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Iranian American Dental Association , Santa Monica, CA 90406 - Mentor... irada.org |
Iranian-Americans or Persian-Americans are American citizens of Iranian heritage. Iranian-Americans are among the most highly educated groups in the United States.[5][6] Though Iranian-Americans have historically excelled in business, academia and the sciences, they have traditionally shied away from participating in American politics or other civic activities.[7] Although Iranians have lived in the United States in relatively small numbers since the 1930s, a large number of Iranian-Americans are immigrants that have lived in the United States since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.[8]
[edit] History Iranian immigration to the United States has been continuous since the 1980s. Between 1980 and 1990, the number of foreign born from Iran in the United States increased by 74 percent.[9] Today, the United States contains the highest number of Iranians outside of Iran. The Iranian-American community has produced significant numbers of individuals notable in many fields, including medicine, engineering, and business. The community chiefly expanded in the early 1980s, following the Iranian Revolution and its abolition of the Iranian monarchy. Iranians in the United States have comparatively liberal political opinions and traditional lifestyles, attributable in part to American acculturation. Iranian-Americans thus are secular or, if not, tend to practice moderate, less traditional forms of Shi'ism (some were forced into exile or to seek asylum because they disagreed over religion with the Islamic Republic of Iran) as well as liberal Judaism. Besides the ethnic Persians who form the majority of Iranians in the United States, there is a large Iranian-Armenian minority. Other ethnic minorities exist among the Iranians now resident in the United States. Notable among these are Gilakis[citation needed], Iranian Azeris, Kurds, Iranian Arabs, and Assyrians. Before the Islamic revolution in Iran, American universities were very popular among Iranians for their quality of education, and this popularity was a major force in drawing numerous Iranian students to the United States. During the 1977-1978 academic year, of about 100,000 Iranian students abroad, 36,220 were enrolled in American institutions of higher learning (the rest studied chiefly in the United Kingdom, West Germany, France, Austria, or Italy). During the 1978-1979 academic year, on the eve of the Iranian revolution, the number of Iranian students enrolled in American institutions rose to 45,340, and in 1979-1980 the number reached a peak of 51,310: at that time, more students from Iran were enrolled in American universities than from any other foreign country. Of a total foreign university enrollment in the United States of 263,938 in the 1978-1979 academic year, 17% were from Iran (the number of students in American institutions from oil-exporting countries was unusually high in the 1970s, as the price of petroleum rose rapidly, yet second-place Nigeria sent only 16,340 students, or 6% of the total foreign enrollment). The increase in oil prices brought higher oil revenues to the Iranian economy, and as a result, part of it was invested in students' education abroad, either directly by government financial aid" and/or indirectly by the students' families. This investment paid off and resulted in an excellent cohort of Western-educated professionals. Because Iran had a shortage of high-level manpower at that time, a number of students were returning home after graduation to work. Some had to return because they had received financial aid in exchange for obligation to serve the government or industry upon graduation. Those who were politically dissatisfied with the former regime remained abroad. After the revolution, some of them returned to Iran to serve the country, but were gradually purged from the newly established Islamic Republic. Some of the students who graduated abroad after the revolution also did not return because of the ruling clergy's repression in Iran. As a result, the educated elite who left Iran and the new graduates in the United States who chose not to return home created a large pool of highly educated and skilled Iranian professionals in the United States."[10] [edit] Physicians"The earliest Iranian professionals in the U.S. before the revolution were the physicians. They were mostly young temporary trainees who were working as medical interns or residents. Some could establish themselves to continue to practice beyond the residency stage. Their motives to stay in the U.S. were more for professional, social and political reasons than for economic incentives. The total number of Iranian physicians in the U.S. before the revolution grew to 2,306 in 1978. The physicians who migrated to the U.S. after the revolution were mostly experienced and came with their families for a permanent stay. At present, there are about 5,000 Iranian physicians working in the United States who have their own practice and/or work in medical institutions. Based on a count in 2001, about 4,000 of them obtained their primary medical education in Iran, and have gone through advanced training in the US. There are also about of a 3,000 new generation of Iranian physicians who have received their entire training in some aspects of the field in the U.S. This increases the total number of Iranian medical doctors in the U.S. to about 8,000."