I can shed light on this discussion - as one who dated Persians both in Iran and in the US. I can tell you from first-hand experience that the Persians in their own country are different from the ones who "got out." Mind you, I was in Iran in 1973 and life was thoroughly different then. Back then the women of Iran were free to pursue their dreams for higher education and emplyment in any area they liked. They were free to wear western clothing and to follow western ideas - in fact they were encouraged to do so. The men in Iran wanted their wives to be all they could be as it reflected positively on them and their families. There were more women sitting in the Majlis (Parliament) than there were in our House of Representatives and in our Senate in Washington DC. Sharia law notwithstanding, the women of Iran in 1973 were very westernized compared to Pakistan and Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia (just to name a few other Islamic countries).
Of course life in the villages was vastly different than life in the Capital city of Tehran. In the villages, the Mullahs ran things pretty much as they wanted - except where His Supreme Highness Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi found their excesses to be ridiculous. He put a halt to their reign of terror by confiscating their lands and giving them back to the people from whom the lands had been "stolen." That made him very unpopular with the Mullahs whose goal was to totally Islamize Iranian culture.
Iran (Persia) was not moslem until it was run over by Islam. The so-called religion of peace massacred the Persiam culture by subjugating it. For all that, Persians remain doggedly independent in their thinking - so much so, that observers of their culture could characterize them as contentious.
Persians living outside their homeland today tend to blend in with the prevailing culture while retaining their own culture in the privacy of their homes. Some people would characterize this as disingenous. But, after the incredible hostility they met abroad, who would blame them for "hiding?" Certainly not I. Given the same circumstances I would not want to reveal my origin either.
Most of the Persian men I have met since returning to the US are extremely intelligent, friendly, courteous (in ways our Amercan men used to be many years ago) hospitable and honorable. It is a matter of personal integrity for them to present themselves "as they are." The Persian men I know are honest, hard-working and very family oriented. Their families are literally their world. The Iranian society I came to know and love put God first and family right up there after. Persian men were taught to respect women (even revere them (as Roman Catholics do the Virgin Mary)and to protect them with their lives. Persians are all taught to respect authority (including parents) and live honorable lives. I don't find Persians to be any different from what you would call decent, ordinary, everyday Americans. Most living here have become Americans, adopting our country as their own. We would do well to recognize the Persian ex-patriate community for its vast contributions to the advancement of our country in the past three decades. As we have welcomed immigrants from other nations, let us not forget the Persians.
Please give the Persian men a chance. You might find them worth a second look.
Persian men need to go find Persian women here in America if they are the original generation who came over.
There is a genuine problem with their values compared with American values.
When my sister went to court ordered mitigation, the person who was there said lying is a normal part of the Iranian culture, so my sister was right, but that is who they are.
This Persian tried to force my sister to abort a child, stoled her furniture, expensive books, expensive collectibles and despite owning three houses, finds it a horror to pay his child support and owes her $40,000 at this time.
Their culture is a sick culture. I would tell all American women to run for the hills unless the person they are dating are American born men of Iranian origin who spent their whole life here and are actually Americans. Outside of that, the ones coming over are trouble.
Every story here in California I hear about was trouble, every one of them.
I'm afraid I have to disagree with you.
I paid for the birth of the child the Iranian husband refused to pay for and the child now has OUR family's last name and not the cursed family name of the father.