“In some ways, Tehran reminded me of communist East Europe: the heavy police presence; the box-shaped cars dating back several decades; the unattractive concrete buildings and streets, many of them not well kept. In other ways, Tehran reminded me of Lahore, Pakistan: a sprawling metropolis bustling with life and activity; vibrant market places that constantly bombarded the senses with an eclectic and colorful blend of exotic sights, smells and sounds; slow-moving traffi c forever expelling exhaust fumes into the air whilst its drivers sounded their horns endlessly, for no apparent reason.
If there is something aesthetically pleasing about Tehran’s landscape, then it is unquestionably the snow-capped mountains that hug the northern part of the city. On a clear day they can be seen from the city centre and greatly enhance its scenic location. One aspect of Tehran that makes an immediate impression on the British tourist is the sight of heavily armed police. Compared to the United Kingdom, there is a much larger police presence on the streets. Tehran’s streets may well be safer because of this police presence, but they certainly didn’t arouse a feeling of safety and wellbeing in me. I held my breath and quickened my pace every time I passed a stationary offi cer slouched up against a wall with his gun lazily pointing in my direction, paranoid that his lethal weapon might go off at any moment.
Without a doubt though, the most unforgettable aspect of Tehran is the appalling and reckless standard of driving one encounters. There is only one golden rule of driving that everyone must be aware of: that there are no rules - no speed restrictions, no adherence to traffi c signals or road signs (they are just there to make the place look pretty), no lane discipline on multi-lane roads (again the dividing lines are simply there for show), even the distinction between road and pavement is blurred with motorbikes traveling on both. If one looks carefully enough, sometimes you could see the difference between a wealthy Tehranian and a poor one.
Many working-class Tehranian men wear counterfeit Western designer clothes. Heaven forbid their rich counterparts be seen in anything other than the real thing. As required by law, the women were all dressed in various forms of the hijab. Women from poorer backgrounds tended to cover from head to toe in black robes. This is the image the West has of Iranian women.
Women from the upper-classes tended to fulfi ll their legal obligations by simply wearing headscarves. Many also were heavily made-up. Their clothes, less likely to be hidden under black robes, were again of Western origin—no skirts, but plenty of jeans and designer tops. There was a vast array of counterfeit Western designer clothing for sale in the market stalls. European designer labels dominated the imitation couture market with Versace, Armani, and YSL heading the list. It was only in the booming counterfeit sports clothing area that American labels such as Nike seem to outsell European counterparts such as Adidas (which also sold very well).
It was close to 9 am when I awoke the following morning. I stumbled out of bed and opened the curtains. Before me stood the great city of Tehran. The morning rush hour was in full swing, people hurriedly making their way to work. The untidy streets and concrete buildings were not overly impressive, but neither had I expected them to be. The weather was dull and overcast and not too unlike the weather I had left behind in England. I quickly changed and made my way to the hotel’s dining area to have breakfast. The hotel’s website had promised a “free American buffet breakfast” for every guest.
The fact that this Iranian hotel chose to Americanize one of its services was both odd and intriguing. After all, was this not the country that tops the world league in anti-US rhetoric? A nation that once famously branded America the “Great Satan”? Such is our impression of Iran in the West that I half expected to see anti-American demonstrations the moment I touched Iranian soil. Yet here I was on my very fi rst morning in Iran having American culture shoved down my throat (quite literally!). Well, not quite.
The American buffet breakfast turned out to be a selection of Iranian pastry. Not that there was anything wrong with the pastry, mind you. However, I did wonder why this Iranian hotel would choose to package this part of their service in this way. In part, I assumed the hotel establishment thought it might appeal to foreign guests, especially from the United States. But that could not be the whole reason. I could see the odd European and Japanese guest in the dining area, but I did not see any Americans.
The overwhelming majority of the hotel guests were native Iranians. I assumed they were middleclass businessmen in Tehran on business. It was these people such services were designed to attract. I was sure of it. As trivial as it may seem, this aspect of the hotel’s marketing is in fact signifi cant. Despite all the anti-American rhetoric that has emanated from the Iranian regime over the past few decades, America still appeals to certain sections of the Iranian population. If the name attracted suffi ciently negative connotations, would the hotel use it? I would argue not.
There must be something in the word America, which the hotel management believes will act as an inducement to certain sections of the local market. If this is the case, then what is it about America—the brand name (not the country) — that certain segments of the population fi nd so appealing? Why is it that despite over two decades of hostility and unfriendly relations between the world’s superpower and this nation, parts of the population are still drawn to America? What is it about this unique brand that enables it to survive and fl ourish in the most hostile of environments?
These questions are important because America has been able to transplant various aspects of its culture into foreign lands and integrate them into alien cultures in a way that is unparalleled in human history. Even amongst nations and cultures where America, the country, is deeply unpopular (such as Iran), aspects of American popular culture (whether it be drinking Coca-Cola, wearing jeans, or watching a Hollywood movie) still manage to fuse themselves (to varying degrees) into the everyday lives of ordinary people, without them even stopping to think about the apparent contradiction. I am not inferring some sort of hypocrisy on their part but a curious baffl ement at the unique power of this discourse that creates such a paradox.”
This is an extract from the critically acclaimed book In the Land of the Ayatollahs Tupac Shakur is King: Refl ections from Iran and the Arab World by Shahzad Aziz. Using the cities and cultures of the Middle East as a backdrop, Shahzad Aziz travelled on a personal journey to explore Iran and the Arab world, particularly the relations between East and West. Serious debate is interspersed with witty travel dialog as he covers a variety of issues facing the Muslim world today—including the War on Terror, the Arab-Israeli confl ict, martyrdom, Islamic reformation, globalisation, identity, gender representations of women and the Western view of the Muslim world.
