From CARTA-L ...
-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Re: Iran Bans the Economist Over Gulf Map (Guardian Article)
Date:   Fri, 16 Jun 2006 10:06:05 -0400
From:   Marcel Fortin <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To:
To:     maps-l





For those of you who do not wish to register with the
LA Times to read the article,
Here is the article from the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5887092,00.html:

Iran Bans the Economist Over Gulf Map


Thursday June 15, 2006 12:01 AM

By NASSER KARIMI

Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran has banned The Economist
magazine for describing the Persian Gulf as merely
``the Gulf'' in a map published in the latest edition,
state television reported Wednesday.

It is the second time in two years that Iran has banned
such an international publication for failing to use
the term ``Persian Gulf'' in a map. In 2004, it banned
the National Geographic atlas when a new edition
appeared with the term ``Arabian Gulf'' in parentheses
beside the more commonly used Persian Gulf.

Tehran believes in aggressively defending the use of
the historical term Persian Gulf. It regards the name
Arabian Gulf, used by some, as a name dreamed up by
Arab nationalists.

While Iran dominates the eastern side of the waterway,
the western shores are held by Saudi Arabia, the United
Arab Emirates and other countries.

State television reported late Wednesday that the
Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance had banned the
importation and distribution of current and future
editions of The Economist. The ban would only be lifted
when the journal used ``Persian Gulf,'' the ministry
was quoted as saying.

In London, where The Economist is published, the
magazine said it would stand its ground.

``We've used 'the Gulf' for a long time, and we have no
intention of changing it at the moment,'' a spokeswoman
for The Economist said, speaking on condition of
anonymity in keeping with the magazine's policy.

She said the magazine sells about 750 English-language
copies in Iran per week.

The current week's issue runs an article on the Iranian
nuclear dispute titled: ``Iran and nuclear diplomacy:
Risky Bargaining - Should Iran's latest threat to stop
oil exports be taken seriously?'' The offending map
shows Iran and its neighbors, with the waterway
designated ``the Gulf.''

Iran lifted its earlier ban on the National Geographic
atlas after the publishers decided the following month
to drop the term ``Arabian Gulf'' in favor of a note,
printed in the middle of the Gulf, that said while most
people call it the Persian Gulf, ``this body of water
is referred to by some as the Arabian Gulf.''

---

Associated Press writer Beth Gardiner contributed to
this report from London.

marcel fortin wrote:

> I remember about a year ago a patron who was very irate after noticing
> an atlas which was using the term "The Gulf" instead of "Persian Gulf".
>
> http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iran-the-economist,1,2552894.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true
>
> --
> ------------------------------
> Note: I am currently on research leave.
> I am monitoring my email, but it may take longer than usual for me to
> reply.
> If you require help with maps or Geographic Information Systems, please
> contact [log in to unmask]
> ------------------------------
> Marcel Fortin
> GIS and Map Librarian, University of Toronto
> 130 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 1A5

--
------------------------------
Note: I am currently on research leave.
I am monitoring my email, but it may take longer than
usual for me to reply.
If you require help with maps or Geographic Information
Systems, please contact [log in to unmask]
------------------------------
Marcel Fortin
GIS and Map Librarian, University of Toronto
130 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 1A5


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American Geographical Society Library
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