Wednesday, February 4 25, 2004 Persian U students reflect on . hu mmwftvmmmm Khomeini's 25 years in power j rx- TTimiZU ''''' W""'"'4 - their families. Andrew Kirk Asst. News Editor -1 Bita Bakhashan, a finance major, was born in Iran but her parents came to the United States in 1983, fearing for their lives. Her grandfather was a military general under the Shah, the former ruler of Iran, and the families of generals were being killed by revolutionaries, she said. Last summer, she participated in a Salt Lake City rally As the Iranian Islamic revolution commemorates 25 years this month, college students in Iran frequently make international headlines for opposing their country's politics. In the wake of a massive boycott of parliamentary elections last week, five U students, whose parents came from Iran as college students, talk about how the revolution has affected "' reform-minde- d supporting student protesters in Iran and COME SEE WHY WE HAVE HAD 33,151 SATISFIED CLIENTS IN OUR 14 YEARS OF BUSINESS. 5 REASONS YOU SHOULD CALL US FOR ANY SERVICE ON YOUR VEHICLE 1 2. T 7 fk Ir 'IWdilUuklJtf U 3. 4. 5. We'll Repair Only What's Necessary and advise you of other problems we see without pressuring you. No Surprises we never perform a service on your vehicle or exceed our estimate without your o k. All Work Is Guaranteed with a 12 month12,000 mile warranty. The Latest State Of The Art Equipment to insure your problem is fixed right the first time. All Technicians Are Certified to make sure you get the highest quality "LllS Don't oil anyone else onul you've Itsteeed to this message! FREE CONSIDER INFORMATION 24 BUSDAY. repairs possible. 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Thursday, February 26 2:00 - 4:00 PM 1 Union 411 693-710- 0 955 North 400 East North Salt lake, Utah J y t.'. f Thursday, March 4 0:00 AM - 1 2:00 PM Union 411 Applications are available in room 206 Park Building or online at www.admin.utah.edupresidentinterns.html GOSSAN 4 if Application deadline: Friday, March Bravo! re-travel COocaSoCa faculty, staff, & families care for students and families -- Mission Immunizations Safety and Health information -- Prescriptions Adult $22, Hepatitis B Adult $28, Hepatitis AB Combo $41 Typhoid Oral $40, Typhoid Injectable $37, Yellow Fever $66 Polio $23 Memngoloccal $60, MMR $30, Chicken Pox $50, Tetanus $10 TB test $5 Hepatitis an appointment call 581-643- 1 2, 2004 efa's Available Immunizations for more informolion or to make 1 consultations for students, ost-travel Even 25 years later, Bakhashan said many supporters of the Shah are still afraid to go back to Iran and are afraid for family members who remain in Iran if they speak out against the government. The local rally last summer received mass support from the Iranian community, but many participants wore masks or refused to be photographed, she said. She went back to Iran during Winter Break to visit family and said despite her fears, nothing bad happened. "Fear is not knowing. People say stuff," she said. Ahmad Barakat, a mechanical engineering major, will not visit Iran because he is afraid he might be conscripted by the military there. His father, however, was a strong supporter of Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution. "He'll tell you why, too," Barakat said. Iran's leader before the revolution, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah, replaced his father as ruler under the direction of the British after the World War II. Many viewed him as a dictator and a puppet of the United States and other Western powers. People like his father view Khomeini as a great reformer, but Barakat's not sure that Iran today isn't a dictatorship. "I understand the Shah needed to go, but I don't think an Islamic nation was the best solution either," he said. Despite his reservations, he thinks it's totally ridiculous for Iran to be considered by President Bush as among the of Evil." "Axis "It's bad to cut things black and white," he said. Aria Nejad, an international business and finance major, said his father worked for the Shah in the U.S. Embassy, but still returns frequently because they still have property and family there. Involved as an adviser durAffair in ing the which hostages were taken at the embassy, his father has many connections in the United States as well as the Iranian government yet didn't feel threatened after the revolution. They decided to leave, Nejad said, because they didn't think it was going to be the same Iran after the revolution. Nejad has friends whose family supported Khomeini and respects their views, but said he was very surprised the first time he heard that not all people regret the revolution. "I'd never heard that side," he said. "I didn't know they existed." Although he respects their opinions, he feels the revolution set Iran back several hundred years. Sanaz Ghaffarian, a biochemistry major, said she thinks the revolution has hurt Islam in Iran. "People are afraid. They practice religion because they have to, not necessarily because they want to. It creates a facade," she said. Iran-Cont- New 2004 NISSAN Sentra's 1.8 '0-- opposing the government's undemocratic policies. A ra Her parents came to the United States for school and decided to stay after the revolution. When her mother goes back to Iran, Ghaffarian said, her mother is saddened by how the economy in Iran has caused her siblings there to have a much different life from the one she's had. "I hear my mom saying the country is now 20 years behind because the government doesn't support technological advances," Ghaffarian said. She doesn't know anyone personally whose family supported Khomeini, but said she hasn't noticed any kind of schism in the Iranian community here over the issue. Maryam Shahrebani, a biomedical engineering major, comes from a family supportive of the revolution. They were mostly supportive, she said, because of their strong religious background. "I consider myself a Muslim first and an Iranian second," she said. She said she's treated like everybody else when she visits Iran and was taught by her parents to consider the rift be- tween supporters and nonsup-porte- rs a minor issue. The Iranian community in America is small enough as it is, she said. Her family has friends on both sides of the issue. "What bonds us is our culture and being in America," she said. a kirk chronicle, utah. edu I