel is concerned, the IDF cannot even keep the peace inside their own borders. You think they even have the time or the capacity to invade Iran? You think they want Iran's economy? What economy? Uncontrollable inflation and corruption? Subsidized gasoline that has to imported into the second biggest oil producing country? An infrastructure that makes Detroit look like a jewel? All the Israelis` want is to be left alone and not have a bunch of stinking, illiterate Arabs strap bombs to themselves and kill everyone around them. They could care less about` Iran, but they won't invade or attack a country that has the 2nd largest Jewish population in the Middle East.

You have the nerve to call me a former Iranian? I am probably more Iranian than you, because I don't kiss Arab ass, for starters. You whine about imperialism,` yet you are ready to lay down and be a whore for Arabs, who are all about tribalism and imperialism. Who the hell do you think runs Saudi Arabia, a democracy? Why don't you and all of your like minded degenerates go apply for citizenship in an Arab country? See how fast they will embrace you, or have you forgotten what Arabs think of Persians?

Not that it is any of your godamn business, but I have plenty of family who remain in Iran, for your information. And since you don't know me or anything about me, your assumption that I don't give a damn about the rest as you say is a dangerous one, as well as ignorant.

You should thank God every day that stupidity is not a criminal act, for you would be serving` a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Next time you have somethng to say, have the guts to say who you are. Don't hide behind a veil of anonymity like` some chickenshit Arab.

Kaveh Nouraee

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Dedicated to Issa in Las Vegas

On Issa's "I shit on everything and anything fucking bahai":

How Love to Everything, Especially Bahais

I adore all of them
Especially Baha’is
Bless the small boats they came in on
Hey, we should go perfume everything
Anything, including Baha’is

Akhoods? Nevermind.
Nothing lasts

Issa can’t believe
I ‘m disposed to love him
Even them
Since Baha’is don’t give opposition.

Regards, Iranian dot (lovely) com
And Issa, stuck in Las Vegas
Perhaps you’ll see Keirostami
You know... Nader and Dara

Susan Bentler

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Mr. Geda made it to the US!

On Issa's "I shit on everything and anything fucking bahai":

Sir, you are an absolute idiot. You rant serves one purpose only, showing the rest of us that you are a nothing and what you say, represents the mindset of one person only. You just don’t matter.

We used to have a “geda”, a begger, at the end of our street who used to show his penis to some people as they passed by. Everyone just laughed and looked away, he “didn’t matter”.

You are him and, Mr. Geda, I am happy you made your way to the US!

Kaveh Niakan

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You need a brain transplant

On Nader Iranpour's "Khomeini":

You need a brain transplant. So it was right to kill the ladies in piece before. God is Great and ever mercyfull. God forgives and God teaches us to love each other as he loves us.

Cordial regards ya all.

PM
One Englishman.
Londonistan

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My humble suggestions to photographers

There are a number of things that excite me when I visit this site. After a few years I know which writers I will read and those that I ignore, mostly the predictable lots. Exhibitionists with obnoxious pen names, anti Semites,` Islamists, self righteous and the clowns. Somehow the first sentence sets the tone. To bypass or read through. ` My morning perusals consists of` ` about half a dozen sites (mostly news sources from China, Russia, BBC,` India...), The limitation of time and desire to know what others are saying sans CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC, ....forces one to be selective.` `

The pictures, especially from trips to Iran, is one of my favorites. I never had the opportunity to travel when I was growing up in Tehran and these pictures are a source of my pride and joy. Of course not all of them are done in a professional (or for that matter amateur) manner. I have seen too many pictures of fruit shops (close ups), food vendors and unimpressive streets, and close ups of the photographer's loved ones. I am sure the Iranian community has a thirst to see` these photos. It` enable us to imagine the place, smell the aromas, and see if these faces have any resemblance to ours. I often stare at them to see if I know them (an absurd thought after being in the US for 40 years!)

So, Mr. photographer wana be, bellow are my humble suggestions that will add to the quality of your work and gives us more pleasure in seeing them.

