In the face of hostility, recently more and more Iranians find themselves stuttering when asked a very simple question: Where are you from? A proud people whose heritage has heavily influenced the Western culture, they become stuck somewhere between the I and the P: Many Iranians, in fear of retaliation or being scorn refuse to identify themselves as Iranians unless necessary; some opt to use the alternative Persian (the Greek, historical, transitory word for Iranian,) few even go as far as introducing themselves as Italian, Greek, Armenian, or Northern Iranians who fit the profile, as Irish, or other. This is a deeply disturbing phenomenon that is very typical and indicative of their existence in the United States, and one that is a growing trend, elongating parallel to the strange animosity that is brewing against them.
With talk of a possible war on the horizon, they are trying to bring down the Iranian civilians who seem to be the frequent casualties of Western political causes (you see, in order for some governments to achieve their goals, that is to topple the current Iranian regime, as well as take control of the oil rich regions of Southwest and Central Asia, the world must learn to hate the Iranian people: they are to serve simply as a means to an end).
In a recent CNN quote that is representative of what has become a ritualistic event in America that oozes with incivility, a viewer indicated that, `What has Iran or any of these `Arab` countries ever given `us`? [Note the implication that Iran = Arabia]. They are void of scientific, artistic and intellectual endeavors. If we wipe them off-the-map, no one will surely miss them! `
Let's remind ourselves that all cultures and all nations have their vices, as well as their virtues, and with that being said, with the cornucopia of such hollow "knowledge" about the Iranians, this article is a refutation of such misunderstandings. Let's also keep in mind the contents of this essay are not to vex any-other-ethnic group such as the Arabs, or simply any-other important and enduring people: each culture has given its own share to the modern world, and we must only have the utmost respect for others. This is only about the identity of a people often grossly misrepresented.
The Hezbollah group born in Lebanon is in its essence, a resistance group, who is aided in part by the Iranian government (differing from the terrorists HAMAS, or the ghastly Al-Qaeda.) The desperate, defenseless Lebanese women and children under relentless bombardment by Israel for the past 25 years, accept help from any proxy, including, yes, even Iran. This is in no shape or form an endorsement; or, a condemnation of this group, or dilution of any egregious acts possibly committed by this group. This is simply an effort to put matters into context, minus the propaganda. So when Israeli officials carefully sharpen their rhetoric, they are only presenting it half right. But -- regardless of the political upheavals of their government, what about the overwhelming majority of the Iranian peoples themselves?
In every nation those who make up the bulk of the army are often the lower class, the uneducated, and the poor. Shamelessly, the American Media has somehow linked a few soldiers of the Iranian army of the past, often recruited from the lower class, with terrorism. These young kids who heartbreakingly, for whatever reason, sacrificed their lives during the Iran-Iraq war by going-on suicide missions, in which the Iranians literally used their bodies as to halt an invasion by Saddam Hussein, who was in turn comfortably supplied by the Americans and the European governments, as well as the Chinese, are now being portrayed in some way as the prototypes to today` s terrorism?
Although there have been organized terrorism from Arab countries such as, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Jordan, or non-Arab nations for instance Chechnya, or Pakistan, there has even been an American terrorist, John (Taliban) Walker, who was fund fighting alongside the Taliban regime, up to this day, there has not been one single incident in which an Iranian has committed, or even been seriously suspected of involvement in an act of terror on either American or European soil ˆ not a single incident.
In truth, the reality is a far cry from the cartoonish images of the Iranian people illustrated in the American media. In fact, upon closer examination, we see a completely different picture. Despite any "press coverage," the Iranians were the only people in the Middle-East, and most likely the entire Asia, who held candle-light vigils and prayers for the victims of 9/11. The rest of the Middle-East celebrated.
In a potent new documentary (`Nobody's Enemy`; cleverly tagged as, `See what Ted Koppel didn't get on film`,) a quote by an Iranian college student (Sayeh) possibly describes it best: "I remember when September`11 happened. I remember how it affected me, how much it shook me; I almost choked on my tears. It didn‚t make a difference to me that it was America, or for example Saudi Arabia or Africa or anywhere else; it didn‚t make a difference to me -- the important thing is when I see something like that, it deeply affects me. But I‚m not sure if they told an American youth, a bomb exploded in Iran and 500 people are dead -- if he would care, or if it would disturb him or her?"
