jon@ghaffaris.com

For over thirty years, Ferdowsi, the author of the epic Shanameh, fought to keep the Persian spirit, language and culture alive.  Over a 1000 years ago he realzied the danger we faced from the illiterate and unsophisticated Arab invaders.  Not only did he try to keep our culture alive, but in the process tried to instill some into the band of backward Bedoiun group.  Now, a thousand years later, and in particular 30 years after the second invasion of the Arab hoard, we again face one of the famous verses of Ferdowsi, where he says "Basee ranj bordam dar een sale see, ajam zendeh kardam bedeen parsi". translation: I fought for thirty years to keep the persian language alive".  We are once again at the crossroads.  He fought for 30 years to keep the Persian language alive and in the process gave the world a literary work, that tops if not equates the works of Homer, Chaucer, Shakespear, and Hawthorne, to name just a few.  It is now our turn.  Thirty years have gone by since the dreadful Islamic Revolution. and the great Iranian people have once again risen against Ahreeman or Satan.  Perhaps the number 30 has a mystical meaning to our Iranain psyche.  I am confident we will make Ferdowsi proud and save his country from the second Arab invasion.