Articles

Finding Our Way

Post 9/11, America had global sympathy. Every nation in the world condemned the preposterous act of terrorism. America’s leaders had the momentum to augment America’s European alliances and to develop new and friendlier relationships with other countries. It was the prime time not only to present our concerns and expectations to the world in light of our losses, but also to listen, to understand, and address the grievances and issues of Middle East nations. Instead of assisting Americans to work through all the stages of grief: shock, denial, anger, sadness, and acceptance, the government became unhealthily immersed in anger and, in turn, provoked an overwhelming sense of fear among Americans. Instead of constructively channeling our grief into opportunities for growth and development, America regressed and responded like an unruly child, with violence, name-calling, and discrimination, as a means to assuage its fear and purge its anger and despair.

Our current actions as a nation are in direct conflict with our own democratic principles—waging a war without UN approval, denying citizens of our own and other countries their right to liberty by presuming guilt until proven innocent, discouraging Americans to exercise their right to freedom of expression if they speak out against the war, the president, or our current foreign policy, are just a few glaring examples. Is this our America? It seems as if we have lost our way, as if our emotions have taken over our ability to reason.

Many Americans have expressed unhappiness about the current state of our nation including our past and current short sighted foreign policies and the way our leader’s inflammatory statements and behavior is reflecting on us. These Americans are just as patriotic as anyone else, these Americans love America, and these Americans care about people and the global community in which they and their children live. These Americans are asking for politicians and citizens to promote peaceful resolutions to conflicts, to learn how to turn disasters into opportunities for positive growth and development, to communicate in a mature and unbiased manner, and to take the necessary steps to develop long-term and peaceful relationships with other nations.

“Accent” is an Iranian-American outreach television program in the English language that has been launched for several purposes: (1) to promote dialogue among diverse individuals and groups in an open-minded forum, (2) to introduce Iran’s rich culture and traditions to Americans, (3) to educate the public about the Iranian community’s contributions to American society, (4) to discuss the issues involved in integrating Iranian and American values, and (5) to identify and acknowledge what Iranian-Americans appreciate about the American way of life. Please join me in this one small step to creating the peaceful and understanding world many of us hope for and envision.

Back to Articles