|
A Letter to Google,
Inc.
By:
Persian Gulf Online
Persian
Gulf Online sent the following note to Google, Inc. CEO
Dr. Eric E. Schmidt. We encourage all friends of Iran
send a similar friendly letter of complaint to
Google.
25 February 2008
Dr. Eric E.
Schmidt, CEO
Google Inc
1600 Amphitheatre
Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
Dear Dr.
Schmitt,
It has come to our attention that Google
is including “Arabian Gulf” as a synonym or alternative
term for the Persian Gulf on its Google Earth
maps.
Please note that “Arabian Gulf” was once
used as a reference to what is known today as the Red
Sea [1] which renders its reintroduction as a variant
for the Persian Gulf even more misleading. Historically,
the accuracy of the term Persian Gulf is beyond dispute.
Several legal documents from the United Nations as well
as the United States Board of Geographic Names confirm
its legitimacy, as do centuries of classical history,
including a reference to the body of water by Greek
geographer and astronomer Ptolemy as the Aquarius
Persico. The Persian Gulf has been known and recognized
as such for more than 2,500 years. Agreements have also
been solidified by the signatures of all six bordering
Arab countries on United Nations directives declaring
the name of this body of water as the Persian
Gulf.
Applications of false and divisive
references made to the Persian Gulf were first observed
approximately 50 years ago, and formed part of a
pan-Arab strategy aimed at diminishing the status of
non-Arab influences in the Middle East. Iran and Israel,
being non-Arab states, were the obvious target of this
practice within the movement, initially attributed to
and adopted by former Egyptian President and strongman
Gamal Abdel Nasser, later promulgated and employed by
the deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Today, it is
frequently used as a tool of destabilization by unsavory
radicals and militants.
We do not presume that by
alluding to the Persian Gulf with a secondary reference,
your intentions mirror those of the aforementioned
parties but remain concerned that your action will be
misconstrued by your website visitors as political in
nature as no legal or geographically technical grounds
exist for the inclusion of such
terminology.
Given the fact that Google Earth is
designed as a learning tool, its accuracy is of the
utmost importance. We reiterate and reaffirm our
position that the term “Arabian Gulf” is not only
incorrect due to its past usage as a synonym for the Red
Sea, but that its use will be perceived as reflective of
your alignment with revisionist elements intent upon
using the renaming of the Persian Gulf as a divisive
political tool.
It is for these reasons that we,
along with thousands of others expressing their
discontent via this online petition [2], ask that Google
avoid making such political statements and protect its
reputation as an unbiased source of information by
promptly correcting this mistake.
Sincerely
yours,
Persian Gulf Online
Organization
[1] Arabia, Red Sea & Persian
Gulf [G. Child], Bellin, c. 1752 http://www.raremapsandbooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=7592
[2]
http://www.petitiononline.com/sos02082/
A
Letter to Merriam-Webster,
Inc.
By:
Persian Gulf Online
Persian
Gulf Online sent a similar letter to Merriam-Webster,
Inc. to register its protest in regards to the use of
the term “Arabian Gulf” as an alternative term to the
Persian Gulf on page 920 of its 2007 Third Edition
Geographical Dictionary to the following address:
Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal
Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA
01102.
Their web-based contact page is: http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/contact.htm
Help Cyrus the Great
Project
By:
Daniel M Pourkesali
Hollywood's
cinematic assault on Persian history in the movie '300'
offended many Iranians even before the movie had
officially opened in theaters. But as in case of every
attack on Persian identity like the National Geographic
and Google's mislabeling of the historical Persian Gulf,
the outrage is often short-lived and sporadic without
meaningful action to counter the ongoing Western
propaganda to deride ancient Persia's contribution to
human civilization.
Filmmaker Cyrus Kar was
captured by U.S. forces in Iraq on May 17, 2005 and
jailed in solitary confinement for nearly two months
while filming his documentary "In search of Cyrus the
Great" the founder of the greatest and most just Empire
the world had ever seen.
But despite his heroic
efforts the documentary revealing that many of what is
today considered as "western values" originated from
ancient Persia remains unfinished due to lack of
funds.
In an article in response to the movie
'300' Kar wrote: "History is no longer written by the
victors, it is written by filmmakers. Perhaps movie
'300' was a necessary wake-up call for the
Iranian/Persian community to support responsible
filmmakers, who report history with honesty and
integrity".
Please help Cyrus finish this
documentary by making a tax deductible donation to
'Filmmakers Alliance'. You may do so by visiting Spenta
Productions website or sending your checks
to:
Spenta Productions
Attn: Cyrus
Kar
P.O. Box 2682
Los Angeles, CA
90078. |
