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Feeling superior
06-Jan-2009
Iranians can be extremely racist. I was first made aware that Iranians were perceived, by others in the region, as arrogant racists by a Pakistani professor of Islamic literature at Boston University. Professor Rahbar taught in the Religion department and most Iranians took his literature course for an easy grade. He also conducted the Farsi exams which, if passed, made the University wave the second-language requirement for Iranian students. The poor man, who was well-versed in Persian poetry and loved Saadi and Hafez, was routinely ridiculed by his Iranian students. This was mostly because of his Pakistani accent. Although his eccentric habit of cooking curry in his office, in the Theology building on Mass. Ave., did not help either.
He opened the class that fall semester many years ago talking about the incredible arrogance of Iranians vis-à-vis others in the region. He quoted from non Iranian poets to illustrate that poetry and indeed Farsi itself was not just the genre or language of Iranians. He claimed that this beautiful language that served so wonderfully the poetry of the heart and spirit which in turn gave it such lasting resonance, was not worthy of the arrogant majority to whom it belonged. Those comments opened my eyes and made me realize that racism was not just the stuff of Malcolm X and the U.S but of ours as well. I remembered my elementary school friend Mojib, also a Pakistani, and how my friendship with him was ridiculed by my older cousins. They called him my nokar seeyah or black servant. I did not like their chiding but did not have the language, as a schoolgirl, with which to interpret it as hateful, racist and arrogant. I knew that the Professor was overly sensitive to the issue because of the treatment he was getting from the Iranians in his class but I also knew that he was not wrong.
That first night after Rahbar’s class I called my mother, recently exiled from an Islamic Iran, and told her proudly about the ‘Islamic’ lit. course that I was taking. She shouted back that Iranian poetry is anything but Islamic! She yelled, “they want to take Hafez and Saadi away from us too!” For years I tried to explain to her and Iranians like her that in academia ‘Islamic’ designated a shared culture spanning a period and an area that had Islam as its most unifying common denominator. It did not mean that Persian poetry was Arabic or religious just that it came from that time and place where Islam was the dominant culture.
For Iranians, like my mother, freshly chased out of their country, who had seen many a friend die at the hands of the newly empowered mullahs, it was hard to feel any sense of empathy or identity with Islam. But when she went on to call the professor “martikeh Pakistani” then I knew that my own mom was not free of the prejudice and arrogance discussed by Professor Rahbar. For many Iranians believe that they have a richer culture, a better skin color, and are generally superior to all Indians, Pakistanis, Afghanis, Arabs and Africans.
Through-out the years I have run into this kind of racism again and again. Of course there is concrete evidence of state-sponsored racism against the Afghanis who provide Iran, like the Mexicans in the U.S, with cheap labor. That is a problem, like the history of slavery in Iran that merits much more thorough and academic discussion than I can provide here.
The kind of salon-racism that my Professor talked about and my mother betrayed by her comments is what I sadly run into again when I talk about what is happening in Gaza. Not from my mother, mind you, who has matured into an Al-Jazeera watching democrat. But, mostly from the ultra-nationalists and monarchists, with whom I have the privilege to live, here in Nice. Who are not unlike the ultra-nationalist monarchists that I keep running into, when I write essays, in the comments section of this site.
To be pro-Palestinian amongst this bunch of Iranians is like being pro-Castro in Miami: extremely difficult. I have simply stopped going out to any parties and if I am in their company I try hard and against every instinct in my body to remain silent. New Year’s Eve I was invited to a party by a dear old friend. There I ran into a Zionist European who is married to an Iranian. He started talking about Gaza. I asked him if he was a Zionist, he said provocatively, “one hundred percent.” Then I started trying to say something that would make me feel like I have taken a stance but without ruining the party for both of us. He knew were I stood and had read my articles about Palestine many years ago. So he was not going to give up. I turned to my Iranian friend, highly educated and kindhearted Ali, asking him what he thought; he was an old Le Monde reading leftist who loves children so I was hoping that I would get some badly needed support. He turned around and said, “Good for Israel they should kill all those flea-infested, bearded, shit-smelling, cock roach-eating Muslim terrorists.” Ali has the kind of hairy Iranian look that I am sure gets him thoroughly checked at the airport each time he wants to fly somewhere. But he simply can not see that he looks so much like the people he so abhors! He feels superior to them because they are Arabs and he is Iranian! I just turned on my heals, headed for the bar and joined the women at the other end who were talking about diets: another favorite topic of mine! The days when I ruined entire parties with my zeal for an opinion are long gone!
