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Letters
October 9-13, 2000 / Mehr 18-22, 1379

Today

* Sciolino:
- American authority on Iran

* Homosexuality:
- You are all sick

* Men & women:
- At least he's a man with an opinion

Previous

* Cartoons:
- REALLY suck!
*
Rafsanjani:
- Near boiling point
*
Shirin Neshat:
- Must see, art lover or not
*
Sadaf Kiani:
- Reminder of forgotten things

- Realistic & poetic
- Hadn't read anything this good
*
Film:
- Like Jews in Nazi Germany

* Lost:
- What happened to Behrooz Nejad?

* Greetings:
- Foozooli
*
Religion:
- Khejaalat ham khoub cheezee-ye

* US elections:
- Go Bush!

- Head exam


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Friday,
October 13, 2000

* American authority on Iran

Tonight, as I was driving home from my office -- which is only six blocks away (yes I am living the Los Angeles life), my ears perked up when I heard "Iran" on National Public Radio. I raised the volume and listened intently. The woman being interviewed was Elaine Sciolino an American journalist who has covered Iran for over two decades ["The twelve rules"]... She is an American authority on Iran, if you will.

She has just released her second book "Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran". What I love about her is that she does not go the route (at least in her interview and the parts of the book I have read) of most Western journalists ...

I hope you all have the opportunity to read this book and I look forward to hear your comments. The one thing I must caution is that sometimes journalists and authors may write or say something that you believe is contrary to your observations and beliefs. Don't get angry and discount the validity of the book or report, often people only see certain things and can' get everyone's viewpoint >>> FULL TEXT

Yashar Hedayat

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* You are all sick

I am an Australian gay man who saw your paper on the Internet, and the article by Yek Irani ["Acceptance"]. You people live in a dreadful country, full of oppressed people. Your women are treated as animals, and your gay people are beheaded/burnt at the stake. You are all sick, those who advocate this.

Your religious ideas are indefensible when they demand the deaths of persons engaged in private sexual acts. I engage in homosexual acts, they are great! Maybe thats what you all need? A strong dose of anal sex!?

By the way, there is a thriving Iranian gay community in Sydney! What should happen to them?

Thomas Byrne
Sydney, Australia

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* At least he's a man with an opinion

Mr. Rafat's article on Iranian brides ["Real Iranian girls?"]is astounding and shocking! I can't say that as an Iranian woman raised in Los Angeles whether I am truly offended or mezmerized by his outlandish chauvanistic story, until of course I searched and found his responses to the issues of Afghans!

It goes to show me that while he must obviously be a very intelligent and outspoken braggadocio, he is also a male-chauvanist of the peculiarly fascistic brand.

People who want to repress women often want to do that to the other weaker parts of a society. But I have to hand it to him, he is at least a man with an opinion and not afraid to voice it, and as a very 'feminine' and good Iranian girl,whether he wants to believe that we exist in America or not, I am astonished that such a man still exists, because at least I can respect a real macho man like him.

One question, jenab-e aghay-e doktor-e Rafaat, did you find a bride in Iran willing to put up with your eccentric antics or not? You left a cliff hanger for us! I like a bold man so audaciously tell me if you succeeded in sweeping some damsel from that garden, Iran.... If you haven't then where is your next 'adventure,' Afghanistan?

Shatooni

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Thursday
October 12, 2000

* Near boiling point

Thank you for your article ["Meeting Faezeh"]... This year clearly marks Mr. Rafsanjani's last golden opportunity to allow democracy to fully bloom by convincing the ruling clergy to unconditionally release the country to the democraticly-elected president and parliment in harmony with a neutral and just judiciary branch...

If, however, he makes the same tragic error in judgement as the late Shah made by insisting on an absolute rule, he will be remembered by history as the true leader of the hijackers of the revolution and the true enemy of progress in Iran. Indeed the water is near boiling point >>> FULL TEXT

Kambiz Ameli

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* Reminder of forgotten things

I read your last article ["Khalvat-e paaeezi"]. It made me cry. It reminded me of things that I have forgotten, but their effect will always be with me.

Back in Iran I always hated taking taxies, but lately I couldn't remember why, I just knew that I hate it. Now I remember. And that afternoon walk in autumn, I love it.

I loved the sentence where you said for you to feel good the blue sky and wind and... are enough. I wish I was there; we could go together, pretend to be young school girls and laugh at everything, including guys! This is what me and my sister do sometimes when I am there.

I wait impatiently to see more and more of Tehran through your sensitive eyes.

Sima

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* REALLY suck!

Your cartoons and cartoonists REALLY suck!

TTA

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Wednesday
October 11, 2000

* Must see, art lover or not

I was fortunate enough to see Shirin Neshat's exhibit at the Berkeley Musuem of Art with some friends recently ["Personal/Universal"]. I'm somewhat familiar with Ms. Neshat's work and in my opinion this is one of the best works I have ever seen by any artist.

