NO GULF BUT THE PERSIAN GULF
A Refutation of Revisionism's Apologists
February 21, 2003

From: Jamshid Charmchi <jamshid_charmchi@yahoo.com>
To: pgtf@iic.org
Subject: [PGTF] My letter to the Iranian
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 15:02:52 -0800 (PST)

NO GULF BUT THE PERSIAN GULF: A Refutation of Revisionism's Apologists

I just got through reading Guive Mirfendereski's article:
(http://www.iranian.com/GuiveMirfendereski/2003/February/Box/index.html)

disparaging the hard work of the Persian Gulf Task Force. This letter
represents my own thoughts on the matter and does not necessarily reflect
the opinion of that group.

After reading a few sentences, I think my blood pressure remained within
normal limits, although I found myself squinting at the computer screen in
disbelief. I felt like a cold, jagged blade had been jabbed into my heart by
the hands of a friend. Now I know how some Native Americans must have felt
when they saw their own tribesmen betray them by working as scouts for the
US cavalry. You see, I am tremendously saddened to see a man of such talent,
as Guive Mirfendereski, take up the pen against the Persian Gulf Task Force,
and unleash a virulent stream of unsubstantiated and false accusations
against this entity. It is clear to me that the author - misinformed and
misguided (to use his word)- thought it appropriate to malign, slander and
disparage a volunteer group of dedicated people, who refuse to remain silent
in the face of the historical revisionism and distortion that seeks to
change the name of the Persian Gulf. It is sad to see a person of such
standing, promote the culture of apathy and indifference that has long
hindered the effective integration of the Iranian community into the political mainstream of the United States.

I do not know why the name of the Persian Gulf Task Force (PGTF), would send
"shivers down anyone's spine" as the author suggests. Let me be very clear
that it was not the intent of the task force to frighten him. Furthermore, I
do not know why he believes that the letters sent by the PGTF - letters that
politely but unapologetically reaffirm the name of the Persian Gulf- can be
categorized as "intimidating epistles" either. Since when is it wrong to
take action to right a wrong?

The author states that the name of the sea to the south of Iran "has been
the product of a natural selection process." This is the most creative
extrapolation of Darwin's theory of evolution that I have seen to date. The
argument Mirfendereski presents is structurally weak and contradictory. On
the one hand he lambasts the PGTF for defending 2,500 plus years of recorded
history - in the process introducing us to the amusing theory of place names
that he concocted with his circle of intellectual friends - while on the
other, he admits that "if there is no attempt at reversing this trend the
term [Persian Gulf] will go extinct." This is exactly what the PGTF is
attempting to prevent while Mr. Mirfendereski chooses to stand by and
dismiss this cause as not worth the effort. Perhaps the author is unaware
that when a peoples' cultural heritage disappears, gradually their identity
will be erased as well.

But while he urges inaction, the well-funded Arab campaign to poison the
history of the world and erase the legacy of Iran continues unabated. News
agencies such as Reuters and the BBC now make it their policy to refer to
the Persian Gulf as merely "the Gulf," as if there are no other gulfs in the
world. To make matters worse, it is routine practice for the oil tanker
industry to call this waterway the "Arabian Gulf," a term that is not
recognized by the United Nations or the US Department of State (for
starters). While these entities may choose to allow themselves to be seduced
by Arab petro-dollars, this terminology is also creeping into academia.
Books published by the Oxford University Press and other publishing firms
based in the UK, now routinely use "the Gulf" as a matter of deliberate
policy- not by mistake, like the T-shirt incident Mr. Mirfendereski relates.
In the "Oxford Atlas of World History," there is a map of the Persian Empire
at its zenith. However, the revisionists at Oxford have the audacity to
write "The Gulf" as if this waterway is without a proper name. Is it not just and proper to expose their collaboration with Arab nationalists? Have we forgotten what our Arab neighbors have done to us repeatedly since the seventh century? Indeed, while the most recent physical invasion of Iran occurred in 1980 at the hands of Iraq, the silent cultural invasion has been constant and incessant. Should we go the way of the Egyptians, Syrians and Lebanese and become Arabs? Mr. Mirfendereski, think about what you're saying please.

You see, the name of the Persian Gulf is inextricably linked with the
history of Iran, despite Mr. Mirfenderski's naive assertions to the
contrary. It is not by some random process of selection that this name was
arrived at. Rather it was in recogniztion of the fact that Persia was the
predominant regional entity that the Greek and - later - the Roman
cartographers adpoted this name and made it part of the Western historical
tradition (not to mention Iran's and even the Arabs' who called it the
Persian Sea at the time of the prophet Mohammad and later the Persian Gulf).
This is the same reason for names such as the English Channel, the South
China Sea and the Sea of Japan, just to name a few. I wonder if Mr.
Mirfendereski takes issue with these terms as well. No matter, I presume he
is perfectly at ease with the terms Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. Do I
detect some self-loathing in our esteemed friend?

While the author in question chooses to play the part of an apologist for
the inexcusable and politically motivated policy of the (recently) United
Arab Emirates and our neighbor Iraq, I make no apologies for defending the
historical legacy of Iran. While Mr. Mirfendereski promotes capitulation and
appeasement, the PGTF urges action and vigilance. While he squanders his
time to mercilessly lampoon the PGTF, I choose to use my time to defend my
heritage. I am not a racist nor am I a rabid nationalist. I do not hate
Arabs but rather the fascist political ideology of some of their governments
(or rather all such governments). In short, I am simply proud of being an
Iranian and that is not a crime. And although my genetic composition may
indeed have contributions from the surrounding gene pool, that does not
lessen my Persian identity, for that is a feeling that emenates from within
my heart. It is a feeling that has helped preserve Iran's identity and
indivuduality in the face of countless invasions throughout the centuries. I
assure you, without this sense of seperateness, and because of the efforts of countless patriots, such as the great Firdowsi, we would all be speaking

Arabic today. My efforts and those of my compatriots are but one small and
humble part of a proud tradition of resistance and cultural preservation. If
this is a crime then I am guilty on all counts.

There is more to a name than a sequence of letters arranged to produce a
sound. Letters can be changed and sounds rearranged. It is up to us to keep
the Persian in the Persian Gulf. This is all the Persian Gulf Task Force has
ever sought. And if this upsets Mr. Mirfendereski, then so be it. It is his
prerogative if he wishes to side with people who would sell their heritage
for a song. It is his right to side with others who compromise their
integrity and reveal their hypocricy by playing into the hands of those who
would burn Iran's history again where they given the chance. I for one will
never forget that somethings are worth fighting for and I will continue to
defend Iran's legacy for as long as needed; especially when there are those
who much like Ebi and other opportunists, think nothing of betraying Iran
for the sake of personal expediency and profit.

As a sidenote, I should mention that our hamvatan Ebi, recently referred to
his compatriots as "saltanat talab" (monarchists) for requesting that he
sing the song "Khalije Fars" (Persian Gulf) at his concert in the shiekdom
of Dubai. Of course, Ebi was sensitive to the restrictions placed on him by
his Arab sensors and declined. The man doesn't believe in a single word of
that otherwise beautiful song. Perhaps it is better that he doesn't
desecrate this ode to Iran and its historical and territorial integrity. The
honor of singing this song belongs to someone with a backbone.