Dear Mr. Arianpoor:
I don’t know you and I am wondering why you have attacked me, personally, as opposed to my article.
I do not know why you attacked me not directly but through my friends.
Sir; I normally don’t respond to the illogical, emotional, hateful, and nonsensical personal attacks, but a friends thinks I should and I will make one exception. I will only speak on one issue; that Europe is guilty of hundreds of years of imperialist colonialist atrocities throughout the world that are continuing today, as the case of Norway . America is as pure as driven snow compared to the pretentious, holier than though Europeans. The third world knows who is the real evil because the young Iranians are not shouting death to America , they are saying death to Russian, china and demonstrate in front of the British embassy.
No one can destroy the good value of America unless the politicians who keep apologizing for self promotion and aggrandizement. The British Empire has never apologized for the atrocities they have committed in every corner of the world, the French never have and Germans and Scandinavians don’t even care. Who can be sitting in the judgment of the United States who is not guiltier than sin themselves. Do not forget the famous sentence of the Christ; “Let he who has never sinned cast the first stone” , I have just been in an international conference in Rome and no one has anything bad to say about America to me personally.
America has spread democracy and so much good around the world that you will never have to worry about her good values. The evil George Bush gave $46 Billion to Africa to eradicate Aids and Malaria. If you go ask them You will be surprised how evil the republicans are. Look at Japan , South Korea . All of the East European countries love America and have nothing but praise for America . They owe their democracy and prosperity to America , the evil Republican Regan specially; I was in Poland and heard them personally. I think you only talk to the Europeans who’s economic interests lie in the hands of the oppressors like the regime like the Mullahs in Iran and Saddam Hossein. I can go on and tell you how evil I am but I don’t want to take up your time.
Respectfully
Mandana Zand
The Letter of Mr. Houshang Aryanpour to Mrs Zand on her article "Nobel prize Hypocrisy?" (Friday 22 October 2009)
Dear Mrs. Mandana Zand Ervin:
With reference to your recent article – “Nobel prize Hypocrisy?” – And your email dated October 16, 2009, I would like to bring to your attention the following points:
1- As a result of your article, which has been widely circulated amongst the Iranian-American community (indeed, several friends emailed a copy to me), you left the door open for a respond to your ungrounded “conspiracy theory” as well as your blatant degradation of renowned Iranians, namely, Mrs.Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 recipient of the peace prize.
2- In your article, you mention: “For example, in 2003, the prize was given to an unknown Iranian woman for her unknown human rights activities in Iran . .!" If you are not aware of her activities, and to you, she is an unknown woman, for millions of individuals, both Iranians and otherwise, Mrs. Ebadi is, and has been not only an outstanding activist woman and supporter of democracy but, as a well known human rights lawyer, an indefatigable defender of countless political offenders in Iran.
3- In your article you have mentioned: “. . . in November 2002, The Norwegian state oil company signed a contract with Petro Pars Gas Company, a subsidiary of the National Iranian oil Company. To get the contract, the Norwegian state oil company hired Horton Investment Company, registered in the Caribbean Islands of Turks and Caicos. The owners of this investment company were Mehdi Rafsanjani, the son of Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran’s former president . . .” and further down you continue, “. . . Norway wants more under priced gas and oil contracts from the corrupt Iranian regime, just as President Obama desires [a] face- saving dialogue with the same oppressive regime . . .”, and you concluded by adding : “It just so happened that Mehdi Rafsanjani was also the director of the Petro Pars gas company! Mrs. Zand, what has Mrs. Ebadi- who has been tirelessly fighting the oppressive regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the past thirty years, has anything to do with the Petro Pars Gas Company and Horton investment company? Your article unsoundly implies that Mrs. Ebadi was awarded the prize in exchange for cheap oil contracts! This position mistakenly presupposes a close relationship between Mrs. Ebadi and the Islamic Republic regime,something clearly contradicted by the fact that presenting the peace prize to Mrs. Ebadi has angered the regime to the extent that their “goons” broke into her office and confiscated whatever documents, etc!? They could find. I believe the members of the Nobel committee decided to present the Nobel peace prize to Mrs. Ebadi not because of Norwegian oil contracts with Iran, but, rather, to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with regard to the Iranian regime’s refusal to observe any human rights for Iranian citizens.
4- You referred to president Obama as: “face-saving dialogue”! As president of the U.S. he does not need a face saving dialogue. As an honest politicians like him, he is trying to perform what is good for his country and does not need to “Lie”.
5- In your article you mentioned: “. . . even as many important women were wasting away inside the regime’s prisons. (One such woman is the world- renowned Iranian Poet Simin Behbahani, whose collection of poetry on human rights has been translated into many languages).”
By writing the above sentences I assume that you want all those Iranians who have been put in prison as political offenders to be presented with a peace prize, particularly Mrs. Simin Behbahani ( who has not been “wasted in prison”.) for her poetry on human rights! (I agree that Mrs. Behbahani deserves to receive a Nobel price for her work on Literature or poetry, but not for peace!)
Mrs. Zand, there is only one peace prize every year, and the committee decides to confer it upon whoever they consider to be the right choice. If you recall, on 1993 the prize was presented to Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres. As you may know Yasser Arafat had been labeled a well-known terrorist, and the two Israelis were members of the underground terrorist organization Etzel before the establishment of the Nation of Israel.