I also saw that non-Iranian visitors also found this work exhilirating. Some visitors skip the galleries and walk straight in from the entrance to Neshat's exhibit. Art lover or not, everyone must see this.

Nima Faghihi

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* Realistic & poetic

I am one of your many readers having had the privilege of reading Ms. Sadaf Kiani's articles . I like most of her works and specially her recent article "Khalvat-e paaeezi". I like the display and colorfulness of the realistic and poetic words she uses in describing matters and problems. I wish her more successes in her artistic works.

Sheema Kalbasi

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* Hadn't read anything this good

neveshteh-ye khanom-e Sadaf Kiani Abbassian kheyli khoob bood ["Khalvat-e paaeezi"]. modat-haa bood neveshteh-ye khoobi dar site shomaa nakhaandeh boodam. lotfan az ishaan baaz ham estefaadeh konid.

M. Moghaddam

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Tuesday
October 10, 2000

* Like Jews in Nazi Germany

A friend called and said Jafar Panahi's "The Circle" is only showing for two days in a cinema in Quartier Latin in Paris. I said okay, I will go with you.

During the movie I was suffocating from the lack of hope. Being a woman in Iran is like being a Jew in Nazi Germany ["No more kids stuff"].

After the movie I was so nervous I didn't eat anything. I had to drink seven beers to be able to speek. I was ashamed of being an Iranian, especially as an Ianian man.

I lived in Iran until 1987, so I know very well what is happening to women but this movie is like a slap in the face. It shows you what is really happening to them.

Ironically, the only bright light was the girl who became a prostitute. She of all people was the hope of the film.

Thank you Mr Panahi for making such a realistic movie about women's life in my country.

Bahram

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* What happened to Behrooz Nejad?

I have a story of one of my first martial arts instructors. An Iranian named Behrooz Nejad. He was living here in this area from 1979 til approx 1986(?).

The story is a sad one, but interesting nonetheless. You see, Behrooz came over with the Shah in 1979 after the revolution. He was a member of the Shah's elite guard, tasked with the Shah's protection. After arriving here, not needed in his former capacity, Behrooz settled in the St. Clairsville, Ohio...

Things took a terrible turn. While on a business trip to Saudi Arabia, Behrooz was arrested for murder. You see, in addition to the schools and consulting work with the local sheriff's dept, Behrooz was also an arms dealer >>> FULL TEXT

David McDonnell

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* Foozooli

As a duty to fellow Iranians, I feel I have to clarify a certain point in dAyi Hamid's recent article: "Khob... digeh chetori?" dAyi Hamid suggests that when Iranians ask "digeh chetori?" five minutes after they have already once asked you "chetori?", it is so that you will end up saying "Babaa ahhhhhhh I am not good!" And he also points out to the valid point : "as if in the last five minutes some new development has taken place!"

The reality though, I believe, is that when Iranians ask you "digeh chetori?" (sometimes more that 3 or 4 times in a conversation) they are really asking you to tell them what you haven't told them the first time round (or the second or the third time round). This concept, namely "konjkaavi" or to put it more bluntly "foozooli", is common practice amongst our compatriots!

Roozbeh

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Monday
October 9, 2000

* Go Bush!

This article in itself ["Go Gore"] gives unconditional support to the fact that we should all vote for George W. Bush and NOT for Al Gore.

To summarize: Gore has an Orthodox Jew as his running mate, Dick Cheney has repeatedly called for better relations with our homeland, IRAN.

The one point that has been totally ignored is that the majority of Iranians living in the United States are professionals who enjoy financial stability. This has been gained primarily by hard work and is a tribute to our genius and has had nothing to do with the government.

Now, someone tell me why anyone or particularly any Iranian should vote for someone who wants to overtax and basically take away a bigger portion of this hard earned financial stability?

Way OVER Taxed
Farzad

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* Head exam

With all due respect, the person who authored the article "Go Gore" needs to have his head examined. Mr. Gore will most probably be the second worst disaster since that sinister man, Mr. Jimmy Carter.

On another note, watching the goings on in Belgrade, I found myself praying to god for a similar incident in Iran. Could the kind lord possibly bless us with such gift after 22 years of imprisonment.

Ramtin Diba

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* Khejaalat ham khoub cheezee-ye

I found your Sep 20th "Anyway" section patently offensive and distasteful.

Could it be that you published it because you were oblivious to your Christian readership's miniscule size? Or you were just following the "sensationalism sells" formula, in which case you managed to lower your otherwise respectable and first-rate magazine to the level of "Hustler".

I've lived most of my life in both pre- and post-revolutionary Iran and cannot recall a single instance of desecration of other religions of this magnitude.

Khejaalat ham khoub cheezee-ye.

Roubik

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