AIRPORT

Thank you Ms. Saeidi!

Thank you for posting this story! Keep up the good work and do not pay attention to the racist, jealous & ignorant people!  I can't wait to read your next post! 

Interesting Video For You

Ms. Saeidi,

I don't know if you saw this video (perhaps you blocked it out), but here's a link to video of an Iranian woman who is being dragged and beaten because her hejab was "not proper".

//iranian.com/main/singlepage/2008/hejab-police

Do you believe that this is her fault as well, and she should have just complied with the "hejab laws"?

In Praise of Pasdars :)

Shirin Saeidi, what you say in praise of pasdars does not make sense. Look:

"As I stood waiting for my bags, I remembered the Pasdar who wished me a safe trip and exclaimed khosh amadi as I tearfully left the airport, as well as the kind-hearted IranAir flight attendant who allowed me to carry a particularly large portrait onto the plane."

First, when you are on your way to leave Iran, "khosh ammdi" is not the appropriate expression to say - we only say it when someone has just arrived (haven't you read the airport posters?). So the pasdar who told you this must have got his Farsi mixed up or perhaps you have got it mixed up.

Second, I am a PhD student in the UK and travel to Iran twice a year. I have never exprienced such preferential treatment that you have received. Did I go to the wrong airport or was I wearning the wrong mantaue?

Third, I was not allowed to take a modestly sized picture into the plane (Iran Air) in my hand luggage. I was told it could be antique! - it was an old family picture.

Of course, unlike you I was not sponsored by the International Univesity of Iran, and unlike you I was not allowed to interview whom I wanted.

So this may explain why I didn't enjoy whay you did.

There is a difference

There is a difference between a system having flaws and being “unjust”. How can you accuse a country that hosts millions of immigrants from all over the world and has one of the highest immigration rates in the world, of being “unjust”?

Lanat be har cheh sheytoon

English people have a bad reputation over the world and specially inside Europe. They are for example called the hereditary enemies of french people. They have shaped the political systems of so many countries just for their own well being. And as says Daei jan Hameh in taghssira zireh sareh in inghlissass. Now look what these m.f. have done and do with us. Lanat be har cheh sheytoon

Jorge, you're my favorite Brazilian. I have to learn a lot from you, beginning by how to play "foochiboll".

Ms Saeidi: You are fanatically biased

It is clear that you are a regime-friendly research student who having enjoyed the hospitality extended to her in Iran feels obliged to give something back to her former hosts in return . Also as a CASMII official your position is too clear to leave any doubts about your defence of the Islamic Republic. But, your moaning about the treatment of the Iranians is farcical because each week at least 2 or three Iranian clerics, without diplomatic immunity, pass through Heathrow's passport control and are treated with the highest respect by the British authorities.

You see my dear, you are either too naive or too naughty; either way, you still need much more than a PhD to learn about International Relations.

UK immigration system is unjust

I have ongoing experience with the UK  immigration system here in the UK. Whilst my bro-in-law had no problem at the airport  and was treated well, the system then becomes a a nightmare.

For a guy who doesnt speak english, he was placed over 300 miles from us in a welsh village and left to it. His back water solicitor clearly wasnt up to preparing a case for him and his application for asylum was refused. His translatior didnt translate what he said and he wasnt given the opportunuity to go through his statement. This only became apparant when I went through his statement with him.  His solicitor dumped him 3 days before his hearing and now there isnt enough time to get a solicitor. so he will not be legally represented and I will have to speak for him. I have almost no legal knowledge in this area ... only case law which I have been studying for the past 2 weeks.

The UK home office mis quote their own policies. They claim that certain political groups are terrorist groups even when their own reports do not list it under terrorist groups.  They fail to recognise the risks for those who they return. They refuse to accept facts because it doesnt agree with their intelligence which by the way is US intelliegence. They claim prisoners are fairly treated in prisons and there have been fewer executions in the last year!!!!

They insist he has to go to court even with out legal representation and knowing he cant speak english... ok he will have a translator but we can not be in the court room to ensure he translates correctly. We have been called as witnesses. A clever move on the part of the UK legal system.

