More than one million Iranians live in land of ``Great
Satan''
Teheran (dpa) - There are 1.2 million Iranians living in the United
States, the political arch-enemy of Iran for the last two decades and locally
branded as the ``Great Satan'', a Teheran daily reported Thursday.
``Out of the over three million Iranians living in 20 countries worldwide,
the number of Iranians residing in the United States amounts to 1.2 million,''
the general director for cultural affairs of Iranians residing abroad,
Mohammad-Reza Darbandi, was quoted by the daily Iran News as saying.
Darbandi said that in the last two years, special facilities have been
provided for the Iranians abroad, including a 7
5 per cent discount for the issuance of passports and a television network
from Teheran called Jam'e Jam. ``Only a meagre percentage of Iranians
abroad have difficulty with the Islamic Republic system.
The rest are living overseas for reasons such as education, trade, employment
or lack of tolerance for war-time (1980-88) hardships and their consequences,''
the culture ministry official said.
He added that Iranians abroad are now equipped with 400 registered centres
and associations, 500 publishing institutions and 250 radio stations and
television networks.
President Mohammad Khatami has often encouraged Iranians abroad to return
home but, according to experts, many of the them, especially the generation
born outside Iran , have serious cultural and lingual problems and could
hardly integrate themselves into the new Iranian society.
Hence their parents are also forced to stay abroad, although many are
curious to see the new Iran since Khatami took over, according to some
experts.
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