1-` ` ` ` Buying a camera does not make you a photographer. At the minimum read the booklet that came with the camera. Simple knowledge of light source, field of vision, perspective,..... will improve the picture.
2-` ` ` ` Your family is only known to you. Why do you think I am interested to look at your children, husband, father and mother...etc?
3-` ` ` ` There is no need to take a picture of every side of` a building, or a car.
4-` ` ` ` Since there is no cost in taking digital photos, don't go crazy and just click away at every thing you see.
5-` ` ` ` Remember, no matter where we live, we all eat chelokabob. So spare us with` pictures of it, or for that matter, pictures of dishes of food.
6-` ` ` ` Add a simple description to each photo. (Look at` some of the photos published by this site's Editor.) We want to know, at the minimum, the name of the place,
7-` ` ` ` Do not, I repeat do not send in more than 20 pictures. It becomes very tedious to see more than that.
8-` ` ` ` You need a very very expensive camera to take a clear picture from the window of an airplane. So don't!
9-` ` ` ` Be selective. Think of an Iranian living in Guam and ask yourself does he really want to` see this?
10-` ` ` And last, please please no more fruit stand pictures!

Happy picturing,

Farshad

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U.S. is at war with international state sponsors of terrorism

On Mehrnaz Shahabi's "Battle over 'hearts and minds'":

Why would anybody in their right mind compare the recent history of Iran (an unapologetic state sponsor of international terrorism) with a common dictatorial thug like Saddam Hussein, and think the comparison had validity?

"Ultimately we are engaged in battle over 'hearts and minds' globally, in building support for an alternative perspective of how nations can relate to one another and build justice."

Here's an idea! Iran can build trust and "justice" by extraditing the several thousand people involved in the 1979 embassy takeover and hostage crisis to the United States, to stand trial for kidnapping and terrorism! And then Iran can apologize for that! And then, Iran can pay compensation to the victims and/or their families!

How's about that? Sounds like a pretty good idea, doesn't it? Yes. Of course it does.

But we all know that isn't going to happen. Which is why (along with 1000 other reasons) the US has a policy of regime change in Iran. The IRI is (unlike Saddam) and actual sponsor of international terrorism. And, Iran's number one victim has been the United States. And, the US is at war with international state sponsors of terrorism, is it not?

Craig B

PS- And please, nobody send me e-mails with that tired old copy-paste of Iranian lies about what *really* has happened in the last 30 years. I wasn't put on this earth to dedicate my life to educating Iranians who could just as easily find out the truth on their own, and I'm tired of replying to the same tired old lies.

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Extremists can grow due to wrong policies

From Ben Madadi, author of "Republic of intimidation", in response to Saeed's "Respect for life, respect for others":

Dear Saeed,

In your letter to Iranian.com you have written:

"Sooner or later though, you, the Azeris or Turks, have to decide whether you are Iranian or not. Don’t get me wrong, it is not for me to define who is Iranian or not. It is up to individuals to make that decision. I know of quite a few Azeris who are offended even insulted if called Iranian! And that not since IRI."

I haven't done any statistics to know how many Iranian Turks get offended by being called Iranian. My wild guess is that they do not go beyond a small minority of the whole Turk population of Iran, maybe less than 15% of them. There are extremists among every nation or people who are usually no 5% to 20% and that is within the limits of normalcy and does not make sense for worry. Even in America there are extremists who believe that America must be an exclusively white Christian nation, but their numbers are so few there is no need to worry about their impact. However the numbers of the extremists can grow due to wrong policies by the authorities.

You wrote: "Whether Azeris are genetically Turks or just speak Turkish (half Africa speaks French as their native tongue, but they hardly count as French!)..."

The idea about genetics has been introduced in the eraly 20th century by the early Pahlavi regime policies in order to intoxicate the public opinion and create division and misunderstanding, especially among the Iranian Turks (especially the region of Azerbaijan) and this intoxication has created huge problems that are still there. Peoples and nations have never been identified according to genetics. Only the Nazis gave serious importance to genetics, and it is absolutely clear and known that Reza Shah was heavily influenced by Nazi Aryanist policies. However Reza Shah found himself in a much less educated country. People and nations are defined according to their culture, beliefs, language and very often religion, all the things that truly define them.

Africans who speak French only (and do not have their own native language) are very few, however they are not French becasue they do not think they are French. It is as simple as that. The children of some Jewish Hungarian who migrated to France 70 years ago consider themselves French and nothing more. And they are French indeed. It is quite simple. By the way, Turks have lived in northern and north-western for so long I do not have clear idea when they came and I do not know of any serious sources to give any clear information about this. And it is irrelevant anyway, becasue facts are facts (that Turks are there and have been there for at least 1000 years), and the rest can be interpreted and is irrelvant to many curent issues.

