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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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October
2004
Volume 7
- Number 1 |
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Related Sites:
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Personal Perspective on Terrorism by Ali Khansari The Iran-Iraq war was fought for nearly nine years, during which time both countries suffered millions of casualties and billions of dollars in damage. The collateral damage to the economies of other nations was also immense. The war was one of the most strategically important conflicts of modern times because it involved two major oil producers and the region where more than half the world's reserves are located. The Arabs and Persians (natives of Persia, mostly descendants from places other than Arabia) have been historical rivals dating back centuries. Growing up in
Iran during the war was very difficult for me and my family, with lots
of
terrible memories. Thinking about it
right now, brings to my mind very loud, scratchy and scary noises that
we had
to hear every day. Sounds of bombs,
guns, and people screaming for help. During the war I lived in Tehran
in a 25
story building in the north part of the city. We
were on the 8th floor. My
parents were always listening to the news waiting for the war
to end. I remember they would notify
people what to do in order to be safe. From
what I remember most of the time the warning level
was red. More than 10 times during a day,
we had to
leave our apartment immediately and take the stairs all the way down to
the
garage in order to be safe. During the
Iraq-Iran war, all of the city’s facilities were at the service of war,
especially the hospitals—the casualties of war were very high. It was
as though
the city was under occupation by the Iranian army, and this made life
even more
difficult for us. Suicide rates had
gone very high during the war. I also
remember our neighbor which was my mother’s cousin, had an 18 year old
son. One early morning the mother of
the son comes knocking on our door crying and screaming.
The government had come to their door and
had taken the 18 year old boy to fight in the war.
The family had no idea about where the son was for 7
years. After seven years they tell
the family that
they had found his neck less on the border of Iran and Iraq but nothing
was
remaining from his body. I was a young boy at that time but I
totally
remember the fear of Araghi Mig air planes every night. I was at the age of seven where my
parents decided to move to
America. I arrived in Washington Dulles
airport on the night of 4th of July. I
spent the entire car ride from the airport to my uncle’s house
under the seat, in fear of all the sounds that I could hear from the
celebration,
thinking I was still in war and the sounds are bombs exploding. After
being away for six years we went back
to see our homeland, friends, and family. I expected to refresh
memories and
revitalize for journey back to USA, but it did not exactly happen all
together. Family members, and
relatives, no matter how dear, soon became ordinary and, later, reached
maturity and invisible. I did not get
to see any of my childhood friends as each had followed their families
else
where, in other cities after the war. |