Tehran Bureau: Everybody has heard about Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the recent Walt Disney blockbuster featuring Jake Gyllenhaal in the role of…a prince of Persia. That a rather fair actor with Swedish and Ashkenazi heritage plays the lead role in a story set in ancient Iran caused a minor controversy. Some enlightened people believe that Hollywood missed an opportunity to transcend its stereotypical depictions of non-Europeans, particularly Middle Easterners, by offering the part to a brownish hero. Of course, in private discussions, many Iranians, always prompt to portray themselves as “Aryans,” concurred that Gyllenhaal accurately embodies how their ancestors must have looked, before Arabs invaded and imposed both their religion and complexion at the point of the sword.
So far, nothing unusual. What is surprising and alarming, however, is that serious intellectuals condoned these views. Asked to comment on producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s declaration to The Times of London that many Iranians were “blond and blue-eyed” until “the Turks kinda changed everything,” American-Iranian author Reza Aslan asserted that, indeed, Iranians were Aryans. “If we went back in time 1,700 years to the mythological era,” Aslan said, “all Iranians would look like Jake Gyllenhaal.” This pronouncement highlights the resilience of what I call the “Aryan syndrome” in modern Iran. A historical detour is necessary to show why it is so problematic.
Another Arab Loving radical trying to force Iranians into an unwanted identity. After a glance at this website and most of the subjects that were covered in the articles, I have one thing to tell you: “we are not Arabs.”
We’ve had enough of Arab culture and it is time for people like you to stop calling yourself Iranians.
I believe the article is well-written and it makes its points clearly and concisely. What did you not like from it and what is the counter-argument?
As for who can call themselves Iranian… where can I buy the same “Iranian barometer” that you use? I hope I make the cut!
Not only Iranians have this “aryan”-syndrome but also Indians and Pakistanis as well….it’s kinda like saying: I might look darker than you but I’m actually more white than you could ever imagine.
Thanks for putting it up Ipouya – I also hope you can somehow explain us the historical detour; would be quite interesting indeed.
Wow, I cannot believe Reza Aslan, actually said that… Hahaha, maybe he was joking! You’re right man, we need to stop insulting our ancestors by pretending that they’ve been raped and forced into accepting something they did not want… Please! Try to be unbiased, and you will realize how our country evolved into an Islamic nation, and in fact Iranians brought about most of what is known today as the Islamic culture!
I think the majority of people in the world are descended from aryans except africans and australian aboriginals: see website