why should it remain the persian gulf?
The Persian Gulf is located between these countries: UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq and Iran. The name "Persian Gulf" comes from Greeks who named the water separating the Iranian from the Arabs. Also this name recognized by the United Nations, but it is not respected any more. The British Broadcasting Corp (BBC) has been calling it "the Gulf" for over thirty years. The Al-Jazeera New agency calls it "Arabian Gulf". Iran should keep the name "Persian gulf" for historical and economical reasons.
After the Muslim Arabs attacked Iran in the 7th century AD, they did not want to change the name of the Persian Sea. The Arabs normally call this gulf as "Bahr Farsi" or Persian Sea to respect the name that the Greek had given to this waterway. This name was also respected by the Arabs, Iranian and Turkish empires for more than 1,200 years. The Persian Gulf was called by this name even before the Islam. If there was any need to change the real and historical name of the Persian Gulf, the Prophet Mohammad without doubt would have changed it.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE and Qatar put more effort to encourage people to use the fake or counterfeit name. What these Arab countries will achieve is more political and economical concept because they will increase rate of their commercial trade with other countries. Some of the multinational oil companies regularly use the name Arabian Gulf to satisfy their Arab friend to guaranty their profit and these companies are Earnings oriented associate. Some of these Oil companies have relation with Iran also, these companies who want to satisfy both Arabs and Iranians, and they call the "Persian Gulf" as "The Gulf" to be fair with both nations. We can wait for the Arab countries around the Persian Gulf to use their growing economic power to encourage the usage of 'Arabian Gulf'.
First, the important thing is that the name of "Persian Gulf" has effects on the thousands years of history and disrespecting this name certainly reduces that history and civilization that made around this gulf. Second, this name is validated and approved by international legal system, the United Nation. Just imagine how people and countries will react if the other nations change the name of historical place, seas, and oceans. Imagine Pakistanis calling the Indian Ocean the "Pakistanis Ocean", or the Iranians change name of the "Gulf of Oman" to the "Gulf of Iran". Obviously, renaming the historical place is not a small event and it is important to pay attention to it, economical and political. Third, these advertisements for changing the name of "Persian Gulf" is started and supported by Arabic nationalism. This nationalism is now almost disappointed to complete their dream of having a whole great Arabia Land because of falling of Baghdad and the ejection of Saddam Hussein on April 9th, 2003.
Iranians should be very smart to find a good solution for this disagreement with Arab countries. Iran has worked hard since 1997 to recover its relations with the Arab world and this aim has been somehow successful. Iran should decide a strategy for defensive the name of Persian Gulf that will be well-matched with these relations. Iran should talks with Arab countries before threats or banning.
