Thursday
December 14 2000
Iran has seen worse throughout history
With due respect to all the Iranians and all those who have expressed
their opinions in this web magazine regarding interracial marriage ["Drawing
the line"] I would also like to express my opinion and avoid name-calling
and insults.
It amazes me to see that the same people who boast of being tolerant
and open-minded, are intolerant towards those who consider interracial
marriages as a threat to their national, cultural and religious identity.
We subscribe to an Iranian identity. What does that mean? How is Iranianness
defined? It is mainly defined as somebody who is a Shi'ite Moslem, speaks
Persian, and has a certain range of racial and facial features.
Now who is an American or a Canadian? Can you define an American or
a Canadian? A Canadian once told me that there is no true Canadian and
the Canadian citizenship is just a civil status which entitles you to certain
rights and privileges. He went on to say that one can only call the original
inhabitants of Canada, namely the Indians, as true Canadians.
We Iranians have an ancient and rich history that is not going to fade
away just because of an isolated case of an Iranian girl marrying a Black
man. Iran throughout its histories has been exposed to worse kinds of situations.
We ourselves are products of parents who resisted foreign incursions
and mixing, preserved our language and culture and created a separate religious
identity for us. So that is a part of our Iranian identity to preserve
our heritage -- be it cultural heritage, linguistic heritage or racial
heritage and I think this lady ["Maryam
and Daryl"] has not inherited this characteristic.
I think that the Iranian girl who has decided to marry an African-American
has absolutely every right to do as she wishes but she cannot impose her
choices on others. What will come next in your photo gallery? The picture
of an Iranian gay homosexual couple OR the picture of an Iranian gay homosexual
couple who have adopted a Black little girl OR ... How much more absurd
can it become?
There should be certain principles. As you may know the human race is
broadly divided into three major races: The Negroid (Black), the Caucasoid
(White) and the Mongoloid (Yellow). I think intermarriages between the
members of a major race is okay because there exist more affinities between
them. But I am as much against a Chinese marrying a Nigerian as I am against
a French marrying a Chinese or a Nigerian marrying a French. I don't have
a problem with a French marrying a German or a Nigerian marrying an Angolan
or a Chinese marrying a Vietnamese.
Those Iranians who are not suffering from shortcomings and are secure
and successful enough to find an Iranian partner will do so and this is
the case with other minorities as well. Many Iranians who think that they
have failed to fulfill the expectations of their parents and the larger
family or have failed to live up to the ideals of their community decide
to rebel and exit from this circle at all cost. As an expression of their
rebellion and hot-headedness they commit acts which they usually come to
regret later in their life. And how convenient it is to hide behind notions
or excuses of love and understanding in these cases.
Marrying another Iranian or a member of the Indo-European family is
not an exclusively backward Iranian characteristic as some may want to
portray it. After all, like begets like. The problem is that we Iranians
concentrate too much on ourselves and don't see the same trait amongst
others. This is the case amongst others I have seen as well, like Armenians,
Arabs, Italians, Greeks, Jews etc. By ruining your Iranian Self you won't
ruin Other Iranians.
I hopeIranians will not fall prey to the hidden agendas of the media
who are lapdogs of certain establishments that want to promote the cultural
dissolution of national identities and create a melting pot race. This
will ultimately serve only the master race namely the only race that has
managed to preserve and re-enforce its identity amongst its likes and has
managed to dissolve other communities that are bound together by culture,
traditions and race and thus will more easily be able to dominate them.
You think this is just a hotchpotch? Do more research.
There was this guy I know who was very good in math and physics. He
decided not to study engineering because he wanted to make a case against
professional occupations such as engineering. So he went into sociology
which he really sucked at. Now he is driving a taxi. I hope he is really
happy now. Some people say so what at least he is in LOVE with what he
is doing. Is he really? I have heard he is still the same angry guy and
is becoming more sarcastic with every passing day.
I am expressing my opinion as a member of the Iranian silent majority
and not the Iranian vocal minority. I claim that because I have had the
opportunity to know many Iranians. But now the majority is afraid of expressing
its opinions because of a bunch of intellectual rebels who are angry at
everything from head to toe.
Mohammad Ali Yamini
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