LETTERS
June 25, 2001
* Stop picking at the Pahlavis
I just don't understand why people still keep attacking and deriding the Pahlavis, be it Reza or Leila, when easier targets like Khatami are treated like heroes.
The crown prince has not a committed any crime in his life and he courageously speaks up against the mollas but yet people either criticize him for either not doing enough or blame him for being his father's son.
We all know that if the Pahlavi family has kept a low profile for all of these years (Leila included), it is because of security reasons: the mollas are not afraid to assassinate them just like they did with scores of other expatriated opponents.
Also to his credit, he is utmost progressive in his ideas: full separation of church and state, restoration of all social and religious freedoms, political pluralism,etc... That's more than what the Iranian youth dare to ask for right now and I don't think anyone doubts that he is sincere in dealing with these taboo subjects.
On the other hand Khatami, the so-called reformist, has his reputation sullied by the mere fact that he still reveres Khomeini and the molla state. He goes around talking about more civil and political liberties, but they are so timid that they in effect keep he and the other mollas in charge.
He has the nerve to lecture the world about a dialogue of civilizations when he won't dialogue with his own religious and political minorities and he wants the destruction of Israel. For instance, Bahais would still be off-limits for him and, of course, no one could dare criticize Khomeini or the supreme leader. He is really only a mild form of a molla and what he proposes is so small that it will neither stop the youth from fleeing Iran in disgust and despair, nor make Iran a livable place for those who would like to return.
So stop picking at the Pahlavis, because they are among the few who have spelled out what freedoms the Iranians want, and instead recognize that either Khatami should fully live up to the wishes of the Iranian people, or else resign and dissociate himself from this regime, something he should have done in the first place if he really believes in "dialogues of civilizations".
* If Sa'di was president
I'd like to give my support for the points made by Setareh Sabety in her article "Diana not".
We Iranians have a lot to learn from i the vast ocean of Persian literature. As an example, here are two lines from Sa'di:
"Sporat-e ZibAy-e ZAher Hich Nist
Ey BarAdar Sirat-e ZibA BiyAr
Adami RA Aghl BAyad Dar Badan
Var Na JAn Dar Kalbad DArad HemAr"
If the young generation of Iranians living outside -- as well as inside -- Iran learn and understand the meanings of such poems, then we would have less problems in our lives both as individuals and also as a community. (If Sa'di was alive today, and living in Iran, and he was kind and gracious enough to accept the presidency of Iran, I believe Iran would have a bright future in front of herself!)
The problem, I guess, seems to be that most of us do not pursue SERIOUSLY ENOUGH reading classical Persian literature as well as the Holy Scriptures of different religions, like the Old and the New Testament, The Quran and also the vast ocean of the Baha'i Holy Scriptures.
All these valuable sources of information will indeed inspire all of us to create a better world. I am not sure how far the Iranians living outside Iran are familiar with the Baha'i literature, therefore I put the the address of the Official website of the Baha'i Faith on the internet: http://www.bahai.org/
With kind regards,
* Victims of organized religion AGAIN?
"I do not speak for Bahai faith" writes NN in ["Snowball"], BUT, she adds, " there is a new faith called Bahai faith.It is here to enlighten the world and wake it up from it's slumber and take it out of the slimy swamps that today's Islam has put us in far too long."
I am glad she clarified that. Otherwise an ignorant fool like me would have thought that she was talking on behalf of the Bahais.Thanks again. Well I assume that the progress of USA, Europe, Japan and other advanced countries were also due to the enlightenment of Bahai faith. Or was it? Let us see.
She does not spell out what this enlightenment is, but some one else described what the consequences are to non believers ["Persian prophet"].There we learn that Napoleon III, King Kaiser Wilhelm, Sultan of turkey ,Tzar of Russia, Nasserodin Shah and all others who ignored Bahaullah's message met with an unexpected and tragic end.
Queen Victoria of G.B. ruled for 64 years because she replied to his excellency's letter and saved hereself from the demise. Sounds familiar? Remember baa alle abaa harke dar oftaad baroftaad? What else is new? Who do they think we are after 22 years of religious rule? Idiots? Do they think we can accept another religious propaganda, repeating the same old nonsense and become the victims of organized religion AGAIN? After what mollas and mo'beds have done to this country?
The good thing about giving them the free rope of endless talking is that eventually, these salesmen of religious commodity come out and say the truth about the true nature of their merchandise and hang themselves with.
Dear NN thanks but no thanks. You stick to your own belief and "do not speak for Bahai faith". A lot of people have talked about religions before, and as a result, for centuries we have had all this blood on our hands.
May God bless all of us.
©Copyright 2001, The Iranian
