Prominent Iranian satirist Ebrahim Nabavi is a known critic of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as of members of the Iranian religious establishment. [1] Last week, following Ahmadinejad's November 29, 2006 letter to the American people, he took aim at him again, in an open letter posted on the reformist online daily Rooz. In it, he responded to Ahmadinejad's letter, point by point.
The following are excerpts from Nabavi's letter, in the original English. [2]
"Why Do You Do Things That Make the World Believe That a Simpleton is Iran's President?"
"Dear Mr. Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran:
"If there were no history, and the letter you wrote to the American people would not have been recorded in it, and the American people would not have wondered how a person like you, with that rhetoric and discourse, is the president of an ancient and historic country like Iran, perhaps it would not have been necessary to respond to your letter. I read your letter, Mr. Ahmadinejad! Stop it. Why do you do things that make the world believe that a simpleton is Iran's president?
"Mr. Ahmadinejad! The world is bigger than these games; much bigger. I know that you, wherever you go, have tried to be at the center of every picture and interview, and will say anything to have your name repeated. But in a world in which people are amused by alien beings and talking octopuses and driving frogs for only one or two hours, these games do not last long. The game is nearing its end. Please stop."
"Who Gives you the Right to Consider Yourself the Representative of Iranians, But to Deny That Bush Represents the Americans?"
"The words that you use in your letter to the American people are appropriate for the Iranian ministry of foreign affairs. If you think that you can play with the Americans or Iranians or any other people through such empty and repetitive words you are wrong. America itself is a place for games. They have Hollywood. They create an Ahmadinejad in the morning and destroy him at night at the end of the story. For these and every other people such games continue only until you bury your head under the snow and think that others cannot see you.
"I ask you: When you were writing a letter to George W. Bush, one could say that a president has written a letter to another president. But what is the meaning of writing a letter to the Americans as a representative of the Iranian people? Are you the representative of the Iranian people? Why and since when did it dawn on you that you represent Iranians? Where is your resemblance to the Iranian people? You are no better a representative of Iranians that Bush is of Americans. I think that both nations are ashamed of having such presidents.
"For this reason I ask you not to speak as the representative of Iranians. Neither did you get any more votes in your rigged elections nor do you enjoy a greater popularity in Iran than Bush does in America. Who gives you the right to consider yourself to be the representative of Iranians but to deny that Bush represents the Americans?"
"How Dare You Speak [in Your Letter] of Defending Human Ideals - in a Country Where the Rights of Women, Ethnic Groups, Religious Minorities and the General Public are Constantly Under Attack...?"
"In your letter to the American people, you wrote, 'Both our nations are God-fearing, truth-loving and justice-seeking, and both seek dignity, respect and perfection. Both greatly value and readily embrace the promotion of human ideals such as compassion, empathy, respect for the rights of human beings, securing justice and equity, and defending the innocent and the weak against oppressors and bullies.'
"Mr. Ahmadinejad! A great number of the words you used are empty and meaningless…. The Iranian people are not God-fearing, truth-loving and justice-seeking, because if they were, you would not have been their president.
"Are you serious? Or you are playing with us? You support human ideals? Do people like journalists even have any human rights in Iran? How can you call yourself a defender of human ideals when your political faction shut down 150 publications in the past four years? How dare you speak of defending human ideals in a country where the rights of women, ethnic groups, religious minorities and the general public are constantly under attack, and where women do not even have the right to gather in defense of their rights?"
"You Write... 'We, Like You, Are Aggrieved by the Ever-Worsening Pain and Misery of The Palestinian People'... If the People of Palestine Are Homeless it is Because [of] Iran, Syria And Hizbullah"
"You write in your letter, 'We, like you, are aggrieved by the ever-worsening pain and misery of the Palestinian people. Persistent aggressions by the Zionists are making life more and more difficult for the rightful owners of the land of Palestine.'
"Mr. Ahmadinejad! The Palestinians are not the only people who are under aggression in the world. And the people of America and Iran should naturally be the last people to worry about the Palestinian problem. Why should the Americans worry about the Palestinian people when the Palestinians' own Arab brethren do not worry about them? If the Palestinians are under pressure, it is because a terrorist group called Hizbullah is using Iran's financial and military support to wreak havoc in the region. The people of Palestine are aware that the only way they can survive is to live alongside Israel. If the people of Palestine are homeless it is because Iran, Syria and Hizbullah are the ones who have disrupted the peace process in the past two years."
"You [Tell the American People] 'I Consider it Extremely Unlikely That you... Consent to the Billions... From Your Treasury for [the Iraq War] - [But] do you Really Think That the Iranian People Consent to the Millions... That you Take From Their Treasury [for] Every... Terrorist on Earth?"
"You tell the American people, 'I consider it extremely unlikely that you, the American people, consent to the billions of dollars of annual expenditure from your treasury for this military misadventure.' Do you really think that the Iranian people consent to the millions of dollars that you take out of their treasury to help Hizbullah in Lebanon, Hamas, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Al-Dawa Party, Syria's Baath Party, the Palestinian Liberation Organization and every other terrorist on earth? At least in America it is evident who does what. In Iran this much is not known either."
"People [in the U.S.] Can Refuse to Vote for an Administration That Acts Against Their Public Opinion... But What Can the Poor Iranians Do When They Are Not Satisfied With an Administration?"
"In your letter, you referenced the recent elections in America [saying], 'Undoubtedly, the American people are not satisfied with this behavior and they showed their discontent in the recent elections. I hope that in the wake of the mid-term elections, the administration of President Bush will have heard and will heed the message of the American people.' What you say is correct. The United States is a country in which people can refuse to vote for an administration that acts against their public opinion. In recent elections too the American people voted for the Democrats because they were not satisfied with Bush's performance.
"But what can the poor Iranian people do when they are not satisfied with an administration? Does the Guardian Council allow the people to send their true representatives to public office? Do dissidents even have the right to voice their opinion in Iran? Why preach something that you do not practice?
"Mr. Ahmadinejad! With all the problems facing your country, you are not even in a position to advise other people. As an Iranian writer who is embarrassed of having you as his president, while apologizing to the American people for your credulous letter, I call on you to be silent and not belittle our people anymore with such letters."
Endnotes:
[1] MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 1175, "Following Ahmadinejad's Letter to Bush, Iranian Satirist Writes to Ahmadinejad," May 26, 2006, Following Ahmadinejad's Letter to Bush, Iranian Satirist Writes to Ahmadinejad ; Iranian Satirist Skewers Ahmadinejad, "Iranian Satirist Skewers Ahmadinejad," May 8, 2006, Iranian Satirist Skewers Ahmadinejad ; Iranian Clerics Invite Fidel Castro to Convert To Islam; Iranian Satirists React, "Iranian Clerics Invite Fidel Castro to Convert To Islam; Iranian Satirists React," December 7, 2006, Iranian Clerics Invite Fidel Castro to Convert To Islam; Iranian Satirists React.
[2] Rooz http://www.roozonline.com/english/archives/2006/12/000832.php, December 12, 2006.
