The Inside Assyria Discussion Forum #5

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Subject:
Marodeens Response to Miss Rosie Malek-Younan's Belly Dancing Email
From:
Waw Allap <info@wawallap.com>
Date:
Fri, 25 May 2007 01:55:13 +0000
To:
jbyonan@yahoo.com

Dear jbyonan,
This message is sent to you by: http://www.wawallap.com/

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS DISCUSSION!

Last Sunday I went to the Assyrian church of the East and learned that some of my friends had received an email from Miss Rosie Malek-Yonan regarding a phone conversation we had related to belly dancing program at the 2007 Assyrian State Convention in Turlock.

I was very surprised not because she sent me the email and CC'd it to other select people she caters to, but that she also BCC'd it to others un-be-known to me.

Hmmmmm, it appeared to me that this was the work of a WEASEL with a special agenda!!

When I returned home I sent an email asking her for the list of the BCC’s, so that those recipients will also have the opportunity to read my response. As of this writing, I have not had anything forwarded to me and therefore I am sending my original reply to all those who are on my address book.

LET me be very clear to all of those who want to take a shot at me and question my Assyrian patriotism.

I was born Assyrian, I live my life like an Assyrian should, and I will die an Assyrian. And if any Assyrian out there with a special agenda wants to challenge me on that, he or she better not have any skeletons in their closet, because I will come at them with a bulldozer, I will not cater to no one and to no special interest, and nothing but the truth will keep me silent.

So I will let you be the judge of who is a real Assyrian and who has a special agenda, by reading Miss Malek-Younan's email to me and my response to her.

Get a cup of coffee and a dark chocolate and enjoy it at my expense.

Marodeen
The Gatekeeper
Ps. I think the word Gatekeeper is getting to some people, I love it hahaha!

Dear Marodeen the Gatekeeper,

I don’t usually engage in e-mail feuds and open discussions. Once in a while, I have to jump in there.

I know you are a very proud Assyrian. As am I. As are all Assyrians. Most of us are also men and women of reason and will listen given half a chance. I believed you to be a man of reason.

I received your flyer and several copies from others who were forwarding them to me. The first question that came to my mind was, “Did Marodeen exhaust all his avenues before sending this notice out?” So I called to personally ask you.

After our telephone conversation of a short while ago that ended with you mostly screaming, I thought it is best to write to you than to listen to your tirades of abuse.

As I tried to tell you, I agree that Belly Dancing is not appropriate at an Assyrian Festival or gathering and disrespectful to our culture. I agree that we are not in the business of promoting the Arab culture and since this is an Assyrian event, it should serve to promote all things Assyrian.

However, before casting stones and getting all caught up in a “Boycott” frenzy, I asked you to contact the two main organizers of this event in Turlock. You said that you had no intentions to do so.

This approach is wrong. Perhaps if you talked to the appropriate organizers, this matter would have easily been resolved. But you’re too hot headed to listen to reason. Instead you want us to engage in an all out e-mail campaign attacking one another.

Our nation will never progress when we cease to have civilized discussions and continually disrespect one another over every issue. You have not brought your concerns to the attention of the “real” organizers and are refusing to do so saying, “They should have known!” Well, Marodeen, the Gatekeeper, they don’t. And you can enlighten them. But you have opted to turn this into a fight using your e-mail list as your foot soldiers.

This nation has enough battles to fight. You’re only adding fuel to the fire of an issue that could have be put to rest very easily.

When men and women of this fragile nation cease to respect and honor one another, we kill all hope of a future for our nation.

A civilized discussion will most probably get you what you want. Playing the part of the schoolyard bully, will only alienate you. We’re all on the same side. We all want what’s best for our nation. Let’s find ways to peacefully and calmly resolve issues.

Respectfully yours,
Rosie Malek-Yonan

Dear Miss Malek-Yonan:

I contemplated whether or not to answer your email, since I have a lot of respect for your mother and your dad, but I came to this conclusion; if you would have sent your email only to me I wouldn’t have bothered to answer you… BUT, because you cc’d your email to your “friends” I decided that I should respond in kind, so enjoy it.

I don’t need permission from anyone to defend my Assyrian heritage! Not from the bottom of the chain, like me, not from the Holy One and especially not
you!

You mention in your email I am hard headed person. If it weren’t for people like me, this nation would not exist. The “real” Assyrians put their lives on hold just to preserve their culture, like William Daniel. I mention this one man because you seem to have lack of knowledge about our Assyrian history. You may have forgotten that William Daniel, the great Assyrian composer and activist died in poverty in San Jose, surrounded by all those Assyrian millionaires. And after his death these millionaires began scrambling to do something for him. And when they came up with their great idea to make a statue of him and put it on his grave to honor him, they
came to me to design something for them! I told them I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars. This is the worst insult of all. Here is a man who put his life on hold to preserve his heritage, OUR heritage, only to be ignored while he was alive. But when he dies in poverty, these hypocrites feel guilty, so now they have an annual William Daniel Day in San Jose to recognize him.

