THE IRANIAN AMERICANS Premiers December 18

THE IRANIAN AMERICANS, a new series produced by PBS, premiers  December 18^th in the United States. It chronicles history of Iranian immigrants overcoming adversity and ultimately creating new lives in America.

Iranians had been immigrating to America in small numbers for decades, primarily for education, but 1979 Islamic Revolution saw massive migration. THE IRANIAN AMERICANS is an emotional account of displacement told by more than 25 Iranians who were uprooted from their home and heritage and built completely new lives in the U.S. They include Maz Jobrani, the actor/comedian; Goli Ameri, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State; and Firouz Naderi, director of solar system exploration at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

For more information, please check PBS site at  http://www.pbssocal.org/iranianamericans

Remembering my thoughts on 9/11/2001

I wrote the "letter to the editor" below back on 9/11/2001. It's interesting, for me at least, to look back on the thoughts of that day as events unfolded. I hope you don't mind me sharing.

"When I went to work today, my day as a physician was more stressful than usual. I was excited about seeing my son soon; he had planned his long-awaited flight from Iran to the US this year, ending 10 years of separation. When I got home, I had tears in my eyes as I watched the tragedy unfold. 

I hope that, despite the horrors of the day, it will still be possible for America and Americans to avoid drawing from the perpetrators' hate. I hope we will be humane and civilized as we go about the business of identifying and punishing those who are responsible.

As America came under attack, so, too, did everything around us - our open way of life, our freedoms, and my own family reunion. We must ask ourselves how we'll face tomorrow - whether we are Pentagon workers or the Iranian son of an Iranian born doctor going to an american school after Sept, 11 2001."