Letters
Nov 23-27, 1998 / Azar 2-6, 1377
Today
* Iranians:
- Exceptionally diverse
- Treated like a queen
Previous
* Politics: Relative
freedoms not enough
* Iraj Mirza: Realistic
reflection
* Expats: Better alive
than dead
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Friday,
Nov 27, 1998
* Iranians exceptionally diverse
I commend Alex
Bettesworth for his attempted insight into the psyche of the Iranian,
however, it is virtually impossible to classify Iranians into a personality
category and apply adjectives to them, be they positive or negative. Our
country and people are exceptionally diverse, and made even more so by
the fact that a new generation of Iranians has grown up all over the world
and integrated the Iranian culture with that of another. Some chose to
integrate the negative aspects of their new culture, be that the American
culture or that of another, with the negative aspects of the Iranian culture.
If that is the case, they have chosen the worst of both worlds and suffer
for it.
Mr. Bettesworth should understand that there are cultural ties that
bind Iranians together, but an individual's level of ambition, integrity,
loyalty and sincerity towards others, is not necessarily a "cultural
phenomenon."
Massi Behbahani
Massi.Behbahani@Teligent.com
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* Treated like a queen
I want to respond to C.
Mohamadi about Iranians being "backstabbing." I am an American
women with an Iranian boyfriend. I feel that your comment was unnecessary
and unfounded about all Iranians. Not only did you make yourself look bad
but also other American women. You do not deserve to be married to an Iranian
man. All Iranians are not the same just like all Americans are mot the
same either.
I am very happy with my relationship with my boyfriend. Not only do
I love him but also his family. I have been treated like a queen by all
members and I have never felt so much love. Maybe you should take a look
in the mirror and try to find the real reasons.
Skhanoom@aol.com
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Thursday
Nov 26, 1998
*
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Wednesday
Nov 25, 1998
* Relative freedoms not enough
In response to Mr
K. Sani's letter I would like to say the following: If our dream is
to restore " the nice and rather free days of the first year of the
revolution," then I believe that we are destined to fail. In fact
those days were not very nice. Although Iran enjoyed some relative freedoms
at the time, let's not forget the kangaroo courts, executions, and false
and unfounded accusations.
In a democracy, all people should enjoy freedom. If only some factions
exploit the situation, that system would not be democratic. A democracy
will either include all, left, right, center, religious, non-religious,
monarchist and anti-monarchist, communist or capitalist or none at all.
A democracy entitles people to be protected in a court of law. A democracy
believes in human dignity for all.
Our so-called democracy in 1979-80 failed to have any of those characterisitcs.
Reza.Khalili
Reza.Khalili@kenonic.com
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Tuesday
November 24, 1998
* Realistic reflection
Despite the explicit, and at times offensive, language, Iraj
Mirza realistically reflects the psyche of many Iranian men and women:
that hijab serves to divorce a woman from assertiveness and choice.
SMiss18754@aol.com
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Monday
Nov 23, 1998
* Better alive than dead
Like all patriots, the character in Ali Khalili's piece "Farewell cherry
tree" would have wanted to go to the front and defend his country.
Instead, his parents preferred to send him out of Iran than to see him
despatched to the front. That must have pleased God because God does not
wish children to pay for the lunacy of adults, a lesson God made very clear
in the story of Abraham. Ali's character now cries out for help, because
he is ridden with guilt and all Aroosi-e-Khooban
delivers in his criticism of Ali Khalili is more pain because Khooban too
is gripped by guilt and its associated rage, even though his/her own credentials
in the matter is less than clear.
No wonder after some 2,500 years of statehood, the Iranian nation numbers
only a meager 60 million; that is so perhaps in part because of the Iranian's
insatiable appetite to die and then wanting to kill those who did not.
There is death to this and death to that; there is the swearing on one's
own life. There is the desire to be a martyr and make others martyrs too.
When it comes to the character in Ali Khalili's piece, I, for one, am very
pleased to see that the Iraqis did not claim one more Iranian and that
someone thought that him being alive is better than him being dead.
To oblige Khooban's exhortation, the term "patriot" means
"a person who loves and loyally or zealously supports his own country."
Nothing here about getting one's child or oneself deliberately killed.
In contrast, consider Khooban's apparent synonym for patriot -- chauvinist
-- whose distinguishing traits include being militant, unreasoning and
boastful, fanatical and jingoistic. Of the two, the former contains the
promise of life, the latter is doomed to perdition; here Khooban is not
necessarily "az ma behtaroon," simply abnormally fatalistic.
If there is an Iran and an Iranian nation left it is because of those who
lived on, including Khooban and the character in Ali Kalili's story.
Guive Mirfendereski
Guive@aol.com
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