Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
explained that these slabs marked bodies of unidentii ed heroes. Mothers
whose sons were never found came here to mourn.
I left the cemetery sorting through a jumble of thoughts:
How oceans of blood were shed by both sides in the Iran-Iraq War—a
war of aggression waged by Saddam Hussein and Iraq (with American sup-
port) against Iran.
How invasion is nothing new for this mighty and historic nation. (When
I visited the surprisingly humble National Museum of Archaeology in Tehran,
the curator apologized, explaining that the art treasures of his country were
scattered in museums throughout Europe and the West.)
How an elderly, aristocratic Iranian woman had crossed the street to look
me in the eye and tell me, “We are proud, we are united, and we are strong.
When you go home, please tell your people the truth.”
How, with a reckless military action, this society could be set ablaze
and radicalized. h e uniquely Persian mix of delightful shops, university
students with lofty career aspirations, gorgeous young adults with groomed
eyebrows and perfect nose
jobs, hope, progress, hard
work, and the gentle people
I encountered here in Iran
could so easily and quickly
be turned into a i ery hell
of dysfunctional cities,
torn-apart families, wail-
ing mothers, newly empow-
ered clerics, and radicalized
people.
My visit to the cem-
etery drove home a feeling
that had been percolating
throughout my trip. h ere
are many things that Americans justii ably i nd outrageous about the Iranian
government—from supporting Hezbollah, i nancing Iraqi resistance to
the US occupation there, and making threats against Israel; to oppressing
women and gay people; to asserting their right to join the world's nuclear
club. And yet, no matter how strongly we want to see our demands met by
Iran, we must pursue that aim carefully. What if our saber-rattling doesn't
How has this boy's loss shaped his worldview?