Persian Mosaic, Dave Devine, Tucson Weekly
Tired of being viewed as camel jockeys and potential terrorists, the Iranian community in Tucson formed the Iranian Association of Arizona in 1996 to help correct American misconceptions. The 1978 seizure of the American embassy in Tehran, writes Dave Devine in the Tucson Weekly, inaugurated a bias in the minds of many Americans that still exists. Diplomatic relations--which were severed as a result of the seizure--have still not been restored, a reason perhaps why many Iranians are still viewed with suspicion in this country. However, many Iranians--in Tucson and elsewhere--favor restoring relations and bridging the gap between the two cultures. As Mohammad Ehsani, a civil engineering professor at the University of Tucson put it, 'I hope Americans realize that a majority of Iranians still hold Americans in a very good light and consider them as their friends and allies and really would welcome a normalization of relations between the two countries.'
--Anjula Razdan
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