As a patriotic
American with proud Persian heritage, I have followed with much exhilaration the
recent travel to Iran by the presidents of the six national American
universities. In an increasingly tumultuous juncture of the clashes of
civilizations and as exacerbated with the threat of weapons of mass
destructions, it is the cultural and [higher] educational exchanges, as was
prevalent between Iran and the U.S. before 1979, that are ever more crucial if
we are genuinely committed to the independently indigenous reforms in Iran and
the U.S. and regaining our credibility worldwide. The lingering rhetorical
sloganeering by governments aside, people everywhere, including the 70 million
Iranians (three quarter of whom were incidentally born after the 1979
revolution) aspire to leave behind a more secure world with quality of life for
their children. Despite impeding socio-political and economic challenges from
within, and hegemonic geostrategic interferences from without, Iranian people
continue to rank high among the most educated (literacy rate> %80) and vibrant
nations in the family of the nations in southwest Asia. Such uplifting
people-to-people dialogues, as facilitated through the faculty and student
exchanges between the U.S. and Iran, is the prudent option if we are truly
committed to moving beyond the current rhetorical hostilities and insecurities
into a sane ambiance of common purpose that benefits both peoples and brings a
much needed sustainable level of geopolitical stability to the Near East region.
After all, irrespective of the type of government in Iran, this nation has
resiliently survived through several millennia of existence, while contributing
immensely toward the human civilization as a whole. In fact, and as
reported by the American higher education leadership ranks including earlier
visits by the U.S. presidents of the National Academies of Science, Engineering
and Medicine, nearly 60% of the 2 million Iranian college students are women;
the percentage of women is even higher for those majoring in medicine, science
and engineering, but not necessarily in law due to a theocratic interpretation
of Islamic juris prudence limiting women to serve as judges. That said,
however, the ludicrous notion by the ultraconservatives to impose a 50-50-gender
quota for college entrance was immediately rescinded when the populace
succinctly opposed it in Iran. Furthermore, the Stanford University [Electrical
and Computing Engineering] graduate programs and many other tire one
universities have steadily been stocked with some of the brightest Iranians who
have completed their undergraduate education in institutions such as Sharif
University of Technology, the major host institute of the American presidents in
their recent sojourns; after all, the exquisite hospitality of the Persians, as
narrated through the tales of the
Sheherazade &
One Thousand and One Nights, recited in the Quatrains of Omer
Kahyam and in the lyrical 60,000 verses of their national epic Shahnameh
of Ferdoiwsi, is the divine receptions the group of six presidents must have
received. Ironically, the acquisition of F-1 student visas for Iranians has
unreasonably been restricted, particularly post-September 11 (no Iranian
national has ever been implicated, accused or convicted), despite the fact that
Iranian students and their parents spontaneously poured by the hundreds of
thousands into the street of major cities including Tehran candlelight vigil to
express their sympathy with the American people. More than 65,000
Iranian students who mostly stayed in the U.S. post 1979 Iranian revolution have
served as the critical cluster that has now led to nearly one million affluent
and highly educated Americans of Iranian heritage. Their contribution to the
U.S. annual economic growth is estimated in several hundred billion dollars. In
fact, every major university in the U.S., Canada, and most European schools has
a number of professors of Iranian heritage. Prominent Iranian-Americans,
especially those in the academe could distinctively serve as the bridge between
their ancestral motherland Iran, and their adopted Promised Land-the
U.S., as they truly understand the commonalities of both nations. Both
countries are better served when clear, unbiased and honest exchange of ideas in
the spirit of friendship and cooperation leaves behind a failing ear of siege
circumvention and asymmetric subjugation. Davood N. Rahni,
Ph.D. Professor of
Chemistry Pace University, New
York
www.DrRahni.com Adjunct Professor of
Dermatology, New York Medical College Note: These are
the recent visitors to Iran: The university
presidents traveling to Iran are: Jared Cohon, Carnegie Mellon University; David
Leebron, Rice University; J. Bernard Machen, University of Florida; C. D. Mote,
Jr., University of Maryland, College Park; David Skorton, Cornell University;
and Larry Vanderhoef, University of California, Davis.