Shahzad Aziz read law at Brunel University in London and graduated from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, where he received his M.Phil., in criminology. He currently practices as a barrister specializing in human rights and asylum law.
If there is something aesthetically pleasing about Tehran’s landscape, then it is unquestionably the snow-capped mountains that hug the northern part of the city. On a clear day they can be seen from the city centre and greatly enhance its scenic location. One aspect of Tehran that makes an immediate impression on the British tourist is the sight of heavily armed police. Compared to the United Kingdom, there is a much larger police presence on the streets. Tehran’s streets may well be safer because of this police presence, but they certainly didn’t arouse a feeling of safety and wellbeing in me. I held my breath and quickened my pace every time I passed a stationary offi cer slouched up against a wall with his gun lazily pointing in my direction, paranoid that his lethal weapon might go off at any moment.
Without a doubt though, the most unforgettable aspect of Tehran is the appalling and reckless standard of driving one encounters. There is only one golden rule of driving that everyone must be aware of: that there are no rules - no speed restrictions, no adherence to traffi c signals or road signs (they are just there to make the place look pretty), no lane discipline on multi-lane roads (again the dividing lines are simply there for show), even the distinction between road and pavement is blurred with motorbikes traveling on both. If one looks carefully enough, sometimes you could see the difference between a wealthy Tehranian and a poor one.
Many working-class Tehranian men wear counterfeit Western designer clothes. Heaven forbid their rich counterparts be seen in anything other than the real thing. As required by law, the women were all dressed in various forms of the hijab. Women from poorer backgrounds tended to cover from head to toe in black robes. This is the image the West has of Iranian women.
Women from the upper-classes tended to fulfi ll their legal obligations by simply wearing headscarves. Many also were heavily made-up. Their clothes, less likely to be hidden under black robes, were again of Western origin—no skirts, but plenty of jeans and designer tops. There was a vast array of counterfeit Western designer clothing for sale in the market stalls. European designer labels dominated the imitation couture market with Versace, Armani, and YSL heading the list. It was only in the booming counterfeit sports clothing area that American labels such as Nike seem to outsell European counterparts such as Adidas (which also sold very well).
It was close to 9 am when I awoke the following morning. I stumbled out of bed and opened the curtains. Before me stood the great city of Tehran. The morning rush hour was in full swing, people hurriedly making their way to work. The untidy streets and concrete buildings were not overly impressive, but neither had I expected them to be. The weather was dull and overcast and not too unlike the weather I had left behind in England. I quickly changed and made my way to the hotel’s dining area to have breakfast. The hotel’s website had promised a “free American buffet breakfast” for every guest.
The fact that this Iranian hotel chose to Americanize one of its services was both odd and intriguing. After all, was this not the country that tops the world league in anti-US rhetoric? A nation that once famously branded America the “Great Satan”? Such is our impression of Iran in the West that I half expected to see anti-American demonstrations the moment I touched Iranian soil. Yet here I was on my very fi rst morning in Iran having American culture shoved down my throat (quite literally!). Well, not quite.
The American buffet breakfast turned out to be a selection of Iranian pastry. Not that there was anything wrong with the pastry, mind you. However, I did wonder why this Iranian hotel would choose to package this part of their service in this way. In part, I assumed the hotel establishment thought it might appeal to foreign guests, especially from the United States. But that could not be the whole reason. I could see the odd European and Japanese guest in the dining area, but I did not see any Americans.
The overwhelming majority of the hotel guests were native Iranians. I assumed they were middleclass businessmen in Tehran on business. It was these people such services were designed to attract. I was sure of it. As trivial as it may seem, this aspect of the hotel’s marketing is in fact signifi cant. Despite all the anti-American rhetoric that has emanated from the Iranian regime over the past few decades, America still appeals to certain sections of the Iranian population. If the name attracted suffi ciently negative connotations, would the hotel use it? I would argue not.
There must be something in the word America, which the hotel management believes will act as an inducement to certain sections of the local market. If this is the case, then what is it about America—the brand name (not the country) — that certain segments of the population fi nd so appealing? Why is it that despite over two decades of hostility and unfriendly relations between the world’s superpower and this nation, parts of the population are still drawn to America? What is it about this unique brand that enables it to survive and fl ourish in the most hostile of environments?
These questions are important because America has been able to transplant various aspects of its culture into foreign lands and integrate them into alien cultures in a way that is unparalleled in human history. Even amongst nations and cultures where America, the country, is deeply unpopular (such as Iran), aspects of American popular culture (whether it be drinking Coca-Cola, wearing jeans, or watching a Hollywood movie) still manage to fuse themselves (to varying degrees) into the everyday lives of ordinary people, without them even stopping to think about the apparent contradiction. I am not inferring some sort of hypocrisy on their part but a curious baffl ement at the unique power of this discourse that creates such a paradox.”
This is an extract from the critically acclaimed book In the Land of the Ayatollahs Tupac Shakur is King: Refl ections from Iran and the Arab World by Shahzad Aziz. Using the cities and cultures of the Middle East as a backdrop, Shahzad Aziz travelled on a personal journey to explore Iran and the Arab world, particularly the relations between East and West. Serious debate is interspersed with witty travel dialog as he covers a variety of issues facing the Muslim world today—including the War on Terror, the Arab-Israeli confl ict, martyrdom, Islamic reformation, globalisation, identity, gender representations of women and the Western view of the Muslim world.
Shahzad Aziz read law at Brunel University in London and graduated from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, where he received his M.Phil., in criminology. He currently practices as a barrister specializing in human rights and asylum law.
