Iranican

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To Go or Not to Go

• Iranican صدای • 8 Comments


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(Originally Posted on May 6th) For the past 8 years, whenever I’ve talked about returning to Iran in front of my parents, the whole room goes silent, and all its occupants save me become totally sullen.

“Keyvan, midooni chi mishe?” my mother remarks with an air of incredible seriousness. “Bache-y. They’ll draft you! We’d all love for you to go back and see your family, but it’s too risky!”

Some variation of this retort always comes up. And even when I politely interject and tell them that there are exemptions, they follow up with a “Keyvan-jan, stupid naboshe. Iran-e. Ghanoon nist!”

And then they beat me, and I cry myself to sleep, ashamed that I ever thought of visiting the countless cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends that I, and most of us, have in Iran.

Okay, maybe I’m taking some liberties with my recollection, but my family always greets any mention of the subject with a firm no, and begins treating me like I’m some sort of naive villager asking to delve into the dangerous, big city for the first time.

This is why I need your help, avid Iranican blog readers! I know that there are exemptions for a 21-year old Iranian-American male, since many Iranian-American males my age routinely travel back there with no problem. For every Haleh Esfandiari, there are innumerable Iranian-Americans whose travels to Iran goes smoothly. After consulting here and here, but due to my lack of language skills, not here, I have come up with four possibilities:

1) There won’t be any problem if I go, because I’ll be there for under three months.

2) There may be a problem, since I won’t be enrolled in a university during the time I’m planning to go.

3) There won’t be a problem assuming I purchase my draft exemption, which last time I heard was about $3,000? But I also heard that they stopped allowing this for a few years? And I also heard that they’re currently raising the prices to almost $5,000?

4) Just go on an impulse, and if I’m not allowed to leave the country, then buy a good lawyer with connections to the mullahs, or pull a Roxana Saberi and get international attention to your case. And if I get sent to Evin, hey, at least I could write a bestseller about it later…

Any comments/corrections to my probably flawed reasoning?

Worst, worst-case scenario: I end up joining the Iranian military, which, after watching this propaganda clip, seems like an awesome job!

To Join the conversation: Call 1-888-RD-JAVAN Ex4 or IM IranicanLive @ AIM/MSN/Yahoo/Gchat

Links to events discussed on the show:

10/22: Royal Ambulance’s First Marrow Drive in San Leandeo, CA

10/24: An Open Discussion on Faith in Campbell, CA

11/05:I Ran Home (In America) Art Exhibit

گز: واحد طول  که ذرع هم گفته می شود و هر گز برابر با 16 گره  یا 104 سانتی متر می باشد

Gaz: An old unit of measuring length equal to 16 knots or 104 centimeters.

8 comments

  1. I visited Iran in 2006, and in order to go and come back without any hassles, you need:

    1. A valid Shenasnaameh (Birth Certificate)
    2. Your National ID card (Carte Melli)
    – This took me almost 9 months, because I had an older Birth Certificate and they had to go to the exact hospital I was born (I guess) and make sure I really was born there.
    3. Your own, valid Passport
    – I originally was on my parent’s passport, so they had to issue me a new one. If you haven’t gone to Iran before, you’ll run into the same situation, and will need to hand over one of your parents’ passports ( I forgot which ) and probably their National ID card and/or Birth Certificate.
    4. Mohre-Khorooj (Exit Visa Stamp)
    – Young men are required to get an Exit Visa Stamp BEFORE traveling to Iran, so as to not have to worry about the Sarbaazi situation. The Exit Visa Stamp allows you to stay in Iran for up to three months without them hassling you, but it expires a year after they give you the stamp. If you have Steps 1-3 above all set, this step is very fast, and in fact if you visit the Iranian Interests Section in D.C., they will get it done for you that same day.

    #4’s rules/policies may have changed, so check with the Iranian Interests Section for the latest laws: http://www.daftar.org

    For the most part, rule of law in Iran is a joke, but they’ve been pretty consistent about letting low-profile Iranian-Americans travel in and out.

  3. I would not presume to comment on whether or not to vist Iran – we all have specific circumstances which make it more or less difficult to visit Iran. What I want to say is that as a Nation, Iran is not the country most of us or our parents left – the politics, the form of religion, the cultural values, the social norms, the ethics and economy are all turned upside down. So apart from relatives, I think it would be hard for anyone living abroad for two decades or more to have any real patriotic feeling towards that country. So what is at the root of the National identity that most of us so desperately lack? What is the question for which Iran is the answer for us? I would suggest that this is yet another false sense of who we really are as people. I also have nostalgic feelings about the school I went to 30 years ago, but does identifying with that institution define who I am or help me resolve the identity vacuum in which we as a people have been left? I think not. Rather, I look at this as an opportunity to discover our own true identity beyond cultural and other forms of identification. It is no doubt hard, but so is climbing any ladder. My advice is to make sure your ladder is leaning against the right wall. The wall of national identity is a false identity that history has given us the opportunity to transcend.

  4. I suggest you don’t listen to anyone who tells you Iran is this dangerous place where you can be the next Roxana Saberi. Saberi got caught because of her actions, that went beyond the red lines of social norms and government tolerance. So as long as you stick with your plans of visiting family and friends, and don’t try to get drunk or interview people about politics for your blogging pleasure, you will be fine!

    Option one is 99% likely, because you do not necessarily have to be a student, even though the law is a bit unclear about it. I have cousins, friends, and know many others who do this every year.

    If your worse case scenario ever came true, I’ll assure you it will be the experience of your lifetime, and it’s not as bad even when you refer to non-propaganda clips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fePFVaep94

  6. Keyvan, i would be the best person to tell you the truth. I am currently 18 years old and came back from Iran five days ago. Yes five days ago, a young dual citizen, that is suppose to serve the military, in Aushora, in the protests… i went to Iran, and came back Safely. I, however, am enrolled in a University. But, when i renewed my passport in DC, they didn’t even bother asking me about it. They just took the money and gave me the exit permit–which grants you entry to Iran once a year as long as your stay is in a range of less than three months. It bothers me to see how people could be so irrelevant about the Iranian government, as if holding us back would make a difference for their 30 plus million standing military. Go to Iran, have your fun–and understand where you come from. Also, i have entered Iran and left with success once a year for the past seven years.

  7. Thanks Hamed. It seems like next December I’ll finally be heading back. And yeah, from my own and my relatives’ queries, there shouldn’t be any legal problem to entering and coming back. Now, if I could only reassure my parents, who have been telling me every month to wait for the situation to calm down, for the past several years…