Rumor of Attack

Rumor of Attack

The Economist, a British political newsmagazine, titled their February 10, 2007 issue “Next Stop Iran?” and objected, as an editorial position, to any hint of a war with Iran, fearing that such action would cause the Iranian people to stand closer to a government they have slowly yet consistently been edging away from.

“The idea for attacking another country for peace and democracy is simply absurd,” Ataei said. “Let’s not forget what happened in Iraq. You can’t attack another nation and expect the people to thank you for it.”

At one point in history, the Iranian government had established a democracy like those in the Western world, but the democracy did not last long after being thwarted by the United States government. During World War II, the USSR and Britain deposed of Reza Shah, king of Iran from 1925 to 1941, who they thought would ally Iran with the Axis powers. Reza Shah’s son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who was believed to be sympathetic to the West, then took power.

In 1953, the Shah faced an attempted revolution, fled the country, temporarily making Iran a democratic nation. Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh was elected, nationalized Iran’s oil fields, and had command of the army. American and British intelligence agencies, in the form of the CIA and MI6 forces, conducted a coup d’etat, which removed Mossadegh and reinstated Pahlavi, shattering Iran’s chance for a democracy.

Ataei commented on the intentions of western countries that claim they want to bring peace to Iran.

“The governments of these countries that are supposed to bring us democracy don’t really give a damn about us,” Ataei said. “They are after their own interests, and to them, a democratic government is a government that listens to what they say. If there is to be democracy in Iran it’s up to the Iranian people, not the west.”

Ali explained that if Iran was to be attacked by the United States the people would defend their country without considering the politics. He compared the country’s increased sense of nationalism to the period during the Iran-Iraq War.

The Iran-Iraq War was caused by border disputes and Iran’s demand for the removal of Saddam Hussein’s regime. The war lasted from 1980 to 1988.

“In the Iran-Iraq War, many people volunteered to go to war, but they didn’t support the government,” Ali said. “They saw Iran under attack and saw a need to defend their country—nationalism will pick up, they will face whatever country is going to try to attack Iran…If the U.S. attacks Iran, the people will make a decision. They’re not going to cheer for the invading forces.”

On hearing about assertions made that Iran is on the brink of revolution, Mohammed defended his country’s unity.

“This is unbelievable that the Iranian people are not behind their government,” Mohammed said. “Our people are fully behind our government, and this is what America and Israel fear. We are friends with the people of the United States, but if the government wants to bring our name down, we will not sit and let this happen.”

When Ashkahn Jahromi, a first-year student at UCSC and second-generation Iranian, was asked what he thinks of Iran, he spoke of Iran’s history and culture, two aspects of Iran that are rarely mentioned in the media.

To Jahromi, Iran was the Cyrus Cylinder, a Babylonian cuneiform dating back to 530 B.C. with an account of Cyrus, king of Persia from 539-530 B.C. engraved on it; Persepolis, the capital of the Iran’s second dynasty and the setting of the country’s 2,500 year celebration; Omar Khayyam, the Persian poet who authored the Rubaiyat; Mossadegh, Iran’s prime-minister in the early 1950’s who instilled democracy; and Chelow Kabob, a national dish of Iran consisting of rice and kabob.

“I’m sick of being asked, ‘What do kids do for fun in Iran?” Jahromi said. “They do the exact same things we do here, they play sports, they play video games. The similarities are rarely shown in the media because that would strike too close to home. People are much more willing to fight a country made up entirely of extremists.”

But Fareedeh said that Iran is not the only country with problems, and not the only country with people who want change.

“I don’t think any society is ideal for either men or women,” Fareedeh said. “There is much that needs to be changed, and I am sure that you want some things changed in your society too. The path is open in Iran, but passage is difficult.”