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Vahshi Bafqi
Cover story
Immigrants or exiles?
Identity and Influence among Iranian-Americans
By Haleh Vaziri
I draw the distinction between the experience of Iranians who arrived
in the U.S. before and after the revolution to answer the question: Do
Iranians reside in the U.S. as "immigrants" or "exiles"?
Arguably, Iranians who came to the U.S. prior to the revolution -- some
of whom have become naturalized U.S. citizens -- are "immigrants."
They left their first homeland -- Iran, the place of their births and childhoods
-- and have chosen, however reluctantly, to stay in the U.S., adopting
this as their second or new homeland. Although these immigrants feel nostalgia
for Iran, they harbor few if any desires to return to their first homeland.
Rather, they tend to adopt a bi-cultural perspective to life, espousing
what they regard as the best in both American and Iranian values. Although
sometimes they are admittedly stuck with the worst of both worlds ... GO TO FEATURE
Outlook
"Cherry" best foreign film
NEW YORK, Jan 4, 1998 (CNN) -- "Out of Sight" might be out
of theaters, but it's not out of the minds of the National Society of Film
Critics. The group on Sunday picked the George Clooney movie as the year's
best.
The film's director, Steven Soderbergh, beat Terrence Malick ("The
Thin Red Line") and Steven Spielberg ("Saving Private Ryan")
for best director honors.
The society, made up of 51 movie critics, also honored "The Thin
Red Line" with best cinematography honors and named "Taste of
Cherry," an Iranian film, the year's best foreign language film.
Forwarded by Payman Arabshahi
* In dialogue with Kiarostami
* "Taste of Cherry" official site
Lost couple found in plane wreck
Family searching for a support group
Mohammad Darvishian 38, and his fiancee, Maryam Alipour, 29, were found
Saturday December 20,. 1998 in the wreckage of their Cessna 172 by a hunter
in the woods of Macclenny, Floriday. Mohammad and Maryam had left Manassas,
Virginia on June 23 to visit Mohammad's brother, Ali, down in Pompano
Beach, Florida.
They never arrived, and the family last traced them to refueling at
Statesboro, Ga on that same day. The families were frantically searching
for six months never knowing what had happened to them. The plane had apparently
had gone down in an area where there were very heavy fires first clipping
the trees, losing a wing and then hitting the ground upside down. Authorities
believe they were both killed instantly but cannot do a complete autopsy
because only their skeletons remained. The mystery finally came to a closure
when a hunter's dog found a piece of the wreckage.
Mohammad was a well-liked man who had just brought Maryam over from
Iran to begin a new life in this country. She had only been here two months.
Mohammad was one of five brothers all living in the Washington, D.C. area.
They were all very close, and the mother is extremely depressed at the
present time.
Do you know of any support groups of Iranian woman who have had such
a tragedy happen in their life that she can converse with? I am her daughter-in-law
and have had such a tragedy happen in my family but still have a very difficult
time trying to help her. If you know of any such support group, please
email me back at ARD9118321@aol.com.
Thank you very much.
Kathy Darvishian
More Letters
* U.S. ambassador? So what?
Morteza Beheshti writes: Why is Mr. Nemazee's appointment [as U.S. ambassador to Argentina]
a worthy of newsflash? Perhaps because Mr. Nemazee's name is Iranian? What
has he done for Iran and the Iranian community that makes him different
than let say other U.S. ambassadors? I guess he is just as Iranian as my
grandfather, who was born and raised in Dezful, is American.
* Politics: Lecture on Amir Entezam,
Virginia
"The Amir Entezam File": A presentation by human rights activist
Dr. Ramin Ahmadi, on Sunday, January 10, 1999 from 4:30 to 7:00 PM at 2300
Pimmit Drive Idylwood Building-West Falls Church, Virginia 22043.
