Ten Questions on Modern Iran

Davoud Arimi

My interview with a Iranian student now living in the US.

1) How many times have you visited Iran since 1997?
I’ve visited three times, most recently three months ago. I moved to the United States in 1995.

2) What differences have you seen in the social and political climate in the past couple of years?

Iranians are more educated, and willing to search for the truth. They’re no longer accepting government sponsored information, but are increasingly turning to satellite dishes and the internet. The availability of internet access, and banned Satellite dishes is quite widespread reaching large groups of the population. Over 62% of university graduates are females who are consistently pushing the limits of society, pushing back the veils, sporting extensive makeup, and demanding equal rights.

3) We hear a lot about a pro-American young population, how widespread are these sentiments towards the US?

The sentiments are widespread throughout Iran whether in the rural or urban subsections. From kids who enter high school and older wherever you go on the cabs, buses, and cafes they are consistently conversing about America. These kids value the freedom that Americans have and they desire the democracy that US has to offer. Similar to Americans they want to make their own decisions based on freedom and democracy. They see the voice suffocating these demands; the Islamic Republic and they see the voice endorsing their demands; the United States. In modern Iran, America has become the Great Saint and the Islamic Republic the Great Satan. For example, while traveling on a bus from Shiraz to Tehran a couple of students who found out I was speaking English with my counterpart told me they wanted to thank the United States for their support and were angry at the world for ignoring what’s going on in Iran.

4) We continuously hear about mass discontent in Iran, how widespread is the discontent?

There is discontent in Iran due to the lack of social freedom, but there are more important reasons. Iran fosters a rampant economy predominately caused by extensive mismanagement from the Clerics. Unemployment in Iran sits at somewhere between twenty and twenty five percent, the government has no future job prospects for an extremely well educated population, giving way to the number one brain drain in the world.

5) Is the discontent regulated to young people?

They are the active voice of a quiet population. They’re the ones coming out in the streets and demonstrating, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s regulated to them. Majority of these kids have parents who are also disenfranchised by the current status quo. The difference is that the young people aren’t scared of demonstrating, while their parents are worried about possible consequences and retribution.

6) How does the general population feel about Khatami?

The majority of the population trusted that he would bring a more open society. He originally spoke of human rights, economic reformation, and social freedom, but he couldn’t or didn’t deliver on those promises. Khatami seems to be much more popular in the West than he is back home in Iran. The western media only recently started reporting disenchantment with Khatami, but according to Iranian sources it’s been ongoing for some years. For the majority of Iranians there is no difference between Khatami and Khamenei ; mere words.. and words don’t mean much. Various groups are calling for mass boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections as a sign of total rejection of the regime; whether Khatami or Khamenei

7) How much influence do you think US based Iranian-American satellite TV has had on the general population?

The influence has been immense. Satellite television has brought the opportunity of hearing the reality of what’s going on across the world.

8) How much support do you feel the present regime has?

I’m sure that there is some support, for example they regularly pull about 15-20% at the polls. The followers of the Islamic Republic are not like Saddam loyalists. The Islamic Republic members are so loyal that immense internal and external pressure has been unable to even put a dent in their ranks for 24 years. These people regularly attack student demonstrators, and serve as ‘moral squads’ in an increasingly modernizing society. However, I’ve noticed that even the people who are very religious are upset at the government, but these people are less likely to complain because of their religious beliefs.

9) Given the opportunity to vote in free and fair elections what kind of government would Iranians likely elect?

I can’t speak for the Iranian nation, but having spoken to hundreds while in Iran, the majority support a Secular Republic. Even the religious clerics I spoke to in Qum said they’d support a return of clerics to mosques. Ayatollah Saadi frequently told me that “there should be no intermeddling of Islam and politics”. But, please don’t mistaken; Iranians are very religious people, and although some the younger generation are moving away from religion they are not shunning Islam altogether, they are reforming Islam. Majority of Iranians want to keep Islam, but separate it from the government. The clerics need to go back to their mosques. Most of these Mullahs are teaching and practicing Islam from one thousand years ago, and while this may be acceptable in places like Saudi Arabia, it’s excessive and quite offensive in Iran.

10) Some have placed hope in the Shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi as the leader of the future Iran, how popular is he?

He’s somewhat popular with the younger generation due to Satellite dishes, and his calls for democracy, secularism, and freedom, but his appeal isn’t widespread. Iranians are nationalists and would much rather a Secular candidate inside the country succeed rather than someone from outside. These radical Muslims were killing Iranian Muslims fighting for everything we have in the West long before 9/11. Iranian Muslims have been fighting for everything the West has to offer including freedom, democracy, human rights and equality for woman and minorities and it’s Radical Muslims who have been trying to suffocate their demands.

Thanks for sharing with us the views of those who are Iranian. :-)