Another day I ran into some friends of my parents in a café talking to a younger realtor. This time I walked in the middle of the conversation. The old lady with an Azeri accent, who had a raspy voice from years of smoking, was saying, “Elahi hameyeh in malakhorhayeh reeshoo ro nabood koneh Israel.” (May Israel destroy all these bearded cockroaches!”) This time I had to say something and there was no party to ruin-- so I ventured, “why do you hate these poor Palestinians so?”
What she said I have heard many times with different degrees of venomous passion and hatred: Palestinians helped the mullahs come to power in Iran, they are supported by the current Islamic regime, and they are therefore the enemy of “real patriotic Iranians.”
The logic goes something like this:
1. The Islamic Republic supports the Palestinian cause.
2. IRI is an illegitimate theocratic regime that should be overthrown.
3. Therefore Palestinians are stinking Arabs who do not deserve our support.
So laced with their hatred of the mullahs is their sense of superiority and hatred towards the Arabs. They go on to say, why should WE help these bastards, why should the regime give them money that is better used on Iran and Iranians. They are not OUR problem. They are not our friends; they are the friends of the mullah regime and are therefore our enemies. They are stinking Arab cockroach eaters!
I kissed her and said that I had to go but that I was always pro-Palestinian since I did a project for Mr. Holmes on the Arab-Israeli conflict in the 8th grade at the Tehran Community School. What do you say to people who use such logic and are so racist? She turned around and said,” Setareh joon zaminaayeh babato pass gerefti az in akhoondayeh dozd? Setareh darling, did you get back your father’s land from these mullah thieves? I said no and left.
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Feeling Superior!
by greengage (not verified) on Tue Jan 06, 2009 03:55 PM PSTRamin. 'In Sassanid Iran women could be kings'?that would have been an achievement!
Nice article, dear Setareh
by Arash Monzavi-Kia on Tue Jan 06, 2009 03:55 PM PSTWell written piece and a pleasure to read, although the message is bitter :-)
Most often, we learn racism from our parents. Shah taught us to think "Aryan" and belittle the lesser races. Khomeini taught us to be Shia and disdain the NeJes (unclean).
Even our "Tehrani" parents, who 99% were born elsewhere, have taught us to taunt the Turk, Lur, Rashti, etc.
The way Iran, especially under Khomeini but also during the Shah, has treated other countries and neighbors, is an indication of our deep seated prejudices, which either see us racially superior or ideologically so.
Arash M-K
Dear Setareh,
by Princess on Tue Jan 06, 2009 03:18 PM PSTYou reflect my sentiments of this topic, exactly. Thanks, enjoyed reading it.
Land loss ...
by Fatollah (not verified) on Tue Jan 06, 2009 03:18 PM PSTThis is the second time you mention the loss of your Dad's lands (due to 1979 revolution)? Only, this time you are indirect, by telling a story! And why is that? By the way, I am an Azari, what does "Malakhor or malakhorhayeh" means anyway?
'Khanzade-h' socialist with real good education, raffinement and finsse living in Nice, France!
Good luck to you in Nice, and I hope you can participate in the next Iranian revolution, so that you can reclaim your Dads land ++, Insha'Allah!
Regards Fatollah
I wonder
by Zion on Tue Jan 06, 2009 03:02 PM PSTYou say
'Ali has the kind of hairy Iranian look that I am sure gets him thoroughly checked at the airport each time he wants to fly somewhere. But he simply can not see that he looks so much like the people he so abhors!'