Sponsored by the National Front of Iran,
Washington, DC
Book of the Week
Journey to Persia
Jean Chardin's Portrait of a Seventeenth-Century Empire
'Isfahan is half the world' was the proud boast of the seventeenth-century
capital of Persia. One of the travellers attracted to Persia was Jean Chardin,
a young French jeweller who spent most of his time in Isfahan. During this
time, he became intimate with the city; he was invited into people's houses
and entertained; he visited gardens and participated in hunts; his knowledge
of court affairs was extensive, and he travelled many miles, visiting other
towns and villages during Safavid Iran.
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news
Low participation mars first Iranian local
polls
TEHRAN, Jan 4 (Reuters) - More than 325,000
candidates have applied to run in Iran's first local elections, but low
participation in the countryside and among women threatens to undermine
the democratic experiment, Iranian analysts said. Interior ministry officials
told state television on Monday 327,000 candidates had signed up by the
deadline on Sunday to run in the February 26 polls to about 200,000 seats
on city, town and village councils ... FULL TEXT
BBC extends Persian service
The BBC Persian Service has extended its morning news program
to one hour. For the time being the live
broadcast online only includes the first half hour which can be
heard at:
2:30-3:00 am GMT
9:30-10:00 pm EST
6:30-7:00 pm PST
Hardline weekly banned
TEHRAN, Jan 4 (Reuters) - An Iranian court
on Monday banned a hardline magazine for insulting a late senior Moslem
cleric, and a tabloid which printed pictures of former White House intern
Monica Lewinsky, Iran's news agency IRNA reported. It quoted senior Culture
Ministry official Issa Saharkhiz as saying the special press court had issued
the ban against the leading hardline weekly Shalamcheh for accusing the
clergyman of having had ties to the secret police under Iran's late ruler
Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who was deposed by the 1979 Islamic revolution
... FULL TEXT
Writers can organize - Mohajerani
Tehran, (Hamshahri) - Writers have a right to set
up an association, says Culture Minister Ataollah Mohajerani ... FULL TEXT
IN PERSIAN
Iran official says euro to ease dollar
domination
TEHRAN, Dec 31 (Reuters) - A senior Iranian
banking official on Thursday welcomed the upcoming introduction of the euro,
saying it would curb the global domination of the U.S. dollar, Iran's state
television reported. ``The circulation of the European currency will decrease
the domination of the dollar on the economy of world countries, including
Iran,'' the television quotes Nowrouz Kohzadi, head of the state Export
Promotion Bank, as saying ... FULL TEXT
Iran: Best scorerer
Tehran, (Hamshahri) - Iran is ranked No. 1 in the
world in average goals scored in international matches ... FULL TEXT IN
PERSIAN
Piruz 4 - Pass 0
Tehran, (Hamshahri) - Piruzi wins big in an exciting
match against Pass. Piruzi now moves to 4th in the league and Pass drops
to 7th ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Human Rights
New mailing list
I have started a new mailing list called "Ascent." The aim
is to address humanitarian issues on the verge of the 21st century. I am
trying to promote it and attract members. Email me at camcamak@usa.net
Camelia Akbari
$ Rate
The
dollar now offered at up to 713-715 tomans
Source: Sehaty Exchange (U.S.) Tel: 602-595-0777
Business
news
The Web
Iran
Baharestan
Third issue of a historical magazine published in Iran -
absolutely terrific!
Beyond Iran
They Still Draw Pictures
Drawings by children during the Spanish Civil War, circa
1938.
More
web sites
Quote Unquote
Unpacked
Exiles, whether Iranians or others living in the U.S., never quite unpack
their suitcases; at least one bag remains packed and always ready for travel
in case the opportunity to return to the homeland presents itself.
Haleh Vaziri
"Immigrants or exiles?"
The Iranian
January 4, 1999
Photo of the Day
Early Tehran photo studio
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photos
Music
Musician of the Week
Googoosh
* Kaj Kollah Khan * Hamkhooneh * Khoob meezani * Naameh-haayam
raa bedeh
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