They are the wealthiest and the most educated ethnic minority group in North America (remarkably surpassing the Asians who are well-known for their disciplined academic traditions), but the Iranians suffer from what I would like to call, `The Hush Hush-Bang Bang Effect`. To delineate, a few years ago the members of the U.S Government were shocked at some of statistics that came out of the 1994 and then `The 2000 U.S Census Report`. The numbers indicated that these exiles (numerically around 371 thousand vs. the 120 million Americans) hold a whopping five times the doctoral or other higher education degrees when compared to the U.S-national-average. And, as a recent report by the MIT University poignantly illustrates; "The per capita average income for Iranian-Americans is 50% higher than that of the nation," while the income of Iranian residents living in the United States is 38% higher than that of the average American family.
To top-it-off, in what can be surmised as perhaps a bit too luxurious even for the "the Persians", the census states the Iranians own homes costing $1 million dollars or above, ten times as much as their American neighbours. Such numbers were deemed more "perplexing" to the Bush administration since these immigrants only started their mass migration into the United States and Europe as early as the 1980s (remember Duran Duran?)
Dubbed a community of "overachievers," the Iranians have made some ground-breaking achievements, making them in turn the recipients of some of the highest civilian awards given by the American government, and in some cases, the Europeans`. In Boston (Northeast United States) the discovery of asthma causing cells by Dr. Akbari has given hope to millions of asthma sufferers. Dr. Azadeh Tabazadeh ("The Sky Detective"; picture shown above gracing the cover of `Time` magazine) has discovered the linkage between ozone layer pollution and the compounding role of volcanic activity, making significant strives in the Global Warming issues at hand. She received the Geophysics Union‚s medal, and the `Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers` (the highest medal given to early career scientists by the White House.)
One of the leaders of breast cancer research, the distinguished Dr. Mina Bissell too, recently received the highest scientific award granted by the United States government for some important strives in the field: She is currently a possible candidate for a Nobel Prize. Dr. Shirin Ebadi won the `Noble Peace Prize` in Geneva in 2003, and as a lawyer continues to push for Human Right issues around the world. In one breath, in 2005, four young Iranian women won the `Miss World Canada`, `Miss Europe`, `Miss Germany`, and `Miss England` -- something that is oddly indicative of the ease of the Iranians` acceptance of their adopted Western cultures. This past September [2006], Mrs. Anousheh Ansari became the first female passenger to ever travel into space via a commercial flight (besides adventures into Space, the rather young entrepreneur has given millions to U.S charities.) And this is merely just to scratch the surface, and give a perspective of the daily lives of these people.
Be that may, albeit many are unaware of this, there were many Iranian businessmen and women who died in the World Trade Center attacks, as did in the London bombings. In the controversial American TV special aired in September 2006, `Path to 9/11`, it was an Iranian (Cyrus Nowrasteh) who co-produced and co-wrote the movie. Farshid Moussavi, a world renowned architect is the Iranian whose ideas will partially be incorporated into the new `Freedom Towers` that will replace the fallen `Twin Towers` of the World Trade Center. Previously, she had won a competition to build the BBC Music Centre commission ("the most radical building in the U.K".) In an interview with the BBC, which praised her as "Young, dynamic and glamorous [....] one of a new breed of architects shaping our skyline," Mrs. Moussavi explained the reason why she curiously titled her and her husband's company, `Foreign Office Architects`: "The true interest behind the word foreign was to actually reverse the negative connotation from being an outsider, and to suggest that in a creative process, being an outsider could be a creative tool, an advantage." She has centuries of tradition behind her; Iranian architecture had visibly impacted the early Greek Odeon, and more so the Roman amphitheaters, medieval Europe‚s so-called Gothic style, as well as the dome roofs of the "Arabian" mosques and even the ethereal design of the Taj Mahal (see Seton H.F. Lloyd` s Iranian Art and Architecture in Britannica, and Janine Bakker`s `Persian Influence on Greece (3) `.)
As the rhetoric and political tensions increase, it has been overwhelmingly, albeit with some exceptions, almost exclusively, the Iranians, who are the authors of numerous books, such as Mrs. Azar Nafisi (`Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books`,) Iran Ardavan (`My Name is Iran`,) Persis M. Karim (`Let Me Tell You Where I've Been`,) Christina Amanpour, whom by trade is herself a reporter, or the likes of the young Prof. Aslan, who recently accompanied CNN in its coverage on Pope` s visit to Turkey, and truly numerous others, who are answering questions, holding press conferences, and doing interviews, talking about their neighbouring countries such as the mentioned Turkey, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, or America‚s troubles in Iraq [Afghanistan being the only country in the "Middle-East" who are of Iranian stock]. Experts from other countries in the Middle-East are scarce, or really, absent. Interestingly, not one of these guests or commentators has been clearly identified by his or her nationality (something that is very typical in the American news institutions.) Yet, as they have done so many times in the past, it is them at the forefronts of the intellectual movement, pushing for dialogue. Paradoxically, the people who themselves are of Zoroastrian background (a religion that was of enormous consequences to the West through its impact on Judeo-Christianity,) who in many instances converted by the sword, are now explaining and allowing the Americans to better understand the problems of the Arab-and-the-Muslim world.
