Thankful Attention of IRGC to US Concerns over Voice of America

on Monday, November 29, 2010



Thankful Attention of IRGC to US Concerns over Voice of America


Monday, November 29, 2010

 

Source:

http://abscommunityresearch.blogspot.com/2010/11/thankful-attention-of-irgc-to-us.html

This past Thanksgiving holiday, the IRGC posted an article regarding Voice of America’s Persian News Network, related activities in the US Government, analyses and concerns raised by institutes and scholars including Heritage Foundation, Amir A. Fakhravar and Iranian Freedom Institute, Roya Hakakian and Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (1). A few weeks ago, a similar article was posted by both Revolutionary Guards to young Basij (2), and Hezbollah special forces for Khameini (3), but this one is more detailed. I do not suspect that Thanksgiving is celebrated inside Iran. Though, it is interesting timing nonetheless, given the profiled Amir Fakhravar’s family is practically held hostage inside the country (4), and Fakhravar has not so much as been able to share the dinner table with his kin since escaping in Spring 2006.

It seems that the IRGC has some concerns regarding US policy and pending changes at VOA, and so perhaps it is best to answer their questions point by point, and provide some clarity. 

The Guards should be aware that sixty-nine Republican members of US Congress signed a letter by Rep. Trent Franks (also a Republican), that did request Obama to investigate VOA/PNN and stand with the freedom fighters inside Iran (5). However, this was not the first time the White House has been addressed. Rather, investigations have been ongoing for a few years, including by the Inspector General at the State Department. 

President Barack Hussein Obama, who seems to embrace principles of Sunni Muslims as part of his bloodline, has not been terribly responsive to the calls. Rather, in a recommendation letter by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the Cordoba Initiative, the inter-faith promoting, internationally known Imam suggested that President Obama refrain from intervening in Iranian politics (6). This is a perplexing situation for Americans, as Imam Rauf has historically spent time with Mohammad Javad Larijani, and Democrats are typically the most concerned with human rights. It is also questionable as to why, after many years, the Obama Administration pulled State Department funding from Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (7).

Since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s supporting African-Americans, US conservatives have not been known to ask a President of the United States or his Secretary of State to raise awareness on human rights issues. It seems that the Obama Administration is also perplexed, confused as to why Republicans would suddenly be standing for human rights, and so he may simply be hesitant to respond to an opposing party. Unfortunately, President Obama may not be aware that peace-loving Mosques inside Iran are being attacked, merely because it is the conservatives who are trying to tell him about his suffering brothers and sisters in Iran; leaving Sunni rebels to fight back alone against Revolutionary Guards inside a Shia Mosque (8). 

Given President Obama’s lack of response to Sunni brothers and sisters, and continued initiatives throughout the Muslim World, it is not advantageous to suggest that his Administration would cast any stone against the Islamic Republic. Though, American citizens are growing more and more concerned for the Iranian people as days go by, and dozens if not hundreds are massacred every week, like an Iranian Holocaust. 

If Roya Hakakian’s organization did have federal funding restored, then perhaps the West would be more cognizant of this treachery within, as the George Soros sponsored Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International cover just a few cases at a time. In reflection of Tehran Bureau’s standard practice, lack of reporting by VOA/PNN, and related journalistic integrity of US media, certainly these charities are needed to verify the high number of horror stories, so that the general public can be notified. Hakakian may be right to be concerned about the relationship between major corporations and western media. However, publicly traded firms do face public scrutiny for corporate social responsibility, and likely would pay for advertising to support US news reports if they were aware of the atrocities, or would provide tax-deductible contributions to fund human rights research required to produce investigative reports. 

In a recent private review of VOA/PNN, it was interesting to see that contenders like Amir Fakhravar, Hassan Dai, and Reza Pahlavi have been banned from interviews, though groups criticized for being lenient towards the regime gain much attention. Such individuals include Trita Parsi and Reza Aslan of NIAC, Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak from University of Maryland, Abbas Milani of Stanford University, and Akbar Ganji, a former Revolutionary Guard. Ganji became a human rights activist, and is exiled in the US after having tortured in Evin Prison, and liberated by President George W. Bush. Similarly, Vali Nasr was featured on Urdu VOA, a broadcast into Palestine which also covered President Obama’s lack of support for the Iranian opposition. 

