Monday
July 24, 2000
Not new
The piece on the IRI's attempts to lure expatriates back to the motherland
for whatever service or investment is not new to the Iranian society ["Come
back (and be quiet)"].
Only back in the early 1970's the Pahlavi kingship sought also to prevent
the flight of brains or brain drain (faraar-e maghzhaa) and it courted
the notable Iranians living abroad. One such person who was rumoured to
have been coaxed to return to the motherland was Professor Reza, who upon
return lingered about for the longest of time until the regime was sufficiently
embarased to post him abroad as the Iranian representative to UNESCO.
I am sure there are many other examples of invitatiosn for return that
have gone bad. Well, it looks like the centrifugal forces are at work to
deprive the motherland of another wave of brainy Iranzads! Soon one will
hear of the conspiracy of the Western industrialized countries to suck
Iran dry of its national grey matter, just like they sucked it dry of oil
and gas!
As for the obligation to return, one is reminded of two paradigms, one
an oriental one and nother occidental. In The Merry Widow, the ambassdor
of Prussia to Paris is too busy enjoying the perquisites of his mission
in the lap of luxury and enchanted bossom of indulgence. Meanwhile, back
in the kingdom, the kaiser was in dire need of his statesman and therefore
sent an emissary to urge the ambassador's return. Upon receiving word,
the ambassador sent word back to the monarch, "Sire, as much as I
love the fatherland, I am prevented from immediate return by an urgent
affair."
And if the same was to have been asked of Sa'di, the Persain poet, he
would have said "eshq-e vatan garch-e hadithist sahih, besakhti natvaan
mord keh onjaa zaadeham."
Guive Mirfendereski
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