6 Common Misconceptions About Iranians

The US and Iran have been rivals on the international stage for over 40 years. Over that time a number of myths have been spread that have created an inaccurate impression of Iranian-Americans for a lot of Americans. Here are a few inaccurate perceptions that are worth debunking.

1. Iranians Are Arabs

Many Americans feel as if all Middle Eastern Muslims are of the same ethnicity. Iranians, however, are not Arab. While Iran is made up of several different ethnicities — including Arabs, Kurd's, and Azeris — the vast majority of Iranians are Persian.

2. They Speak Arabic

There are several regional languages in Iran, but the most common language spoken is Persian — also known as Farsi.

3. Iran Is a Dangerous Place

Many Americans feel as if Iran would be an unsafe place to visit, which is pretty weird when you think about it, given America's reputation for gun violence. Iran, on the other hand, generally has a very low crime rate, and almost no instances of violence against tourists. Also, while Americans might not be fond of Iran's government, it is very stable, so visitors don't have to worry about any political unrest.

4. Iranians Hate Americans

The Iranian government may consider the US to be the enemy — and the people themselves may hate the US government — but Iranians actually have a positive view of Americans. In fact, the ease with which Iranians-American culture thrives in America is partly due to the fact that Iranians have a more western world view than people might think.

5. Iran is 3rd World

While Iran's economy has suffered in recent years due to sanctions, Iran is a highly developed society with thriving aerospace, stem cell, and medical science industries. In many ways, life in the bigger cities is every bit as sophisticated as it is in their western counterparts.

6. The People Are Poorly Educated

The myth that Iranians are uneducated, backwards people couldn't be further from the truth. In reality, education is taken very seriously in Iran with up to half of its people having received higher education — often overseas at major universities in Europe and the US. Women, as well, are often better educated than in other parts of the world.

Once Americans are willing to look past the common myths that misrepresent Iranians, they'll learn what their Iranian-American neighbors have always known: there's more that unites our two cultures than separates them.