The term Taazi (Tazi) gets uttered by many, including myself. It is unfortunate that many listeners misinterpret what is really meant by this term. They immediately think that it is a term that's discriminatory and promotes prejudice. They think it is meant to devalue Arabs in general as well as Iranian-Arabs. This is certainly not the case.

Tazi in action
Tazi questions the world: Quran or Gun?

Those who love and cherish Iran and our culture have no need to devalue other cultures. Many different cultures exist in our world, and Iranians are quite content to let all the others stand undisturbed. There is no need for us to elevate ourselves by pulling others down. Destroying the culture of others is not the intent of Iranian nationalists.

Some misguided souls even hint that by using such terms, the nationalists are inadvertently working against Iran by not being sensitive to Iran's religion and ethnic groups. They point out that such an attitude will alienate the minority groups, and specifically the Iranian-Arabic population of Khuzestan. They are quick to demand unity and scream "intolerance." They need to open their ears, and listen more carefully.

Yesterday Tazi used Scimitar

Today Tazi uses Machinegun

Foremost, the ethnic background and genetic makeup of an individual are unimportant and not at issue here. What's at issue is one's allegiance and frame of mind. This was demonstrated by the Iran-Iraq war. Saddam gravely miscalculated the support that his Arabic army would receive from the local Iranian-Arabic population living in Khuzestan. He miscalculated the effect of feeling Iranian to anyone who is a true Iranian. The Iranian-Arabs showed their allegiance and loyalty to Iran. Those who bravely defended Iran's soil from the invaders with their own lives proved that they were Iranian through and through. They were definitely not Taazis.

Furthermore, Arabs that live in their own countries and mind their own business are not Taazis. The ones who are not waging jihad, or trying to force islam or any other garbage down the throats of their unsuspecting victims are not Taazis.

So then, now that we know who is not a Taazi, the question becomes who is a Taazi? A Taazi is someone who holds the nomadic Bedouin way of life and code of ethics above that of common human decency. A Taazi is someone who is willing to die and kill in the name of Allah. A Taazi is someone who has turned a deaf ear to his own heart and only listens to the call of hate and violence. A Taazi is someone who feels compelled to carry the Bedouin Barbarian Bylaws to ever-expanding spheres of servitude. More than anything else, a Taazi is someone who has discarded his own deep-rooted traditions and culture in place of a God which was the imagination of a pirate. This last person is a traitor-Taazi; the worst kind.

The best examples of traitor-Taazis are the pro-Islamic Republic Taazis. Most claim Iranian heritage and blood. What good is heritage and blood, if they betray that heritage? They claim they are Iranian. However, they are the anti-thesis of Iranians. As I said, one's genes and ethnic background do not matter.

That's why calling someone a Taazi is not prejudicial. One is not born a Taazi. One becomes a Taazi by choice. Unfortunately, much brain-washing goes along with that choice. Nonetheless, it is a choice. It is impolite and in poor taste to mock one who is born a certain way. For example, it is very unfair to mock a person's appearance, low intellect, or ethnicity. However, it is quite fair to mock one who has chosen to be a certain way. One's religion (or lack thereof), ideology, political conviction, and Taazi-ness are all fair game. Of course, mocking Taazis is what I do best.

The Taazis' handiwork played a role not just in Iran's history, but in the history of many others as well.

Many civilizations were laid low by the spread of Islam. The Mesopotamian culture which had been integrated into our own Persian one was devastated. The Nubian kingdom, which was once a key player in Africa was demolished. The Carthaginian culture, which was placed into submission by the Romans received the final nail in its coffin from Islam. By far the most tragic was the loss of one of the world's most amazing civilizations: Egypt. The only thing that matches my concern for what was done to our own Iran is my lament for humanity's loss of Egypt's magnificent culture.

Fortunately for us, but unfortunately for much of the rest of the world, the Iranian civilization was the only one that recovered itself after Islam's initial onslaught. Greece was also captured by Moslems and survived, but it occurred many centuries after the initial Islamic wildfire and under the Ottomans, who were quite different than the Bedouin Arabs of the 7th century. Fortunately for Greece, it was able to resist the initial Arabic expansion by utilizing its navy, and using a new secret weapon: "Hygro Pyr," which in Greek literally means "liquid fire," denoting "Greek fire." If circumstances were different then, the fate of Greece would have been potentially very different and it may not have existed today.

Iran did not survive intact, but it did at least survive. It gives me a cold chill whenever I consider how close we came to not rising again, and becoming just another memory in the vast Arabian desert. We were fortunate that certain historical figures saved us from that awful fate. People such as Ferdowsi, the Saffarids, and to a lesser extent the Samanids.

We must always be vigilant to not lose sight of our past and our true selves. Just because we survived the past assaults on our culture doesn't mean that we are necessarily safe. We are and will always remain under threat. The threat of forgetting who we are.

Each culture is only one generation away from extinction. Let us never forget that fact. Each of us must make a commitment to ourselves as well as future generations to not allow that extinction to occur during our watch.

Being a Taazi is a frame of mind. Being a Taazi is a reflection of one's heart. Genetics have nothing to do with it.

Similarly, being an Iranian is a frame of mind. Being an Iranian is a reflection of one's heart. Genetics have nothing to do with it.

My heart is in Iran, and Iran is in my heart.
What about you?