[11] [edit] Professors"Another major group of highly trained Iranian professionals in the U.S. are university professors. Based on a report that was published by the National Science Foundation in 1998, 1,369 Iranian born professors were teaching engineering and science on a full-time basis in the U.S. The total number of Iranian professors in the U.S. is substantially higher if the Iranians who teach in other fields and part-time lecturers are added. In 2001, it was estimated that the total number of Iranian professors who teach and research in higher education institutions in the United States was about 4,000."[12] [edit] DemographySee also: Demography of the United States and Demography of Iran [edit] U.S. CensusIranian-Americans are far more numerous in the United States than census data indicate, according to research by the Iranian Studies Group, an independent academic organization, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The group estimates that the number of Iranian-Americans may haved topped 691,000 in 2004—more than twice the figure of 338,000 cited in the 2000 U.S. census.[5] According to extrapolated 2000 U.S. Census data and other independent surveys done by Iranian-Americans themselves, there are an estimated 1-1.5 million Iranian-Americans living in the U.S. in 2009, with the largest concentration -- about 72,000 people -- being in Los Angeles.[13][14] For this reason, the L.A area with its Iranian American residents is sometimes referred to as "Tehrangeles" or "Irangeles" among Iranian-Americans.[15] An NPR report recently put the Iranian population of Beverly Hills as high as 20% of the total population. Iranian communities in the U.S. also have varying religious populations among each city. Other large communities include New York; New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; Seattle, Washington; and Houston, Texas.[16] [edit] EducationAccording to Census 2000, 50.9 percent of Iranian immigrants have attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 24.0 percent among the total foreign-born population.[5] According to the latest census data available, more than one in four Iranian-Americans holds a master's or doctoral degree, the highest rate among 67 ethnic groups studied.[6] [edit] Occupation and incomeThe Small Business Administration (SBA) recently conducted a study that found Iranian immigrants among the top 20 immigrant groups with the highest rate of business ownership, contributing substantially to the U.S. economy. According to the report, there are 33,570 active and contributing Iranian American business owners in the U.S., with a 21.5% business ownership rate. The study also found that the total net business income generated by Iranian Americans is $2,559,450,000.[17] Almost one in three Iranian American households have annual incomes of more than $100K (compared to one in five for the overall U.S. population). [18] According to a study carried out by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Iranian scientists and engineers in the United States own or control around $880 billion.[19] [edit] Religion Two-fifths of Iranian Americans identify themselves as Muslims, almost an equal percentage appear not to practice any particular religion, and the balance are roughly equally divided among Christians, followers of Judaism, Baha'is and Zoroastrians.[20] [edit] CitizenshipNearly all Iranian-Americans are either citizens (81%) or permanent residents (15%) of the United States (2008 survey).[21] [edit] PoliticsSee also: Iran-US relations Though Iranian-Americans have historically excelled in business, academia and the sciences, they have traditionally shied away from participating in American politics or other civic activities.[22] An August 2008 Zogby International poll, commissioned by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans, found that approximately one half of Iranian Americans identified themselves as registered Democrats, in contrast to one in eight as Republicans and one in four as independents (2008).[23] The same poll indicates that more than half of Iranian Americans cite domestic U.S. issues, including issues that are not unique to Iranian Americans, as the most important to them. In contrast, one quarter of Iranian Americans cite foreign policy issues involving U.S.-Iran relations and less than one in ten cite the internal affairs of Iran as being of greatest importance to them.