Simply Google Earth, Arab states, Bribery, Persian Gulf’s name distortion!

Kourosh Ziabari - OhMyNews: Despite long-standing tradition, there’s a fight among the international community over the name of the Persian Gulf. That’s the body of water that separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula.

Among the thousands of geographical names around the world, why are mischievous actions being taken to change the name of the Persian Gulf? Why not target the Gulf of Mexico? Why is the Persian Gulf region so important that Arab states and Israel agreed to lobby for a change of name? What political purposes will it serve? Who is backing this endeavor?

We know well that the West is increasing the pressure on Iran over its nuclear program. We know, too, that three UN members have never signed the Nonproliferation Treaty and that they currently have nuclear arsenals. No serious steps are being taken to disarm those states or to stop them from pursuing weapons of mass destruction.

Some Iranian journalists and cultural activists believe that the effort to change the name of the Persian Gulf is taking place with the goal of enfeebling the will of the Iranian nation about the nuclear program even though the West knows that Iran is facing an electricity shortage.

When the National Geographic added “Arabian Gulf” in parentheses after the label “Persian Gulf” in the latest (2004) edition of its Atlas of the World, Iranians were understandably upset.

Iranians link the slyness of changing the name with the West’s desire to pressure Iran to suspend its nuclear program, another tactic to go with the military threats, propaganda in the media and economic sanctions. They believe that the Western media in adopting the change are of their sensitivity toward their cultural heritages and historical treasures.

Some Iranian journalists wrote right after the National Geographic scandal that the hostile action of changing the name had nothing to do with the West’ or the United States’ policies. Rather, it was the work of the Arab states, which bribed the American media.

Some articles reveal that the managers of Google Earth had some financial arrangements with Arab political leaders to change the name in their maps.

But really, altering a historical name will never create the desired political results. It will just cause irretrievable damage to the history of science and the efforts of geographers, archaeologists and voyagers.

Together with all of the world’s historical sites and places, the Persian Gulf’s name must be protected for future generations.

Neglecting tradition, historical facts and records such as Herodotus’ History and Ibn Battuta’s Travels to serve some political purpose is a terrible way for a nation to act, especially the United States, which is known globally for its peacemaking and cultural background.

Eternal Persian Gulf

Iran on Wednesday strongly defended opening new offices on the Iranian Islands of Persian Gulf and rejected Arab monarchies’ condemnation of the move as interference and unforgivable impudence.

“All our country’s measures on Abu Musa Island are completely legal and in accordance with Iran’s rights governing this Iranian islands,” foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said in a statement.

Ghashghavi was reacting to a statement by the six-nation Persian Gulf Cooperation Council on Tuesday condemning the construction and calling for the closure of the offices on Abu Musa, one of the triple Iranian islands of Persian Gulf.

Iran seriously condemned the GCC statement as explicit interference in Iran’s internal affairs and branded the nonsense UAE’s claims to Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb islands as boring, repetitive, baseless, shameful, unfounded and rejected.

Tehran’s establishment of a maritime rescue office and a ship registration office on Abu Musa island drew a formal protest from the UAE earlier this month.

Iran has already warned many times that any bias, media propaganda or intervention to threat its sovereignty will be responded decisively while the case of territorial integrity is vitally sensitive for Iranian officials and they announced frequently that allow nobody to move toward this redline.

Iranians believe that taking military options to respond the meditative and devilish statements of Arab governors is a proper choice to end their impertinence, meanwhile the Iranian army commanders never dismissed this option.

The Persian Gulf and its islands have been under the absolute administration of Iran from the ancient times, about 5000 BCE and the ridiculous pretensions by Arab Sheikhdoms are just charged by the Zionist lobbies and a part of anti-Iranian project managed by White House.

Anyhow, Iran is reviewing some serious and unveiled options to end this artificial dispute and also looking to expand its constructions, buildings, airports, facilities and financial structures in the Iranian islands of Persian Gulf.