 Unifying the divided
Iranian-Americans and Iran
By Pouya Alimagham
November 25, 2002
The Iranian
I'm a student at University of California, Berkeley. I'm a senior double majoring
in Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science. Late August/early September, Payam
Mohseni, a fellow Iranian-American and UC Berkeley student established an organization:
Students for Progress and Development in Iran (SPDI).
This organization is an Iranian-American political organization, with the purpose
of unifying the very divided Iranian-American community and to promote and support
Iranians in Iran. It already has chapters in Stanford University and in Saddleback
Community College in southern California. It will soon have chapters all across the
country.
On November 19th, 2002 the organization staged a protest with 150 participants expressing
its solidarity with the students in Iran demanding the release of Dr. Hashem Aghajari
and freedom as a whole for the Iranian people.
The event also stood as a reminder to Iranians in Iran that Iranians abroad have
not forgotten about their brethren The demonstration also signaled to students all
across the U.S. that there is a group who is actively working to bring Iranian politics
to the forefront and to unite a tragically disgruntled population. Iranian Americans
need to get over their differences if they ever plan on having a voice in this country.
California is plagued with Iranians loyal to the Pahlavi dynasty, Mujahideen-e Khalq
Organization, Communist groups, or are in support of another revolution. To be honest,
most Iranian Americans don't even know what these elements are or entail and have
never heard of them. What they need to realize is that revolutions are bloody and
historically, the ideals of the revolution are always set on the backburner.
SPDI is a non-monarchist, non-Mujahideen, noncommunist, secular organization. The
Islamic Republic is there and situated, whether you agree on it or not. Yes, many
people in Iran are disillusioned with the current regime, but many also support the
Islamic Republic. Most Iranians Americans do, however, agree that certain changes
need to be made.
Why not put your outdated ideologies aside and unite under the flag of real unity.
Why is it that when the U.S. government seeks to limit the number of Iranian students
coming to the U.S. to study, a halfhearted attempt is made to block such legislation
by apolitical Iranian cultural organizations across the campuses of the U.S.? SPDI
is an organization that is eagerly working to intellectually combat such racist and
politically motivated attempts to demonize Iranians.
Of the 19 September 11th hijackers, 4 were Egyptian and 15 were Saudi Arabian, in
other words, they come from countries whose regimes are friendly with the U.S. The
events of September 11 are being used as a cover to promote U.S. political interests
all over the world. Iranians had nothing to do with September 11, yet they are being
punished for it.
Many fear that a U.S. led war on Iran is a high possibility after Iraq. Many Iranians
abroad support such an endeavor. Perhaps, they've watched too many Rambo movies or
played too many war games. A war against Iran will result in the death of hundreds
of thousands of Iranians. Also, by supporting such a war two messages are given automatically.
The first, you believe that Iranians themselves do not have the capacity to accomplish
their own objectives related to the state, whatever they may be, and the second,
you support the killing of your own people who have already been through so much
bloodshed, because that's what is going to happen.
The regime might be destroyed if such a war is instigated, but at very heavy cost
to the people. To further my point, the U.S. military force is the strongest the
world has ever seen, once its unleashed in wartime, the devastation is shocking.
I guess it's easy for Iranians living abroad to support such a war while they sit
comfortably at home watching LA based Iranian TV programs while they whine about
their BMW's flat tire.
When the U.S. labels Iran as a member of the new "Axis of Evil", a certain
legitimacy is granted to the conservatives in Iran. Let me give you an example, when
a wife discovers that her husband has cheated on her, she is going to be very confrontational
and will engage her husband into arguments and so on. But in the middle of their
argument, a robber breaks into their home and threatens to kill both the wife and
the adulterous husband. The wife will set aside the injustice of the husband and
the couple will unite to counter this external threat: the robber.
The conservatives in Iran take U.S. hostile initiatives to subdue the reformers and
sidetrack their own shortcomings as a result in the regime. The conservatives use
this alleged U.S. threat to instill fear into the minds of the population, making
them more subservient
As Iranians in America, we have the resources to urge the U.S. government to adhere
to policies that will benefit the moderates in Iran. Currently, the U.S. government
is contemplating whether to reactivate the Mujahideen-e Khalq Organization (MKO)
as a "legitimate freedom fighting movement." This move will only further
isolate the moderates and make relations between the U.S. and Iran more hostile.
 I'm afraid if the reformers continue to be powerless
in their reform initiatives, then a social explosion will occur that will be much
intense than the recent student protest. What then? Revolution? Where will revolution
take us? I believe it will take us in the direction of more bloodshed and possible
war, whether domestic or international.
I pledge my loyalty to all Iranians in Iran and abroad. I was born in Iran and I
was two-years-old when I came to the U.S. I grew up speaking Farsi at home and English
outside of home. My English is stronger than my Farsi and I am better versed in American
culture than my native Iranian culture. In other words, my mind is American, but
my heart is Iranian.
I'm not here to tell Iranians in Iran what to do or what kind of political system
they should live under. I'm not that arrogant. I am here to tell Iranians in Iran
that we haven't forgotten about them. I am here to tell Iranians in the U.S. that
they have disgraced their brethren by plaguing themselves with massive materialism
and individualism.
We are a community and we should act as one in order to have a stronger voice in
American politics and to be able to influence the U.S. government's policies that
will make positive change in Iran more of a possibility.
 I
am here to say that I have faith in the Iranians in Iran. I staunchly believe that
they have the capacity and will for change as they have proven time and again: Constitutional
Revolution 1906-1911, semi-democracy during the occupation of the allies during World
War II, the reign of populist Prime Minister Mossadegh, the Iranian Revolution of
1979, the student uprising in 1999, etc.
To serve as a reminder, foreign intervention in Iran's domestic affairs has not been
pretty: Russian invasion in 1911 and closure of the Majles (parliament) marking the
end of the Constitutional Revolution, the CIA/MI-6 staged coup that ousted Iran's
democratically elected Prime Minister Mossadegh, and many other events.
I would like to end by thanking all those who have provided SPDI with moral, financial,
and technical support. Your support has made it possible for the group to outgrow
its infancy stage very rapidly. SPDI is a serious organization that is here to stay
and the passion that is burning from its members will take this organization to great
distances.
For more information about the organization, visit spdiran.org.
Does this article have spelling or other mistakes? Tell
me to fix it.
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