Behind the Veil

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Entry

  Tehran, Iran
Saturday, July 24, 2010

I’m finally out of Iran, and in a place where I can speak more freely.  Let me start with a clear disclaimer:  Everything I write in my blog is reflective only of my own thoughts and observations.  I make no claims to be an expert in anything.  I was only in the country for about 10 days and was by no means able to see and meet everyone in Iran.  I can only base my conclusions on my experiences.  Also, my conclusions are not influenced by or suggested by our tour guide or anyone else.  These words are my own.  Completely.  And let me also say, I stand behind everything I’ve written in all my previous blogs.  While I might have toned down my rhetoric in some cases and avoided sensitive subjects while I was in the country, every single thing I wrote was true as I know it to be and I wrote with complete honesty.  No gilding the lily.  Now that I’m out of the country, and don’t need to fear any false accusations of espionage or anything, I can talk more freely about some other things.


With that said, I feel like Iran is a ticking clock, winding down, or perhaps up, to something significant.  The people in Iran seem eager for change.  No, not just eager, but desperate.  A perfect example:  On my departing flight from Tehran yesterday, I flew from Iran to Rome.  The plane was capable of carrying 195 passengers, and it was a completely full flight.  I would guess that the gender ration was fairly equal, half men and half women.  Of course, in Iran, the headscarf is required by law to be worn by all women in public.  When we boarded the plane, all women were wearing their headscarves, the hijab.  In an almost comical display, the very instant that the door was closed on the plane, a wave of flying headscarves swept the plane.  I got up from my seat shortly before our descent into Rome and made a quick headcount.  When we disembarked, there were 3 women still wearing the headscarf.  Three!!!  out of almost 100 women, only three were still wearing the hijab.  For me, this was perfectly symbolic of the state of things in the Islamic Republic of Iran. 


Who has the power?  For now, not the people.  The power rests in the hands of two groups:  the clerics, led by the Ayatollah Khomeini (Not the old scary looking one, but the new less scary looking one with glasses.  The old one died in 1989 and now resides in a monumental mausoleum) and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which is a military instrument that apparently operates outside of the regular military of Iran. These guys control all the airports, transportation infrastructure, and government installations.  There is another military in Iran that is separate from the Revolutionary Guard, but they are just your ordinary, run of the mill army.  The Revolutionary Guard are akin to SS or Gestapo in Nazi Germany.  In my opinion, they are a band of thugs made up of malleable young men who feel they have no other path in life that will provide them with a modicum of power or respect.  Together with the clerics, they control society here.  Ahmadenijad is just a mouthpiece of these two instruments, and without their complicity, he wouldn‘t be in power. 


In my last blog, I included some headlines from the Iranian newspapers.  As an American, it was pretty discouraging stuff.  The paper seems full of propaganda designed to provide the people of Iran with a clear, distinct enemy.  They need to provide an enemy in order to create fear. They need to create fear because that is the simplest way to control people.  Make them afraid enough, they’ll believe anything and will do anything.  In this regard, Iran is not alone.  The US does this just as effectively by creating deep fear of communism or terrorism.  The difference is that we often fall for it hook, line and sinker despite the fact that we have wide-ranging free media and we‘re not so much being fed propaganda as much as simple ‘spinning‘ of the facts.  The great irony is that in Iran, the propaganda machine is largely ineffective.  The people of Iran HATE their government.  They know that what they are hearing is nothing but lies.  They reject the notion openly that Iran needs nuclear energy. They know the nuclear issue for the farce that it is.  The Iranian government is clearly working towards developing nuclear energy, and most likely working towards something more nefarious.  It’s no secret that Iran has huge facilities.  When crossing the countryside on the way to Tehran, I passed a large facility that is used for the enrichment of uranium.  I’m not a spy, and I didn’t have to be one to figure out what was going on.  We’re talking massive installation surrounded on one side by a range of mountains.  On the remaining three sides, massive earthen burms were constructed.  Anti-aircraft weapons were manned across the entire perimeter.  Outside the perimeter, in huge open desert fields, small burms were constructed, large enough for 5-6 men to hunker down and prepare to engage in hand-to-hand combat if necessary.  Watch posts everywhere.  And coming into the facility:  only three standard power lines.  Now, if this was a plant designed for energy consumption, I would think that it would take a heck of a lot more than 3 power lines.  This is an incredibly fortified complex.  There appeared to be little about it that is innocent.  Maybe I’m wrong.  Maybe I’ve fallen for our own propaganda?  I’m not sure, but the conclusion to be drawn was quite clear to me. 


