Persian-American Gulf: Academic and Intellectual Dishonesty Again, Pissed off Potentates……..
Someone has complained to me about my use of the map marked “Persian Gulf”, as well as my use of the more accurate term Persian-American Gulf. This is not the first time.
I like to use the name because it is simply true, and because it pisses off the potentates.
I only abide by the United Nations various resolutions and decisions asserting that “Persian Gulf” is the legal correct historical name. I also can read some of the Latin names in ancient maps, and can decode some of the Hellenic scripts which resemble the Cyrillic. Sinus Persicus is a term that is all over these maps.
There have been a series of editorials in Arab media, especially the Saudi media, insisting that the historic name is “Arabian Gulf” and that ancient maps attest to that which is a blatant falsehood: I think by ancient historic they mean as ancient as some of these states. The UAE is an ancient as 1971. Now that is ancient history indeed, and to hell with Strabo and others.
Most Arab writers and “intellectuals” have also been quite dishonest and afraid in asserting a historic falsehood knowingly. Most Arab academics and historians, who should know better, have eagerly adopted this falsehood. Actually I don’t know a single one who has opined otherwise. While one can make an argument for any name with freedom, it is unbecoming for academics to knowingly claim what they know is not true about history. This is not to dispute the right to argue for a name change, but to dispute the use of untrue claims. Perhaps a case can be made without resorting to falsehoods and demagoguery.
I read recently of an expensive historical map of the Gulf in a museum in the UAE owned by some petroleum potentate that has been disfigured to alter the name of the Gulf (“Persian” is clearly and clumsily erased). Some years ago, at home on the shores of my Gulf, I used to come across books where the name of the Gulf was hastily changed; I even discovered a few “wrong names” that were overlooked in the same book. This is all part of trend in recent decades whereby academic honesty is sold across the Arab world in order to please potentates and oligarchs. As for journalistic honesty, we never had any (with maybe two or three exceptions)……..
“The United Nations on many occasions has requested that only Persian Gulf be used as the standard geographical designation for that body of water. Most recently, the UN Secretariat has issued two editorial directives in 1994 and 1999 affirming the position of this organization on this matter. The group of experts on Geographical Names was set up by the secretary-general of the United Nations in pursuance of economic and Social council resolution 715A(XXVII) on April 23, 1959 and has endorsed 'Persian Gulf' as the official name for this body of water. The use of the name 'Arabian Gulf' was described to be 'faulty' by the eighth United Nations conference on the standardization of Geographical names, Berlin, 27 August September 2002……”
Another official source is: here
Alles klar?
Cheers
mhg
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