Thursday
February 15, 2001
He's Armenian
I read your article regarding Andre Agassi ["Just
don't do it"]. I thought Agassi was Armenian. I realize there
are many Armenian people who reside Iran However, many people usually
associate Iranians as Muslim and Armenians as Christian. Perhaps, if Andre
is Christian, this may be an explanation as to why he doesn't identify
himself as Iranian.
I have no affirmation that he identifies himself as Armenian either,
or Christian. I suggest this only as a possible consideration because
I know of several Armenian people who were Iranian citizens (who were born
in Iran) and after they left Iran after 1979, they identify themselves
as Armenians who once lived in Iran.
Similarly, I know several Iranian people who are from a Muslim background
and/or family who refer to themselves as "Persian". I have
noted that at times Iranians do not like being automatically identified
as Muslim, as if it was expected of them to be Muslim if they were Iranian.
Many have told me they were Muslim only because it was "expected"
of them and therefore "convenient".
It seems many of the Iranians I have met have preferred not to identify
with a heritage, which may cast a shadow of repressed liberties. This
is the URL of a web site where Andre Agassi is noted as being of Armenian
heritage: //www.cilicia.com/armo22.html
Magen
Links
