Wednesday
June 7, 2000
Persians should care for themselves first
Let's not get to carried away with the treatment of Afghans in Iran
["Not
welcome"]. Iran has been one of the most hospitable countries
in the world, accepting the largest number of refugees anywhere in the
world in the last decade. This is despite the internal, external, and
economic problems that we are all familiar with.
Therefore, comparisons with Germany are a little out of place. Out
of the millions of Afghans who have been accepted withing Iranian society,
a few hundred, possibly thousands, are being returned due to unlawful
entry. These people make good subjects for Ali Khalighs' photographs,
although such scenery is not uncommon across, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq,
and Turkey.
Hungry people cannot be fed with smiles and a cup of tea. Persians should
consider looking after themselves first to avoid adding to the millions
who have already fled to Iran. Such an example may possibly be good for
what can only be described a 'backward' region, by any standard.
In any case, if Germany and Afghanistan were to be neighbors, you could
be sure that Afghanistan would be a small province of Germany (possibly
a very good thing). Let's look for solutions, not excuses.
Mehran Mirshahi
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