Dear Editor,

In a letter written by Mr. Mac Mahase to the Stabroek News (June 22, 2010) and titled, “Iran’s offer to do mineral mapping should have set alarm bells ringing in Georgetown,” the letter writer skillfully manipulated the history books in a frenzy to demonize Iran.

Let me start with one major error in his letter. Mahase wrote, “Iran is yearning to be the mighty pre-Alexandrian powerhouse, who once ruled from the Mediterranean to the Indus Valley.”  Iran was never the custodian of the so called “Pre-Alexandrian powerhouse.” It was Alexander of Macedonia who was the founder of that multi-cultural empire.  Secondly, the Persian Empire was at peace with Bharrat (India) since they both shared cultural similarities.  It was Greece, the rival of the Persian Empire that was under constant Persian attack.

Iran is an ancient land with a rich past that was at the forefront of human rights. Koorush (Cyrus), at the dawn of civilization wrote the first declaration of human rights on a clay cylinder. It’s in the British Museum today.  Koorush also freed the Jews and banned slavery in his empire.  He is also favourably looked at in Indian narratives.  The Indus Valley was a province of the Persian Empire and wasn’t under the direct rule of the centre.

Iran, land of the Aryans and North India share a similar bloodline and languages based on a common root, Indo-Aryan.  The Aryans herders from Central Europe settled in what are now Iran, Afghanistan and North India. Today, 70, 000 Persians (Parsees) live in India. Indira Gandhi’s husband, Farouk Gandhi was one such Irani.  Hrithik Roshan, John (Farhan) Abraham, Aruna Irani and Jamshed Tata are all of Iranian origin.

Mr. Mahase also wrote, (Iran) “Its ambitions stifled by a series of UN sanctions, they are determined that nothing will stop them from becoming a dominant world power sooner than later.”  I don’t think Iran wants to be a world power; rather Iran seeks a place in the global community after centuries of Russian, French, British, American and Arab invasions, coups and exploitation.  Iran did not invade its neighbours: Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan or India.  Iran did not create Hezbollah, Hamas, the Taliban or Al Qaeda.   It was the same Mullahs of Iran who condemned the Taliban and Al-Qaeda as barbaric.

Iranians speak proudly of their Zoroastrian past and dwell little on their Islamic present. Iranians are very secular non-religious Muslims who identify more with their Zoroastrian past than with Islam.

In conclusion, Guyana will not be affected by UN, EU and American bilateral and unilateral sanctions. The two countries do not have any sort of economic ties and the MOU that Guyana signed with Iran to map Guyana’s mineral resources will not affect these sanctions.   It is highly unlikely that Iran can evade these illegal unilateral sanctions that are beyond the scope of the United Nations Security Council through Guyana.  Why would Iran seek uranium from Guyana when it has stronger economic, political and cultural ties with Central Asia and Africa where Tehran can obtain it for the right price?  Rather, I see Mr. Mahase’s letter to the media as another piece of anti-Iranian hysteria.

Yours faithfully,
Ray Chickrie