You wrote: "... the fact remains that you consider yourselves Turks and Turks have been occupiers of Iran. “aamadand, koshtand, soozandand va raaftand” is a very vivid and concise description of what one Turkic tribe, the Ghoz?, did to Iranian cities. These are still in our subconscious minds stored. I presume this is one of the reasons for the insulting jokes and attitudes towards Turks."

I have serious doubts about this, because Azerbaijani Turks and Persians, and other Shiite Iranic peoples, have not had any serious battles with each other and have always co-existed peacefully. Iranian Turks and Persians faught side by side against the Sunni Ottoman Turks. And Iran's Turkic dynasties did not discriminate against any ethnic groups other than the ones who were Sunni (Kurds for example).

You wrote: "At least, we acknowledge that you are Turks; your brethren in Turkey deny altogether that Kurds and Kurdish exist! They are “Mountain Turks”. This attitude of denying and suppressing the “others” seems to prevail in the region."

I don't believe we are closer to Turks in Turkey than to the Fars in Iran. So it is a bit out of context to relate the Azeri Turks to Turks in Turkey. That would be more absurd than likening the Fars to Tajiks in Tajikstan because becasue Tajiks speak a dialect of the same Farsi that is spoken in Iran, though you must know that Azerbaijani and Turkish are different langauges (you cannot call one the dialect of another), and they have been different languages for at least 700 years becasue there are writings in Azerbaijani and Anatolian Turkish left from many hundreds of years ago and they were clearly different even back then.

The problem is a fabricated one to some extent becasue up until Persian nationalism became a national policy and Iranians were (and are) forced to Persianise there was no problem and all Iranians believed they were Iranians and were content with it.

Ben Madadi

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Partial list of violations

From Amil Imani, author of " Payback time", in response to Jon Goldust's " We're not stupid, you idiot!":

The problem with individuals like you is that you are out of touch with the Iranian people. I am neither an Israeli nor work for any foreign entity or receive any funds. The difference between me and you is that you get paid by the terrorist regime in Iran and I work hard to make a living.

You must know that Iranians are saddened and ashamed by the appearance of Ahmadinejad on the international scene and his declared intent to wipe out the Jewish homeland from the face of the earth. Ahmadinejad is not an Iranian and I don't believe you are either. Numerous photos show him proudly donning the Arab headscarf around his neck -- a Palestinian headscarf that presently stands as a symbol of Arabo-Islamic genocidal hate campaign against the Jews as well as non-believers of all stripes.

Based on the Quran itself, a number of Islamic precepts and practices clearly violate the provisions of human rights, institutionalize discrimination, and constrain liberty. A partial list of these violations is supplied below.

* Freedom of assembly, expression, and worship is either denied or severely restricted in every Islamic country.`
* Women are relegated to a second class status, depriving them of many rights enjoyed by men.
* Religious minorities are often harassed, their properties are confiscated, their holy places destroyed, their cemeteries leveled, and even their persons harmed without receiving justice.
* "People of the book," Jews and Christians, are treated as "tolerable," since they together with Muslims are considered to be followers of the only three divine religions, while members of other religions, or no religion at all, are deemed ineligible for fair treatment under the law. Egypt, for instance, requires its citizens to obtain identity cards to be eligible for all the rights of citizenship, such as education, employment and medical care. Yet, gallingly, the same government denies these rights to those who are not members of the three divine religions or those who have no religious affiliation at all.
* The Islamic Republic of Iran officially bars its largest non-Muslim minority, the Baha'is, from many rights of citizenship, including access to higher education solely for the "sin" of practicing a different faith.
* Censorship of all sort are systemic to Islam. It is its way of mind control: an atrocious practice of keeping the mind in bondage. The press is required to parrot the approved line, and the violators are shut down and their staff imprisoned; Internet access to undesirable sites is routinely blocked; and, book publications pre-screened, and much much more.
* Women, by the very nature of their second class status expressly stipulated in the Quran, are occasionally allowed a token high position in government, while non-Muslim minority citizens are virtually barred from securing any positions at all.

So, instead of accusing people of being this or that, try to learn some etiquette when you are communicating with others. Education is the key. I know, I know, the terrorists in Iran pay you well to attack the Iranian patriots.

