Views on Middle East Stereotypes

With the Middle East heating up again, Orange County residents are turning their interest to the many developments in recent weeks in that region.

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami earlier this month wanted to “create a crack in the wall” between his country and the United States. Then President Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat reported small gains in the peace process.

Among those watching the political changes is Farrokh Shokooh, vice president of Operation Technology in Lake Forest. The 48-year-old Iranian American living in Laguna Hills said he would like the dialogue between East and West to continue.

He also is concerned with the way people in the United States perceive immigrants from the Middle East. In an interview with Times correspondent John Canalis, Shokooh said the media tend to focus on trouble caused by a few rather than looking at those embracing and contributing to American life.

Q: How can you improve the perceptions of people from the Middle East?

A: Activities, such as Mehregan [an annual Iranian heritage festival in Irvine], which is a celebration of autumn, provide a channel for Americans to get exposed to Persian culture. The No. 1 goal is to have the media correctly present these situations.

The media, for whatever reason, always look at the negative side. They show bad things or negative aspects.

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Q: Do people of Middle Eastern descent intermingle with people of other heritages, or is there a separatist attitude?

A: Most ethnic groups, probably the people I know, mingle with their own groups 80% of the time and 20% of the time go outside their groups. If I have 100 friends, 20 are American and 80 are of other nationalities, most of them Persian.

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Q: When there’s tension in the Middle East, does it cause problems for Muslims or people of Middle Eastern descent living in Orange County?

A: I never have been exposed to any criticism. Still, your feelings get hurt when you see people generalizing the situation. Most of it seems like it comes from the media. At work, or with my clients or people I deal with, they never associate anything in the Middle East with me.

Your anxiety level increases when people are being generalized or characterized unfairly.

What I would say is that I have become an American citizen, and I am very proud of the American Constitution and Bill of Rights here, probably more than a lot of Americans that take it for granted. At the same time, I am very proud of my Persian heritage and culture.

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Q: How long have you lived here?

A: Like 30 years, and I have tried so hard to keep my accent.

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Q: Have matters improved for Persians here since the hostage crisis [during the Carter administration]?

A: Once you get to know a Persian, you realize how friendly and hospitable they are. It’s a completely different portrait than the way Persians were portrayed during the hostage crisis. Don’t brand them because of the actions of a small group.

I do believe dialogue between the two countries should go on. For the last 20 years, without dialogue, things have not improved. There should be a direct dialogue between the two countries. Communication is the key to any relationship, right?

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Q: You are a successful businessman. Is the business world more tolerant of different groups because business itself is an international language?

A: I have never felt that because of my background anybody did not want to do business with us. Our business is very international. Fifty percent of my business is in the U.S., and I never thought anybody has ever boycotted us due to our nationality. If they have, they never told us.

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Q: How do you make sure your children don’t lose their cultural identity? American culture is so overwhelming.

A: You don’t have to do anything to teach your kids American culture, but you have to work hard to teach them Persian culture.