Eradatmand

Immigration is an ultimate form of travel, which is a fundamental fact of life. Its experience may polish the soul and strengthen character. Only immigrants get to know that excessive enthrallment with their original culture can delay adaptation. They also realize that the law of the new land and its people play a crucial role in how immigrants may settle.

It is a fact that the lack of understanding of the new spoken language creates major impediment on the path of financial growth. After all, it is the financial stability that ensures complete assimilation. Surprisingly, many who choose to say farewell to their motherland do not initially foresee these simple facts about adaptation. And Iranians are not different.

Vicissitudes of fate brought many Iranians to the U.S. Over two millions started the diasporas initiated by the revolution of 1978. Since then a flock of Iranians has been filling the ports of the U.S. and many other countries in Europe and Asia. This unprecedented experience proved unsettling to many of them. Naturally, Iranians also need to tackle these two main hurdles of new language and culture as primary tactics for a prosperous assimilation. The elderly experience rough time to adapt to the new culture while their children are being absorbed into the mainstreams.

Now, Iranian immigrants outside Iran – regardless of age - realize some of the problems that other immigrants inside Iran have been facing for centuries. Since the Safavid Dynasty of the early 16th century, many minorities and immigrants inside Iran have been center of social malice and mistreatment of majority-ruled Shiite sector. Religious bigotry and sectarian differences are still used against these citizens. But, most Iranians residing outside of Iran can understand this hardship in adaptation.

Unfortunately, such unfair atrocities have created years of unresolved social and psychological pressures among Bahaiis, Jewish, Christians, and Sunni Muslims inside the Shiite-dominant Iran. Because of migratory experience, Iranian immigrants outside Iran have found a new meaning in adaptation and assimilation. These particular Iranians finally realize that fair treatment of minorities regardless of their differences remains a part of a healthy society; where prejudice and globalization is not tolerated. Unfortunately, this fact still remains an absolutely foreign notion for most Iranians inside Iran.

But, immigration is an old issue in Iran. After the Arab invasion of the 7th century, Iranians circumspectly chose the immigration (Hijrat) of the prophet of Islam as the starting date in their Solar /Lunar calendar (Hijri-e-Shamsi & Ghamari)- not his birth date. Ancient Persians (Iranians) viewed any act of migration with great admiration. The history of the race of Aryans is interwoven with such legacies born out of the triumph of traveling man over hardship of nature and foes. Their heroes were exposed to multiple difficulties resulting from change in their habitat. Different cultures, and different climates posed only some of such difficulties. Yet, the undeniable substance in their heroism lay in the realm of Morality & Ethics. It is clear that the lack of recognition for human rights in Iran has brought frustrated citizens to the verge of disgust and indifference towards these high values. Despite the Persian exquisite diction in poetry and prose, which still portrays such significance, reminding readers of what used to be.

Persian literature explicitly exhibits that through hardship of travel one may be able to know one’s inner-self. Persian art has articulately praised metamorphosis of a worm into a butterfly connoting evolution of man.