I call people like you “Born Again Assyrians”. Like all those happy people that wait until their lives are nearly over and they get old, mortality gets
close and suddenly they become Christians, they are called “Born Again Christians”. Then they spend the rest of their lives going around pointing fingers at other Christians asking them if they have found Christ yet?

Where have you been? Do you remember 20 years ago when I came to you with a proposal to generate a music CD because I had been told that you were a pianist and would be able to gather all the Assyrian folk music people together, like William Daniel? I was even willing to pay for production of their music but you gave me a smile and a wink and said that there was no money in it and you couldn’t be bothered.

Instead we are expected to gather around these “Born Again Assyrians” like you and John Nimrod and Narse David and many more. These people who, when
they where young and vibrant and had the power and resources to do something for their Assyrian nation didn’t do jack! When John Nimrod was a senator he
didn’t even mention his Assyrian heritage. And this Narse David who hosts these fundraisers that are ludicrous and self-serving! And you, beloved one, you didn’t even get involved in Assyrian functions because you were too busy making it to Hollywood. And when that didn’t get you anywhere you decide that now is the time to build a legacy, you “born-agains” can’t even do that without making money to put in your own pocket.

You lost your credibility with me, and many others, when you started selling the DVD of your speech to Congress. Whatever is good for Monica has to be good for all. It seems like you are always in audition mode, instead of doing it for your culture.

Jesus said it very nicely “You will know them by their fruits.” If this nation wants to get their act together they have put their lives on hold and get busy to uphold the values of our past, bring them to the present, and teach them to our children and our neighbors.

I have been losing money since 1985 when I started my WAW ALLAP Company, just to preserve our heritage. How many Assyrian t-shirts do you wear?

No, I think advertising Bebe or Calvin Klein is cooler and more hip for you? I’ll tell you, I have more respect for the Mexican strawberry picker in Turlock than the people in charge because at least he knows how important his Mexican heritage is for him. The strawberry pickers embraces their heritage by upholding it! Today people are learning Spanish and celebrating Cinco de Mayo. And when he brings the same old mariachi band and sings the same old songs, he cherishes his music instead of questioning whether there is any money to be made from it!

Does he make fun of his or her Saykhaney or Zorna Davola? Instead your leaders bring a DJ to play music that has nothing to do with our culture. What should be a celebration of our heritage is a bunch of “born-agains” pushing a program for our festival that THEY are proud of.

A program that has belly dancers and all kinds of garbage so by the end of the festival you don’t know where you are or what kind of festival it was supposed to be.

Three Days! Only three days and your leaders cannot put together an all-Assyrian festival to show the greatness of our culture. Either they are ignorant and they don’t have any knowledge about their culture, or perhaps it is too boring for them. We can’t manage to put together all Assyrian activities for our kids; instead we have to have a DJ to play Arabic music and some garbage rap songs. Why not play some Iranian or Turkish or even Kurdish stuff too, because we LOVE every other culture and our own Zorna Davola or Shekhaney are boring?

I don’t want to make this letter too long because I simply can write a book about people like you and the one that sitting in their chairs of glory. The reason I raised my voice on the phone with you when you said it was asked from you to design a border for the convention flyer and you didn’t read the content of the flyer! First of all the border you chose is of Celtic design it does not have any thing to do with Assyrian design. I think you should buy some Assyrian history books if you cannot afford them, I have over 800 in my private library! You of all the people! You design a border and you don’t see the word BELLY DANCING? What kind of idiot do you think I am?

Bottom line is this… The Assyrian convention should be all Assyrian! And whomever doesn’t like it, let that person get use to it or leave it! It is only for 3 days for God’s sake! Lets have some dignity and respect for those that work all their life and died for it! Who are you people?

I promised to myself, and to people like William Daniel, that I will keep their lights on and I will pay for their electricity too. In the meantime you have your moment in the light and good luck in whatever you are doing for your self-gratification.

Marodeen
The Gatekeeper

P. S. I forgot to mention, at the end of your conversation you said to me that you withdraw your friendship with me for good. As a footnote, your friendship with me always was and always will be, when you wanted something. That’s why all of your friends say, “what is good for Rosy should be good for all.” Just as a reminder, if I get one more email from you with cc’s attached my response to you will go to my mailing list. I don’t have time to do this email game. Some of us have to work for living

Be well

--
Sincerely,
Marodeen
Museum Stores Online
116 Harvard Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
Ph. 909.931.7788
Fx. 909.625.9032
http://www.museumstoresonline.com

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