Amil Imani

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Killing in the name of regime change

From Jon Goldust, author of "We're not stupid, you idiot!", in response to Amil Imani's "Partial list of violation":

Amil, you are a traitor! So what if you are a Bahaii, not an israeli agent! You are still indirectly helping israelis! As for me, you are flat wrong about my affiliation with this terrorist regime. I never defended this regime, the regime that has brought deaths to my family and spread my family around the world, and some of my brother and sisters have not been able to see each other for 30 years! If I am paid by them, so are you paid by israel! You hatred for moslems is unbelievable! You want all of them dead! If that's how you think, then you criticize them for doing what they are to the Bahaii? You are as hateful as those idiots are. then what's the difference between you 2?

I never defend any regime in Iran, religious or secular, I only defend my beloved country IRAN! You on the other hand want the occupiers including Israel to take over the country, just` because you hate the regime! If you hate your brother, do you ask a stranger who wants to take over your house, to come and punish the whole family in order to kick him out? You are saying YES! I say NO, I'll try to kick him out and I don't need any israeli's help!

I was right, you don't have any relatives in Iran, therefore you don't give a damn about the Iranians getting bombed by israelis! You think: after all, those damn Iranian Moslems kicked you out of the country, so why should you care about them! You are not an Iranian, you are a foreigner who happened to be from Iran! If you don't love Iran, as a country, not a ruling regime, you are a traitor to Iran, as are the Mojahedin e Khalgh! In the name of regime change, you want my brothers and sisters getting killed, the same people who like me hate the regime? You are not a human, regardless of your religious affiliation!

Jon

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It is a crime to remain silent in the face of evil

From Amil Imani, author of "Payback time", in response to Jon Goldust's "Killing in the name of regime change":

Traitors are those who have been holding Iranians hostage to an Islamic cult. Traitors are those Iranian lobbyists, I assume you are one of them, who have sold Iran for few dollars.

Your masters in Iran are killing, torturing, raping and selling our women and you defend them and get paid by them. Shame on you.` There will be a time that Iranian people will deal with` ilks like you. You are a victim of an Islamic virus. Islam overtook Iran and brutally strived to replace the traditional lofty Iranian belief in human rights with its barbaric exclusionary dogma of the primitive Bedouin Arabs.

Regrettably, the forced subjugation of the Iranians succeeded to some degree in transmitting the Islamic psychosocial virus to many Iranians. The virus transforms the person into a bigot˜one who sees only his way and his belief as the right way and the only right mandate. Any and all people who do not see things his way are wrong and must be reformed by whatever means, including eradication, if the bigot sees fit.

Listen, you still have time to be on the side of the millions of Iranians. Do the right thing and support the Iranians, not the Mullahs. Maybe God will have mercy on your soul. My religion is Iran. I do not have any other religion. I don't believe in any religion.

The former President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Rafsanjani, along with one of the greatest mass murderers in recent history, the Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini, are directly responsible for the death of millions of Iranians.

Please` read carefully and put it in your head and memorize all of it: encroaching Islam with its rule of Shariah presents an imminent threat. Islam, as a matter of belief, considers all non-Muslims, even the so-called "people of the book," as infidels--people who are to be subjugated or cleansed from Allah's earth. Islam, under the banner of religion of peace, is infringing blatantly on the rights of others, not only in Islamic countries, but also in much of the non-Muslim world. By their acts of dogmatic savagery, Muslims are finally awaking the non-Muslim democracies to the imminent threat of Islamofascism keen on destroying their free secular societies.

Presently, the Islamists, with their treasuries flush with petrodollars, are in a great position to realize their perennial dream of bringing the world under the rule of Muhammad's Ummeh. On the one hand Pakistan is already a nuclear power and Islamic Republic of Iran aims to be one before very long. On the other hand, Muslim governments and wealthy Sheikhs are funding Islamic schools, centers and front organizations in the West to work from within at the unraveling of the non-Islamic democratic systems.

My mission is to raise the clarion call about the imminent and present danger of expansionistic theocratic Islam. I, my people and my native country, Iran, have been victimized by a primitive alien ideology for far too long. Having witnessed first-hand the horrors and indignity that Islamofascism visits on people it subjugates, I have taken it upon myself to do my part in defeating this ideology of oppression, hate and violence.

