Iranian Beauty
By Dariush Sajjadi
dariushsajjadi@yahoo.com
Republican Congressman Brad Sherman has in recent
months attacked Iran and Iranians. Direct quotes from
his speeches have been posted on
http://www.payvand.com, some of which are extracted
from the congressional record
http://thomas.loc.gov.
Sherman has called Iran and its government "the most
evil nations or evil governments" (June 6, 2000) that
gain satisfaction by killing the Jews! To prove this
outrageous claim, he has alluded to the trial of 13
Jews in Shiraz who were accused of espionage and who
confessed to their charges. Despite their heavy
charges, nonetheless, the Iranian Judiciary handed
them light imprisonment sentences.
To back up his false claim, Sherman has striven to
picture the Iranian government and people as
anti-Semitic. This is indicative of the congressman's
unawareness of Iran's 3000 year-old recorded history
which chronicles the Jews' peaceful centuries-long
coexistence with fellow Iranians, their shared joys
and sorrows and mutual resolve to face all ups and
downs.
Sherman's attempt to call the Iranian government
"violent" or "anti-Semitic" solely for having
exercised its legitimate right to try 13 Iranian
citizens on spying charge speaks of the congressman's
phony
sympathy and concern. Wouldn't any government - even
the most so-called democratic - in the world try
citizens charged with spying?
As such, the 13 Jews' trial is a completely domestic
issue which no Iranian - Jewish or other - would
allow other countries or foreign personalities -
especially Sherman - to meddle with.
The Iranian nation - be they Muslims, Jews,
Christians, or Zoroastrians - is not a desperate
nation to need the guardianship of frenzied American
congressmen. The Iranians can and will settle all
issues at home, as
proven time and again.
Criticizing the US Administration's decision to allow
imports of Iranian caviar and carpets into the US,
Sherman has said, "….There is blood in the caviar,
bodies have been wrapped in the carpets, and it is
time for America to say no until the 13 Jews of Shiraz
are liberated and until the Iranian government takes
other important actions as well." (March 14, 2000)
Sherman's hysteric and hostile mud slinging against
Iran's noble and dignified people reflects his
unawareness of the Iranians' historical identity and
personality.
All through Iran's 3000-year history of civilization,
the Iranians have abstained from trading their dignity
and integrity for cheap gains.
The Iranians have not become so abject now to trade
their historical credibility and dignity for the petty
earnings that imports of several tons of Iranian
caviar and some hand-woven carpets might bring them.
Even when badly in need and desperate, the Iranians
abide by their principles. They would never bargain
their historical dignity and prestige.
If Sherman thinks that imports of Iranian caviar
and carpets to the US are favors for which the
Iranians will have to wag their tails like dogs, he is
terribly mistaken and is fully unaware of Iran's
civilization and identity.
Hussein ibn Ali is the greatest religious leader of
the Iranians. 14 centuries ago he taught the Iranians
that "neither death is so horrible nor life so sweet
to prompt a person to trade his/her dignity for either
of them."
Sherman should bear in mind that if "there is blood
in the Iranian caviar", it comes from the pains taken
by the Iranian fishermen to make a living for their
families by providing caviar which is eaten with
champagne by people such as Sherman during election
campaigns.
Pitifully Sherman has fallen short of realizing that
the jaws of Persian Gulf sharks, rather than the
Iranian caviar, smell of blood, as these sharks ripped
and gorged the bodies of innocent Iranian men, women,
and children who were aboard the civilian plane that
was downed by the USS Vincenness during the Iran-Iraq
war.
Young rural Iranian girls weave Iranian carpets and
often lose their sight to earn a living for their
hard-working families. They spend their budding
youth days weaving carpets that people such as Sherman
would tread on during diplomatic balls.
If a nation's legitimate defense of its independence
and freedom could be called "shameless", what would
the overt and brazen intervention of a government
claiming to be democratic be called when it
orchestrated the
military coup against Dr. Mohammad Mosaddeq's popular
national government in the 1950s?
Sherman has unfortunately taken the modest silence of
the American Iranians, who are specialists and
well-heeled people selflessly serving the American
society, as a sign of their indifference and
carelessness.
