Hello everyone.

Lately, I've been wanting to take a trip to the Middle East with a good friend of mine that speaks Arabic (it would make the trip a lot easier). I was doing some research about different countries and was honestly shocked that Iran wanted to appeal to Western tourists, of all people.

I came across this article today
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,386789,00.html

I know every country has its dark side, but it seems that Iran's dark side is downright inhuman. I cant imagine why anyone would willingly go to this country and pump money into their economy because that money may one day be used to drop a nuke on your house.

Dont be stupid, people.

Smog,

That is your personal opinion, actually opinion of a person who trusts Western Media but at below address you can find other opinions, from persons who preferred to see the real world:

1- Reflections on my trip to Iran
2- I have been to Iran

The real world is more beautiful. Forget all Western Media exaggerations, try to experience the whole truth!

Moderator, I want to thank you for not locking this thread. I just take offense in the fact that you obviously believe that since the story comes from a Western news source, that it must be fabricated. I guess every story of stoning murders and the murder of homosexuals in Iran were also fabricated.

So here's an Arab news source reporting on a different stoning death in the Middle East.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/mid...12578.html

Am I to believe that that story is also fabricated just like the story of the nine people that face stoning deaths in Iran? Please understand that I don't think that everyone in Iran is a monter. I dont believe that at all. However, I do believe that many people in Iran are fascists and that many people are stoned to death by those fascists. I also believe that homosexuals are murdered and the claim that Ahmadinejad said that there are no homosexuals in his country ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_3RUwAJ_MI ) is a bold-faced lie.

Jajajajaja

A honest question? From a curious man?

"Dont be stupid people"?

Jajajaja

Sure, keep on sending us those YouTube links "honest" questioner. If you keep on believing what they tell you and how they sell it to you, you can as well keep fearing Iran, for such a paradise-like place full of civilization and humanity is certainly not a reward liers and bad intended people are to experience on this existence.

Kind regards from another curious man, who instead of willingly swallowing the hatred you did, went for himself to Iran and is still amazed at its beauties and admirable ways,

Germán

What is your idea about what America is doing in Guoantanamo or the other countries do according to their bylaws. Are those among the human rights. Who has defined the human right??? and who is checking if it is applied or not????
I don't want to approve what the Iranian govt has done but i want to open your eyes in front of the other facts which seems you are ignoring......

Dear Tulip

What exactly has Iranian government done in human rights terms? Is executing people belonging to terrorist networks against human rights just because Western headlines title it "political opposition leader"? Or is executing a raper owning a pedophile network an abuse of human rights because Western headlines title it "homosexual"?

According to a recent report by WorldPublicOpinion.org, which as every Westerner report addressing Iran remains being disgustingly biased, still about 3 of evey 4 Iranians consider there is respect for human rights in Iran, which compared to other Western countries seems to be the normal.

Other interesting questions from that study compared with other countries:

"How much IS your country already governed by the will of the people?" (from 1 to 10)

Iran: 5.9
Britain: 4.9
France: 4.6
Mexico: 4.5
Argentina: 4.4
United States: 4.0


"The country should be governed by the will of the people MORE than it already is" (% of agreement)

Iran: 59
France: 73
Argentina: 75
Britain: 77
United States: 83
Mexico: 85

A huge success I would say, taking this question as a how satisfied people is with their government being an expression of the spirit of the nation. Unfortunately, the next two questions where horribly biased, but still one can get amazing conclusions about Iran.


"How frequently can you trust your government? (% of people)

Argentina: 86 (Always or Most times), 10 (Some of the times)
Iran: 48 (Most times*)
United States: 40 (Always or Most times), 70 (Some of the times) [Really weird since the %s sum 110%, but anyway]
France: 37 (Always or Most times), 58 (Some of the times)
Mexico: 34 (Always or Most times), 70 (Some of the times)
Britain: 32 (Always or Most times), 63 (Some of the times)

*Unbelievably, this question was an exception ONLY in the case of Iran. Instead of asking the standard "Always", "Most times", or "Some of the times", all along some positive line, the question in the case of Iran gave the alternatives "Most times", "Rarely", "Never" totally on the negative side. And still, Iran gets the second highest Always+Most times, which was considered the positive side on the report.


"Is your government run by few big interest groups or for the benefit of the people?" (% of agreement)

Britain: 60 (Big interest groups), 36 (people's benefit)
France: 59 (Big interest groups), 35 (people's benefit)
Argentina: 71 (Big interest groups), 21 (people's benefit)
United States: 80 (Big interest groups), 19 (people's benefit)
Mexico: 83 (Big interest groups), 16 (people's benefit)
Iran: *

*Unbelievably, this question, again as a very unique exception, was now not even asked at all in Iran. Im so sure Iran would have again been a total winner on this one showing the government of Iran goes for the benefit of the people, and big interest group hijacking the country dont even exist.


Hope you enjoy the numbers.


Kind regards from Chile,
Germán

Smog, you say that you wouldn't want to go to Iran as they kill people for being homosexuals and that they will nuke you in the future. I can think of one large Western country that executes juveniles and mentally retarded people (the only other country that does so is Uzbekistan). In addition, they are the only country in the world to have used a nuke.

At the end of the day though, I'm a tourist and not a human rights advisor. Having been to China, Cuba and north Korea I don't think I'm going to bring down any regime by not going. Thus, I truly plan to go to Iran, a country with great culture and heritage!

It's completely mind-blowing how people are actually defending Iran and it's Holocaust-denying dictator.

It's mind blowing how some completely narrow minded people think that I defended him.

Did I? Go on, read what I posted, and then make another comment.

My Dear Smog, as a fellow American I must say, forget the numbers and all that, if you truly DO NOT WANT to go to Iran as a tourist, then DONT GO.

Simple as that.

Why are you on this site, and why are you saying all this.

And by the way, showing by all your "research" about Iran, its funny how you didnt come across the simple FACT that Iranians arent ARAB.....they dont speak arabic either, so having your Arab friend there would be absolutely useless! =)

As to another thing......Pumping tourist money into the Government? Buddy they have oil :P

and that point someone made was funny too....Guantanamo Bay? If we are such Hippocrates and say DONT GO TO COUNTRIES THAT USE TORTURE, then use it ourselves? well we look like idiots!:p

PPL of the worlddd dont go to USA because of the existence of Guantanamo Bay !
Spread that one why dont you:p Instead of backing up what our American Government is doing, MAKE CHANGE!