JS goes inside Iran: why is the United States worried about Iran? What is life like for teens in this Islamic country?

In many ways, Mohsen (MOH-sen) and Setare (seh-TAHR-ah) are typical teens. But they live in a country that is the focus of international hostility. Like its neighbor Iraq, Iran has a history of troubled relations with the U.S. and other Western nations. A new worry for many people around the world is that Iran may be building nuclear weapons.

Mohsen, 15, lives in Tehran, the country's rapidly developing capital. Skyscrapers are going up everywhere, even in the surrounding mountains. Tehran's population is around 8 million in the city proper, with millions more in the greater metropolitan area.

"I like living in Tehran," Mohsen tells JS. "We have parks, cinemas, and shopping malls."

In his spare time, Mohsen likes to play the guitar, go fishing with his friends, and watch action movies. He lives in an apartment with his parents, four sisters, and one brother. Nearby, there are clothing and electronics shops, fruit and vegetable stalls, drugstores, and newspaper stands. The smell of fresh-baked bread fills the air.

"People are more sophisticated here than in rural areas," Mohsen tells JS. "But I would like to see the capital moved from Tehran to another part of Iran, where it would be cleaner."

Pollution and traffic are big problems in the capital. Iran is a major source of the world's oil. Gas is so inexpensive that more and more Iranians can afford to drive their own cars.

"Gardens and Trees"

Setare, 12, values simple pleasures in her life, especially the calm and cleanliness of the countryside. She lives in the village of Bidhand (beed-HAND), which is about 200 miles southeast of Tehran. Bidhand's population is tiny--only around 60 people. Many of them are farmers who grow walnuts, grapes, almonds, and apricots.

"We have a lot of gardens and trees here," Setare says. "The air is clean, and everything is healthy." She lives with her parents and sister in a two-story house built of bricks and mud. Unlike Mohsen's family, Setare's does not have a computer, satellite television, or even a telephone. She walks to a nearby public phone to make calls.

After school, Setare either works with her father, who is a farmer, or helps her mother make dinner. She likes sandwiches and potato salad as well as traditional Iranian foods such as stew, flat bread, and meat kebabs.

Religion is very important to her. Setare prays three times a day. Sometimes, she attends the local mosque with her family. There, men and women worship in separate areas.

Empire and Revolution

The country of Iran was once the center of ancient Persia, as the Greeks called it. The mighty Persian Empire lasted more than 200 years, until Alexander the Great conquered it in 331 B.C. Other conquerors followed. In 641 A.D., Arab armies seized Persia, bringing the faith of Islam to the land. Today, 98 percent of Iranians are Muslim.

In the 20th century, Iran's shahs (kings) modernized the country and allied it with the West. Money from oil sales made a few people very rich. But many Iranians got little or no share of the wealth. Anger grew especially against the last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and his secret police, who stifled all political dissent (disagreement). Many Iranians also resented the U.S. and other Western countries that helped keep the Shah in power.

In early 1979, a revolution ousted Pahlavi. A conservative Islamic government took power. That November, hundreds of Iranian revolutionaries overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. For more than a year, 52 Americans were held hostage. Relations between the two countries have been strained ever since.

Iran now insists on its right to develop nuclear technology to generate electricity. However, the U.S. is suspicious of such activity. Iran, President George W. Bush warns, may use this technology to build nuclear weapons, which are far more powerful than conventional ones.

Strict Rules

Islam, Iran's official religion, is required study at schools. Iran's government enforces strict observance of Islamic teachings. In public places, for instance, women and adolescent girls must wear the hijab and long dresses.

Islam is also important to Mohsen. "A human's character is improved" by faith, he says. Setare agrees. But when asked whether women have equal rights under Iran's Islamic rule, she adds, "Men [don't have to wear] the hijab. They can have better jobs. We must be able to be like them, too."

This attitude is reflected throughout Iran, where many faithful Muslims seek a freer society and renewed contact with the West. Many Iranian teens feel they are not able to express their true likes and dislikes.

Mohsen is more concerned about Iran's hostile relations with other countries. Still, he agrees with his government that nuclear energy "would be useful and improve our country's position in the world."

What does Mohsen think about his future? "I'm somewhat worried," he tells JS. Most of his concerns are economic. Iran's official unemployment rate is more than 11 percent, but it is thought to be much higher. (The U.S. rate, by comparison, is around 5 percent.) Many economists say that Iran is too dependent on one industry--oil.

Mohsen wants to study English and computer science overseas. If he succeeds, he says, he will return to Iran one day and open a computer store.

Setare, who wants to become a doctor, has no plans to go abroad. "I like Iran and want to stay here," she says. Still, she fears that Iran's conflict with the U.S. will result in war. Bidhand is near a city that has a nuclear-power plant. "If [the U.S.] hits Natanz, it would be very bad," she says. "If they attack our nuclear sites, they will also hit us."

