Michelle May

Hi, Have not blogged in a long time for probably obvious reasons- while in Iran i knew that was a no-go.  In Lebanon & Syria I did not want anyone there to be able to track me or know where I was- call me paranoid ; )  I feel i have to address a few questions that have been raised following what happened in Iran:

1. What happend to me is NOTHING compared to what the Iranian people live with- especially now. 

2.  I have been to Iran three times- the past three years my focus has been on fostering understanding between the everyday people of America & the everyday people of Iran (not our governments- i am not a politician).  Having everyday people understand eachother when we have few opportunities for real life ineraction is a massive undertaking, that of course i know i am not able to single-handedly tackle-but- as I wrote here long ago- this is just my tiny meagre contribtion to that.   Iran is a very different place than what was portrayed in the media the past few decades (since June that is changing).. I wanted to let everyday Americans know the truth about Iranians-since they are truly hospitable kind people- quite different from what we saw in teh media.  I have written about this before, been interviewed by journalists in the past, and have also spoken at events such as the Axis Of Friendhsip festival in 2008 regarding my hopes.  I did not go to Iran in June as a novice who was ”swept up” in the “trendiness” of the green wave.  I have many friends there -some of who are like family- I like to see them- they mean alot to me.  I wanted to be with my friends there during what potentially could have been a positive time.  No one predicted the situation to deteriorate as quickly as it did.  No matter, the real reason i was abudcted by the Basij is because they & the government do not want ANY foreign eyes there to witness the atrocities happening.  They were trying to intimidate & scare ousiders to leave.  They saw me read CNN- a news site that their government has conveniently deemed ”terrorist trouble maker.”  it really had far less to do with teh interaction i had wit the undercover Basiji & more to do with their zero tolerance policy that started the day before (ironic since i was trying to read CNN to find out just what was said at the Ayatollah’s prayer- and what did it mean- for me- a foreign tourist, ie: should i leave?).

3.  When you see a brief clip of a much longer interview focusing on the fear I felt when abducted I know it may appear naive & foolish- to trust someone in Iran.  Fact is human beings make decisions based on what they have been conditioned and actually experienced in life.  Would I let a stanger hail a taxi for me in Moscow?  No.  Would I agree with negative comments about the government in say China?  No.  Would I walk home in the dark a half mile from my own apartment in San Francisco?  No.  However In Iran- by all means yes.  In my past experiences in Iran the vast majority of people there verbally bash their government- all the time.  In hindsite i see that it was a hyper sensitive time and i could have exercised more caution- but lesson learned.   Unfortunately now i think there wil be many more secret police.  Don’t feel sorry for the tourist- feel sorry for the everyday ppl who have too live there under such renewed oppression of all divergent thought & idea.

4. I am now in Jordan- I let a young man (stranger) hail a taxi for me yesterday.  In this part of the world hospitality is unparalelled- much different than in a western nation.  As i have said here on my blog over the years- I find Iran to be THE most hospitable and one of the safest nations I have ever  visited.  The custom there is “the guest is next to God.”  We stand so much to learn from this.  I am sorry if it seems naive – because in reality it is not.  if you are paranoid- you are the one who misses out.  I and many others travel b/c we like to experience something different from our own culture.  I do not travel with my guard up in places which have proven that they could be trusted- this was literally the 1st time i have ever been stung by trusting too much in the middle east.  Granted, i now have adjusted how I travel and have been far more cautious.  I am sure I am missing out on positive experiences with people as as result, but it is just where I am at in my head right now.  Fact is most of the world is a very friendly place with good people- a small minority of people are bad eggs.  The bastard Basiji who got me was just that- a minority in a nation of good people.   The only way to truly know that and trust this though is to get out & experience it.

Peace,

Michelle

Tags: ABC, abduction, CNN, elections, Iran, media.

On 6/20/2009 I was abducted by a militia group, the Basij, in Tehran.  They thought I was a spy.  Here are some CNN & ABC links:

I blogged about Tehran for CNN

CNN news artticle about my abduction & detainment

CNN Live interview with me on June 24, 2009

ABC interview segment & link:

Good Morning America segment 6/21/2009

ABC news article that quotes me

Tags: ABC, abduction, Basij, CNN, elections, Iran, kidnapping, media.