Kourosh Ziabari
Tehran Times
November 1, 2012
U.S. journalist and photographer Nile Bowie says U.S. citizens know very little about daily life in Iran, adding that the realities on the ground in the country are different than what is being presented by Western media outlets.
Q: Nile, it's the first time that you're visiting Iran. What's your impression of the country and its people?
Q:
How much different was Iran from what the mainstream media portray of
it? How much have your perceptions of Iran changed since you entered the
country? The Western media depict Iran as a deserted, isolated and
uncivilized country, but many of those who visit Iran come to realize
that the reality is quite different. What's your viewpoint?
Q: Which cities and provinces have you visited? Which of the tourist attractions and cultural sites fascinated you the most?
Q:
Despite having unpleasant memories of the U.S. government meddling in
the internal affairs of their country or supporting dictators in the
Pahlavi era, backing Saddam Hussein during the 8-year war of 1980s and
funding terrorist groups such as MKO or Jundallah to create unrest and
instability in the country, Iranians have always welcomed opportunities
to interact with the American people. Is this something that you could
witness and acknowledge?
Q: What will you tell your readers about Iran when you return home?
Tehran Times
November 1, 2012
U.S. journalist and photographer Nile Bowie says U.S. citizens know very little about daily life in Iran, adding that the realities on the ground in the country are different than what is being presented by Western media outlets.
“Keeping American society fearful of Iran is key to manipulating
the general public into accepting the immoral barrage of economic
sanctions and possible military operations taken against the country in
the future,” Nile Bowie said in a recent interview with the Tehran
Times.
He is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and writes for the Canadian Center for Research on Globalization.
Last week, Bowie and a group of American tourists traveled to Iran
to visit the country's different cities, historical villages and
cultural sites. He took numerous pictures of Iran and provided us with
some of them for publication.
Following is the text of the interview:
 |
| Decorative capitals of Persepolis columns |
A: I've lived in Southeast Asia for the past several years, and upon
arriving to Iran, I found the country be very similar to Europe in its
design and infrastructure. Just as one would expect to find in Europe,
Iran has successfully integrated its rich historical heritage into a
modern metropolitan environment. What I found fascinating is that
villages in Iran's countryside have managed to reap the benefits of
economic development, but still carry the picturesque beauty and charm
of centuries ago. For those interested in history, Iran is an essential
destination – the country has done well to preserve its ancient sites
and diverse places of worship, from Islamic mosques to Armenian churches
and Zoroastrian temples. From what I've seen, practitioners of various
religious groups treat each other with respect and are able to
peacefully coexist together.
Lifestyle and fashion in Iran is in keeping with Islamic values. While
traveling through the country, I thought to myself that the average
conservative American family would likely find an environment based on
such values a far more appropriate place to raise children than within
the hyper-sexualized culture of the United States, where sex appeal is
overtly used to sell products and build brands. Anyone who has come
across Iranian people knows that their hospitality and generosity is
unmatched. While the society is conservative, average people are more
than willing to strike up conversations and invite foreign guests into
their homes for lavishly prepared meals. The sentiments of other foreign
visitors I've come across have been generally positive, especially
reflecting on visiting sites such as Persepolis.
 |
| The Imam Mosque in Isfahan |
A: The average American knows very little about daily life in Iran, and
what they imagine it to be more closely resembles that of rural
Afghanistan under the Taliban. Keeping American society fearful of Iran
is key to manipulating the general public into accepting the immoral
barrage of economic sanctions and possible military operations taken
against the country in the future. Iran has always been an island of
stability in the Middle East; it is a regional leader with developed
infrastructure and world-class universities, in addition to emerging as a
major player in developing pharmaceuticals and new technologies. The
reality is that the average American would find it infinitely more
comfortable to spend time in Iran rather than in Saudi Arabia, the
biggest American ally in the region, a nation that represents the
antithesis of “American values.”
 |
| A bas-relief in Persepolis |
A: I had the pleasure to visit Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Yazd, Abyaneh,
and several smaller villages between these locations. Although we cannot
deny that Iran has some of the best tourist attractions and ancient
sites in the world, I find myself more interested to observe people in
their environment in each country I go to. Personally, I found the old
desert city of Yazd and the mountain village of Abyaneh to be the most
memorable places – both of these locations had incredible rustic
architecture and villagers with very unique eye color and physical
attributes not often seen in the West. I was amazed that lifestyles and
fashion in these places are relatively very similar to that of
historical times, and these places exist only a few hours drive from the
bustling modern metropolises of Tehran and Isfahan.
Q: What do you think about the Iranian people? Of course you
have had the opportunity to interact with Iranians during your trips to
different cities. What kind of people they are? How did they receive you
when realizing that you are Americans visiting Iran as tourists?