I enjoy and deeply cherish the liberty that America has generously afforded me, enabling me to raise a cry from the heart regarding the tragic plight of millions of Iranian victims, my compatriots who dare not speak against the wicked mullahs and their mercenaries.

I am a voice of tens of thousands of Iran's best children, many of them literally children, who have been imprisoned, brutally tortured, shamelessly raped and viciously slaughtered by Allah's beasts presently ruling Iran.

The heartless religionists of Allah have plundered and continue to plunder the people's vast oil income, fill their bottomless pockets with the ill-begotten funds, and finance adventurism in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and anywhere and everywhere they find willing clientele.

In the meantime, over the past three decades of their Islam-authorized dastardly theocracy, the mullahs, by their thievery and incompetence, have driven masses of the Iranian people to abject poverty; have created a culture of nihilism and despair that has spawned one of the world's most drug-addicted societies; and, have compelled a great many women to sell their bodies in order to survive.

Therefore, I find it both my sacred duty and inalienable right to indict Muslims as either criminals themselves or accessories to the crimes, seek justice for my people, and warn others of the dangers of Islamofascism in all its forms.

It is a crime to remain silent in the face of evil, it is said. Thus, I am speaking up and urging others to raise their resonant voices and act while they can before they are brutally silenced and annihilated by the ever-creeping Islamofascism.

Amil Imani

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You’ve gained a bit of humanity – not lost it

On Azarin A. Sadegh's "I have lost a part of my humanity":

Ms. Sadegh,

I read your impassioned plea about the gruesome killing of the girl in Iraq. There is nothing that justifies that act and we should all be rightly outraged at the grotesque behavior exhibited.

I did not watch the video nor will I – need to preserve a little of my own humanity. ` But I do not need to watch it to form an opinion on the state of humanity. I have seen too much already!

I appreciate your outrage and applaud your speaking out on it. ` Yet I cannot but also recognize your insinuation against a certain group of peoples, religion, or regions.

You were rightly outraged at the stoning of a helpless girl caught close-up on video. But does the life that is snuffed out by a “smart” bomb falling from the sky, or the indiscriminate scatter of a cluster bomb, or the strike of a blood-soaked machete – a life not caught on TV and up-close, does it not arouse the same outrage? Are the people, and the gods behind them, who perpetuate those acts any better or less deserving of the same ”seeing”?`

Ms. Sadegh, I think by this experience you’ve gained a bit of humanity – not lost it. ` And the question should be not whether we see or not, but whether we see equally.

Respectfully,

Moe

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Entirely one sided

On Nahal Zamani's "Troubled history":

Nahal, you wrote:

"But the average American still has a limited understanding of the relationship between Iran and the United States."

It seems to me, after reading your list, that the average Iranian (if you are an example) is the one who has a limited understanding of the "troubled" history between the US and the IRI!

Not only was your list of transgressions entirely one sided, but it was blatantly false. To the "average American" your list of items will look like a joke.

Educate yourself. There is nothing stopping you from learning the truth, except your own bias.

Craig B

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Not only a sexist misogynist, but also an intolerant bigot

On Hossein Hajiagha's cartoons:

Hossein Hajiagha continues to disgrace himself with almost every bizarre cartoon that he produces, with the most recent example being the one in which he depicts Jewish-American interests provoking Muslims to attack each other (the ungrammatical "WHY THE MOSLEMS KILL EACH OTHER'S").

Perhaps I should be grateful that he has drawn something other than his usual caricatures of large-breasted women and phallic men, but I'm sorry to say that he is only increasing the scope of his shame by exposing himself to be not only a sexist misogynist, but also an intolerant bigot.

I supppose that Hossein Hajiagha would like to pretend that his cartoons are editorial and satirical in nature, but if that is his intent then I would suggest that his creative output is an abject failure in translating his ideas to paper. What I see isn't satire; it is puerile nonsense.

WK Angmar

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I call it Satan's religion

On Amil Imani's "Terrorists' bill of rights":

I wish every Iranian was as objective as you are about Islam. Islam, which I call it the Satan's religion is the only religion in the world that promotes hate toward other humans.

Ron Ghana

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Propagation of reactionary views

On Hossein Hajiagha's cartoons:

It is a shame that you allow anti-women cartoons of Hossein Hajiagha on your site. Freedom of speech and the pen is one thing. But propagation of reactionary views about women is quite another. The idiot's veiws are` more backward` than the mullahs.