The aforementioned info, as well as much more, however, has been so masterfully downplayed that their [Iranians`] public presence in the mainstream American `media`, being presented as Iranians and discussing matters directly related to them, is virtually non-existent; they are the down-to-Earth next door neighbors, co-workers, or the cooperate bosses, but represented as strange, aloof; they walk amongst us peacefully, yet labeled as terrorists etc......etc (recall `The Hush Hush-Bang Bang Effect` from above, and hush hush).
To encapsulate that, in what can only be best described as bizarre, the average ` American Joe` has no idea who Iranians actually are; the educated and the uneducated American elite alike, along with a few Europeans think that Iranians [of Indo-European stock] are "Arabs," or according to a recent email I received, "Sir, I have done the research and the Persians are not Arabs, but there is actually very little difference between them." As a French-Arab-Algerian colleague and friend of mine pointed-out, "The Persians are completely different though. Americans think Persians and Egyptians and all those people are the same. I was surprised. "
Ironically, if one makes a conscious effort at observation, one sees that even after millennia of mixing with Asiatic people, many Iranians` faces still reveal their `Europeanism`. Their ethnic and cultural ties lie in Southern Russia, Central Asia, as far as Siberia (see Scythia). Indeed, the original home of the Scythians and Sarmatians [ancestors of ancient Persians], that is Central Eurasia, in terms of architecture, language, and anthropology, still bears the imprint of the Iranian heritage. Much more than the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan for example, the now independent Tajikistan consists of some of the original Iranians left in the region. By the decree of Tsarist Russia who overtook many of the Northern Iranian provinces in the 1800s, many Iranians succumbed to forced-migration, finding themselves back into Central Asia, providing both intellectual and manual labour. The Persian Jews in the region still speak a variant of modern and middle Persian. The overwhelming Tajiks yearn to be reconnected back to Iran. Modern Georgian-Ossetians (descents of Alanis-Sarmatians) continue to refer to their ancient homeland, not as Iran, but IrOnestan: Despite being under the boot-heel of the former Soviet Union, they have done much to preserve the early Iranian culture.
Truth be told, their abovementioned Aryan `roots` still persists, particularly however, in the faces of Iranian peasant girls and boys, wearing their colorful shawls and all (Middle-Persian: shAl): A tradition of rich textiles has led to the world-wide adoption of Iranian garments such as the trouser and the kaftan (predecessor to the modern coat.) Thousands of years of the willful admixture have made modern Iran, nevertheless, a somewhat multi-ethnic society. Ancient Persia dreamed of a united World surpassing ethnicity and language, something that still contributes to modern Iranians` endless curiosity about other cultures, leading to much intermarriage. `Truly, we are all equal`. As Professor T. Cuyler Young, Jr. of the University of Toronto and now Curator of Toronto Museum writes, "Ultimately, the achievement of the Persians was that they ruled with such creative tolerance over an area and a time that, for both the Middle East and for Europe, included the end of the ancient and the beginning of the modern world.")
With all this be put forth, once again, we keep in mind that no nation is clearly homogeneous, and that cross-cultural influences are reciprocal; yet, with such dearth of basic understanding about Iran, it is not surprising that many Westerners, to-this-day, have no idea where Christmas, or the Feast of Nativity for example, before they were "Christianized," came from (see `Mithraism`, New Encyclopedia 2006 World Almanac Education Group; `Christmas` [dies solis invicti nati], Britannica 2006; or for a more comprehensive review see, Dr. Mary Boyce`s `Mithra in the Manichaean Pantheon in Henning`; Professor Franz Cumont`s `The Mysteries of Mithra`, or D.K. Malloch`s `Christ and the Taurobolium" - Lord Mithras in the genesis of Christianity.` Lochan Press, 2006. )
Many Iranians (starting from over two decades ago) tearfully said goodbye to their country, and many to their families, knowing well they may never return, and that their future has been altered for good. On daily basis, the tormented look of a mother or a father about to bid farewell of his or her child is a common scene at the Iran‚s International Airport (almost seventy percent of the population is under 30 and desperate to get an education abroad.) Oceans apart, many have not seen their parents, siblings, or friends for decades. Although not generally acknowledged in the community, many fall prey to some degree of depression, or become numb and disconnect [a very typical psychological way of coping with an undesirable circumstance].
