Saudi, etc.
Dear Gang,
I have to agree with Gypsy. We are very quick to point fingers at the way other countries handle things, and also often English captions do not match what is going on in photos or often on the news. During the Iran crisis I happened to be watching a news program with Masoud Chamasmani, my Persian dance instructor. The English stated that "students" in Tehran were protesting against American policies toward Iran. Masoud started laughing and when I asked him what was funny he told me. "Look at the people who are protesting. What do you see?" What I saw appeared to be poor older men in very traditional clothing, not at all like anything very remotely student like. Masoud told me that these were farmers from outside the city, probably not very well educated, who were told by the government to protest. It had nothing at all to do with how the students of Iran felt about the American government.
I try not to be any more or less critical of the way that things are handled in other countries than I am here. Not only are one in four women beaten in domestic violence, in my country, 1 in 4 children goes to bed hungry at night.
That makes it really difficult for me to say that any other country is worse than my own. I abhor terrible treatment no matter where it is, and I can see plenty here to complain about, too.
Regards,
A'isha
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