Issue 10

 Kiana Toufighi
 Graduate Student of Bio-Informatics, University of Toronto

We Iranians are inherently and innately skillful at criticizing ourselves. We have no problems with laughing at ourselves and making jokes and stereotypes based on our drawbacks. In fact, sometimes we go way beyond what is necessary for constructive criticism and we get too hard on ourselves. Although I admit that there are certain widespread weaknesses that we need to work on, I still believe that our positive attributes outweigh the negatives. Nonetheless, I admit that the negative Iranian characteristics can be quite irritating no matter how many years one has been exposed to them. One of the things that still strikes me as astonishing to this day after having lived abroad for more than a decade is our bitter sweet relationship with regulations. For instance, every time I walk into one of the libraries on campus like Robarts or Gerstein I am simply amazed to watch people abide by the policy of quietness in the reading rooms without there being a watch dog to frequently pounce at them. I remember when I was in elementary school or even junior high school in Iran, our poor teacher could not leave us without supervision for more than 30 seconds because without a tight leash we would be bouncing off walls in no time. My intention is certainly not being one of those critical people I just mentioned, yet I see it a necessity to state the facts. The fact is that a large proportion of our people have a hard time following rules; even here some try to find ways of cheating the system every now and then. To this day I am still shocked to find that the notion of punctuality is virtually meaningless to a good majority of our population.

Despite our few short-comings; however, we still have a lot to offer. We generally tend to be a kind-hearted, warm-blooded, passionate and emotional collective body. We often go overboard with our hospitality. With some exceptions here and there, one can say that we are generous in nature, loyal in friendship and committed to strong family ties. The Persian wit and sense of humour is simply irreplaceable. Though some may argue otherwise, our notion of modesty, decency and respect in my opinion are praise worthy. According to Encyclopedia Iranica (original source census Canada) “after Germans, Iranians represent the second most educated group of immigrants to Canada”. Hence, for a relatively young community most of whose members have immigrated in the past 15 years we have much to be proud of. The important question under the microscope here is how do we fit into this great diverse mosaic called multi-cultural Canada?

Soon after my arrival to Canada this question and other related ones have forced me to continuously analyze my position as an Iranian immigrant and to think about how we Iranians can play a positive role both inwardly and outwardly with respect to our community. Which western ideals do we embrace and which ones do we shun? Do we integrate with others or do we segregate ourselves from them? Do we conform fully to western standards and embrace modernity with North American style or do we use all efforts to conserve our own values. If we choose to integrate fully to western ideals then will there be any adverse consequences that may befall years down the road? How do we handle the issue of identity? Can we possibly identify ourselves as Canadians? If we manage to successfully undertake this task and become a full-pledged Canadian are we going to be accepted as such by society? And if we do become accepted what do we pass on to our children, the next generation of Iranian-Canadians?

There is no clear cut answer to any of the above issues. This sort of identity crisis has challenged many other minorities and ethnic groups throughout history. Personally my motto in life has been to make every day a learning day; to learn what is good, beautiful and moral and throw away what is not! Simply put, I personally don’t advocate segregation nor am I a huge fan of full integration with our host culture. Although the problem may seem quite complex, my stance is rather simple and cut and dry. I do not believe in conforming to all aspects of Western culture for the simple fact that I do not approve of all spheres of Western life.  I believe that Iranians along with many other ethnic groups here in Canada have a lot to offer and they can accomplish something very profound by incorporating constructive elements of their culture and experience into the framework already in place in the host country. For example, tight family bonds, hospitality and generosity are quite strong in the eastern cultures and hence worth preserving. So why not hold on to the positive aspects of our culture and Iranian identity and only correct the negatives by looking at other communities for inspiration.

We have heard again and again that Iranians are xenophiles ! Nowhere is this more vivid than in the west itself. I have encountered many Iranians along with numerous other people of colour who have adapted fully to what they consider the norm in North America. These individuals which I consider to be a smaller proportion of our community feel racially and culturally inferior to the white westerners. They dress, appear, speak, behave and think in complete accordance to the North American standards. They celebrate the holidays not pertaining to their own religion, background, or customs. Some have even gone so far as to change their names to convenient abbreviations, Biblical or western names in order to appear more in sync with the predominantly British culture. The number of blonde females I encounter in certain Iranians circles is simply overwhelming; perhaps only comparable to a Swedish gathering! So my question is why some of us feel the urgent need to blend in when breaking the norm and standing uniquely alone can be much more beautiful. I believe that we do not need to follow mainstream trends in order to be considered modern and cultivated.

The bottom line is that you are not required to conform to the established mainstream standards to be accepted as an active member of society and that is where the beauty of this country lies. Difference can be good; diversity can be beautiful. So we have to first strive to correct flaws in ourselves, in our families and in our community. We can undertake this task by eliminating negative qualities and incorporating positive counterparts from other cultures (perhaps the host culture) in exchange. We then must preserve the beauties of the Iranian culture and accept ourselves and be comfortable with who we are. Finally we need to stand tall and be proud of our uniqueness and work hard to propagate understanding and appreciation for the many good aspects of our culture and develop understanding and appreciation for other cultures. This approach I believe is a beneficial and constructive cultural interaction in a diverse society like Canada.