Still, after the initial culture-shock faced with a mountain of hardship to climb that all new immigrants face when suddenly leaving their homes behind, and ahead of other immigrants such as the blue-collar Irish, the Italians, Eastern Europeans, Hispanics, Indians, Asians etc... .the Iranians have now reached the summit (according to Dr. Fateri) with an "unprecedented speed." This in no way should be perceived as disparaging to other immigrants, nor should it take anything away from these people whom for the most part, like Eastern Europeans for example, are hard working, decent people who come to this country [America]so they can have a chance for a better life for themselves and their children. Living in the United States, or specially, in any of the European countries with their bleak economic condition is very challenging, to put it mildly, and most people work long hours, at times two jobs, just to get-by. And of course, success or education by no means is limited to the Iranians. Indeed the Jewish community has a stranglehold on the U.S economy, (although we must keep in mind, unlike the Persians, they have been in the West for thousands of years.) There are also many-other enduring and triumphant ethnic groups such as the sedentary Irish or the prolific Asians, who in the case of the latter hide their wealth beyond statistics, something that is also true for the Iranian expatriates. Yet, certainly in a capitalist country that eats and breathes money, such a striking accomplishment by such a small group can be deemed significant, and for an Iranian community so in need of having something positive to hold-on to, this does mean, something.
As one can deduce, these benign Iranians who support millions of Americans by employing them (an antonym to living hand-to-mouth) have within their community some potentially serious weight to throw around. Indeed, from the likes of eBay, Bebe, the Bijan brands, to the newly appointed head of NASA`s `Mission to Mars` and its second in overall command, and "the founders of some 280 major national firms, CEOs of more than 400 national companies, many of them among the Fortune 1,000 companies"...just to name a few of the more visible Iranians in the popular culture, the Iranians or their off-springs, not only have seamlessly weaved themselves into the fabric of today‚s Western culture, but also appear to have profoundly affected it (we can now say, this is the proverbial, "bang bang".)
But, even though with great power comes great responsibility, notwithstanding the few Iranians who speak-out here and there, overall, their responses have been asymmetrical, and are as a whole, inconsequential. Perhaps it is due to the virtual absence of a singular, unified voice in the Iranian community that the US government has been, frankly, not worried about the ripple-effects or the reaction of some of its most successful citizens. Not only that, in what can be analyzed as a Jackal-and-Hyde scenario, while the likes of Donald Rumsfeld (a very peculiar character in his own rights) smile and shake hands with many Iranian Diaspora representatives, they [the Bush government officials, aka the Neo-Cons along with some ex-Israeli intelligent officers embedded in the U.S government](without managing to set-off the alarm in the Iranian community) have gone even an step further: there is now a very solid plan that the administration has, which calls for the dismemberment of Iran proper via its Azarbaijan province in the North, Kurdistan in the West, and very likely, Khuzestan in the South, effectively leaving a possible `Super-State ` in the region helpless. Up to the present, the U.S Government has also neither publicly acknowledged nor apologized for their successful plan that overthrew Iran` s first democratic government in the`50s, or Flight 655 (an Iranian commercial passenger plane) that by the order of USS Vincennes` Navy Captain, Will C. Rogers III, was shot down, instantly killing all of its 290 civilians. The Pentagon insisted that the aircraft "was outside the commercial jet flight corridor, flying at only 7,000 feet and on a descent toward the Vincennes." Years later, they were forced to partially admit that there was no "decent," blaming the ordeal on "crew error caused by psychological stress on men in combat for the first time." It was a "military blunder."
Some Iranians to this day find it troubling that Mr. Rumsfeld mysteriously showed up in Iraq back in the 1980s, and with a wink and nod shook hands with Saddam Hussein, one day before the Iraqi leader unleashed a devastating chemical attack on the peaceful, farming community in Southern Iran, and on the Kurds in the north (the Kurds who besides Iran proper live in Iraq, Turkey and Syria, like some Afghans are ethnically Iranians). Why was Donald Rumsfeld there? This only serves to remind one of Mr. Rumsfeld`s comments three years ago at the start the current Iraq War, in which he stated, "We know where they are [talking about the Weapons of Mass Destruction], they are in an area around Tikrit and Baghdad, and East, West, South and North of there"; meanwhile, (later on the same planet) in another press conference Mr. Rumsfeld added, "I haven‚t lied...I did not say where they were [talking about the Weapons of Mass Destruction], it is unclear where they are."
