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An Iranian Journey, by Alice Brody
By mickielynn on 2010-08-21 14:10:15
[caption id="attachment_1852" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Shiraz-Afif Abad Garden, Cute Boy, by
Alice Brody"|! es S[/caption] [*Editor's note: This article is much longer than
our usual blog articles but it is well worth reading! It details the very recent trip of a long time Capital District
resident to Iran and her observations and responses.] AN IRANIAN JOURNEY
By Alice Brody
Few Americans travel to Iran these days. Negative reporting in the mainstream media and State Department warnings
against travel, contribute to a climate of fear and ignorance about the country and its people. I had dreamed of visiting this
nation of great poets — Ferdowsi, Rumi, Sa’di and Hafez, and learning about an ancient culture dating back more than 3,000
years. My desire to travel to Iran increased as a steady drumbeat in Congress and in the media to wage war against Iran grew
with each passing day. What could I do as an individual to promote peace and friendship between our two peoples, and
prevent another destructive war in the Middle East? I was part of a two-person delegation sponsored by Global Exchange,
with the aim of building people-to-people ties. More recently restrictions on Americans visiting Iran have tightened, and
obtaining a visa has become more difficult, yet not impossible. Americans are required to be in the company of a guide at all
times and are denied the ability to meet with government officials, NGO’s and dissident groups. These rules do not apply to
most other foreign visitors. But then, their governments are not threatening to bomb Iran. In spite of these limitations I
engaged freely in conversations with Iranians from all walks of life; on the street, in bazaars, at museums and religious
shrines, strolling through parks and dining in restaurants. The Iranian people are among the friendliest I’ve encountered in
my travels to more than 50 countries. They are warm, open, kind and generous to a fault. A university student I met in a brief
encounter at a museum, bought me a CD by a famous classical musician (in spite of my many protestations), knowing full
well that we would not meet again. "Where are you from? Germany, England, Russia?" 1 was frequently asked during my 14
day visit to Iran. "America, the USA," I responded, unsure as to what kind of response I would get. "AMERICA? YOU ARE
ALLOWED TO VISIT IRAN? Welcome. We love the American people." Our itinerary took us from the capital, Teheran, a
teeming, cosmopolitan city of 17 million, to the ancient desert city of Yazd, home to Iran’s largest community of
Zoroastrians, and a stop along the old Silk Road. From there we traveled to Shiraz, the city of "poetry, nightingales, roses
and (formerly) wine," and on to Persepolis, the 2,500 year-old cultural center of the first Persian Empire, built by Darius the
Great around 515 BC. Unfortunately, much of its was destroyed by Alexander the Great during his invasion in 330 BC. The
highlight of our trip was a visit to Esfahan, the "jewel of ancient Persia," one of the most beautiful cities on earth, with its
rich history of Islamic architecture, exquisite palaces, lush gardens blue mosaic-tiled mosques, and magnificent bridges. At
any time of day you can walk through Imam Square, the second largest enclosed public space in the world, and find families
picnicking on the grass, children riding bicycles, horse drawn carriages ferrying passengers from one end of the square to
another, shoppers lining the isles of the well-stocked bazaar, and couples enjoying "hubbly bubbly" (a hookah), in the city’s
many tea houses. The sights, sounds and smells of Iran dispel the image often portrayed in the media of a drab, soulless
country and people. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Throughout our travels we visited many small towns and rural
villages, driving through desert, mountainous areas, lush agricultural regions and industrial centers. We met people
representing a diverse cross-section of ethnic and religious groups, including Azaris, Afghans, Arabs, Jews, Armenians,
Iraqis, and Baluchis. Religion plays a central role in Iranian society and mosques are the focal point around which religious
life is organized. Islam first came to Iran during the Arab conquest between 637 — 1050. Each town has a Friday mosque
adorned with a beautiful dome and pair of minarets religious leaders ascend to call people to prayer. While in Esfahan we
visited a synagogue that serves a small, yet active Jewish community (it is estimated that approximately 11,000 Jews remain
in Iran today.) Contrary to advice I was given before traveling to Iran - "do not tell people you are Jewish" - | was open
about my religious beliefs and warmly received. Standing in front of the "Bema" in the small synagogue in Esfahan reciting
a prayer in Hebrew with the elderly Jewish couple minding the Temple, was an emotional experience that will remain with
me for a long time. In Iran, issues concerning religion and the modern world confront you at all turns. One of the favorite
pastimes of "experts" is to paint Iran in extremes of black and white — the religious hardliners running the government vs.
western-leaning reformists wanting to bring down the theocracy. Like life itself Iranian society is more complex and full of
contradictions. An Ancient Culture Traveling throughout Iran its historical greatness is evident everywhere. Imposing
edifices built by past rulers; museums containing artifacts dating back 3,000 years, great art, architecture, literature and
poetry; contributions in the fields of mathematics and physics, and an ongoing struggle for national identity and unity. If one
is to believe what one reads/hears in the American media, Iran’s history began in 1979 with the takeover of the American
Embassy and ensuing hostage crisis. The first Persian Empire formed in the 7h century BC under the reign of Cyrus the
Great. It stretched from Pakistan to the Aegean coast of what is now Turkey, and included Babylon and Syria. Cyrus’s rule
was associated with justice, religious tolerance and prosperity. Visiting the archeological museum in Teheran, I came across
a baked-clay cuneiform cylinder discovered in Babylon, describing Cyrus’ humane treatment of the Babylonians after their
conquest by the Persians, and designated by the UN as the First Charter of the Rights of Nations. "Now that I am the
monarch, I will impose my monarchy on no nation. Each is free to accept it, and if anyone of them rejects it, I never resolve
on war to reign..." In the 1500’s the 3° Persian Empire, founded by the Safavid dynasty under Shah Abbas (1587 — 1629),
experienced a great flowering of Persian art and architecture. During the period of the Qajar dynasty (1799 — 1925), a
constitutional revolution took place in 1906 and the first parliament was established. It was subsequently overthrown with
British support in 1921 and the first Pahlevi Shah, Reza Khan, was installed. In 1951, a democratically elected nationalist
Iranian government was swept into office on the promise of repatriating the country’s wealth. One of the first acts of the
newly elected Prime Minister, Mohammed Mossadeq, was the nationalization of Iran’s oil. Under the instigation of the
British, the CIA orchestrated a coup to remove Mossadeq and replace him with Shah Reza Palevi, the son of the former
Shah. The Shah’s brutal rule and squandering of Iranian wealth, laid the groundwork for the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed and economic sanctions imposed, which continue today.