Perhaps Ali's stance is not because of the way people look or where they come from, maybe he abhors those people because of their values, their hate filled world views and the crimes they commit. Perhaps, it is you who are deep inside a racist in denial, to immediately assume how people react is because of how they look? I wonder, could that explain why you have to paint a great Persian monarch blond to make your point too? Is that perhaps because all your "observations" and your overt attempts to pose as a "leftist" and "progressive" is a (subconscious?) reaction to a deep inferiority complex associated with other kinds of looks? A stereo type of blond blue eyed westerners? Could that be why you and people like you here are so selective on choosing the "right" kinds of victims and crying out crocodile tears for them? Is that why despite claims to the contrary you only focus on those cases where the West, America or their allies like Israel can be blamed?
I truly wonder where real racism (or retro-racism) is to be found in this set of recollections. I do wonder ... .
One more thing
by Iranian Reader on Tue Jan 06, 2009 02:52 PM PSTI also liked the Setareh whose reaction to 9/11 was to make abgoosht -- complete with recipe...!
It's good to have good readers, isn't it?!
dear iranian reader
by Setareh Sabety on Tue Jan 06, 2009 02:30 PM PSTit nice to find people who read me long ago. now I am so curious as to who you are. thank you for reading me and continue to do so please. it is too late to call camille's mom now. tomorrow!
Happy new year to you too
by Iranian Reader on Tue Jan 06, 2009 01:35 PM PSTand khali my ja next time you see our mutual friend, mother of Camille, in Villefranche! She'll tell you who I am.
And let me remind you and your readers of something. I've been reading you a long time, long before I knew we had mutual friends, and I remember something you wrote many many years ago about your daughter reporting to you some racist comment a classmate had made about her being Iranian and you told her, "next time slap them." I like that Setareh!
.
by Flying Solo on Sun Sep 27, 2009 11:40 PM PDT.
racist AND arrogant
by is anyone actually denying this? (not verified) on Tue Jan 06, 2009 01:04 PM PSTI don't know how or why any iranian could deny this. Always have been and always will be.
A Bit of Overreaction
by Anonymous Observer on Tue Jan 06, 2009 02:10 PM PSTLet me begin by saying that anyone who applauds the death of innocent cvivilians in Gaza is an idiot. In fact, he / she should watch these videos first and then reflect on his /her humanity:
//english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/200916123126787790.html
//english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/2009152334426614.html
When in comes to taking sides, I usually side with Israel on political issues. But I also believe in Palestinians’ right to have their own independent and free nation free from Israeli interference. I also strongly believe that Israel should be criticized when it is wrong, and now it is wrong. While Hamas’s firing of rockets into Israel is wrong, Israel’s huge military operation in a densely populated area such as Gaza creates the kind of humanitarian crisis that we see here. The attack on Gaza must stop immediately, and the international community has brought shame upon itself for not putting more pressure on Israel to do so.
All of the above being said, I don’t think that Iranians are as racist as you portray us to be. Sure, there are some racist morons, but that is found in ALL cultures, especially the Arab world itself. I used to live in an Arab country during the Iran-Iraq war, and I used to see how Arabs, including Palestinians (not that those Palestinians had anything to do with the people who are suffering in Gaza today-so please don't take this the worng way), used to pour into streets and celebrate every Iraqi victory during that conflict. By comparison, look at this site, and you can see that the overwhelming majority of articles and comments on this site since the start of the conflict in Gaza have been pro-Palestinian (including this one from me---and incidentally, I have been labeled a “Zionist” many times by the Islamist bunch on this site even though I’m not even Jewish!!!!). Also, by comparison, you will be hard pressed to find a single article in the Arab media of the 1980’s criticizing Iraq for its use of chemical weapons against Iranians or indiscriminate rocketing of Iranian cities. In fact, if anything, they applauded it. That, in my opinion, is a much bigger evidence of racism than some stupid, uninformed idiot running off his mouth in Nice.
