Iranian Californians go to the Polls

As elsewhere in America these days, the number one topic in our college in California is the astonishing US presidential election. I have heard that around half a million Iranians live in California, the same number as live in a mid-sized Iranian city such as Yazd.

"Definitely, I am going to vote,” says Amir Hossein Riazi, who teaches English at a college in San Jose. Riazi was only five years old when his family moved to America; he speaks Persian eloquently and is knowledgeable about US politics. “I was quite hesitant about whether to vote or not, but I have decided to vote for Mrs. Clinton. I have had problems with Hillary’s policies, especially in the past few weeks when it was revealed that Donna Brazile had given Clinton CNN’s debate questions. I also didn’t like her political mistreatment of [rival Democratic candidate] Bernie Sanders. But I don’t want to blame myself later because I did nothing to prevent a madman from taking the reins of such an important country.”

But Riaz says his father, who lives in Los Angeles and works in the food business, is going to vote for Trump. “My father believes that the West has given enough concessions to Iran and that it is now time to put Iran under pressure,” Riazi says. “But I think this is not what is really going on. Like any other businessman, my father is hoping that Trump will support businesses and cut taxes.”

A “Terrifying” Campaign

Some Iranian Californians describe the long election campaign as “terrifying.” They say they now have unexpected new insights into cultural and social conditions in this vast country and are surprised so many people support Donald Trump’s way of thinking.

Noushafarin is a teacher at a preschool for exceptional children in the city of Los Altos. She says she is going to vote for Hillary Clinton, and for her, the choice couldn’t be clearer. “I would have never voted for Trump because of his racist beliefs, his insults against minorities and immigrants, and his deranged behavior,” she says. “The first time I came to loathe him was after he had met the disabled New York Times reporter and was mimicking him in front of TV cameras. Then he said those things about Muslims.”

Noushafarin says that on the eve of the election, she told her father she was horrified at the idea of living in a country where almost half of the population is going to vote for a person who talks without hesitation about groping women’s sexual organs, uses every trick in the bag not to pay his taxes, and might at any moment threaten her own life as an immigrant.

“A Strong Man”

But, as we have already seen, Trump has his Iranian supporters. David Jamshidi, an information technology professional, praises what he sees as Trump’s will and tenacity. “I am happy that in these final two weeks, Trump has been able to prove his legitimacy and has won over many undecided voters,” he says. “He is a strong man and puts everybody in their places.”

Hasan, who has lived in California for 40 years, is going to vote for the first time this year, and he is voting for Trump. “Trump hates Arabs,” he says. “He is going to stand up to Saudi Arabia. He is the only person who can stand up to Saudi Arabia. He has said that he will put a stop to oil imports from Saudi Arabia. Everybody knows how much Iran has been isolated and maligned because of Saudi conspiracies. We must not ignore Saudi Arabia’s animosity towards Iran.”

Some Changes Have Come Already

Mercedeh, who works for a passport agency, has her doubts about Clinton’s foreign policy, but still plans to vote for her because of Clinton’s more liberal attitude to social freedoms. “Before, I was unhappy with Clinton’s foreign policy and her role in Libya and Syria when she was secretary of state. I did not like her approach to sanctions on Iran,” she says. But she adds that Iranians living in America must consider domestic policy as well. “Clinton supports pro-choice mothers and the rights of minorities and homosexuals,” she says. “She is mindful of healthcare and is against throwing out undocumented immigrants. Naturally, I am going to vote for her in spite of all my criticisms of her record.”

Since Trump came to prominence in politics, Mercedeh says, she has heard more questions about her origins and her religion than in all the years that she has lived in the US, something she finds offensive. “Trump has opened a new chapter in relations with Iranians and immigrants,” she says.

But not all immigrants are so worried. Hasan, the Trump voter, says that while people have told him he is betraying the Iranian community by voting for Trump, he is unfazed. “I believe that I am rendering a service to the Iranian community. I am confident that Iran can deal and come to an agreement with Trump better than with an unreliable and deceitful woman like Hillary. I believe that those who say that Trump welcomes a fight with Iran are only looking at the surface.”