Iran Today
Iran is a youthful nation. More than two-thirds of the population is under 30 years of age, one-quarter being 15 years of age
or younger. Similar to youth around the world, Iranians are linked electronically through Facebook, circumventing
government efforts to filter the Internet. Photo cell phones are ubiquitous. Many youth challenge the government’s harsh
dress code. For example: Young males wearing tight-fitting jeans and t-shirts and saturating their hair with gel..
While religious women and those working in government jobs wear the full-body covering, or chador, many younger
women wear stylish form-fitting manteaus (a coat) over tight jeans and high heels, and loose fitting veils (head scarf),
showcasing their beautiful, thick, black hair. Access to satellite TV has exposed Iranian youth to western culture. The trend
among the more affluent Iranian women to have their noses reshaped to resemble Europeans, is a sad example of this. Under
the Islamic Republic Iranian women lost many of the rights gained under the previous regime. At the same time 27% of
women are in the work force, many having entered the civil service. Women are also represented in the Islamic Consultative
Assembly. Today women make up 65% of university students and nearly 70% of Iran's science and engineering students.
Today most things are strictly segregated by gender. Restrictions on women were more severe in the early days of the
Islamic Republic and some of the harsher aspects of these laws have been modified, while some remain in place. In spite of
a climate of religious conservatism women play a more active role in social, religious and family affairs and are among the
most liberated in the Middle East. Throughout my visit I met women from all walks of life - scientists, artists, educators,
government employees, and housewives, all eager to talk. The most frequently asked question "how old are you?" was
something of a shock for someone coming from a culture that does not like to discuss age. I often met women enjoying a
"women’s night out" at a local restaurant, joined by their sisters, mothers, daughters and friends. I was invited to join a few
of these intimate events, and share our stories about work, family and hope for the future in our respective countries. My
most enjoyable encounters were with young female students of high school and university age anxious to practice their
English, learn what we think of their country and have their photos taken with an American. Their youthful exuberance was
contagious. I think about them often when I read articles in our press calling for attacks on Iran and wonder what the future
holds for these lovely young women. [caption id="attachment_1857" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Teenaged
women traveling in Iran"]
[/caption]
The Road Ahead
The memory of the 8 year long Iraq-Iran war looms large in the consciousness of most Iranians. Large color photos of the
"fallen martyrs" are on billboards and walls in every city and town we visited. The wounds inflicted by the war have
traumatized a nation that is slowly recovering from the human and economic devastation it caused. While blame is placed
squarely on Sadaam Hussein, their anger is also directed at Germany for providing Iraq with the poison gas used to kill
thousands of Iranian soldiers, and the U.S. for providing weapons and support to Iraq during the war.
President Mamoud Ahmadinejad enjoys support among the more religiously conservative sectors of society, many of whom
live outside the large cities, and in the south of Iran. At the same time there is growing discontent among his supporters over
pending cuts to government subsidies that will cause economic hardship for many. It is unclear at the moment what impact
recent international sanctions, especially the harsher ones imposed by the US and Europe, will have on the Iranian people.
The Green Movement for now has been crushed. When engaging with individual supporters in public settings, they would
frequently speak in hushed tones fearful of being overheard by members of the hated Basij militia. Yet, no one I spoke with
called for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic or for foreign intervention in Iran’s internal affairs. I did encounter dismay
over the failure of the Obama administration to chart a different course from the Bush administration. One gentleman, a
thoughtful religious man remarked: "Obama! Change. Change. Change. No change." He added, "American people, good.
American government, not good." In the course of discussion I was often reminded that if there is to be change it must be
brought about by the Iranian people themselves. An educated businessman I spoke with, no friend of the current regime,
expressed a view held by many Iranians, including Iranian Nobel Peace prizewinner, Shirin Ebadi. "No one should have
nuclear weapons, including Iran. But when we are surrounded by Pakistan, India and Israel, countries with nuclear
weapons, you cannot tell Iran that it cannot have them in order to defend itself: We are an independent country and want to
remain that way." It has been a month since my return to the U.S. and the media is rife with articles and op-ed pieces calling
for a military attack on Iran. The current climate adds a sense of urgency to my mission: to challenge others to ask
themselves: "Do I really want to support the destruction of this country and its people? If not, am I willing to speak up and
oppose war?" hope to help people understand why waging war on Iran would be devastating not only for Iranians, but for
the American people as well. Along with immense human suffering it would lead to great instability in the Middle East,
weaken the democratic and reform movements in Iran, strengthen the power of the conservatives, and cause enormous
economic disruption in the world. In a time of deepening economic crisis in our own country, can we afford to engage in
another war of destruction at the expense of meeting the basic social and human needs of our people? [caption
id="attachment_ 1858" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Iranian Grandmother and grandchildren, by Alice Brody"]
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