In case Sherman has presented these insolent remarks
to curry favor with his financial supporters for his
re-election, he can avoid such an erroneous approach.
Instead of fabricating stories about Iran, he can
attempt to recognize the Iranian culture and
civilization so that American Iranians would do him a
favor and generously fund his election campaign.
Also if Sherman cannot respect Iran's ancient culture
and civilization, he could at least avoid insulting
it.
Iran's Arab neighbors believe that a hand that cannot
be bitten should be kissed. Sherman can go against
this Arab saying by not biting the hand that deserves
to be kissed.
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Islamic Regime Must Release Its Hostages: " The IRANIAN People"
We strongly believe that the US relations with the Islamic Regime of
Iran must be contingent upon the complete observation of human rights in
Iran as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We would
like this issue to be part of the US political parties' platform and have
started a signature drive to achieve this goal by the power of the Iranian-American
votes. Please use our Web Site at www.mehr.org
or use the link directly at www.mehr.org/us_iran_petition.htm
and speak out about this issue.
Unfortunately some Iranians who sadly regard the Islamic Regime as
a "newly formed democracy in Iran", and some who financially benefit from
unconditional US / Islamic regime relations, along the activist and lobbyist
of the Islamic Regime, are advocating for the unconditional resumption
of relations with the US. An orchestrated effort has been already started
to discredit any effort to link the human rights in Iran to relations with
the Islamic Regime.
We should emphasis that our desire is by no means any sort of sanction
against Iranian people. The Iranians are victims of this regime and their
respective interests are not identical. We just believe that no legitimacy
should be given to Regime's owned financial institutions and individuals
that have been rubbing the Iranian people for the last 21 years and have
created hunger, unemployment, and misery for most of our nation. They do
not represent Iranians and do not protect their interests.
By dealing with a government infamous for its notorious opposition to
all principles of Human Rights and its outright and active support of the
International terrorism within and beyond its borders, the western countries
and multi national corporations will be financially helping the Islamic
Regime of Iran. According to the statistics published in the Iranian press
(Iran-e Farda), more than %50 of Iran economy is run and owned by an organization
called "the Deprived Foundation " (Bonyaad-e Mostaz-afaan) that is fully
exempted from audit and taxation.
This organization has 7 branches in the areas of Trade, agriculture,
Industry and mines, Transportation, Import and export. Each of these branches
acts like a ministry. A 1986 statistics indicates that the assets of this
foundation includes 140 industrial complex, 64 mines, 2786 pieces of agricultural
land, 230 import and export company, 90 movie theaters, 3 newspapers, 200
loan offices, 2 insurance companies and several shipping and airplane companies.
It has 150,000 employees. %22 of concrete %28 of textile, %45 of the sodas,
%28 of the plastic products, and %25 of the sugar production is controlled
by this foundation
This organization has a hand in every financial deal and does not answer
to any elected body in the country. There is no guarantee that any foreign
aid will ever reach the needy people. It only subsidizes the terrorist
activities of the regime.
Islamic regime of Iran has made gender and religious apartheid legal
and part of Iranian constitution, which was adopted undemocratically.
So-called elections in Iran are not free and people of Iran can choose
only among the selected few by the system.
Thousands and thousands of prisoners of conscious have been tortured
and subsequently faced firing squads.
As you are reading this, thousands Iranians are being held without
any formal charges and are being tortured in order to confess that they
are against the regime or to recant their free spirits, in notorious Islamic
of Iran’s jail systems.
Thousands of political prisoners are serving long sentences in barbaric
style jails and are subjected to random and systematic torture after unfair
trials where the judge and prosecutor and the interrogators were the same
person like the trial of the 13 Iranian Jews
Agents of Islamic Regime by their own admission have murdered hundreds
of dissidents inside and out side of Iran.
We believe that US should adhere to the principles of human rights
and do not recognize the existing system of Islamic Republic where the
terror is the way of governance, and lawlessness is the rule of law.
We believe that world community should pressure Islamic regime to release
its hostages” the IRANIAN People"
MEHR Foundation
P.O. Box 2037, PVP, CA 90274
Tel: (310) 377-4590; Fax: (310) 377-3103
E-mail: unplan@usa.net
Web Site: http://www.mehr.org
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