By June Ramli
This year marks exactly 20 years since I visited Iran. The trip, facilitated by then Malaysian Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, took place in 2006. I travelled there with other members of the media as his guest.
I remember it vividly. We first landed in Pakistan, then travelled to Iran, before ending the journey in Dubai.
The Malaysian Tourism Ministry had embarked on the tour to promote its Malaysia My Second Home programme.
These were countries that had experienced conflict, and the ministry believed that well-heeled citizens might consider relocating to Malaysia under the scheme.
When I arrived in Iran in 2006, I was struck by how beautiful the people were. The country itself had its own quiet charm. But there was also a sense that time had stood still.
The hotels, though expensive, felt frozen in another era. There were no McDonald’s or KFC outlets — a reflection of Iran’s rejection of Western brands — though local equivalents existed. At the time, I found it both surprising and, in a way, telling.
Chinese goods were widely available, often at high prices. English was not commonly spoken. And women were required to wear the hijab.
I remember being stopped at the airport because my top did not sufficiently cover me. I was asked to change. I was frustrated and rummaged through my bag to find something more suitable to wear.
Two decades later, the conversations I am having paint a very different picture.
Friends in Iran tell me that many women have stopped wearing the hijab in protest. Some, they say, no longer identify with the faith in the way previous generations did. According to them, resentment toward government-imposed controls has deepened over time.
One friend, currently based in Iran, said she has been unemployed for months after internet disruptions affected her ability to work. Family support has kept her afloat. She said she wasn’t scared of what was going to happen, but added that many people around her are counting on Donald Trump to help wipe out the present government. That, she stressed, is how she understands the current mood among those she knows.
After 47 years, she said, Iranians have had enough and want the government to change — at least to a more lenient one — or to what it was before 1979, before the revolution.
Another person I spoke to was my former French teacher, who is currently in Iran with his Iranian wife and their son. He returned in December last year for medical reasons. His son required therapy, and because it was too expensive in Malaysia, the family decided to temporarily move back to Iran to help his son with his swallowing problem.
The teacher, who solely survives on his teaching income, said he could not teach for a month after the Iranian government cut the internet, but managed to return to his online job after the internet connection was restored.
I have since lost communication with all of them since the start of today’s hullabaloo, and I am not sure what to do anymore, but I believe they are in safe hands.
In Abu Dhabi, I spoke to someone on WhatsApp and she told me that she did hear a loud bang, and that her apartment — which she shares with her family and cats — was trembling.
I tried to press her for further details, but she cut me off by saying that she wasn’t comfortable discussing anything further.
This is very sad given that the UAE has worked really hard to beautify its country and attract talent from all over the world through its Golden Visa program, which has seen so many people moving to the region lately.
Meanwhile, a webinar organised by journalists of The National in the UAE to explain the situation reiterated what was already reported by other news outlets.
However, when asked by DailyStraits.com if The National would be free and fair in its reporting or heed to censorship, our question was ignored.
That is another thing about the Middle East: no one really knows what goes on. Nothing is really reported in actuality.
But the person in Abu Dhabi was confident with the government of the day and the military and put their full trust in them. Well, they have to. They have nowhere to go. Everything is shut.
About the author: June Ramli is the publisher of DailyStraits.com. This is an opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of this publication.
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