E-MAIL THIS LINK
To: 

Warmth for Americans in Once Hostile Tehran [as long as no police around]
When the shah ruled Iran, the Westernized elite enjoyed Hollywood movies at a small theater in the center of the city. Today, that theater is an Islamic cultural center and a meeting place for fundamentalists. So it was a bit of a surprise that in the gift shop, where almost everything was infused with a religious theme, the best-selling items last week were American children’s movies: “Rugrats Go Wild,” “Meet the Robinsons” and “The Incredibles.” All bootlegged, of course, and each for $1.50.
Hey! I paid $19.99 for that!
“Yes, we sell a lot of these,” said the soon to disappear Amin Gorbani, a young bearded clerk at the cash register. Then he stood up, extended his hand and said, “When it comes to disputes between Iran and America, that is between governments. But when it comes to people, I don’t see any problem between the people.”

America’s image in the Middle East is as low as it has ever been. With the occupation of Iraq; the Israeli bombing of Lebanon; and Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay, the United States has been cited in polls as the gravest threat to peace in the region. But Iran is different, even the Iran of someone like Mr. Gorbani, who works in a fundamentalist gift shop.
Posted by: gorb 2008-02-18
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=227646