Changing the name of the Persian Gulf and the crisis of National Identity; An Analysis of the Iranian attitude to Falsification of the name of the Persian Gulf

Today, the name of the Persian Gulf has been distorted by Some Arabic countries and other opportunists. In addition to the geopolitical and geo-strategic importance of the Persian Gulf, this area holds a high position in Iranian history and historical events. The Persian Gulf has a pivotal role in the consistency of Iranian national identity. Falsification of the name of the Persian Gulf is considered as serious threat to the Iranian identity and national security. The purpose of this study was to investigate the views and interpretations of people about changing the name of Persian Gulf in the virtual world. The research method was qualitative. The Data and information for analyzing were gathered from comments in the Alef, Afkar news, Tabnak and Aftab web pages within four years between 2010 to 2013. The results showed 14 codes and 5 main categories that national identity and security crisis was considered as their core. They included domestic political factors, cultural factors, international factors, awareness and no-reaction. So, our people interpreted changing the name of the Persian Gulf as a security and national identity crisis and have been looking for its causes and solutions.