This is NIAC’s email verbatim:
******************************************************* BEGIN NIAC *******************************************
Playing with ethnic tensions is not a strategy for stability in the Middle East.
But last week, the State Department broke longstanding protocol and used the politically and ethnically charged term “Arabian Gulf” instead of “Persian Gulf”.
The term was used in prepared remarks announcing a $60 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia intended to “stabilize the region.”
But such an inaccurate, ethnically divisive term will only fuel regional tensions and increase instability.
Tell Secretary Clinton that the Persian Gulf is not the “Arabian Gulf” and playing with ethnic tensions is not a strategy for stability.
The Persian Gulf has been known by that name for over 2,500 years. It’s been recognized by the United Nations and the US State Department as the correct name for decades.
The term “Arabian Gulf” first appeared fifty years ago as Pan-Arabism propaganda aimed at unifying Arabs against Iranians, Israelis, and other non-Arabs in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein later co-opted the term to exploit ethnic rivalries in support of his regional ambitions. Later, Osama Bin Laden adopted the term in an attempt to boost his appeal.
The use of such an ethnically divisive term by the State Department during the announcement of one of the largest arm sales in history .
Yesterday, NIAC sent a letter to Secretary Clinton, urging her to correct the record and reiterate that the “Persian Gulf” is the appropriate name.
