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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Warmth for Americans in Once Hostile Tehran [as long as no police around] |
| 2008-02-18 |
| When the shah ruled Iran, the Westernized elite enjoyed Hollywood movies at a small theater in the center of the city. Today, that theater is an Islamic cultural center and a meeting place for fundamentalists. So it was a bit of a surprise that in the gift shop, where almost everything was infused with a religious theme, the best-selling items last week were American children’s movies: “Rugrats Go Wild,” “Meet the Robinsons” and “The Incredibles.” All bootlegged, of course, and each for $1.50. Hey! I paid $19.99 for that! “Yes, we sell a lot of these,” said the America’s image in the Middle East is as low as it has ever been. With the occupation of Iraq; the Israeli bombing of Lebanon; and Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay, the United States has been cited in polls as the gravest threat to peace in the region. But Iran is different, even the Iran of someone like Mr. Gorbani, who works in a fundamentalist gift shop. |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #5 The Iranian father of trailing daughter #2's best friend, who's Baha'i, went back to visit only two years ago, with no problems. He'd wanted to take his two daughters, too, but their American mother somehow wasn't able to get new passports in time... |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-02-18 20:55 |
| #4 “I think the problem we have with the Americans is the way Americans perceive Iran as a threat, as a rogue state,” said Masoumeh Ebtekar, a Tehran city council member who served as spokeswoman for the students who seized the United States Embassy and 66 hostages in 1979. “This perception has to change. I believe if they understand who we really are, the basis for reconciliation will be based on respect and equality.” A "rogue state"? Geez, Ms. American Hostage Taker Spokesperson Elected to the Tehran City Council, why ever would we think that. Thanks for the lecture though. I'll bet the Times guy ate it up... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-02-18 15:38 |
| #3 Ordinary Iranians like Americans so much that they'd like to get a nuke that they can then hand over to terrorists so they can nuke an American city. I think it's more accurate to say that they - like many societies in the Orient - are too polite to say how they really feel to New York times reporters. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2008-02-18 15:25 |
| #2 they likely know several Iranian-American family members. There was quite a bit of movement back and forth in the Shah's days |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-02-18 09:22 |
| #1 I can't help but think that they don't actually like Americans, they like the people that they see in movies. How many actual Americans do they know (that aren't card-carrying journalists)? |
| Posted by: gromky 2008-02-18 09:19 |