Power of Misrepresentation

Political cartoon highlighting stereotype of Iran building nuclear bomb [1]. 

By: Brian D. 

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is shown above [2].

  Israel should be wiped off the face of the map. Who would make such a statement? No one other than Iran’s very own Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, right? In the United States, he is known primarily as a radical Iranian who wants Israel to be wiped off the map [3]. Interestingly, most Americans do not know that this statement was misquoted. Not only do I argue that justice demands non-intervention but I will also argue for an effort to present a more holistic image of Iranians. 

Is it just to represent a whole group of people through one person, while simultaneously misquoting that same person? The nature of this controversial topic can be traced back to the nuclear issue surrounding Iran. How did this nuclear issue arise? 

Shown above is a map of the parties to the NPT and their respective nuclear status [4].

  Since 1970, Iran has been a non-nuclear weapon state member to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). More information regarding this can be found here. Despite this, countries like the United States and Israel have continued to pressure Iran to disband its nuclear program. These countries are concerned about the ability of Iran to possibly build and utilize a nuclear weapon. They have a right to be concerned. Iran has been accused of aiding anti-Israeli terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah through monetary and military [5]. Nonetheless, Iran has repeatedly claimed that its advanced nuclear program is solely for peaceful intentions of building its energy infrastructure. It is important to look to justice to help clarify imperatives in regards to this issue. 

What is justice? I believe that justice entails equality for all people regardless or nationality or ethnicity. I also believe that there should be special emphasis for those people that are misrepresented in society and the inequality that they receive. We need to stop judging others solely based on their portrayal in movies, news broadcasts, or through their president or government officials. What people are then resenting are not the Iranians themselves, but their misrepresentation. In applying my theory of justice to the nuclear issue surrounding Iran, I believe that there should be non-intervention in Iran’s pursuit of nuclear energy. Iranians' human dignity needs to not only be addressed, but also respected. However, non-intervention calls for Iran to be in a close relationship with the United Nations in following strict safety guidelines and other protocol followed by other nuclear nations. If Iran deviates from such a path, I believe justice would then demand intervention in the issue. I say this because such a deviation would put people, namely Iranians themselves, at harm from the government's nuclear program. 

I reach my justice theory through extensive readings on other political theorists of the past. One such extraordinary individual was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his theory of justice as equality. Like King, I believe that justice appeals to reason and equality. I agree with King in that, “…freedom is never voluntarily given up by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” [6]. According to King, the segregator has a false sense of superiority and the segregated, a false sense of inferiority. As in the case with Iran, I maintain that the United States, wanting a nuclear free Iran, is the segregator and Iran is the segregated. I say this primarily because of the inequality of access to nuclear energy worldwide. With King, equality is the centerpiece of my theory of justice. With any argument it is important to address both sides. What do pro-interventionists point to when making their decision? 

Hezbollah terrorist militia running in the streets [7].

Some may say that Iranians are dangerous people who live in an area known to be a breeding ground for terrorism. With this in mind, they conclude that Iran should be unable to harbor nuclear energy. In fact, Americans are not evil people seeking to demonize an entire people, like Iranians. Most Americans are well-intentioned people that are making powerful decisions with a misrepresented view of Iranians and, therefore, believe that they are doing justice to them. The one dominant story of Iranians as a danger becomes so common that it becomes the only story. Political theorist Iris Young’s cultural imperialism includes “…the universalization of a dominant group’s experience and culture, and its establishment as the norm” [8]. The dominant group and its perceptions become the perceptions of all people. It is the stereotype of Iranians that has led Americans to keep intervention as a viable option in case negotiations fail to result with their demands met. Cultural imperialism highlights the fact that human dignity is something that is nonexistent between dominant and culturally dominated states. As in the case with Iran, cultural imperialism is denying an entire people human dignity. 

 

President Ahmadinejad in nuclear plant [11].

 
Others may say that Iran is enriching uranium at a 20% level only so that it can become closer to building a nuclear bomb [9]. However, Iran has maintained that it needs to enrich at this level to be able to sufficiently run its medical reactor in its capital, Tehran [10]. This is yet another example of cultural imperialism. Americans fear the worst from Iran simply because it is all they have known. More information can be found here. 

