I'm trying married to a North African man and have also dealt with similar comments from friends and family. I know they are coming from a place of concern, even if their ideas are misguided. The thing that seems to work best for me is to just hit them with the truth.When they make comments about men from that part of the world being violent, or of kidnapping our future kids, etc., I just tell them what a wonderful man he is and how well he treats me (and I hit them with a few facts about the country he is from. some of their laws, particularly around women's rights, are more progressive than the US). As people get to know him better, I hear those comments less and less.

We live in a racist society and unfortunately these are the messages the media pumps out about people from other parts of the world. it isn't easy breaking stereotypes. Being patient and showing the truth over time is all we can do, and if anyone is totally intolerant then they can be cut off. For what it's worth, I have known quite a few Persians and they were mostly all lovely people and there are some really great things about Persian culture. Maybe inviting people to celebrate holidays, like Persian new year, would help them to understand the culture better. Just an idea.