Personality of a Nation

Can an airport tell you about a nation? Probably not. Heathrow is so chaotic that I believe it is not representative of Great Britain. Most countries put their best foot forward when it comes to visitors making their entry into a nation. There are exceptions- Linda tells me that her experience of the airport in Madrid was very unique. One airline did not post the country or city of destination on a electronic sign at the gate or on a comprehensive arrival/departure screen. She tells of passengers going from gate to gate asking if this is where such and such a plane will be departing. Is this plane heading for Amsterdam she asks the airline staff at the gate? All ignore the young woman who kneels down in the door way to the ramp and changes her baby’s diaper! People stayed congenial.

Nations seem to have personalities too. In central America, El Salvador has a distinctly different personality than Guatemala or Honduras. Most countries pride themselves on their perceived attributes. I know of one county in Europe that looks down on its neighbor because it has electric and telephone poles instead of underground cable.

Someone told us to immediately get acquainted with the people when we enter a country. The warmth, industry, cleanliness, and family orientation can tell you a lot. If a culture is friendly and warm and hospitable to guests, then this says something about the possibility of that nation for the future. It suggests a way that other nations might relate to that culture in order for better understanding.

I think this holds for our experience in Iran. We have told you of the friendliness of the people on our plane trip coming to Iran. It was striking. People seem genuinely open and friendly when they ask where we are from. I have experienced no initial reaction of hostility because I am an American. If they did feel that because I am a Christian I am ritually unclean, they keet that to themselves. If they felt strongly about American foreign policy they certainly did not or do not link it to me or to Americans in general. I have many times had men get up and give me their seat on the bus and on the metro (in Tehran). Why? Because I was a stranger in their country; a guest.

What I believe is that when a people are this warm and open then they are open at the grass roots level to accept a different view of America. Their view is not set in stone. In many ways it is as restricted to mystery and hearsay as is ours is of Iran.

I hope you hear that in spite of the great mistrust between America and Iran there is possibility. Here, in general, are the things that Iranian people believe that makes it hard to like America.

First, people believe that we are treating them unfairly. They believe that they have the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. They see it as an issue of fairness and the common person from professor to cab driver to student to laborer believes that the only purpose for nuclear power is to make electricity. This is what I read in the English Language newspaper. This is what is said on TV and by the government. They do not understand that our distrust is due to the way their government supports organizations we call terrorist, and oks their revolutionary rhetoric. They only see us in Iraq and not helping the Palestinians.

Second, they forget about the US Embassy take over and minimize its importance. In a nation where 2/3 of the people are under 30 years old, this is ancient history.

Third, they see America as the cause of the overthrow by the CIA of their elected government in 1953. This is very big to them.

Fourth, they see us as the link to colonialism; most recently British. They see America as having taken over the meddling in Iranian affairs from the British. Older Iranians still blame many misfortunes on the crafty British coming in and causing things to happen. For better or worse we are seen as the latest colonialist power wanting to take the resources of the country and not giving anything back in return. They saw the Shah and his friends making money off of oil but not giving it to the people.

Finally, the newspapers seem to always be concerned about the prestige of Iran. The papers talk about this accomplishment and that accomplishment and there is little said about failures. Every delegation from another country visiting and honoring Iran is spoken of in their newspapers and on TV.

The backbone of the country is the merchant and trader. This is a country of small businesses and shops. One business trades in light bulbs and extension cords. Another company sells purified water only. Another has produce. The person who labors believes that certain government agencies are economically favorable to a few. Those who live in wealthier north Tehran have one view of human rights and those in working class south Tehran have another view. Many in south Tehran believe that the more conservative life style of Muslim countries is appropriate and this lifestyle structure is very much bred into the system. They like this while also finding themselves very angry when they see nothing happening regarding economic reform as promised by elected officials. This group is nationalistic and conservative and less concerned about getting their political view across than having prosperity come to the nation. Most people think America must be a very violent country and dangerous to live in yet at the same time think we are very powerful. They think every American citizen has the pull to get things done. We all know that there are ways to influence government but Iranians in general give us too much credit.

Iranians are much more upfront about religion being a big part of the life of the country. Even if a person is not devout they expect the public domain to be dominated by talk of religion. They may not like the way a religious leader handles things but they expect them to be in leadership. In Iran the religious establishment is the central source of power in the government.

Iranians marvel at the number of churches we have in the US, but wonder how religious a nation we are. People ask if our friend back home really believe in God. They are very bewildered by the disparity between our beliefs and our actions as Christians. They have little understanding of the nuances of Christian belief. Sound familiar? We have a hard time sorting out actions of Muslims from their beliefs and we have uncertainty about the many religious voices we hear and the very different emphases Muslims have. What is a Shia Muslim; what is a Sunni Muslim? Why cannot Shia and Sunni Muslims get along? “They believe the same thing don’t they,” we might ask? The tension among different Muslims is very real and goes back centuries.

An American professor told Linda and myself recently that if you visit Iran and are here a week you think you can write a book on the country. If you are hear a month you think you can write an article about Iran. If you are here a year you realize that you might be able to tell stories about your experiences but you hold off on writing.

I am clear about one thing, Iranian people wish American’s good will. Yes, maybe a second thing; American and Iran have been so isolated from each other sense the Iranian Revolution in 1979 that we know little about each other. This is dangerous when you have as much power as the US holds. It is dangerous when we want to see effective and life-giving use of our influence. There are many view points within this experiment in government in Iran. It is partly a theocracy and partly a democracy with a long history of diplomacy. Finding ways to get acquainted as peoples is in everyone’s interest.