Most forms of media portray Iran through its President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a person who most Iranians are not fond of themselves. Often, Iran is in the news when there is something to be reported to further increase the tension between Iran and the U.S. This leads the majority of Americans to believe that Iran is a real and dangerous threat. In an interview with various news agencies, Ahmadinejad attempted to quote a past leader of Iran named Ruhollah Khomeini [12]. In his quotation, Ahmadinejad misplaced a word for another but the overall meaning was unchanged [13]. In the translation, however, the interpretation was overwhelmingly mistaken. Ahmedinejad was quoted saying that Israel must be “wiped off the face of the map” [14].

--> What he really said was, “This occupation regime over Jerusalem must vanish from the arena of time” [15]. One can argue that the translator fell victim to cultural imperialism and assumed the worst in Ahmadinejad’s statement as evident in his or her interpretation of his words. 

Even top American political leaders, like presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, fuel the misrepresentation of Ahmadinejad's misquoted statement [16]. To see her in action look here.
                      And also here [17]--------->

Not only do I argue that justice demands non-intervention but we also need to make an effort to present a more holistic image of Iranians. It is important to think about how we can change the effects of cultural imperialism worldwide. Evidently, seeing a culture solely as a threat is a truly problematic perspective. Because of this denial of human dignity, it is imperative to consider ways to change this negative perception of Iranians. I am a strong advocate for a more multi-faceted view of Iranians. We need to consider meaningful proactive steps to increase human dignity and respect with which we treat others. With this multi-faceted view, Americans will have a more well-rounded image of Iranians; they will be able to make a more educated decision about the actions they are willing to take in response to Iran’s nuclear energy growth. I am also a strong supporter for an international student exchange program with Iran. Americans can learn what life is like in Iran and be able to better relate to Iranians. At the same time, Iranian’s can learn more about Americans and the western culture. This may seem like a small step in the battle against cultural imperialism, but we need to start somewhere. Another possible solution could be for news agencies to create a department within their organization with the goal of making sure the news is objective and non-biased.

Picture of national flag of Iran and national flag of the United States [18].

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[1] Photo from: Robert Ariail and Chris Britt. "Political Cartoons About Iran." Political Cartoons About Iran. Accessed December 08, 2012. http://www.anvari.org/cols/Political_Cartoons_about_Iran.html. 

[2] Photo from: Nick Chiles. "Google Images." Google Images. October 16, 2012. Accessed December 10, 2012. http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1.

[3] Glenn Kessler. "Did Ahmadinejad Really Say Israel Should Be ‘wiped off the Map’?" Washington Post. February 08, 2012. Accessed November 19, 2012. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/did-ahmadinejad-really-say-israel-should-be-wiped-off-the-map/2011/10/04/gIQABJIKML_blog.html.

[4] Photo from: "The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons." ILPI Nuclear Weapons Project. Accessed December 10, 2012. http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en.

[5] Thomas Joscelyn. "State Department: Iran Supports Al Qaeda, Taliban." The Weekly Standard. Accessed November 19, 2012. http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/state-department-iran-supports-al-qaeda-taliban_649167.html

[6] Martin Luther King, Jr. "Letter from Birmingham Jail." The Atlantic Monthly 297, no. 2 (2006): 55-56. http://search.proquest.com/docview/223089967?accountid=14667.

[7] Photo from: Emil Uliya. "Google Images." Google Images. Accessed December 08, 2012. http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1.

[8] Iris M. Young. "Justice And the Politics of Difference." Princeton University Press. 1990, 13. Accessed December 8, 2012.

[9] Yeganeh Torbati. "Iran "will Press on with Enrichment:" Nuclear Chief." Yahoo! News. November 29, 2012. Accessed December 08, 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/iran-press-enrichment-nuclear-chief-095625643.html.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Kessler

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid. 
[15] Ibid.

[16] "Bachmann: Tough Talk on Iran After Missile Test." Dailymotion. Accessed December 08, 2012. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xnelnu_bachmann-tough-talk-on-iran-after-missile-test_news.

[17] "Ron Paul vs. Michele Bachmann on Iran Fox Iowa Debate 12-15-11." YouTube. December 15, 2011. Accessed December 08, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW9-RRRD14I.

[18] Photo from: "€˜US Warns Iran: Accede or Be Attacked." Pakalert Press RSS. Accessed December 10, 2012. http://www.pakalertpress.com/2012/03/17/us-warns-iran-accede-or-be-attacked/.