Smack in the middle
It is good to, for a change, leave the pride
aside and imagine ourselves in the other person's shoes
December 8, 2003
The Iranian
There I was, thinking I had written
my article for iranian.com and it's time to move on to the other
publications who have been good enough to extend my deadline.
But, wham! Here's Cas Anvar on the front page, bringing up a
subject too close to my heart to let go. [See: Simply
human nature]
I read, and reread, both sides and find myself
smack in the middle. As a born and raised Iranian I am on Kambiz's
side [See: Garden
variety]. But as a
mother, who has raised three Iranian-Americans, I feel for Cas.
I call him Cas, because I think that's who he
is. Not that he does no appreciate his Iranian name, but because
he was raised
as more of a "Cas" than "Kasra". For years
I fought being called "Zoe," but the truth is, if that
makes some people's lives easier, I no longer mind it. I continue
to introduce myself as Zohreh, but when they struggle between
Zora, Zorba and Zebra, I comfort them by saying they can call
me Zoe, if that makes it easier. In most cases I hear a sigh
of relief and the next time we meet, they remember my name. That,
never happens to "Zohreh". After all, I tell myself,
isn't that why we have names? To be remembered and addressed?
Someone once said, the world peace depends on
one word: Tolerance. My problem with this heated--and justified--discussion
is that
though I see both sides, I can see no sign of that tolerance.
I have lived in the West for over thirty years and have learned
to distance myself from such hot issues enough to arrive at a
fair conclusion. As a proud Iranian I, too have had my share
of debates which often take the tone of defense. Born and raised
in any country, you grow-up with a certain level of pride and
patriotism. Selfish parents, we are denying our new generation
from their share of such a pride. "You may be born, raised,
educated and married here. But you are an Iranian!"
My children were very young during the hostage
crisis. I don't know about other parts of the country, but in
the Midwest, the
atmosphere was charged. Some parents even feared for their children's
safety. My own kids gathered enough courage to plead if I would "please
not talk in that language around school!" That brought an
end to their limited education of their mother tongue and made
me the target of a social criticism which continues to this day.
As a writer and a poet, I would have loved nothing more than
to be able to share my passion of Persian literature with my
children, but it is their choice to learn Persian, not mine.
(As it turns out, one of them is already fluent.)
None of this is intended to defend Cas for his
camouflaged identity. Nor is it a failure to understand Kambiz.
If anything, I am more
of a Kambiz in this story than Cas!
I find Cas caught in his self-spun web. He began
by not clarifying his identity and letting a careless mistake
go by in order to
further his chances of professional success. He did not so much
lie about it, as he failed to say anything, including the truth.
By the time he wanted to voice it out, it seemed already too
late. No pun was intended and he did not do this for a lack
of pride in his heritage, but rather as a means of convenience.
Shaming him on what began innocently, would serve no one. In
fact, now that he has--for the lack of a better word--come out
of the closet, the least we can do is to support him, embrace
him in our community, thus encourage others to do the same. As
my grandmother often said in my defense, "When the child
says I didn't do it, it means she is sorry!"
Understanding Kambiz's frustration, and sharing
some of it, all I can tell him is to try and tolerate. Cas is
not the first and
will not be the last to hide his identity. It is an angry world
out there and the flames of rage--not to mention ignorance--have
pushed many Iranians into hiding. It reminds me of my own childhood
and how, coming from Mashad, I dreaded visits to Tehran. God
only knows how I tried to blend in with those kids who spoke
with a Tehrani accent. At times I hated being identified as a
Mashadi and none of my "magnificent tribal heritage" lectures
helped. But I was never punished for my ignorance, and in time,
I grew-up enough to feel the pride my family had tried to instill
in me. Had it not been for their tolerance, I might still hate
my background.
Iranians are not all willing to tolerate. We are
a proud people who often cling to extremes and, as a result,
become too critical
of ourselves. It is good to, for a change, leave the pride
aside and imagine ourselves in the other person's shoes. Can
we see
what they saw and feel what they must have felt? Only then
do we forgive them for their mistakes and only then do we begin
to learn the true meaning of tolerance.
As we struggle toward "world peace" are we able to
establish some form of peace at home and amongst ourselves?
About
Zohreh Khazai Ghahremani is a retired dentist and a freelance
writer. She lives in San Diego, California. Top
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