Just a few weeks ago, a group of our very passionate, young Iranian-Americans called a meeting of heads of organizations to see if it was possible to collaborate efforts and help each other in becoming more effective in advancing our community. I was honored to have been one of participants, the following is what I wrote back which I have been asked to share with the rest of our community.
My family migrated to the U.S. before the Revolution when I was just 8, I went back to Iran only once 5 years ago for a month and I was arrested on “Pole Tajrish” for not wearing my hijab well. I basically grew up thinking this is really my country of origin given that all I had learned and knew was from this generous hosting country. It wasn’t until recently that I learned that there is a definite difference between me and and my dear Anglo Saxon friends/colleagues or perhaps the Jewish Americans or even Chinese or Indian Americans. NOT just in my own eyes but in the eyes of the world looking at me, and given all the recent mishaps specially after 9/11, this has become even more evident than before.
What happens in Iran is directly affecting me and the lives of my children, family, and friends here in California, far away. We are after all, “Iranian/Americans,” regardless of how we feel about the regime that’s running our country, every time Ahmadinejad says something to the world or does something, in the eyes of the world, he is doing so on al behalf of all Iranians whether we like to accept it or not.
Just go back to the Bush era. During his 8 years, Americans all over the world were hated and unwelcomed because their President boldly said things and did things that most perceived to be wrong. It didn’t matter that he did NOT have the popular vote or his rating was dropped to only 30% … his policies nevertheless were what the world perceived as the American way and it was hard to draw a line who he represented and who he didn’t. It wasn’t until the bold revolt against him with the Obama fever taking over and Americans everywhere taking a stand for change that things have significantly changed around the world and the world once again views the Americans friendly and civilized.
I like you all to consider that we have a very similar situations with the Iranians living abroad. The world doesn’t see us apart from Iran and its policies, maybe just recently because of the bold, courageous movements of the men and women in Iran, some distinctions have been drawn amongst the politicians and the intellectuals, but we should not be naive to think that is shared amongst the average Americans. Most don’t even know we Iran and Iraq are different countries and we actually drive cars in Iran. So regardless of how we individually feel about what is going with the dominating AN regime and like to distance ourselves from it, we are reminded of how much we are attached to it by the way we look, we speak, we are grouped, and all the domestic issues that we face as “Iranian/Americans,” on a daily basis, arising soley from the way the world percieves Iran and that we are connected to it by blood.
To simply say that we are non-political and perhaps only concerned with domestic issues is not only naive but over simplified a very complicated issue and frankly does NOT address the elephant in the room. Ninty percent of the domestic issues we face today are only because we are associated with being Iranians have everything to do with the policies being driven out of Iran itself. The fact that you take a trip to Europe and all of a sudden your luggage is searched more than the average Joe has everything to do with where you were born and how dark your eyebrows are. The fact that your mother is not granted visa to come and visit her grandkids, is all about what AN said in his state of the union address to the people of Iran and his policies with the rest of the world. The fact that an educated, perhaps well qualified candidate running for any office has an upheal battle, and NOT supported by the outer community is ALL about where he/she was born, Iran, a country that is NOT well liked or trusted in the outside world. The fact that our kids goto school and still have to explain their looks, their parents thick accent, and whether their mom wears the veil at home or not, struggling so hard to fit in, has everything to do with being of Iranian origin. The average neighbor has NO interest in getting too engaged or too informed with all the complicated issues surrounding Iran, and is quite simple minded when it comes to foreign issues, as we are perhaps with issues that surround the Swiss or the Checks, quickly believing what the media feeds us, that neighbor perceives Iran as the media has fed it, a terrorist state, supporting terrorism, pursuing a nuclear bomb, and therefore the people from there in the same light.
Bottom line, the fact that we have in our community drawn a line between ourselves and Iran and it’s political stands has NOTHING to do with what is perceived and practiced outside of our community. Politicians, average employers, colleagues, our kids parents and friends, all see us as Iranians, not making the distinctions we like them to make between the people and their government, and that is something we all share, and as community leaders and organizers we need to understand and educate our constituencies to come into terms with what is really going on, addressing the “elephant in the room” in order to be effective in our collected efforts and NOT continue to spin our wheels doing a lot of different things, wasting a lot of great efforts and resources which at the end will NOT amount to much results becasue we think we can somehow separte ourselves from Iran and push domestic interests apart from Iran.
I can testify from personal experience that in the past 30 years being a founder, president, supporter, and on the board of many different movements and organizations, seeing so many great organizations come and go with all the money raised and spent, we are still not any further ahead as a community than we were 30 years ago when my parents were my age because we think we can draw a line between ourselves and what is going on in Iran … and more baby steps at this junction in history when courageous young people in our country who have everything to lose, including being beaten, tortured and killed, yet come out in huge numbers understanding the importance of making bold moves or it will be more of the same for another 50 years, our baby steps here are just NOT good enough anymore!
Please note that our community, although quiet, understands and appreciates this too and organizations that have enjoyed the most success and have enjoyed the greatest traction, raising the most funds, attracting the greatest number of membership are ones who have spoken boldly and taken courageous moves, not shying away from taking on serious issues and fighting for the people of Iran inside and outside of our country, trying to better the situation thru lobbying, diplomacy, and public objections on different issues, regardless of how much they have been attacked and undermined by agenda driven individuals and interest groups. At the end that’s what our community needs and that’s what they really support.
My only request is that you all consider as community leaders and organizers that our steps today or lack thereof will all have great ramification not just for us but for our children and our courageous country men and women in Iran. We can promote more of the same, safe hands off approach, and see very similar results as we have seen in the past 30 years, stearing clear of any controversy, or we can choose to do as the young Math Olympiad did when he stood up to oppression and wrong doings and asked very tough questions from Khamenie, the supreme leader himself, with security forces all around him boldy asking questions that were unimaginable, risking everything.
Please note that I am not asking anyone to risk anything, we sit far away in the comfort of our warm homes and happy lives where no one can touch us, all we are risking is giving up the old taboo and the misperception that POLITICS are for politicians and dangerous to touch … Note that politics dominate our lives on a daily basis, from healthcare to travel, to the stock market, to our employment and etc … whether we choose to recognize it or not. The less vocal the more ground we give to those who like to take advantage of the void of any opposition. Abusers and dictators love driving their agendas based on people’s fears.
Being a little more vocal and involved and taking responsibility of our own future is the worst nightmare of dictators and interest groups. I hope that’s a risk we can all take as community leaders, showing more courage and boldness in fighting back rumors that divide us, addressing fears that quiet us, and standing together in the face of adversity so we can grow as a community. Please speak to your constituents in taking a stand when we are called upon, that’s the only way towards advancing our community be it here or Iran. Only with bold moves like the ones we have witnessed from our young country men and women in Iran, are we ever going to change status quo.
Again, please be mindful that whatever happens inside Iran directly affects us all, regardless of how connected or disconnected we are to our homeland.
I am greatful for participating in the meeting and I am happy to see so much passion within our young community, I just hope that we all understand that what unites us all is simply Iran and ignoring the obvious is no longer good enough to move our community forward.