The VOA related events mentioned in the IRGC piece actually occurred on November 17, were profiled by the National Iranian American Council (9), attended by Center for American Progress, and covered by Voice of America, including an interview with former CIA director R. James Woolsey. Fakhravar did not attend the planned demonstration outside of VOA property, and it is questionable as to if the protest even occurred, as there was no news coverage nor photos of the event promoted by Freedom Watch, an organization Fakhravar is not affiliated with. However, Fakhravar did visit the panel NIAC reviewed, only after the event ended, to bid his respects to panelists and attendees. One panelist which NIAC failed to mention was Reza Kahlili, former CIA operative of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, who made a compelling speech based on his decades of experience with the Guards, IRGC, in both Iran and Europe. 

NIAC did have justifiable criticisms of other panelists. Mr. Heffner was correct that Ken Timmerman innocently misunderstood the demonstration video in Farsi, where protesters are walking with images of Mousavi saying “Obama Ya Ba Oona Ya Ba Ma,” or “Obama, are you with them or with us?” (10) This is in fact, a very poignant moment from last year, when peaceful protesters were simply responding to Obama’s statement that he would not interfere in Iranian politics. 

It is true also, that Rep. Michele Bachmann, leading Tea Party spokeswoman from Minnesota spoke out in support of MEK. Rep. Bachmann, though very popular among US conservatives, is also very new to the Iranian opposition, and is only beginning to get to know the diversity of groups who are part of the freedom movement. Rep. Bachmann is a very sincere and kind-hearted woman who appears to be very grateful to meet Iranian freedom fighters, and seeks to do anything she can to support the liberation of Iran. 

At the panel, Center for American Progress questioned James Woolsey as to the quality of negotiations with Iran. Given back-door negotiations with Khatami have been the subject of debate and investigative journalism for a few years, including a host of articles in Farsi referencing Hooman Majd, it is interesting that CAP would be so concerned. 

In retrospect, it is true that more Americans have voted on the famed “American Idol” than have participated in politics. It is only as of the 2008 election that the United States has seen record voter turnout, including active participation of the African-American community, who fought for and won the right to vote only decades ago. It is true that more Americans may pay attention to Hollywood films and “Reality TV” than the political range of newscasts between FoxNews, MSNBC, CNN, or NPR. This is why politicians like President Obama and Sarah Palin participate in cable and daytime shows, like “The View” or Jon Stewart. But still, no entertainment show nor comedy news hour is in any position to exhibit the butchery of torture, deathly rape, or mass hangings. For so long as Americans eat popcorn, hot dogs, and apple pie during the joyous holiday season, the regime can buy more time and western audiences will continue to merely see news flashes that the Islamic Republic is nearing capability of a nuclear bomb to take out Israel, US military bases throughout the Middle East, and certain European countries. 

Socrates said, “Wisest is he who knows he knows not.” And would for we be the wiser. 




References:

(1) “Congressional Investigation of Voice of America Persian,” Mashregh News (Soft War site of IRGC), November 25, 2010:http://mashreghnews.ir/NSite/FullStory/News/?Id=12609

(2) Revolutionary Guards to Young Basijis (Farsi):http://world.yjc.ir/NewsDesc.aspx?newsid=373455 

(3) Special forces division of Hezbollah supporting Ayatollah Khameini (Farsi): http://ammariyon.ir/fa/pages/?cid=2404

(4) “Fakhravar Family Treated Like Hostages Inside Iran,” Iran Live News, Velma Anne Ruth, October 22, 2010:http://www.iranlivenews.com/2010/10/22/fakhravar-family-treated-like-hostages-inside-iran/ 


(6) “What President Obama Should Say About Iran’s Election,” Huffington Post, Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf, June 19, 2009:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/imam-feisal-abdul-rauf/what-president-obama-shou_b_218249.html

(7) “US funds dry up for Iran rights watchdog, Obama White House less confrontational,” Boston Globe, Farah Stockman, October 6, 2009:http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/10/06/us_cutoff_of_funding_to_iran_human_rights_cause_signals_shift/ 

(8) “Jundallah claims deadly Iran blasts,” Al Jazeera, July 16, 2010:http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/201071518824599686.html 

(9) “Conference Focuses on ‘Regime Change’ in Iran through US, Western Intervention,” NIAC, Patrick Heffner, November 18, 2010:http://www.niacouncil.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6865&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=-1

(10) “Obama Ya Ba Oona Ya Ba Ma,” Demonstrators in Tehran, Citizen Journalist, November 4, 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UluBN_CI2s

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