A: There is a large community of students and Iranian entrepreneurs
where I live in Malaysia, and I have experienced the hospitality of
Iranian people long before coming to the country. Since coming to Iran,
the initial reaction I get when telling people that I am an American is
one of surprise and disbelief. I imagine that many Iranians don't
realize that Americans can legally visit the country due to the
political situation. The response has been very warm and friendly, and
of course the average Iranian is quite curious about American people and
their customs, values, ideas, and perceptions of Iran. Politics rarely
comes up in conversation.
 |
| Palestine Square in Tehran |
A: Absolutely, and I think this can be attributable to several factors.
The older generations of Iranians have very positive sentiments toward
American people because so many American citizens lived in Iran prior to
the Islamic Revolution in 1979 – they established close friendships
with American people at that time and still generally hold Americans in
high regard. American media and popular culture have heavily influenced
the younger generations, and they've accepted this idea that the United
States is place where everything is so free and wonderful, a place with
bountiful wealth and unparalleled opportunities. Of course, this
perception is just as inaccurate as the way in which the average
American views Iran today.
Either way, I don't think this is an inherently negative thing –
promoting understanding and reconciliation between Iran and the United
States needs to start by citizens of those countries exchanging ideas
and getting familiar with each other. If the average American had the
correct information and knew what the situation was like in Iran, I
don't think they could ever support a war against such a nation.
Likewise, if the average Iranian took the time to examine the full
extent of what the United States has done around the world – engaging in
wars that have killed millions of civilians, plundering resources in
Iraq and Afghanistan, and enabling terrorism in places like Syria and
Libya – I think it would be unlikely that they would continue viewing
the United States in the same way. Either way, there is no reason
like-minded Iranians and Americans cannot befriend each other because of
a conflict between their governments.
Q: What do you think about the economic sanctions imposed by
the United States and its European allies against Iran? These sanctions
are taking a toll on the ordinary citizens by denying them access to
medicine, foodstuff and other humanitarian goods. Don't these sanctions
violate the principles of human rights? What's your take on that?
A: The sanctions imposed on Iran by the West are completely unjustified
and illegal. Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, and has complied with international norms and inspections of its
nuclear energy facilities. It does not have nuclear weapons. Israel on
the other hand is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty and has between 200 - 400 nuclear weapons. Iran has received
harsh criticism for threatening to destroy the Israeli regime, and many
argue that this is evidence of ill intent behind Tehran's nuclear
program. When Israel calls Iran a “fascist …regime” and makes similar
comments about attacking the country, there is little objection to these
statements in the Western media.
I believe that Israel under Netanyahu is the biggest threat to peace
and stability in the Middle East; the belligerence of his administration
is unparalleled. The economic sanctions placed on Iran reflect the
institutional hypocrisy of international bodies like the United Nations,
which turns a blind eye to the Israeli regime employing apartheid
policies against Palestinians, and allows the people of Iran to be
collectively punished for possessing a weapon they don't actually
possess. The purpose of these sanctions is to create social unrest and
erode public confidence in the Iranian government, to target people's
livelihoods to the point where they are no longer comfortable, with the
hope that they would take to the streets in protest, the West is aiming
to revive the kind of unrest that took place in 2009.
Although these sanctions claim to target Iran's oil export industry,
the real victims are the country's factory workers, merchants,
shopkeepers, students, and local manufacturers. During my stay, the rial
fell 40% against the dollar. Washington and Tel Aviv are fully
committed to preventing Tehran's independent technological, economic and
political development. The Iranian government must be diligent in
finding ways to manage its currency devaluation and economy – because of
its natural resources and abundant energy wealth, the country is in a
unique position to deflect international sanctions and use them to its
advantage by increasing cooperation with neighboring countries through
mutually beneficial economic development and securing international
markets for Iranian goods and energy exports. Ultimately, other nations
must defy the illegitimate sanctions against Iran and normalize
relations – that is already beginning to happen.
 |
| An alleyway in Yazd |
A: I would stress that Iran is an extremely safe country to travel
through, and anyone who visits will certainly leave with more accurate
perceptions than what Western media attempts to depict. Iran is the only
country where a clerical official established power through a popular
revolution, as someone who is deeply interested in various models of
governance and social organization, I feel compelled to improve my
understanding of the country and its transformation into an Islamic
Republic – perhaps others feel the same. Everyone has different
objectives when they travel, most people would visit to simply admire
Iran's rich historical contributions to the world.
Q: And, finally, how is it possible for Iran to introduce its
culture, civilization and people to the world? How effective are such
initiatives like bringing tourists from around the world to Iran?
A: Every visitor who leaves the country with positive perceptions
represents a step in the right direction toward improving Iran's image
abroad. As I mentioned, I think creating understanding at the civilian
level is a crucially important step that can be taken at this point.
Winning the hearts of minds of Americans is a difficult thing to do,
especially when the average American is xenophobic and endorses a view
of the world shaped by bias media outlets and Hollywood movies. An
astounding amount of tourists from East Asia visit Iran, and I think at
this point it is in Iran's best interest to develop ties and cultural
exchange with friendly nations throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin
America.