Arman

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"Laughable" but taken deadly seriously

On Kaveh Nouraee's "Sober, not high":

Dear Kaveh,

How can you dismiss almost daily threats of violence against Iran by sitting Senators and Vice Presidents in this country? In the past few weeks alone, there have been specific plans to bomb Iran (does not require any troops!) from major politicians and opinions printed in highly influential newspapers like the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Just compare the reaction to one single non-specific, metaphorical, "threat" by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against Israel. This was taken as gospel truth even though there's no way Iran could carry it out, even if it wanted to. This possibility is truely "laughable" but taken deadly seriously. Yet you want us to think the Bush administration, who actually has positioned a massive air force in the Persian gulf and could easily destroy the entire country without losing so much as 5 pilots is somehow not serious? Open your eyes.

Qumars Bolourchian

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It put a smile on my face

On Jahanshah Javid's "The brown book":

Loved the idea of scanning your "brown book!" It put a smile on my face.

Partow

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Great brown book

On Jahanshah Javid's "The brown book":

What a cool brown book that suggests many great memories... brings to mind my address books and all the great memories there!! Beautiful!

I guess you didn’t get my email of a few weeks ago asking you which of my series you like best so I can thank you for keeping my Persian roots alive!! Alive and well. Send your address, too, please.

My very best to you,
THANK YOU!!!

Roshan

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Reza, the Persian

On Hasan Behgar's "Daryoozegi baraaye arabaan!":

I do totally agree with you and Mr Zibakalam is totally wrong in his approach to this sensitive issue. Arabs are a bunch of savage, diseased, ill natured race whose development have been only due to contribution of Iran and the Iranians.

To me they are main cause of problems in middle east due to their weak political nature and having sold themselves to the Yanks.

The name of Persian Gulf will stay as Persian Gulf.

Reza

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Religion of peace?

In response to Amil Imani's claims regarding Islam:

Mr. Amil, You must be one of those who counts on Iranians swallowing eveything fed to them. You solicited examples of other religions dictating cult-like social and political guidelines. Well here is just a few examples from the Old Testament (religion of peace according to you):

A couple of examples of the Old Testament's respect for women.

Judges 19:22-29
As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, base fellows, beset the house round about, beating on the door; and they said to the old man, the master of the house, "Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him." And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brethren, do not act so wickedly; seeing that this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing. Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine; let me bring them out now. Ravish them and do with them what seems good to you; but against this man do not do so vile a thing." But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine, and put her out to them; and they knew her, and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, till it was light. And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, "Get up, let us be going." But there was no answer. Then he put her upon the ass; and the man rose up and went away to his home. And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and laying hold of his concubine, he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.

Genesis 19:4-8
But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them." Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him, and said, "I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof."

The adultery test---a God-sanctioned recourse for any suspicious husband:

Numbers 5:17, 24-28
The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put in into the water. ... And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain. ... If she has acted unfaithfully against her husband, ... her body shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become an execration among her people. But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.

(New Testament) Meek and mild Jesus, the harbinger of love, mercy, and turning the other cheek.

Matthew 10:34-35
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's foes will be those of his own household."
A` few of God's forgotten commandments.

Exodus 21, 22, and 23
[21:2] "... When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing."
[21:7-8] "When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do."
[21:26-27] "When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free for the eye's sake. If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free for the tooth's sake."
[22:18, KJV] "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."
[22:19] "Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death."
[22:20] "He that sacrificeth unto any god save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed."
[22:29] ... "The first-born of your sons you shall give to me. You shall do likewise with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its dam; on the eighth day you shall give it to me."
[23:19] ... "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk."

After committing genocide against the Midianites, Moses devides the` the booty.

Numbers 31:17, 40
[Verse 17, Moses says:] "Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves."
[Verse 40:] The persons [women who had not known man by lying with him] were sixteen thousand, of which the Lord's tribute was thirty-two persons.

God's enthusiastic endorsement of child abuse.

Proverbs 23:13-14
Do not withhold discipline from a child. If you beat him with a rod, he will not die. If you beat him with the rod, you will save his life from Sheol.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21
If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father; or the voice of his mother, and, though they chastise him, will not give heed to them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, and they shall say to the elders of his city, "This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard." Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall purge the evil from your midst; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Mey Bokhor

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