10/26/2011
By: Dr. Arash Irandoost, Founder, Pro-Democracy Movement of Iran www.pdmi.org
Dear Mr. Bezos,
We, the undersigned Iranian-Americans, express grave concern regarding your company’s decision to support NIAC. While we appreciate Amzaon.com‘s support and contributions to worthy causes, the Iranian- American community considers the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) a lobby organization for the Islamic Republic in Iran. NIAC contributes to the regime’s agenda and serves the interests of those in power in the Islamic Republic of Iran who recently plotted to assassinate a Saudi diplomat on American soil.
Mr. Besoz, the prospect of a nuclear Iran is a grave threat to world peace and security. The regime in Iran brutalizes and rapes its own population and systematically stifles peaceful dissent and protest, leads the world in state sponsorship of terrorism, supports terrorist organizations, persecutes ethnic and religious minorities and is pursuing an illegal nuclear weapons program.
Amzaon.com, by supporting an organization such as NIAC that is directly affiliated with the Islamic Republic, turns a blind eye to the regime’s flagrant violations of human rights, support for Al-Qaeda and its commitment to an illegal nuclear weapons program. By contributing a portion of your sales to NIAC, who actively bids for the Islamic Republic in Iran and disseminates propaganda for an illegitimate, discriminatory, anti-Semitic and brutal dictatorship that flouts International law, you tacitly express your support for the regime. You, perhaps unknowingly, provide an imprimatur of legitimacy to a criminal regime, at a time when the international community is attempting to increase the regime’s diplomatic, political and economic isolation.
For over three decades, various governments have used dialogue and diplomacy with the regime in Iran to no avail, starting with the administration of President Jimmy Carter, who did everything possible to assure their new regime of American friendship and failed miserably. President Obama extended his hand to the criminal regime during his first New Year’s message and encountered a clinched fist. In reality, the more world governments have tried to engage the regime’s leaders, the more belligerent, emboldened and abusive they have become. This has not been limited to their communication with the outside world but extended to the repression of their own people, as we are all aware.
The Islamic regime’s apologists such as Trita Parsi of NIAC deceptively portray the Islamic government in Iran as a pragmatic and rational entity. They suggest that dialogue and diplomacy are the best way to deal with Iran. They falsely claim that sanctions are not effective and hurt ordinary Iranian people. Recently these apologists are attempting to shift the focus from Iran’s weapons program to what they have decided is more sensitive human rights issues. They have blamed the regime’s blatant human rights violations, which has recently overtaken China as the worst in the world, on U.S. pressure and ridiculously claimed that recognition of the IRI would improve the human rights violations in Iran. We think otherwise.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is a very real and imminent threat not just to our national security but also to world stability. Lobbyists such as Trita Parsi who use the pretext of easing the sanctions to help the ordinary Iranians, are deceitful, and are meant to intentionally misguide the American public, Iranians-Americans and the government officials. NIAC’s recent strategy of advocating human rights is merely a cover to hide its true intention which is carried out behind the scene to ease sanctions so that big corporations can sell nuclear technology, military gear, sophisticated surveillance technologies, electronic hardware and software applications to a criminal regime which uses them to spy on, arrest, torture, rape and kill its own citizens.
The Center for Security Policy cites NIAC as a lobby organization for the government of Iran. As a result of a lawsuit, numerous NIAC documents have surfaced that show NIAC lobbies for policies favorable to the regime in Iran. Law enforcement experts, who have reviewed some of NIAC’s emails, memos and board minutes, believe that NIAC has operated as an undeclared lobby and may beguilty of violating tax laws, the Foreign Agents Registration Act and lobbying disclosure laws.
Trita Parsi falsely purports to represent Iranian-American interests in the United States. NIAC has far fewer than 1,000 members, yet Parsi asserts that it represents the majority of the nearly one million Iranian-Americans in the USA. In our view, NIAC and Parsi will eventually be subjected to criminal prosecution and organizations and individuals that collaborate with NIAC will come to regret their affiliations with them. In addition, NIAC has received millions of dollars in grants-including, outrageously, from the Congressionally-funded National Endowment for Democracy, because of its false claims, which could actually have been allocated to further the interests of real Iranian-American human rights and other important causes in the U.S. and around the world. Instead this money has effectively been allocated to furthering the aims of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Currently, the Middle East is in crisis. Pro-democracy forces are springing up daily to demand basic human rights and better living conditions. It is about time that countries such as the United States publicly align themselves with the democracy seeking people who have suffered brutally at the hands of dictators and tyrants. It is time to give honor, dignity, moral imperatives and ethical values precedence over lucrative financial contracts that often occur, wrongly, at the expense of ordinary citizens’ lives.
