Why do we publish Salam?

A new friend, who now writes for Salam, recently asked me why I had started publishing the magazine in the first place? I have always been reluctant to respond fully to this very question although I am probably asked it regularly. I think, like a hypochondriac who bores the listener with a list of imagined illnesses, if I let go of myself, I can talk endlessly about what motivated me and I would surely make the listener sorry for having ever asked the question.

But I think you, the reader have a right to know. If it bores you, just turn the page and I am sure you will be entertained by one of our other articles.

Not a day goes by that we, as Iranian-Americans do not cringe at the mention of the name Iran, in the same breath as terrorism. Not a week goes by that we don’t feel embarrassed at the mention of Iran as a “rogue state”. Not a year goes by when we do not feel impotent as a nationality at allowing Iran to linger at the edge of the abyss while we only wring our hands and watch as mere spectators, the rape of our homeland.

For me the watershed was when hundred of Iranian men were lined up and handcuffed by the I.N.S. as part of the new security measures in the United States. I felt that enough was enough. We needed to act, to combat the negative stereotyping of Iranians. We needed to act to let fellow Americans learn about our culture and heritage, and not just the biased view of the mainstream media sensationalized for commercial gain. We needed to act and draw our youth back to the fold, lest they denounce their heritage because it was socially convenient to do so.

My conviction grew stronger recently, when I contacted an Iranian-American pornographer for an interview. Although he had no problem with being labeled a pornographer, he vehemently denied being Iranian. To him, there was less of a social stigma in being called a pornographer than being called an Iranian!

Salam tries to depict the human face of Iranian-Americans, pockmarks and all. We put our magazine twice a month by the skin of our teeth and hope that the reader, if Iranian- American, enjoys the articles, celebrates our achievements, takes pride in our heritage and remains loyal to this community, despite social pressures to deny those connections. We also hope that the non-Iranian reader discovers the similarities between our cultures and celebrates our differences, for knowledge of one another leads to tolerance, which is the only path to a lasting peace.

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