In sum, racism is wrong in all its forms. We are all human. No one is better than another. While there maybe cultural differences between us (I have sometimes argued that our culture is superior to some of our neighbors), there are no absolutes. Some cultures are superior to ours. Really, there is not that much difference between an Iranian, Iraqi, Palestinian, etc…If you put us next to each other, one can probably not tell us apart (hint: the hairiest guy is probably the Iranian!).
saman, farokh and irandokht
by Setareh Sabety on Tue Jan 06, 2009 01:01 PM PSTthank you for your comments and for your words of encouragement. happy new year if I have not said it to you in another thread!
Dear Iranian Reader,
by Setareh Sabety on Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:57 PM PSTI agree with you but remember I call it 'salon racism' for that very reason. I am not so sure in the case of afghans, it seems pretty institutionalized and deep. I also see your point about political correctness. It nauseates me sometimes the way Americans take it so far. Some people are afraid of having an opinion for fear of offending someone. both our racism and our patriotism as Rajab, I think pointed out, are skin deep. Thank you for commenting and happy new year to you,
Thanks Ramin Shirzadi & Rajab
by Maryam Hojjat on Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:48 PM PSTYou both said effectively what I was going to write.
I am not Racist by no means even I have Arab friends but I am confident that ARAB countries have been our enemies not friends despite of all financial help they get from Mullahs. They have proved it in histoy over & over.
Arabs were flourished by our civilization very much and we Iranian got only an imposed religion which has detoriated our culture. You see what you call arrogance and racism is historical anger.
dear flying solo,
by Setareh Sabety on Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:47 PM PSTThank you for your comment,
I think the reason for iranains living a high-end life style, besides the obvious reasons, has also to do with the fact that we often live above and beyond our means which may be due to our inherent fatalism. if donya is do rouz then why not live it well! our Racism is very much a salon kind of racism. just like our patriotism is skin deep. of course I am always speaking of some of us here. None of this makes us better that is for sure. but not worse either.
happy new year to you,
p.s the iranians in Nice are not as wealthy as you think. Not compared to the newly arrived Russians! Many of them are hairdressers, shop owners, retired savakis running out of money, and teachers like any where else. Nothing like LA. but they do tend to be monarchists and more right wing than usual. Many of them are also much older due to the fact that the young had a hard time working and making a living here and left or never came in the first place. it is a retirement place for many from all over.
در دو
ممدلی خان آشتی بقائی (not verified)Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:14 PM PST
کلمه عرض کنم" حق با مادر شما بود. ادبیات اسلامی یک اصطلاح من درآوردی است که روحیه ناسیونالیزم را از مردم آن منطقه بگیرند و موفق هم شدند. حالا شما هم بیا و ما ملت بد بخت را سنگ رو یخ کن.
خارجی تو سرمون میزنه، داخلی تو سرمون میزنه، اسلام تو سرمون میزنه، بهائی ها و یهودی ها خود را جدا از ما میدانند و غیره
Ms. Sabety, Would you not
by Flying Solo on Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:12 PM PSTMs. Sabety,
Would you not agree Nice to be the sort of community that would be more concerned with wealth and opulence rather than the misfortunes of Arabs and Jews alike? That sort of 'inconvenient' truth is hardly dinner conversation in that part of the world. :)
I tend to think that Iranians are more 'classists', if there is such a word. In that regard, the same Iranian who would abhor the 'arab malakhor' reserves admiration for the ones whose villas dot the Cote d'Azur. And let's face it there is nothing as charming as an armchair socialist at a fancy dinner party - of which, I am afraid many of us Iranians truly are.
Speaking of dieting is much more interesting at a new year party than putting the world's wrong - right. So you did well to walk away from that time bomb guaranteed to ruin your evening.
One last thought though - perhaps you can offer your opinion as to why is it that no matter where one goes Iranians happen to occupy the best zip codes, eat at the best restaurants, drive the best cars, have the best education, give the best parties etc etc. Now I am perfectly aware that a fair number are struggling as well but by and large I have yet to run into an Iranian who would willingly assume a humble living quarter and existence rather than the opposite, should his/her resources allow it. Same cannot be said for Pakistanis, Afghans or Indians. I am not sure that in and of itself makes the Iranian a better race but certainly different - do you not agree?
