The words Persia and Persian entered Western languages via Greek and referred exclusively to all of what we know as Iran throughout history, even though it was called Aryānām in Zoroaster's Avesta dated long before the Achaemenid dynasty and Cyrus the Great. (See Wikipedia.org at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_%28Persia%29#Etymology)
Using Persian vs. Iranian has political connotations with far reaching consequences. Hence, an informed decision in this regard is of paramount importance to our sociopolitical interests!
Even though both sides of the argument have valid points, the context within which we choose one vs. the other has to be the deciding factor. If we are speaking Persian then we should call the country Iran, ourselves Iraani and the language Parsi as it has been the case throughout our history. By the way, Farsi is the arabized version of Parsi and is wrong to use unless you are speaking Arabic! The Arabs changed it since they don't have the sound "P" in Arabic. However, if we are speaking English or any other language in which the words Persia and Persian had been used prior to 1935, we should continue to do so for the following reasons.
First, in English many countries are called by names other than what they are called in their own language. For Example, in German the country is called Deutshland and the language Deutsch instead of German which are very different from the words to which they pertain in English. When we speak English we too use German and Germany. We don't make a fuss about it and neither do the Germans! Why are we Trying to change other peoples language when we expect them to get their nose out of our business?! They, however comply because they have ulterior motives which I'll explain later.
Second, granted Reza Shah asked the world to start calling our country Iran in his Norooz speech of 1935, but that was a grave mistake the consequences of which he did not fathom as he was not versed in politics in general and specially the politics of language! To demonstrate note the use of the words "spy" which has a negative connotation vs "intelligence officer which has a positive one in a quote from BBC News during the cold war. "Two American Intelligence officers were exchanged for two Soviet spies!" Therefore, implying that the soviets were the bad guys and the Americans the good ones! While for fairness sake Reza Shah deserves credit for his patriotism and some of his services to Iran and Iranians, he does deserve criticism in his choice in this matter as well as destroying the "Mashrooteh Revolution" which was achieved at great cost to our people and could have resulted in a free Iran. This is what you get when you have a dictator despite all his best intentions, specially one who can hardly read or write specially in a world in which he has to compete against the likes of Roosevelt and Churchill!!
Third, and this is the most important one! The western countries by virtue of their rhetoric have to build consensus to admonish another nation or to go to war with her. It is much easier to do so if the country has little or no credibility in the normal western people's eyes. Remember how easily the American troops invaded Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, but took a long time to do the same with in Bosnia to stop the greatest genocide since WWI, because these were white Europeans whereas the others were in the words of George Carlin the "Brown People" to whom Americans felt no connection. The West did not fully comprehend the strategic importance of the Middle East particularly Iran until WWII when Iran and its railroad were the determining factor in helping the Russians who were under siege and about to fall to the Germans. That's why they called Iran "the bridge of victory," and that's why immediately after the victory in Moscow they exiled our sovereign king to Morris Island till his death and installed his son and a puppet who would police the region on their behalf.
You have to look at it from a Westerner's point of view who has always heard of Persia as a great nation and a super power of the old world which rivaled Rome and has contributed greatly to the civilization from which we enjoy today. Dissociating today's Iran from its ancient name in the wast is the same as the Kennedy family changing their name to Smith! Do you think they would get away with much of they do if their last name was not Kennedy? I am yet to see an English text dated before WWII in which Iran was referred to as anything but Persia in spite of the fact that Reza Shah had asked for this name change over 10 years prior! They needed an excuse to strip us of our heritage in the Western people's eyes and we gave them just that. Here's another outrageous example of demonizing our country by the American media to justify an Israeli attack on Iran. “Morris sees...Palestinians -- and to a degree, all Arabs; and Iranians, too -- as a species of animals not yet inducted into full humanity... ‘Something like a cage has to be built for them. I know that sounds terrible. It is really cruel. But there is no choice. There is a wild animal there that has to be locked up in one way or another’.”
—David Bromwich, The Huffington Post, July 21, 2008
These are the comments of Benny Morris a so called scholar and Israeli historian. He'd be damned if he made a comment like that about the Serbs, or another well regarded people.
You can read the full article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-bromwich/benny-morris-justifies-is_b_113725.html
We must if for no other reason, for this very one resist the change of identity requested by a not so well informed king and imposed by very calculating Western politicians. We need to make sure all our American friends make the connection between the old Persia and today's Iran if we want to protect our homeland from foreign invasion. Even those of us who are against the current regime in Iran need to realize that overthrowing them by a foreign hand is selling our country to the invaders and it will be the innocent people, your family and mine who will pay the price. Take a close look at who is shouldering the brunt of the impact of bringing down Saddam Hossein.
Therefore, my dear compatriots, I am going to call myself Persian when I speak English and Iraani when speaking Parsi. I'm sure you're smart enough to do what's best for you and your country!
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