[24] From 1980 to 2004, more than one out of every four Iranian immigrants was a refugee or asylee.[5] The PAAIA/Zogby poll also cites that almost three-quarters of Iranian Americans believe the promotion of human rights and democracy in Iran is the most important issue relating to U.S.-Iran relations. About the same percentage, however, believe diplomacy is the foreign policy approach towards Iran that would be in the best interest of the United States. 84% support establishing U.S. Interest Section in Iran.[25] Nearly all Iranian Americans surveyed oppose any U.S. military attack against Iran.[26] [edit] Ties to IranAccording to a survey conducted in 2009, more than six in ten Iranian Americans have immediate family members in Iran, and almost three in ten communicate with their family or friends in Iran at least several times a week. An additional four in ten communicate with their family or friends in Iran at least several times a month. This study indicates an unusually close relationship between Iranian Americans and Iranians.[27] [edit] DiscriminationSee also: Anti-Iranian sentiment According to the Public Affairs of Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), nearly half of Iranian-Americans surveyed in 2008 by Zogby International have themselves experienced or personally know another Iranian American who has experienced discrimination because of his or her ethnicity or country of origin. The most common types of discrimination reported are airport security, social discrimination, employment or business discrimination, racial profiling and discrimination at the hands of immigration officials.[28] [edit] Notable individualsMain article: List of Iranian Americans Business/technology: Iranian-Americans are among the most educated and successful communities in the U.S., according to a report by Iranian Studies group at MIT, Iranian-Americans have founded and/or participated in senior leadership positions of many major US companies, including many Fortune 500 companies such as GE, Intel, Verizon, Motorola, Google, and AT&T.[29] Pierre Omidyar, founder/CEO of eBay is of Iranian origin, as well as the founder of Bratz, Isaac Larian. In September 2006, Anousheh Ansari, co-founder of the Ansari X Prize became the first female tourist in space. Ansari is also the co-founder and former CEO of Prodea Systems Inc. and Telecom Technologies, Inc. Other well known Iranian-American entrepreneurs include designer Bijan Pakzad, entrepreneur Sam Nazarian, Omid Kordestani of Google and Sina Tamaddon of Apple Inc. Philanthropy: Many Iranian Americans are active philanthropists and leaders in improving their community. In 2006, the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center was the recipient of a 10 million dollar donation from an Iranian American couple based in Houston, Texas.[30][31] The University of Southern California was also the recipient of a 17 million dollar gift from an Iranian-American[32], as was San Francisco State University which also received a 10 million dollar gift from an Iranian-American couple.[33], and Chicago's Swedish Covenant Hospital ($4 million)[34], Portland State University ($8 million)[35], and UC Irvine ($30 million)[36][37], among others. Science/academia: Well-known Iranian Americans in science include Shahriar Afshar originator of the Afshar experiment, Firouz Naderi director at NASA, Ali Javan inventor of the first gas laser, Lotfi Asker Zadeh, and Cumrun Vafa among others. Media/journalism/entertainment: Well-known media personalities of Americans of Iranian descent include Christiane Amanpour, Asieh Namdar, Roya Hakakian, and Rudi Bakhtiar. There are several Iranian American actors, comedians and film crew, including the Academy-Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo, actress Catherine Bell and Sarah Shahi, comedian Maz Jobrani, actor Adrian Pasdar, producer Bob Yari, Farhad Safinia, co-writer of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, and Daryush Shokof. Sports: On July 18 2007 Farhad Rostampour became the first Iranian-born pilot to complete a record setting flight around the world. His flight was known as FreedomFlight. Other notables are professional tennis player Andre Agassi, TNA wrestler Shawn Daivari, professional Mixed Martial Artist Amir Sadollah, and professional soccer player Sobhan Tadjalli. Politics: The son of the last Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, lives in the USA, as well as several high ranking officials in the Shah's administration such as Hushang Ansary and Jamshid Amouzegar. Goli Ameri confirmed as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs in 2007, making her one of highest-ranking Iranian-American public official in the United States. Beverly Hills elected its first Iranian-born Mayor, Jamshid Delshad, in 2007.[38][39] [edit] External links
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