Setareh jan
by IRANdokht on Tue Jan 06, 2009 09:53 AM PSTThat was a serious and familiar subject turned into a fun read!
I am glad you decided to join the ladies in the party and didn't ruin your fun.
I really enjoyed reading this article and relate to it too, thanks!
IRANdokht
And one more thing...
by Rajab. (not verified) on Tue Jan 06, 2009 09:25 AM PSTA Kuwaiti paper recently called shi'ism a zionist invention and something that had nothing to do with islam. There are many videos on YouTube from P. Gulf states making fun of iranians and shi'ism.
Do the attitudes go both ways as far as arabs are concerned.
You Aint Seen Patriotism - another counter point.
by Rajab. (not verified) on Tue Jan 06, 2009 09:14 AM PSTSaman said:
Iranians (“Perrrrrrrrrrrsianz”) biggest collapse is their blind patriotism ...
This is another myth! Iranians are not patriots in general. Were we patriots, our country would not be in such a disastrous situation. And even when it looks like patriotism, it is all talk and no action. Patriotism is often confused with its similarities with other things.
Was it patriotic to blindly follow a mulla (with ideas with no iranian roots) into abyss? Even when iranians were fighting iraqis, they were carrying the key to heaven given to them by mullas, kissed the Koran, and marched after Mahdi riding a white horse before marching on the mines. That had religious roots not persian patriotism. The same people gathered to destroy pasargade and considered chaharshanbeh souri forbidden. That is not patriotism - an affinity towards one's nation and her indigenous culture.
You hardly see any iranian leader nowadays focusing on iran. Most, if not all, have other agendas, be it islamists or leftists or simply business men, rather than "only for the sake of the country." I challenge anyone who can point to a single iranian leader of today who cares more about iran and iranians than anything else. Even the late shah who pretended to be a patriot... well we know what he did and did not do.
Counter than with western patriotism, iranians are not patriotic towards their nation at all. Arrogant yes, patriotic no!
Overstating it
by Iranian Reader on Tue Jan 06, 2009 09:14 AM PSTDear Setareh, I know you are anti-Zionist and outraged at the fate the Palestinians. Nevertheless, hear me out...
Drawing parallels between obnoxious Iranian sense of superiority and actual, institutionalized and murderous racism -- as practiced by all Zionists no matter where they live -- is really overstating it. Knee-jerk Iranian ethnocentricity doesn't compare to racism as has been practiced in the US either. What distinguishes apples and oranges in this case is an awful lot of history, politics and economic interests.
As for "racism" of Iranians, I am part Azarbaijani raised in Tehran. I grew up hearing and telling lots of Torki jokes -- remember the glorious epithet "Tork-e khar"? I cannot recall anybody in my family taking that to heart. Now, anybody with an ounce of ensaf will admit that there are far more jokes about Torks and Rashtis in Iran than about, say, Jews. And if you think Iranians think badly of Indians or Pakistanis, you should hear Hindus talk about Muslims! Obnoxious ethnocentricity, "salon racism" as you call it, is not the same as premedidated, institutionalized racism.
The reason I even bother to write so long about this is that I think this liberal American political correctness (yes, I do know you have left America too) that issues blanket denunciations is not just annoying but actually dangerous. The conspiracy theory that I subscribe to suspects there is an equation being set forth that has really taken hold of nice liberal people: petty ethnic idiocy = racism = sexism = homophobia = anti-semitism, and ultimately = anti-Zionism.
Mockery is the answer to petty enthnocentricity. Racism you fight.
It is guilt by association
by farokh2000 on Tue Jan 06, 2009 08:42 AM PSTNice piece here. Thanks.
You are right, we are so frustrated with different people who have invaded and ruined, or influenced our people, culture,and language during our history that we have this Hate by Association in most of us.
