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Essays, Opinion, & Commentary |
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July 2001
by David Yeagley, Ph.D.
When angry Tehranian revolutionaries cried "Death to America" in November 1979, I was emotionally charged. A religious person like myself takes moral rebuke to heart. I was spellbound by Iran's outrage against my country. Patriot that I am, Iran's cries made me want to know what -- if anything -- we Americans had done wrong. I felt a moral obligation to Iran, so I studied the situation, and wrote about it. Finally, I went there exactly twenty years later, in November 1999, to lecture at the University of Tehran, and at Ferdowsi University in Masshad. During my trip, on November 4, I saw schoolchildren parading in the streets of Masshad, observing the annual "Campaign Against Global Arrogance" day. The boys dressed as revolutionaries, with bright bandanas, and the girls wore black hejobs (robes). They carried banners with slogans, and they still shouted, "Death to America!" But I wasn't offended by this empty, bootless cry. I'd been in Iran only two days, yet already the people had shown me the truth about their feelings towards the United States. "Dr. Yeagley, we love America!" they said. When the people found out I was American, they made special efforts to show the warmest affection. They said they loved me for coming all the way over there, so they could tell me how they really felt: "Please tell everyone over there that we love them!" I met this same feeling out in the villages and towns of eastern Iran, like Neshabur and Torbat-e Heydariyeh. It was incredible, yet I wasn't surprised. I was just deeply satisfied, because I knew all along it must be true. America still considers Iran a rogue nation, since certain wealthy Iranian leaders sponsor terrorism throughout the world. Most Iranian religious leaders still articulate a mean attitude toward the U.S., in spite of President Khatami's sincere attempts to continue the "Dialogue of Civilizations," the educational program created in 1974 by Her Imperial Majesty, Farah Diba Pahlavai. Twenty years later, Ayatollah Khamenei decreed there was still no reason for Iran and the United States to have "normal" relations. "Faith and piety are spiritual factors of power and spiritual power will prevail throughout history," he proclaimed (Iran Daily, Nov.14, 1999). His people struggle daily to secure the bare necessities of life, while religious leaders luxuriate in the privileges of power. Former president Rafsanjani, for instance, used his power to gain control over the Persian carpet export business. Iranian people deeply resent this, but they have no power to protest. They are kept too busy surviving, and people are still punished if they publicly object to their leadership. But I never heard criticism of America while I was in Iran. There wasn't a mention of sanctions. At a dinner honoring world famous heart surgeon Hossein Sadeghi, I did hear the doctor quietly lament the fact that one nation can't seem to prosper except at the expense of another. He said it to me personally, so I knew he must have meant America. But the way he said it purposely included Western civilization. Taking this to heart, I encouraged young Iranians to study America's problems, because Iran faces the same, especially the issue of separation of church and state. "You are the children of emperors," I said. "Surely, you can discover better ways. America is a youngster in the world. We still struggle with freedom. You are America's older brother." Ancient people are indeed capable of learning new ways. Mohammad Bajher Zolfagharian is president of the new Baseball Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. "There's nothing un-Islamic about baseball," he said. The game was officially sanctioned two years ago. This example shows how Iranians love America. And I'm one American who loves Iran. I asked Iran's doctoral students why they thought I had come here. A young woman spoke: "Dr. Yeagley, you see yourself in us." She is right. The son of a Comanche mother, and a Puritan father, the genetic programming of a heathen warrior, and the heir of a distant, ancient Judeo-Christian religion. This mix is similar to the Iranians: genes of ancient Persian emperors, and heirs of a foreign, Arabic religion. My last day in Masshad, at the University of Ferdowsi, I brought out my Comanche flute. Earliest Comanche tradition allowed only one occasion to play the flute, and that was when a man wanted to charm the heart of a young girl. But, in this case, the object of my affection was Iran herself. "I love you!" I told the students.
Dr. David A. Yeagley teaches humanities at the College of Liberal Studies, University of Oklahoma. His opinions are independent. He holds degrees from Yale, Emory, Oberlin, University of Arizona and University of Hartford. He is a member of the Comanche Tribe, Lawton, OK. E-mail him at badeagle2000@yahoo.com. Feel free to respond to this article in The Radical Academy Forum.
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