* I love life and adored this opportunity; living at this planet .

* I missed the opportunity visiting all over Iran when i was living there and am still hopeful to can visit Iran again soon .

My guest today Camelia Entekhabifard is an Iranian journalist, news analyst and a columnist who writes primarily on Iranian foreign policy issues. She also writes on Middle Eastern regional issues to include the crisis in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and the political and security situation in Afghanistan. She has since and continues to report on Iran and Afghanistan for AP, Reuters, Le Monde Diplomatique, al-Jazeera, New York Times, the Huffington Post, al-Arabiya, al-Hayat, al-Ahram Weekly, Sharq Al-Awsat. 

Her book Camellia: Save Yourself by Telling the Truth—a Memoir of Iran was published in March 2007 and translated into several different languages to include English, Arabic, Portuguese, Italian and Turkish. She covered the war news in Bosnia in 1997, the war in Afghanistan in 2001, the war between Lebanon and Israel in 2006 and also widely covered the Iran nuclear talks for two years (2013-2015). Camelia is an author and a regular news commentator who frequently appears on Al-Arabiya, Sky News, Alaraby TV, BBC, CNN as well as many other news channels. Camelia holds a master’s degree from New York University’s School of Journalism as well as a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Let's ask Camellia and learn more about her in the following dialogue with OMNES Media...

By: Medhat Gharaibeh

At first, how to describe yourself to the Arab and global audience?

Salam and regards to all the Arab audience. I am seeing myself as an absolute global citizen. This imposed self exiled, rather than having a negative impact on my personal life and carreer, actually positively made me a person with better understanding. During these 18-years of living abroad and far from my native home- Iran and my family, I lived at so many places and met so many different people and my perspective about life and living completely changed in a good way.

From living at the United Sates to the United Arab Emirates, West and East and traveling around the world, this cultural tolerance and the respect to the ethnics and the dialogue between the people was the most important and valuable self education I have received.

I am very thankful and grateful for the opportunities I had and I am very willing to return my share back to the society. I care so deeply about humanitarian and environment. Life and this planet both are so unique and gifted to us and all of us have a duty to use our life in the best way and also to preserve the planet for the next generation.

Camellia, the oppressed prisoner in Tehran (1999) who got freedom because of her intelligence and beauty, is that true?

I left that days and those memory behind of me and honestly when I look back, it seems too far away to me. I moved from that experiences. what I have to tell you is, God was the biggest helper and I believe that my intelligence mainly and my innocent and more importantly my mother’s prayer and thoughtfulness played a key role in my safe release. I am a true believer and I believe God sitting at a fair place. 

Your book Camellia, save yourself by telling the truth; what is a wonderful and a sad story about your life in Iran after the Islamic Revolution and your days in prison?

I can speak about other sad and beautiful days that happened to me in the past 18-years which are more relevant to my current ages and carrier.

I can tell you the most difficult aspect of living in exile is the distance having with your loved one. When you don’t know you distanced cousins and all grown and I missed their happy and sad times. They married and I don’t know their life partners and their children and I didn’t attend their happy days of the wedding’s. This is truly sad and always hunting me down.

Also when my favorite uncle passed away three years ago, I suffered sadness like never before. Didn’t see him for years and just speaking on the phone often, I felt I lost my father again when he died. Not being able to attend your loved ones funeral or leave a bouquet on their graveyards is heartbreaking. I am a family oriented person and still struggle with my personal emotion when I have to face such issue.

Talking about happiness, I am a happy person. Every night I am going to sleep with an extreme passion about the next day, daylight. I adored life and many simple things such as a beautiful poetry, a post card and a cup of good coffee can make my day. I am thankful and a happy person in general.

It’s more than 18 years since you left Iran... Do you miss home or memories are not beautiful enough to come back?

As I mentioned, I miss my relatives mostly whom cannot travel seeing me and the family connections is important to me. I missed the opportunity visiting all over Iran when i was living there but you never know what to be unfolded in the future and I am still hopeful to can visit Iran again soon.

But honest with you I don’t miss the streets or trees etc. My Iranian bonds are not up to the times I can visit Iran or not. I have my Persian culture and the Persian language which is with me and I care for them a lots and this called Iran.

After Iran you fled to America as a political refugee then lived, studies and worked there... this was a real life for you?

America is a great nation full of kindness and opportunities for everyone and it can adopt you so fast which you quickly feel at home. I have my soul in Iran and my heart in America. You can be the person from wherever you come from and at the same time become an American and this is what exactly makes this nation so unique and different.

Frankly, are you still receiving threats from within Tehran?

No I haven’t and thank God. I like to remind you which I have not a political activist nor I am today. I am a journalist whom care so much about the truth and nothing else.

The Iranian writer Maria Naamat with her book The Prisoner of Tehran quotes from your book texts to prove that you used seduction on the contrary is that she did not surrender to love her executioner like you... do you agree ?

I haven’t read her book to know what she said but each person have their own unique experiences and face different challenges to adopt its own way for the safe release.

How did you get all this fame in the Middle East and the Arab world?

Well I don’t know if I have a fame in the ME or the Arab world but according to you, if it’s correct, than I am a fortune person. Since the first day I left Iran I promised myself to be truthful and honest with myself and with people and it may this truthfulness capture the Middle Eastern audience. Also, I am sure I was lucky to meet the most wonderful people in the Middle Eastern media whom trusted me and believed me and give me the opportunity to explore myself. I am so grateful.

As a political analyst and competent in the Iranian issue of Arab and international media Do you support the Saudi and Arab directions to fight Tehran's interventions in the region?

This is a long story which needs a chapter to write about or having full segments of debate program. It’s hard to talk about it in a few sentences but as I described in a lengthy interview with BBC Persian TV, Arabs doesn’t hate Iranians and in opposite way, they have so much love and respect for the Iranians and Persian culture. I used my own travel experiences and living at the Arab world to set an examples to give the Iranian audience a firsthand info about the Arab culture and thoughts towards them and the reality of this relations.

The recent situation between Iran and Saudi Arabia is not between the people and it’s about the regime behaved in the region which even Iranians themselves are tired of that and complaining about.

In my opinion, Saudi and Iran can be a friendly two neighbors again like past before the revolution if the Islamic Republic stop this regional proxy war and the interferences. The competition over oil exporting is natural and exists even during the late Shah’s time and it’s normal.

I as a journalist believe that the people of the two nations have to mend their relations regardless of the politics. These people (Iranians and Arabs) lived next to each other for hundreds thousands of years and will continue living aside each other regardless of the rules and the politics. I like to advocate in the positive part of this story and make the people closer to each other as all of us more than anything have need peace in the region.

How is your family and marital life with all this work and travel around the world?

All well. Each person have a different requirements and needs which base on that would draw its family relations and personal privacy mattered to me.

Through your frequent TV posts in the Arab media who is the best Arab media in your personal opinion?

All of them does their best and hardly we can judged. I am seeing them all belong to one big family which having so many children.

Choose the best for you from the following:-

Alarabiya or Skynewsarabia …

Both

UAE or USA …

UAE makes home for so many Iranians whom couldn’t live under the oppressive system in Iran and still so many Iranians can visit without any issues regardless of the politics. I have so much thankfulness for the UAE makes this place so much called home for many Iranians.

And I love the USA as my home and the place which gave me so much opportunity and trust to develop my career and have this freedom of the expression. I said that at your first question which I am a global citizen. Home is a place where you feel safe and respected.

Twitter or Instagram …

Twitter.

 Press or TV

 Press.

Thank you very much for this opportunity to address the wonderful Arab audience.