Much attention is concentrated on the more recent political fodder and some wrongful comments made in regards to the Holocaust (and attention should be given to this issue.) But what is missing is the other side of the coin, and a balanced, honest reporting. Perhaps, it would be more prudent, indeed essential to also mention the ancient ties and dependencies of the Jews on the Persians, both linguistically and theologically, and in the case of the Persian Jews, ethnically, which go as far back as over 3000 years. In fact, had it not been for Iran, today there‚d be no state of Israel that we know of. It was the Persian knights led by their rebel king [Cyrus], who blasted through the Zagros Mountains in the Iranian plateau and literally cut the chains-and shackles-off the hopeful Jewish slaves in Babylon, freeing them and taking them back to Israel -- rebuilding Jerusalem by using the gold from Persia‚s treasury. Or, the fact that the endearing Purim celebration, beloved by the Jewish community is to commemorate the saga of Queen Esther of Persia and King Xerxes, who once again, as the Iranians did so many times through-out history, saved the Jews from extinction. Why haven‚t we heard about this side of the story? Where is the subjectivity? Is America, along with some feverish propagandist efforts by the Israelis, whose only goal is the convenience of the state of Israel at any cost, even loss of American lives, portraying a lopsided, at times outright inaccurate image of the Iranian people themselves, in order to convey a certain message so it could achieve its objectives easier?
Frustrated about their impressive past that the Greeks attempted to tarnish, and a present that unlike any other country in the world its identity is so full of confusion, almost unprecedented, these people who are an anomaly (the descendents of early Europeans who settled in Asia) the Iranians continue to press-on. Because in their hearts; they know who they are. In their hearts, they are `The Iranians`. In the interest of survival, for them, failure is not an option.
Useful Links
1. Homepage of documentary about the youths of Iran and the current political climate, `Nobody's Enemy [1]`.
2. Omid Akbari [2], PhD and the discovery of asthma causing T-cells [3].
3. On Mithraism [4].
4. On Christmas [5].
5. Professor D.K. Malloch, `Christ and the Taurobolium - Lord Mithras in the genesis of Christianity [6]`.
6. An important scholarly essay on work on Mithraism and its influence of Christianity; Beck, Roger (2000). `Ritual, Myth, Doctrine, and Initiation in the Mysteries of Mithras: New Evidence from a Cult Vessel`. The Journal of Roman Studies (90): 145-180
7. Link to the original modern discovery of the Mithraic relation to Christianity that started it all; Franz Cumont`s `The Mysteries of Mithra [7]`
8. On Zoroastrianism [8].
9.Azadeh Tabazadeh interview in `Popular Science [9]`.
10. BBC: `Polo comes back home to Iran [10]`.
11. On history of clothing [11].
12. For a comprehensive review of U.S Government‚s activities and support for the pan-Turanians` efforts to partition Iran, see Dr. Kaveh Farrokh`s `Pan-Turanianism Takes Aim at Azerbaijan: A Geopolitical Agenda [12]`.
12. Abu Ghraib Prison Photos [13].
13. Clip from the compelling documentary, `Skiing in Iran [14]` by Jasin N.
14. On Mithraism and the Christian link, further scholarly work by Professor. Manfred Clauss and his The Roman Cult of Mithras: The God and His Mysteries [15] (Paperback).
Links:
[1] //profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=121457463&MyToken=4a8ced42-c00b-4fd1-9279-85b63cd0f1e9
[2] //www.childrenshospital.org/cfapps/research/data_admin/Site2222/mainpageS2222P0.html
[3] //www.webmd.com/content/article/120/113596.htm
[4] //www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=216615
[5] //encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761556859/Christmas.html
[6] //www.lochanpress.com
[7] //www.sacred-texts.com/cla/mom/mom00.htm
[8] //encarta.msn.com/artcenter_/browse.html
[9] //www.popsci.com/popsci/science/29b5359b9fa84010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcr
[10] //news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4272210.stm
[11] //encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569657_3/Clothing.html#p39
[12] //www.rozanehmagazine.com/NoveDec05/aazariINDEX.HTML
[13] //www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=2444
[14] //www.youtube.com/watch?v=waMBt6EnsT8
[15] //www.amazon.co.uk/Roman-Cult-Mithras-God-Mysteries/dp/074861396X