By supporting pro-democracy Iranian opposition groups, the world community not only can avert a regional and potentially global catastrophe, it will help establish a democratic system of government in the region. If Iranians are successful in shaking off the yoke of theocracy, their success could herald the failure of a political and militant Islam. Helping Iran become a democracy is not only is a moral imperative, but should be considered an essential foreign policy priority that will bring a more sustainable and lasting peace to the Middle East.
Mr. Besoz, many high ranking VIP’s, dignitaries, businessmen, corporations, politicians have wisely distanced themselves from NIAC in the past, largely due to concerns expressed by the Iranian-American community, we respectfully ask that Amazon does the same. We do not think a reputable and successful company such as Amazon.com would want to be associated with such an organization or a person.
Respectfully,
The Undersigned
1. Dr. Arash Irandoost, Founder, Pro-Democracy Movement of Iran www.pdmi.org
2. The Honorable H. Hakimi, Retired Ambassador
3. Kenneth R. Timmerman, President and CEO, Foundation for Democracy in Iran (iran.org)
4. Bill Nojay, Director, Foundation for Democracy in Iran, www.iran.org
5. Cina Dabestani, Chairman of Constitutionalist Party of Iran, Washington DC Chapter
6. Walton K. Martin III, Director, the Iran Information Project, USA
7. Dr. Gill Gillespie, Director, the Iran Information Project, UK
8. Mehdi Zolfaghari
9. Parvin Irandoost, Human Rights Advocate
10. Dr. A. Samadani, Former President, Global university, USA
11. Debora M. Andress
12. Sheri Alvandin, Human Rights Activist and Publisher
13. Firouzeh Ghaffarpour, Political Activist
14. Dr. Bijan Eftekhari, Professor of Economics
15. Tony Kantering, Political Activist
16. Zohre Mizrahi, Attorney, Human Rights Advocate
17. Frank Salvato, Executive Director, Director of Terrorism Research, www.BasicsProject.org
18. Yasamine Morteza Gaeini, Khashm, Toronto Branch
19. Morteza Gaeini, Khashm, Toronto Branch
20. Rabbi Dr. Daniel M. Zuckerman, D.D., Chairman, American for Democracy in the Middle-East
21. Jay Ewasiuk, Edmonton, AB
22. Behnaz Shahriari, Member, Stop Child Execution and Human Rights Activist
23. Hassan Darashti
24. Sina Kianpour, Alburz.org
25. Iraj Derakhshan
26. Ali Kimiai, Human Rights and Political Activist
27. M. T. Moslehi, Journalist, Human Rights and Political Activist
28. Peymon Behmand
29. Dr. Siavash Abghari, Professor of Finance
30. Roxanne Ganji, Human Rights Activist
31. Shahriyar Gorugi, Political Activist & College Student, USA
32. Shahin Khordehpaz, Political Activist, USA
33. Dr. Jahanshah Rashidian, Psychologist, Freelance Writer, Germany
34. Shabnam Assadollahi , Human Rights Defender, Canada
35. Mandana Moghisi
36. Nastaran Samii, Human Rights Activist
37. Amir Ebrahimi
38. Yasamine Gaeini, Khashm.org , Toronto Branch
39. Morteza Gaeini, Khashm.org, Toronto Branch
40. Bill Baar
41. Jeff Baird, CEO, Right Side News
42. Kevin Shook
43. Mohammad Taghavi
44. Shabnam Chaandh
45. Josephine Mulcahy
46. Bahieh Jailani III
47. Ephraim Jacobson
48. Shahla Ebrahimi
49. Mohammad Kamyabi
50. Ehsan Kaz
51. Valerio Porzio
52. Sylvie Russo
53. Hassan Pourhoseini
54. Mahmood Farsi
55. Homa Amani
56. Mitra Irani
57. Mitra Pourfarzaneh
58. Maziar Rastgaar
59. Viviane Ingremeau
60. Mike Perez
61. Ali Reza Mohebbi
62. Roxana Talaremi
63. Pam La Belle
64. Sean Rosenstock
65. Marvin Joel Rubin
66. Pooya Irani
67. Ali Reza Vakili
68. Zari Erfani
69. Patrick Weiss
70. Danna Kalstenson
71. Perviz Khazai
72. Anna Schmidt
73. Mark Geoffrey Kirshner
74. Iradj Eshaghian
75. Maryam Moazenzadeh
76. Herb Hudson
77. Kave Irani, Human Rights Activist, Canada
78. Daryoosh Zargham
79. Ross Amin
80. Reza Mokhami
81. Al Ramsey
82. Stanzhia A. Strickland
83. Manaz Aria
84. Masood Abooali
85. Khosro Nikzat
86. Behshid Bahmanyar
87. Karim Moradi
88. Farzaneh Faalzadeh
89. Gohar Morad
90. Vahid Salami
91. Ahmad Zamani
92. Hamid Azimi
93. Forough Bikmohammadi-hazaveh
94. Ali Salimi
95. Abdein Raietparvar Talouki
96. Nader Moavenian
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