Words to Know

* hijab (heh-JAHB): a head scarf worn by many Muslim women and girls.

* mosque: a place of worship for Muslims.

* Muslim: a person who practices the Islamic religion.

Think About It

1. Why do the U.S. and Iran have tense relations? What can each country do to lessen tensions?

2. How are the lives of Mohsen and Setare different from yours? How are they similar?

From Setare to You

We asked Setare what she would like JS readers to know about her life. Here is what she wrote:

My name is Setare. I live with my father, mother, and younger sister in an old house. My sister, Banafshe, is now sitting next to me, watching what I write. She is a few years younger than I.

In the mornings, I wake up very early and say my prayers. My father takes me to school on his motorcycle. He then goes to the fields to work.

Sometimes he picks me up from school in the afternoons and takes me home. Other times I walk home, but I don't mind because our village has a lot of trees and gardens. I like to walk through the gardens with my friends on my way home because the air is really clean.

On Thursdays and Fridays, we go to the fields to help my father. During the season of golab giri, we go to the nearby city of Kashan to help him. [Golab girl is the process of boiling rose petals so that the water can be sold for perfume and food flavoring. Setare assists in gathering the roses.]

We will soon leave our village and move to the city of Natanz. When I grow up, I want to be a doctor and treat the sick people in our village.

Iran

Fast Facts: The history of Iran dates back more than 5,000 gears. Until 1935, it was known as Persia, the Greek name for the area.

For many gears, the U.S. and Iran had friendly relations. But in 1979, anti-American revolutionaries took control of the government and installed an Islamic republic. Today, Iran and the U.S. are at odds over Iran's nuclear capability.

* POPULATION: 69.5 million

* CAPITAL AND LARGEST CITY: Tehran

* AREA: 630,5?5 sq mi, slightly larger than Alaska

* MAJOR LANGUAGE: Persian, also called Farsi

* LIFE EXPECTANCY: 69 gears [men], 72 gears [women]

* LITERACY: 86% [men], ?3% [women]

* MAJOR EXPORT: Petroleum; other exports include carpets and agricultural products

* PER CAPITA GDP*: $8,300

Sources: for nuclear-related facilities on map, GlobalSecurity.org; for pie charts, World Factbook 2005 (CIA)

Questions

1. By what name was Iran formerly known? --

2. Today Iran has what type of government? --

3. What is Iran's major export? --

4. Which city is closest to 33[degress]N 60[degrees]E? --

5. What is the approximate distance in miles between the capitals of" Iran and Iraq? --

6. Most Iranians are followers of which branch of which religion? --

7. Iran's land border to the west is shared with which two countries? --

8. About ?0 percent of Iran's land is uninhabited due to mountains and what? --

9. A majority of Iranians have what ethnic background? --

10. What energy resource is found in the Persian Gulf? --

** Objectives

Students should be able to.

* recognize causes and effects of tense relations between the U.S. and Iran.

* better understand a country (and its people) in the news.

** Word To Know

* conservative [adj.]: tending to oppose change; favoring long-held traditions and institutions.

** Background

The name Persia came from a region in southwestern Iran known in the ancient world as Persis. It was home to the Achaemenid dynasty, conquered by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. That name was used by the Western world for centuries. In 1935, the country formally adopted its own traditional name, Iran.

** Critical Thinking

DRAWING INFERENCES: Who--Mohsen or Setare--seems to be at least a little doubtful about Iran's conservative Islamic rule? Why? (Likely answer: Setare, because she remarks that women don't have as much influence and freedom as they should.)

MAKING COMPARISONS: What are some differences and similarities between your life and Mohsen's? between yours and Setare's? Which of the two would you feel more comfortable visiting? Explain. (Answers will vary.)

** Activity

GIVE NEWS A HUMAN FACE: Keep track of news stories on Iran-U.S. relations [perhaps pin news clippings to a bulletin board). From time to time, have students discuss events--and consider how news developments may affect Mohsen and Setare as well as themselves.

STANDARD

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

Culture: Traditions, languages, and core beliefs may vary from country to country, yet those countries' young people have much in common.

RESOURCES

PRINT

Canini, Mikko (editor], Iran (Thomson gale, 2004). grades 6-18.

Foreign Policy Research Institute, Iran (Mason Crest, 2002). Grades 6-12.

WEB SITES

BBC Country Profile: Iran news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world /middleeast/country_profiles/790877.stm

Iran Daily news online iran-daily.com

Religion

Shia Islam                89%
Sunnie Islam               9%
Other                      2%

Ethnic Makeup

Persian                   51%
Azeri                     24%
Gilaki and Mazandarani     8%
Kurd                       7%
Aran                       3%

Note: Table made from pie chart.

Shirin Rahmani in Tehran