How can they call this a fair system?  100% the system is designed to work against the applicant.   

wish us luck next tuesday

    Javaneh

what we need to do is

to destroy the British embassy in Tehran and kick the british speis out of Iran. 90% of the problems we face in Iran today is the direct result of the British support of the Islamic criminals.

Close the British embassy today and that will stop opium addiction in Iran.

Anonymous8,  

Anonymous8,

1-     Whether we like it or not, the IRI is the government of Iran, no matter how illegal and illegitimate. As long as we are holding Iranian passport, or are born in Iran, there will be some impact on how the world treats use because of the fact that we are associated with the regime.

2-     The regime is the biggest inspirer and supporter of terrorism in the world. They have agents all over the world, including the U.S, and it has some sympathizers all over the world, like we some of them on this website. Because of that, governments all around the world use extraordinary security measures when it comes to Iranians. That’s the unfortunate reality.

To Raul and JOhn

Raul

I suppose that you are an educated fellow and do not believe whatever you hear on the mainstream media. Please answer my question as wisely as you can. How can a group of people could be COMMITTED TO DESTROY WEST, A MODERN AND SOPHISTICATED CIVILIZATION?
Can you even imagine that? is that even a physical reality?
we are offended by those iranians who handed down to us such corrupt regime. But as you were reminded time and again, do not underestimate the influence of western powers in bringing about this revolution. All the founders of the current regime, were somehow trained and educated by many western countries, Mainly Brit, and USA.

And JOhn...

My friend.

I am glad that at least you acknowledge the role that UK And US play in promoting crime in the world. Airlines make those decisions and policies, based on the pressure that they are under by their governments, Precisely because the nationality and the skin color of the passengers of those certain airliners!!

A little bit of ignorance on your part comes across as well, when you do not take into consideration that it was the heavy-handed influence of UK government and its policies that created such a disaster for us iranians, to content with.

blaming the victim again Kashani?

Farhad, the IRI didn't get hurt in any way, ordinary Iranians are the ones hurting. Why does UK hate Iranians?

IRI is the reason that we

IRI is the reason that we have a negative image and its the reason that we're treated like this. Its ridiculous what some Iranians say by overlooking what the IRI does and then blaming the consequences on others. Simply amazing.

Thank you Anonymous Observer!

Excellent points in your comments!
My own experience in my last visit to Iran was similar to your family member, however I wouldn't judge the state of Iran's airport by my own single experience...so I think that Shirin shouldn't conclude that just because one pasdar was nice to one tourist, it means that they're nice to everyone else.

Shirin,

Please try to convince Zahra Kazemi's family that Pasdars are actually nice people!!

Plus, after so many bombings and terrorist acts and loud and clear threats by Islamists, with their high number living in Europe, what do you expect from Brits? How come haven't you noticed that even Americans are not treated with respect in their own airports anymore?
Please try to do a bit of research before writing anything.

Laws???...

First, I hate o break it to you, but the Iran-Iraq war is not the politically sensitive issue that you make it out to be.  It's ancient history as far as the IRI is concerned.  It achived its purpose of consolidating the new regime's power, purging the opposition and becoming the massive propoganda tool that it has become.  Therefore, don't give them too much credit for allowing you to interview people about it (specially the "martyrs'" families, as they probably surmised that to be a good propoganda opportunity for them.

Second, if you really wanted to touch upon politically sensitive issues, you should have taken a nice trip to Evin and tried to speak to Mahboobeh Karimi, who has been jailed there for almost a year (part of it on hunger strike) for advocating human rights.  I doubt that the "pasdars" over there would have been as kind to you there as they were at the airport!  Who knows, perhaps you may have been the second Zahra Kazemi.

Third, perhaps you didn't understand my point.  The point of my post was not that my relative had to "wait in line", but rather it was that a petty dictatorship is on such a power trip and has made such fools out of the people of Iran that it holds up a woman with three sick children at a point of missing her flight jsut so it can prove a point and enforce an unjust law.

Fourth, the whole idea of following "laws" regardless of whether or not they are right is absurd and dictatorial in natuer.  You mus know that all dictatorships have "laws".  The Nazis had laws, Saddam had laws, the Soviet Union had laws, and the IRI has laws.  Freedom and liberation comes when people stop being sheep and stop following despotic laws.  Gnadhi didn't follow the law, Martin Luther King did not follow the "law", Romanians did not follow the lawwhen they overthrew the communist and last, but certainly not the least, the people of Iran did not follow the "law" in 1979 when the overtrhew the Shah. 