6- In your email you mentioned: “. . . Europe is guilty of hundreds of years of imperialist colonialist atrocities throughout the world that are continuing today, as the case [for] of Norway. . .” I don’t think anybody is trying to disagree with the facts in this respect. You mention: “. . . as their history of imperialism has proven, they are the number one enablers and supporters of the oppressors and violators of human rights the world over” Mrs. Zand please clarify to your audience these oppressors and violators of human rights are being imported to Iran? Are they born, educated, and trained in those imperialist countries of Europe and then sent to Iran to assist their motherland in fulfilling their European economic interests? Or did all those tyrants and oppressors were raised within our country, with the majority of Iranian people granting them the titles of “king of kings” and “Arya meher” and “Grand Ayatollah” and “Valayate fagheeh”?
If, for all Iranians, the national interests had a priority, and if the people were allowed to elect their own administration same as the western nations do, then do you think any foreign Imperialist country could dare to influence our nationally elected and trusted government and steal our nation’s resources?
7- In your email, you mentioned that “George Bush gave $46 billion to Africa to eradicate Aids and Malaria.” I am sure he never gave $46 billion to Africans! Perhaps his donation was $46 million. Indeed, assuming you are correct, on one hand he is trying to save lives in Africa but on the other, he invades not only one, but two independent nations far away from America under the pretense of 1.) Capturing Al- Qaeda 2.) Over throwing Saddam Hussein and 3.) destroying Iraq’s atomic and chemical arsenal! In Afghanistan he was clearly unsuccessful as Al- Qaeda continues to terrorize the innocent people of both Pakistan and Afghanistan even today.
In Iraq, up to the end of his presidency, as the result of his fruitless war, America lost the lives of over 4500 young soldiers and added to the handicapped population of America at least 50 thousands more, while American tax payers had to pay around one trillion dollars in war expenses. What Mr. Bush gained during this five year war in Iraq has been 1.) the hanging of Saddam Hussein, 2.) the death of at least 100,000 innocent Iraqis, 3.) the displacement of at least three million Iraqis from their homes, cities, and villages, 4.) the mass migration of over two million Iraqis to foreign countries and 5.) the destruction of most of the infrastructure built during the previous past several decades in Iraq.
8- Mrs. Zand, compensation of financial damages done to America by Mr. Bush and his gang is so much that even if the whole oil industry of Iraq is presented to America at no charge, based on net price of one barrel of oil for $50.00 and an average production export of Iraq oil of two million barrels per day, it may take thirty years to pay for the cost of Mr. Bush’s war in Iraq.
So it is quite clear, Mr.Bush tried to save a few lives in Africa while at the same time causing the death of hundreds of thousands elsewhere.
9- In your email you mentioned: “do not forget the famous sentence of the Christ”; “Let he who has never sinned cast the first stone.” First of all, are you sure that Christ ever uttered such sentence? Second, I am not a Christian, and unlike many Iranians who change their religion as rapidly as they change their clothes (they think that by changing their religion, their way of thinking will suddenly change overnight too!), I believe in what most decent people believe in: “Kerdar nik, Goftar nik and Pendar nik.” By the way, I am not a Zorostarian.
10- You mentioned: “I have just been in an international conference in Rome and no one had anything to say about America to me personally.” Mrs. Zand, with all due respect, did you attend as a person of official authority? Are you an internationally known scholar? Were you a distinguished politician? Then why on earth do you think people in a conference should come and open up their hearts to you regarding their opinion about America?!
Regards
Houshang Aryanpour
Manda Zand Ervin's article in The Corner
Nobel Prize for Hypocrisy? [Manda Zand Ervin]
For many years, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded as an activist expression of European political views and Norwegian economic interests. Like other Western European countries, Norway is concerned only about its own welfare and that of the Continent. The Nobel Peace Prize is one means by which they have made their policies attractive to others. For example, in 2003, the prize was given to an unknown Iranian woman for her unknown human-rights activities in Iran, even as many important women were wasting away inside the regime’s prisons. (One such woman is the world-renowned Iranian poet Simin Behbahani, whose collection of poetry on human rights has been translated into many languages.)
In November 2002, however, the Norwegian State Oil Company signed a contract with the Petro Pars Gas Company, a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company. (European governments are either the total owners or majority shareholders of their oil companies; in 2002, 82 percent of the State Oil Company was owned by the Norwegian government.) To get the contract, the Norwegian State Oil Company hired Horton Investment Company, registered in the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos. The owners of this investment company were Mehdi Rafsanjani, the son of Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran’s former president and the second most powerful member of the ruling clergy, and Abbas Yazdi, a member of the Islamic regime. The consulting fee to the Horton Investment Company was $40 million in a Swiss back account.
It just so happened that Mehdi Rafsanjani was also the director of the Petro Pars Gas Company.
The State Oil Company’s Iran scandal was discovered by Iranian Norwegians, and caused not only the dismissal of the company’s president but a fine to the company of 20 million Norwegian kroner. During the unraveling of the scandal, the Iranian relations of many politicians were questioned by the Parliament.
On June 12, 2006, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission took action against the State Oil Company under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and fined it $21 million.
The members of the Nobel committee are mostly from the Norwegian political elite. The committee’s chairman, Thorbjørn Jagland, was Norway’s minister of foreign affairs in 2000-01 and chairman of the standing committee on foreign affairs from 2001 to 2005. He is currently chairman of the board of directors of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights — but he refused to recognize any human rights for the young Iranians killed by the Islamic regime on the streets of Iran. Norway wants more underpriced gas and oil contracts from the corrupt Iranian regime, just as President Obama desires face-saving dialogue with the same oppressive regime.
The Washington Post’s September 10 editorial saying that this year’s prize should have been given to Neda, a young girl killed by the Iranian regime, and the other oppressed people of Iran is commendable but very naïve. When Europeans talk about peace and human rights they mean it for themselves only, and not anyone else. As their history of imperialism has proven, they are the number one enablers and supporters of the oppressors and violators of human rights the world over.
— Manda Zand Ervin heads the Alliance of Iranian Women.