Even though I don't consider myself racist and hater of other races and nationalities, I do resent it when someone confuses me and my Country with Arabs and I take the time to correct them and give them a little more background and history of that region and it's peoples.
I am not sure how long it will be and what it would take to fix this. It has become part of the Culture, it seems, unfortunately.
Maybe when the criminal Mullahs are totally chased out and their rubes and turbans are burnt, it might get a little better?
Insecurity and denial is not “patriotism”
by Saman on Tue Jan 06, 2009 08:32 AM PSTSetareh jan … this was another refreshing, lefty-liberal-pinko-commie (the new “N” word) article which I absolutely enjoyed reading.
Iranians (“Perrrrrrrrrrrsianz”) biggest collapse is their blind patriotism and denial. The irony of it all is … if you look in some of these so called patriots old family albums … you’ll clearly see many pictures of Akounds/Chaadoris, and everything they so publicly reject from their Perrrrrrrrsian heritage.
You Ain't Seen Racism - A counter point...
by Rajab. (not verified) on Tue Jan 06, 2009 08:31 AM PSTI disagree! Not because you are wrong in your observations, but because I do not agree with your conclusions and root causes of those symptoms.
When you see racism in the west, from russia to america, you see central asians beaten to death (as seen recently in moscow) or jews tied to a car and dragged or blacks hanged to the trees. That is black and white racism. To my knowledge, this behavior is unprecedented in iran and amongst iranians, and when it occurs in much milder forms, it has religious roots rather than racial (as in harassments of jews or bahais).
So where is your impression coming from?
I believe it has cultural and historical roots, rather than racial.
Iranians are arrogant in general and make fun of other people, be it esfahanis, tabrizis, rashtis, ..., or pakistanis that you had mentioned. You can call that cultural insensitivities but not racism. BTW, you see that in the west too when they make fun of polish or italians.
The second cause is historical and the unwelcome and disproportionate influence of islamic culture on iran with no visible benefit to iranians. Arrogant iranians then feel threatened and the events of the last 30 years have only amplified that. That is the root cause of the iranian attitude towards arabs and arab culture and in view of the events of the last 30 years can be explained and distinguished from racism. It is not racism because you never see the same iranians bash Iranian arabs of khuzestan, except maybe when separatism comes into play; rather they defend their rights as a minority discriminated against by tehran. Same goes for palestinians, more sympathize with them than dislike them; and those who dislike them and bash them is due to their participation on the side of saddam in iran-iraq war, a war which was very costly on iranian side. And the same attitude exist towards IRI leaders who have betrayed iran and iranians in favor of an old yet foreign islamic culture. Despite, you never see iranians dislike or bash arabs of maghreb or libya with whom they have had no historical or cultural conflict.
Contrary to your conjecture, I believe that the historical context of iran, that from day one consisted of various races, has made iranians one of most non-racist nations of earth, yet culturally feel threatened when they cannot explain their current state of affairs in iran in view of her historical survival and prosperity. That is NOT racism.
Arab imperialism exists
by Ramin Shirzadi (not verified) on Tue Jan 06, 2009 08:20 AM PSTHi Setareh
i agree with you on many points and i believe racism is wrong no matter from who and toward who. But do not downgrade the reality of Arab imperialism and the fact that it was not just 200 years of occupation, killing, rape and slavery, and not just forcing us their lower culture (while in Sassanid Iran women could be kings, girls were buried alive in Arabia) and their religion, that has nothing to do with us. We were monotheistic for a long time and we didn't need to be raped to get a new religion in which slavery is encouraged.
The problem is that it continues today. Many Arabs call Persian gulf something else, see iranians and shias fit for slaughter (i have heard that many times from Arabs), and don't forget that thousands of Palestinians were in Saddam's army killing Iranians (no Israeli soldier has yet shot a bullet toward Iran). Still our Arabized government continues milking poor Iranians and sending the money for other racists that happen to be Arab. Please see the big picture
Ramin