Editorial – Persian Heritage #78, Summer 2015- Shahrokh Ahkami
On May 23, 2015, Senator Lindsey Graham a well known United States Senator and possible candidate for the presidency of the United States, made an outrageous statement about Iranians which was broadcasted in Washington, D.C. and his words were “I grew up in Central, South Carolina near Clemson University. My family owned a restaurant, pool room and a liquor store and everything I know about Iranians, I learned at the pool room. I ran the pool room when I was a kid and I met a lot of liars and I know that the Iranians are liars.”
Because of this statement influential Iranian American organizations have protested and demanded an apology from Senator Graham. These organizations requested that all Iranians not stand silent on this matter, but join the protest in protection of their integrity.
The question I have is what made Senator Graham make such an outlandish, unfair and bias statement. One could reason that he hoped to attract a vote and appease his listeners, showing them that he is an experienced, trustworthy leader and therefore qualified to run for the presidency.
His statement remains a puzzle to me. How is it that a promising 59 year old Senator, who claims he has worked hard his entire life and sacrificed for his country with military service was able to gather enough information and life experience from a pool room in rural South Carolina (a place he worked a few decades ago) to form such a harsh and nonfactual opinion of ALL Iranians? Those he calls liars include, men, women, children, teenagers, old and young. It puzzles me that he made these statements without any explanation on the how’s and why’s of his conclusion. Senator Graham can you justify this statement? If they lied why? If they lied, who? And how many lied? Did you meet all the Iranians in the world at that time. Since then how many of the now seventy five to seventy-six millions of Iranians have you met? I am simply flabbergasted by your uneducated remark and seriously question your integrity and leadership qualities. Do you or rather are you truly willing to call seventy –five to seventy-six million Iranians, hyphenated or not, crooks and liars?
What makes your statement, senator Graham, even more ridiculous and self serving is the fact that I am certain as a senator you have had the opportunity to meet distinguished and respected Iranian-Americans at the White House, in Congress and other venues. Have you met Faryar Shirzad who formerly served on the National Security Counsel at the White House from 2003 to 2006 and who served as Special Assistant to the President of Economic Affairs and then Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Internal and Economic Affairs? Have you Senator Graham met Ferial Gouashiri, personal secretary of President Obama? Have you Senator Graham, had the good fortune to have met the first Iranian-American female and first American female to be given an ambassadorship to Sweden, Azita Raji? Have you Senator Graham had the distinguished honor to have met Dr. Cyrus Amir Mokri, former Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions of the United States Treasury? Have you had the delightful opportunity to meet Ms. Goli Ameri who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs? Or, have you met Susie Nemazee the wife of Sir Peter Westmacotts, the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to the United States? Have you ever met the first private sector female to make a trip into space, Anoushen Ansari? These people, Senator Graham, are just a small starting point of individuals representing the pride of Iranian-Americans, who you have ungraciously called LIARS. If you have not met these individuals and the majority of other Iranians, I hope you will make it your mission to do so. Only then will you understand the gravity and miscalculation of your statement.
I am certain that as a potential candidate for the presidency of the United States and as a senator, that you were obligated to research and understand the demographics of the immigrants to the United States. I remember you as the champion of the Bi-partisan committee on comprehensive immigration. If you do not know the following let me share some statistics regarding the population of Iranian-Americans you easily call liars. According to extrapolated 2,000 and 2010 United States Census data, subsequent reports and other independent survey analyses carried out by think tanks, Iranians are the most educated, most contributing, most taxpaying and most law abiding immigrants that the United States has ever witnessed.
An estimated 1.5 million Iranian-Americans live in the United States (2012) with the largest concentration being in the greater the Los Angeles area. Twenty percent live in Beverly Hills. Other large communities of Iranians are found in Northern New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C, Boston, MA, and Houston and Dallas, TX.
Iranian communities are religiously diverse and have representation in the following religions: Armenian-Assyrian Christians, Muslims, Jews, Zoroastrians, Baha’is, Mystics, Spiritualists and Humanists.
Fifty- nine point two percent of Iranian born, per the Census in 2000, have achieved a bachelor or higher degree in comparison to twenty-four per cent of the total of other foreign born. And, one in four have a masters or doctoral degree. This is the highest rate among sixty-seven groups ever studied.
