Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to dehumanize these people is wrong. I wanted to put a human face on “collateral dam-
age.”
Young couples—regardless of their presidents—share the same basic dreams and aspira-
tions the world over.
It's not easy finding a middle ground between the “Great Satan” and the “Axis of
Evil.” Some of their policies and statements (such as their leader denying the Holocaust)
are just plain wrong. But I don't entirely agree with many policies in my own government,
either. Yes, there are evil people in Iran. Yes, the rhetoric and policies of Iran's leaders can
be objectionable. But there is so much more to Iran than the negative image drummed into
us by our media and our government.
I left Iran impressed more by what we have in common than by our differences. Most
Iranians, like most Americans, simply want a good life and a safe homeland for their loved
ones. Just like my country, Iran has one dominant ethnic group and religion that's strug-
gling with issues of diversity and change—liberal versus conservative, modern versus tra-
ditional, secular versus religious. As in my own hometown, people of great faith are sus-
picious of people of no faith or a different faith. Both societies seek a defense against
the onslaught of modern materialism that threatens their traditional “family values.” Both
