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The Real Iran

"Contradictions and double standards pervade every aspect of our social and political life. The country's economy is a shambles, but you can see more Gucci and Versace billboards than in Milan. Iranians are the most courteous people in their daily lives, but they behave like ruthless monsters when driving. Iranians don't like America, but they are the most pro-American country in the Middle East. Iran has become internationally known as a pariah state, but our president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, believes he is the most popular president in the world. Dozens of people are jailed or executed every month but the Iranian government calls itself "the Loving Government". And so on."

The writer is talking about Iran - a country of which many have perceptions and views but actually know very little about.

As the NewStatesman writes:

"It is the country the west fears most - and knows least about. In our exclusive reports, Iranian writers describe the extraordinary contradictions of life under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's "Loving Government" - and reveal how Iran sees the west. Maziar Bahari, a leading journalist, begins with a drive across downtown Tehran".

Read the piece, in full, here.

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