So, please, next time you are in Iran doing research, try the following topics:  women's rights, the nuclear issue, religious minorities, rights, freedom of the press and individual freedoms.  Please do come back and tell us about your results, or in case you are hauled off to Evin by one the kind "pasdars" that you encounter, please write us a letter and let us know how things end up! 

Offence,,,taken

1-Thanks Shirin, great article. Had the same problem last time I flew out of Iran.
2-To Raul, we would go back to our own country if we could, but you see the thing is, western countries run on asian and middle eastern brains, so we can't just let them go! Iranians and other minorities are the behind the scenes workers who have all the good ideas, without taking any credit for them. No wonder Iranians are among the most highly paid, highly institutionlized, and most literate minorities in the US and in England
3-To Raul, again. Interesting that between those "rouge" nations, Iran is the only country that hasn't acctually DONE anything rouge-worthy. No terrorist attacks, no bombs, no nothing. Iran was given "rouge" status thanks to a freak of nature called Ahmadi Nejad and his uncontrollable mouth.
4- It's like the movie "The Hunting Party". Big governments waste money on searching and saving things that aren't lost, and don't need to be saved. If they wanted to find dangerous terrorists, they would know where to look for them. And that's probably not in an IranAir flight. A terrorist would probably want to get into England alive to do whatever terrorist act he wanted to, so he wouldn't risk his life by flying with an airplane that should've been retired 20 years ago.
5-To Anonymous Observer. The IK Airport sucks. I hate it, everyone hates it. But to say that an islamic sister acctually told off an outgoing passenger after passenger check in? With kids? That's something, considering I've seen grown Iranian women walk around in that Airport with mens long sleeved shirts, and sit on that plane and fly away with no problem. Sounds like your family/friend couldn't find anything to whine about, so she made up some story. I'm not defending IK Airport, but I just feel offended.

very ironic....

that the same people who ushered in the mullah dynasty are harrassing our people!
the evidence is overwhelming that the british wanted the shah gone since he did not sign the extension of the 25 year old oil contract which expired in 1978. I have personally seen the transcript of the meeting with the shah when the brits threatened that if he did not extend the contract he would be sorry!
so the least these fools can do is give us the respect we deserve( they also stole countless priceless pieces of artifact from iran which they show off in the british museum!

Neo colonism policy

Neo colonism policy is either suck a country's blood which in case of Iran was oil (during The Shah regime) or send them back to stone age( during the current regime).

You are lucky, Brits should

You are lucky, Brits should ban the Islamic Iran Air all together and not let it even fly to Britain...

Dear Anonymous, Maybe

Dear Anonymous,

Maybe your relative should learn to follow the laws of the country she is visiting, whatever her thoughts might be of them.  Certainly you are not suggesting that she should be given superior treatment, any other Iranian woman would be asked to get back in line too. 

Also, martyr is the term used by my interviewees to describe their loved ones, it does not belong to a state in particular, although naturally an Islamic Republic would reference the term.  I think you need to question the "paradigm" you are reading through!

Peace,

Shirin  

You May Want To Hear This

A close relative of mine just returned from Iran.  After waiting in line for about one and a half hours to check in for her flight to London (ironically), she, and her three small children, two of whom were ill with a severe cold and fever, reached the passport control area of the "Imam Khomein" airport (poor Shah's body, who had ordered the construction of this airport, is turning in his grave).  She had to wait in line there for about 45 minutes.   She finally reached the window with about an hour to spare before her flight.  The pasdar "sister", all of a sudden and without saying even a hello, barked that her long, monteau type overcoat was not "Islamic" enough.  Shen then told her to return to the airline check in counter, retrieve her luggae and get a proper monteau to wear before she boards the flight.  My relative, who had not purchased a monteau in Iran, and was borrowing her counsin's, told the "sister" that: 1) her flight is about to leave and returning to the counter will cause her to miss her flight, 2) her children were sick and this will stress them more, and that she just wanted to tend to them, take them to the bathroom and give them medicine before the flight, 3) that she was leaving the country, so what it is this obsession with the monteau for the last hour in Iran and 4) even if she gets the luggage, she will NOT have a monteau in there anyway.  Well, the "sister" would have none of it.  She made my relative sign a statement "Ta'ahod" that she will never do this again before she boarded the plane!!!!

