An Introduction to the Homepage
"Iran, Gold of My Heart"

Now is a time to reflect with a lifetime's best friend,
my wife Angela, and our cats in beautiful Sedona, Arizona.
Above, a recent picture of this now white-haired  Persian

INTRODUCTION:

This personal page on the Internet spans my youth and nearly a lifetime of service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran. It all ended with the spectacular revolution of 1979. My existence since then, never became the stirring enterprise I imagined it would be, but neither have I burrowed with the gophers, except the ones on the Internet. I suppose that since the Iranian crash of 79, it has mostly resembled the erratic ups and downs of a Wall Street stock market. A lot more downs than ups, but always animated for sure.

After the revolution, I worked for a time at the United Nations where I once represented my beloved country, writing articles on different subjects. I also traveled plenty and finally welcomed an assignment as diplomatic correspondent for a French press agency in Paris. For a number of years I represented that agency in New York and Washington. and was based at the UN Press Department on the second floor, in a little room overlooking the East River, joyously shared with other correspondents. A great place to be, to interview interesting people, learn, make friends and contemplate the world from the other side of the lens.

Do not be misled, I am not a special individual, just an Iranian like others on the Net with perhaps one too many thoughts on his mind. Thoughts as to why did we fail so miserably? Take this one: we experienced two revolutions aimed at achieving democracy the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 and the one of late 1978. In my mind both of them failed thoroughly. The last one only removed the King without implementing a regime of democracy and tolerance that many of its participants had wished for. As the French say, those who launch revolutions are the cuckolds of history. If you ask me why? Here is one answer:

"When a nation has not fully experienced the opportunity to appreciate the values of freedom and democracy, not even the most perfect golden words inscribed in a lofty constitution or the most sophisticated laws can help to shake off the yoke of centuries of authoritarian rule. Freedom, law, justice, independence and human rights will remain empty slogans which fail to translate into reality without a broad national awareness and understanding of these values. People should first understand what freedom and democracy truly mean. This goal can only be achieved by combating backwardness, superstition, and preparing everyone to understand the true meanings and benefits of the above values. A task probably better left to a new generation of Iranians... specially our younger friends over the Internet who should commit themselves to the mission of "teachers of society."

Optimists may label this Internet page as being somehow worthwhile, pessimists would stamp it as gloomy and having a profusion of I's. In my mind it is a little bit of both. But no matter how you reflect, it does not change the fact that it involves a great deal of my life and the path I have chosen to follow. I have no complaints about my long trail and the countless places it has taken me in all these years; but I do have enough grievances about some people I met, and about things I've seen, including dirty politics -- enough to fill a football arena, or better the Internet. So count on me and do expect more on this page soon.

In the final analysis, it all comes down to this, the route I have chosen has always been what I thought to be the just one, the love for Iran, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Oh Iran, gold of my heart, land of my forefathers - when I'll depart, you know where my thoughts will go. Perchance, my mission is not finished, God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things, including paying my Visa card. Right now, I am so far behind, that my ship can but arrive later...

But who knows? Like Hafez said:
( Download Persian Web Fonts to read below )

ÙzDF kßh oDëk Ù²µ íJ ok éÛ CpZ
ÙzDF kßh êDJ ÀÆ ÅDh éÛ CpZ
ÙFD@N íØÛ pF ßZ PFpº Þ íGëpº Þ Ùº
ÙzDF kßhoDëpèz Þ kßh pèz ÖÞo

more on exile:

Persian Font, its easy:
Download the Persian font from:

Persian Web (Windows 3.1x, 95, 98, and NT)
Persian Web (Macintosh users) 

You need this font for reading Persian pages on the Internet.

When the downloading procedure is finished:

Installation Procedure Windows 95, 98 and NT 4.0
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