Per the Small Business Bureau (SBA) Iranian immigrants are among the top twenty immigrant groups with the highest rate of business ownership contributing substantially to the United States economy.
One of every two Iranian-Americans have household incomes that exceed $100,000 dollars, compared to one in five for the overall United States population.
According to a study by MIT, Iranian scientists, engineers and businesses in the United States own or manage around one trillion dollars and are eminently present in every sector of society.
Presently there are ten thousand physicians of Iranian heritage working in the United States who own practices and/or work in medical institutions, universities and other institutions.
As mentioned earlier they are the most law abiding of all ethnic groups with the lowest rate of allegations or even convictions for major, misdemeanors or minor crimes in America and therefore ranks as the lowest ever for any community of immigrants in United States history.
It is also estimated the total number of professors with Iranian heritage teaching and researching in higher education venues, is approaching ten thousand. One would be hard pressed to find a single American university or college, where one or more Iranian professors is not serving. What is most striking is the majority (seventy-five percent) of these 10,000 professors serve in the top 200 of the 4,000 universities and colleges in the nation.
These Senator Graham are impressive statistics for a lying population. And if they are not enough, other liars of the Iranian and Iranian-American population work with pride in NASA and were instrumental in the Mars space mission. Do you not remember President Obama expressing his gratitude to Bobak Ferdowsi who contributed to the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity mission. These liars are also found at high ranking positions of ownership and development positions at Google, Microsoft, Apple, YouTube, Drop Box and Oracle, etc.
Senator Graham since the first day I arrived with my family, as an immigrant to the United States in 1969, I have been a dedicated Republican party member. In spite of many mistakes, through the years, that some of the leadership of the Republican Party have made, I remain committed to its principals.
I would like to tell you about another Iranian-American who falls under your description of a liar and that is me. My family immediately assimilated into our new home. I am a practicing physician as an obstetrician and gynecologist. In addition I am the editor of Persian Heritage magazine, a bilingual magazine established to educate both Iranians (second and third generations) and non Iranians on the true Iranian culture, history and achievements. We also hope that this is a positive mechanism to counter the negative press against all Iranians, resulting from the rhetoric and decisions made by Iranian regime leaders.
I am proud to report that my wife (an interior designer) and I raised three daughters, one a dermatologist, one a Fordham Law School graduate and the other a well known artist and graduate of Georgetown Law School. Two of them are married to physicians, a dermatologist and a spinal surgeon and the third to a banker and graduate of Princeton University. They have children who are being raised with principals and respect. They have been taught, as my wife and I have always felt, to give back to a country whose citizens are gracious, noble, generous and kind. I believe they are on the path of greatness. Could you possibly look my wife, my children, my son-in-laws and my grandchildren in the eyes and call them LIARS!?
Senator Graham after having read this editorial can you actually believe that seventy–five to seventy-six million Iranians, hyphenated or not are still all LIARS? Perhaps I should refresh your memory back to 9/11, a dreadful day. Iranians in Iran were the first group to hold a candlelight visual honoring the fallen. They showed the world their deep respect and admiration for Americans.
Senator Graham earlier I stated that your remarks were perhaps made to please the enemies of Iran. But understand that speaking non truths against an entire population, Iranian or other, will leave unnecessary scars on its youth. Acts and words must be carefully chosen and thought out, because they can never ever really be retracted. Senator Graham, as a political leader and candidate for the presidency of the United States, feel free to insult any foreign government leader you desire, but separate the people from the governments. They are not your enemies.
Senator Graham we as voting citizens of the United States are use to being promised, “lied to,” during campaigns. When elected the percentage of promises kept is unfortunately low. Does that make you and your fellow politicians liars? And if so would it be right for me to call all Americans and politicians liars? I don’t believe so. A liar is one of the gravest adjectives one can use to describe an individual. Unfortunately it is a term that is used far too generously amongst politicians, it should not be used as a Persian expression states, “in a conciliatory manner.”
It takes a brave and honorable person to stand up and admit a mistake. It takes even a stronger, braver and honorable person to make a public apology. I hope you are the stronger, braver and honorable person and deliver to the Iranian-Americans and Iranians all over the world a true, NOT CONCILIATORY apology.