Letters

February 2005
February 8


Posers will be posers

In response to Azam Nemati's "I'll show you Persian!":

The debate about Persian as English name for our language could get lost in flame wars and egos. Mrs. Nemati and others have a legitimate complaint about the posers in the US however this should not lead us to as we say in Persian "tisheh beh risheh khod bezanim".

I can understand and admire Pejman's efforts and perhaps Mrs Nemati should not put him down for what he and others like him (inlcluding me) are trying to do. Given their patriotism Mrs Nemati and other objectors would feel different if they had to deal with supporters of Arab Nationalism in their work day in day out like me, and felt it important to put some effort in preserving what you could as an Iranian.

In addition all the communication I have seen from people working on this like Pejman has been polite. I don't know him but from what I have seen of him, he is a young man living in Iran without the previlages that we enjoy here. He has worked tirelessly to keep the name Persian Gulf alive long before it became fashionable in the American-Iranian community. Moreover since Mrs. Nemati is convinced that she is more learned that us and has even met the good professor then she should understand better than anybody.

I am not and have never been afraid of calling myself Iranian and the reason that I keep repeating the message is that we made an abrupt change years ago, in my view and perhaps with the benefit of hindsight out of excessive pride, without realising its consequences in later years for such things as the name "Persian Gulf".

To force another abrupt change will again have consequences for standing of our culture and national symbols (some of which is obvious, for example take the case of doing research in the Internet, such learned scholars as Mrs Nemati will in future have to search on Persian, Farsi and perhaps if it catches on Parsi). Once again I politely urge Miss Nemati and others to calmly reflect on this matter ignoring the issue of party posers while doing so.

Some would correctly argue there are more important issues to worry about. Be that as it may this is an important issue for our culture and how it is represented outside. Unfortunately circumstances do not allow a proper debate and the only means open to us is the media and the Internet.

I hope Mrs Nemati and other readers do not object to me taking more of her time and apologize in advance for taking their time.

Amir Rostam

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