Ahmadinejad in New York: The Insolence Factor
The chatter surrounding Ahmadinejad’s visit to the United States simply won’t stop, so at risk of ignoring the gigantic fil in the room, here are my immediate thoughts. Firstly, the president should pay heed to Hugo Chavez’s PR tactics. That particular populist manages to capture international headlines and warm the hearts of anti-globalization college students with far more flair. The notion that there are no gay people in Iran is untellably absurd, and worst of all, is offensive without a point.
Also distressing was the insulting opening address of Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. This may not be the most original point to make, but I think his nastiness carried an undercurrent of racism. Were Bollinger introducing a European official, however controversial or despotic (say a Le Pen or his ilk), I hardly believe he would have spoken in the terms he reserved for President Ahmadinejad. That degree of insolence, which is also offensive without a point, is reserved for figures from the Arab and Islamic world. It brings to mind the needlessly uncivil way in which Mike Wallace dealt with Ahmadinejad. If I were an armchair psychologist, I would surmise that people like Bollinger are subconsciously pleased to be dealing with someone like Ahmadinjead, as it gives them an opportunity to say unspeakable things to an Iranian and disguise it as frankness in the face of evil, or someother such bollocks.
The Columbus Dispatch: Hate Mongering in the Midwest
The very excellent National Iranian American Council (NIAC) headed by my friend Trita Parsi yesterday alerted us that a publication called the Columbus Dispatch on Tuesday published a political cartoon depicting Iran as a sewer and Iranians as cockroaches. I must admit the crudity of the racism sort of took my breath away. I used to have this rather charming childhood memory of being frightened by the flying cockroaches that would make periodic appearances in the Tehran bathrooms of old. Now the insect will always remind me of this horrid, hateful cartoon. I wonder whether the editors of the Columbus Dispatch are aware that after Sept. 11, Iranians held a candelight vigil in the streets of Tehran, while others across the Middle East cheered and passed out pastry.
Intimidation In Tehran
On a sunny day earlier this summer, I took my 8-month-old baby boy Hourmazd for a walk in the foothills of Tehran’s Alborz Mountains. Families and young people crowded the tree-lined path ahead, chatting leisurely and snacking on crepes and barbecued corn. As I pushed the stroller along, a policewoman in a black chador blocked my way. She fingered my plain cotton head scarf, pronounced it too thin and directed me toward a parked minibus. It took a full minute for me to realize that she meant to arrest me. “I’ve been wearing this veil for over five years,” I pleaded. “Surely it can’t be that unacceptable?” My husband soon caught up with us and began berating the policewoman for harassing a young mother. The commotion drew the attention of a bearded superior officer, who came over to inspect me. “The problems are not few,” he said, frowning at my sleeves, which fell a few inches above my unsteady wrists. He ordered me to sign a ta’ahod, a commitment that I would not repeat my mistake. “Now go home,” he said. “Go home, and don’t come back.”