So, when considering larger geopolitics, what should be done about it?  Honestly, I think at this point, nothing.  Why?  It’s only a matter of time before the Iranian people themselves will rise up and demand change, or the power structure will shift naturally as the older generation dies off.  I’ve never met people more eager for change and more disgruntled.   Iranian society is bursting at the seams, rebelling in every way that they can.  Rap music:  banned.  But played everywhere underground.  Alcohol:  banned.  But still drunk underground.  As I mentioned in previous blogs, women push the limits where they can.  Even though it made me a little uncomfortable at times, people wanted to vent. They wanted to be able to talk about their disdain for the government and it’s policies.  On the last day in Tehran, while at the Archaeological Museum, some Iranians came up to me and one told me that more than 70% of all Iranians were strongly opposed to their government and had a favorable opinion of America.  The Iranian people love America.  They watch our movies and TV, they listen to our music, wear our clothes.  They aspire to our same ideals.  Soon, they will revolt against their government and demand change.  They don’t need our help, they’re already ready in almost every way.  The only thing that needs to change, unfortunately, is that enough people need to overcome their fear of personal harm.  Sadly, I don’t think the revolution will be glorious, bloodless, or velvet in any way.  People will be hurt, people will die.  Those in power will not give it up easily.  If the Iranian people don’t get to the point where they are willing to put their blood on the line, then it will take more time, but it will still happen.  By my guess, the only people who actually support the government, the power of the clerics, and the revolutionary guard, are the older people, over the age of 45 or so, who stayed in the country after the revolution in 1979 and have profited in some way from the current system.  Once these folks die off, the nexus of power will have to shift, and this new generation, made up of the countless people who treated me with such respect and admiration over the last couple of weeks will finally be able to lead a new Iran. 


We should be allies, not enemies.  We have so much to learn from one another, so much potential profit in so many ways.   I’ve traveled to over 60 countries across the world and I’ve never met a people so hospitable, so friendly and welcoming, and so sincere and honest in the way they interact.  The only people who come close are Americans, particularly the fantastic mid-westerns!!  We have so much more in common than the glaring differences between us.  I truly, deeply wish that the respective leaders of our two countries could put everything aside for just a moment and open the doors of dialogue.  The problem is, nobody wants to lose face or lose power.  From my point, though, who really cares if the outcome is peace. 


So, when I set out on this journey, I said that I was doing it because I can.  I said that I was doing it not to challenge or change anyone, but simply to observe and understand.  IN the end, this trip has challenged me in ways I couldn’t imagine.  Teetering between the beauty of the moments I shared with people young and old across the country and the moments of confusing aggression that I faced at places like the former American Embassy in Iran (the building is standing now as a monument to the ‘victory’ of the I.R. of Iran over the ‘Great Satan’ when they held the embassy hostage for 444 days in 1979-80 and ended any hope of diplomacy.  No photos are allowed of the artwork surrounding the embassy, depicting a skull faced Statue of Liberty, a cracked US Capitol Building, and accusing remarks of America as a terrorist nation).  I these moments all challenged me to think about what I know, and what I think.  It’s opened my eyes in so many ways.  This trip has changed me.  I always tell my students and their parents before they travel with me that their children will be changed by travel. And they always are.  Travel does change you by opening your eyes and broadening your perspective.  That’s the beauty of it.  But this trip really changed me in ways that I never imagined.  For the better.  I certainly observed a lot and have reached a deeper level of understanding of so many things, but I’m walking away with so much more than that.  I no longer have any fear of Iran.  The name Iran will no longer be a source of anxiety, will call no more shudders.  Now, Iran will be a word of cautious hope, rich history, beautiful architecture, history, and people. 


This trip was magical in the history I learned, the architecture I walked through and around, the stories I heard from friends I made along the way.  From my new New Zealand friends Saskia, Janet, Jim and Marcia, who exposed me to the varieties of kiwi life and language, made me laugh, held me up when I was down, and taught me so much about how to be good friends and good people.  To Graham, my erstwhile roommate whose calm grace and demeanor in any situation was often the source of awe.  To Lou, whose melodic, Italian voice brought a smile to my face so often. To Laziz, our Uzbek guide who taught me much, inspired me, encouraged me, and became a true friend.  This trip is one that will pay forward in countless ways.  So, in the end, I would say these three things:


1.  Go to Uzbekistan whenever you get a chance.  It is an undiscovered treasure trove.  Don’t be afraid.  It’s a great place.


2.  Don’t believe everything you hear or see on the news about this part of the world.  Don’t let a few bad but powerful people overshadow the millions of good people.  Even if you don’t ever go to Iran, have solidarity with the people and have hope for their future. 


3.  The world is out there, life is happening everywhere.  There are incredible differences among us.  There are strange foods, bizarre customs, uncomfortable environments, confusing beliefs.  But, beneath (or above) it all, we are all the same.  In whatever way that you can, get out there and be a part of it. 


I’m not done yet.  I still have a few adventures left in me this summer.  My posts will be less regular, I’m probably going to slow down a little bit before I head back home.  But please, keep the comments coming, ask questions, let me know if there are things you’d like me to talk about.  I know I’ve gotten a little serious in my last few blogs, but I really have been having a lot of fun as well.  As you can imagine, this last little bit has elicited more contemplation on my part.  But anyway, I’m writing this blog as much for you as for me, so let me know what you want to hear.  As for me, for now, I’m just happy to be in Europe again, where things are a little more comfortable, a little more familiar, and I feel a little closer to home.  Until next time…

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