Letter to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Dear CBC News editor,

I came across the following statement posted on your
comments page at

http://www.cbc.ca/news/indepth/words/quick/comments/arabiangulf.html

"there is no consensus on whether Arabian Gulf is
wrong. Just as Iran used to be known as Persia, the
narrow arm of the Arabian Sea along its coast has
actually had a few names over the centuries, including
the Sea of Erythras and Sinus Persicus."

First of all, Iran was always called Iran by the
Persians. Second, "Sinus Persicus" is the Latin term
as is "Persicher golf" the French, "Persico qolf" the
Italian, "Persidskizalir" Russian, and "Kalije Fars"
the contemporary Persian equivalent of the name for
the very same body of water lying to the south of Iran
and north of the Arabian Peninsula and known to the
entire civilized world as the Persian Gulf for over
two millenniums.

Sea of Erythras is the name of an entirely different
location known today as the Red Sea which curiously
was indeed referred to as the "Arabian Gulf" by the
Greek historians of the first century BC and the first
half of the first century AD. But use of the later
label for the Persian Gulf is a purely recent
invention with no historical precedence, which
appearance has coincided with the discovery of oil in
the Arab region.

As editor for the renowned CBC News website, I'm
certain you know that use of correct terms to describe
world locations is only a part of exercising fair and
unbiased journalism.

The National Geographic Society, the premier source
for all matters geographic, only refers to the Persian
Gulf by that name:

http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/plates.html?id=7700
no longer applies as it takes the abuser to the disputed page and further strengthens their fraudulant stance on this matter.
This is also the only term used by the U.S. Department
of State:

http://www.state.gov/p/nea/ci/c2422.htm
or http://www.state.gov/p/nea/ci/c2404.htm

which is also the only name recognized by the United
Nations with its 22 Arab members:

http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/westasia.pdf
http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/iran.pdf http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/maplib/docs/escwa.pdf


I've submitted the above links in order to support my
position and clear any confusion as to what to call
the Persian Gulf.

I hope you will take appropriate action to correct
this mistake and advise your editorial team to show
some professionalism in the future by using the proper
name for the Persian Gulf.

Sincerely,

Daniel M. Pourkesali
Leesburg, Virginia
703-737-3862