DR. Thomas F. Bertonneau writes:

A few short years ago it was my privilege to be the director of the first doctoral dissertation approved by the Graduate Program in Foreign Languages and Literature of the University of Tehran.  I was put in touch with the student, a young lady, by a correspondent of some years (we shared a scholarly interest in the dramas of Henrik Ibsen) who taught on the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature at the same institution. I am deliberately omitting names because I wish to get no one in trouble.

As long as I have known my Iranian correspondent (for about ten years), he has sent me Christmas greetings every year. He did so again this year.

Our world is so topsy-turvy that from my institution, a branch of SUNY, I get only a bland “holiday” greeting (God forbid, pardoning the expression, we should mention the birthday of the Lord and Savior); but from the land of the Mullahs, in what must be, given the political reality, a somewhat risky gesture, I get an actual Merry Christmas.

— Comments —

Pete Wright writes:

I know what Dr. Bertonneau means. I spent three Christmases in Kabul, Afghanistan and people (96% are Sunni Muslims) went out of their way to wish me Merry Christmas. Many wanted to talk about Christianity (some wanted to celebrate it but that is another kettle of fish) but I had to be careful as I was cautious about breaking anti-proselytizing laws. Muslims are sneaky that way:)

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