Nevermind the underlying women's rights and personal freedom issues.  I wanted to write this so that everyone can see that your lovy-dovy experience with Iranian airport officials is not typical.  Experience is also interpreted through one's paradigm.  The fact that you refer to the war dead as "martyrs" demonstrates your paradigm.  Don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for the ones who fought and died defending Iran (including memebrs of my own family), but "martyr" is an IRI word. 

Incidentally, my relative was treated with great respect in London (she was transit).  In fact, everyone at the airport was helpful with her and her children and they gave her primo seats on her flight to the U.S to make the sick children more comfortable. 

Dear Appalled

Who said that the US and UK were not guilty of crimes?  Certainly not me.  In fact I would suggest that George Bush had better have incredible security for the rest of his life otherwise he will be kidnapped, tried and executed as a war criminal, by someone.

However, this does not in any way negate the reasons why Britain searches passengers on flights from Iran, Korea, or any number of other countries.

So read what I wrote instead of applying self-pity and ignorance to every situation, and suck on your own dose of reality, bud.

I am real

You are just confirming my point. The IRI is the reason that Iranians are mistreated! I know it is not due to skin color.

It is a historic fact that the British supported Khomeini. BBC actively coordinated the anti-Shah rallies. They are not the only reason for the revolution but they supported it. Now they don't like the results; neither do I.

By the way, my pasport does not say "Shamse Vazir" :-}

To Ja-Nee ( John)

Hey Bud.......You are absolutely correct! Citizens of countries who have committed horrendous atrocities such as torture, murder, rape, wrongful imprisonment, illegal and immoral invasion and occupation of other countries, more torture and more murder should be closely searched and scrutinized at any airport any where in the world. US and UK and its citizens are at the top of that list of such countries who are not just a potential made up and perceived threat but have committed those crimes and are committing them as we speak. Suck on that for your dose of reality bud!!!

A dose of reality

"I guess the Brits are not too happy with the results of their engineered revolution in Iran."

Get real!  The reason why some people are searched at airports and why some airlines may be scrutinized more rigorously than others, is because some citizens of some countries are perceived as being greater threats, and some airline flights emanating from countries perceived as being threatening may be more likely to be transporting potentially dangerous people.

That's all.  It has nothing to do with the shade of your epidermis or the vowel at the end of your name;  it has everything to do with the governments of certain countries, and with the terrorists (real or imagined) who are among their citizens.

Thanks for sharing your

Thanks for sharing your story, Shirin. Did you take that picture of the armed men? That was brave of you. Those people can pretty defensive. Also, ignore these people who somehow try to justify racist behavior, and keep up the good work.

your mistake

who in a right mind takes Iran Air these days? beside the poor service or lack of it, I would be worried about the maintenace or lack of it on the aging fleet. I suppose you could have told them that you are coming from a country whose leaders owe their power and existance to the Brits. They might have gone easy then on the fellow travelers!

Dear Raul

If you check you history you will find out that the British planned the revolution in Iran. We used to have a good decent regime: the Shah. People pushed by BBC demonized him. BBC and the UK set up the revolution. Iranians fell for it big time and are responsible. But don't dismiss the role of the Brits. hey made this mess and now are left like "Khar to Gell".

Racism

I guess the Brits are not too happy with the results of their engineered revolution in Iran. Or maybe they just like to express their ages long hatred for us. Racism runs rampant in Europe.

You should see how Italians treat the Romanians. It makes the rest look humanitarian!!

Great piece Shirin, keep up

Great piece Shirin, keep up the good work!!!

Ba Arezu-ye Movafaghiat, Sadegh

Shirin Saeidi' Article

Hello. I read the article posted by Shirin Saeidi about the security check at London's airport. We should be very grateful that the security official pay very close attention to those traveling into their country from rouge nations such as Iran who are committed to the destruction of the West.

You should be offended by the Iranians who have created the first and only openly terrorist nation in history, and not by the British.

If you feel better being among Iranians, then please move to Iran.