Human Rights and the Media: How the GOP Can Help Iran
Voice of America, the federal government’s media arm, is supposed to be a source of unbiased news for Iranians in Iran and abroad. However, the VOA in the past two years has lost credibility with Iranians in Iran and the Iranian diaspora because of one simple reason — its director is a flagrant supporter of Iran’s mullahs.
A mullah supporter running a media organization funded by the U.S. government on American soil sounds surreal. But it is true. Seyed Ali Sajjadi, the director of Persian News Network (PNN), a branch of the VOA for Iran, has deep familial ties with the current mullahcracy of Iran. His views regarding the Iranian government are so skewed that for years Iranians and non-Iranians alike have been calling for his ouster. But who wants to make VOA more productive when “friends of freedom” like the MKO need to be removed from the terror list, right?
Sajjadi’s father is an esteemed cleric in Iran and considered close to Khamenei. For this and other reasons, he has repeatedly refused to run programs on PNN that shed a negative light on Iran’s regime. Kenneth R. Timmermann of the Washington Times outlines some of Sajjadi’s blatant pro-mullah policies:
Amateur cell-phone video of the murder of Neda Agha-soltan, a 26-year-old woman who was shot to death during a post-election demonstration on June 20, 2009, went viral in minutes and stirred international outrage over the regime’s brutality. PNN waited three days to air the video.
At the peak of the post-election protests last year, PNN editors told reporters to cover nonpolitical subjects instead of interviewing dissidents, arguing it was not PNN’s job to give the dissidents airtime.
During the U.N. General Assembly in September, Voice of America (VOA) broadcast a documentary on the satirical film “Borat” instead of carrying live coverage of President Obama‘s address as in previous years or debunking the outrageous statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who later said the United States was the perpetrator and not the victim of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
This is the guy in charge of a U.S. taxpayer-funded media organization for Iranians. I wonder what VOA would do if they were funded by Iran’s mullahs — about the same thing I imagine. Why aren’t Rep. Bachmann and others working to get this guy out of his post?
If the GOP wants to make an impact, it needs to ask Iranians what they want. From speaking with Iranians both inside and outside Iran in the past two years, it looks to me that some in the GOP have gotten it horribly wrong. (Not that I think Obama or the Dems are innocent little squirrels when it comes to Iran.) So please, those of you who really want to help Iran’s opposition movement, stop propping up the MKO and start working on fixing VOA’s Sajjadi problem.
This is not a difficult choice to make. Republican leadership, which is in a position to support human rights in Iran, is not being asked to switch from one gray area to another. MKO and Sajjadi are well-known subjects within the Iranian community. Any decisions made or not made in their regard will resonate deeply inside that community.
For the sake of human rights in Iran, I hope the right decisions are made.
Would a ‘free’ Iran, run by these green ‘revolutionaries’ foster stability in the region? Would America gain an ally or ‘friend,’ or once more an enemy by different name?
Should we allow the Iranians slug it out or meddle in their affairs – again?
As to the mullahs ‘running’ the Persian News Network, what else is new? Our government always picks the enemy to run these missions to demonstrate that we’re for freedom and not prejudiced. Political correctness is a killer.
http://voapnnwatchdog.blogspot.com/
A free Iran is not only in the interest of the region, but also in the interest of the US. Imagine having a regime that you can actually negotiate and talk to? That’s what a free Iran would be.
If you’ve followed the Green Movement’s march so far, they’ve illustrated time and again that they want better relations with the US and a break with the confrontational policy of the current dictatorship.
As for meddling, I’m not really for that. But what I’ve pointed out above is that the US need not meddle in Iran’s internal affairs to accomplish the mutual goal of ridding Iran of the dictators that it suffers under.
Face it, the only way to overthrow the mullahs and the Republican Guard in Iran is through massive covert operations inside of Iran. Support any ethnic group (like the Kurds) or militant group inside of Iran and give them the money and weapons they need to torment the Iranian regime. It is the fastest and least costly way of bringing change to that country.
Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to see another war in the Middle East, let alone one with Iran. The best way to do that is to let the Iranian people do the work for us. We missed a golden opportunity to bring down the regime after those elections about a year ago. Obama was a naive fool not to step in with massive covert operations to help the people who were protesting in the streets and who were willing to stand up to the mullahs to overthrow the regime. Opportunities like that come once a generation, and Obama blew it. A Nixon, a Kennedy, or a Johnson would have overthrown that regime in a matter of days with civil unrest like that. But no, Obama wanted to stay away and not look like he was trying to influence events in that troubled country. Great. Now we have the mullahs who maintained power by killing the opposition and we also have an Iran that is just a few months away from getting a nuclear bomb. Great job, Obama. This just showed how inexperienced and naive Obama is when it comes to being a powerful world leader. He has no clue and now we will lose more AMERICAN lives when we have to go in there and stop the Iranians from getting an atomic bomb. Great job, Barry.
The communists and the Iranians were and still are specialists in supporting domestic insurgencies against an established government. It is a lot cheaper and easier for them to support the insurgents to bring the political change they want in a specific country. Why can’t we start doing the same thing? There are plenty of unhappy people in Iran who would love to see the mullahs and the Republican Guard disappear. It is time to start giving these people the means with which to make this happen.
Obama encouraged the Iranians to get out and vote in June, 2009 (even though the candidates were chosen for them.) Then he disappeared, when they hit the streets in protest, a time when they most needed his words of support for a democratic (and hopefully secular) society in Iran. IMO, we would not be discussing these topics if he had not been guided by the pro-regime disception occuring around the corner from Capitol Hill.
Josh- I would like to know whether your sources from within the diaspora included any who want a secular, democratic Iran? I fear you are surrounded by reformers, who all sing the same song to you. Thus, your assessment of the PMOI controversy is no different than the option Iranians had in the last election, biased from one side.
No, Alice.
I know quite a few people who are not reformers, but who are secular and want a true democracy in Iran. Mir Hossein Mousavi – the current leader of the opposition – is just another Mullah, albeit less crazy than the rest of them.
I talk to Iranians who don’t want Mousavi or other Mullahs on almost a daily basis. The problem they face right now is that if they go with a leader that is not a Mullah, he will be swiftly arrested and executed. They need someone who has enough clout within the government to remain relatively immune so they could keep the movement alive.
Every movement needs a face. Sometimes… you have to go with an ugly one if the pretty ones can’t last.
No more wars to make the world safe for democracy. Too many young American lives have been lost throughout the world. Let the Iranians who want democracy do the dying for their country, let America stay out of it.. When will we learn that it is not wise to help other people win their freedom, they wind up hating you, videlicet, the French. Keep American policy in America, the rest of the world can fight and die for their own democracy.
Josh,
With all due respect, I think some of your ideas are counterproductive. I am an Iranian, always regarded the MKO as traitors for supporting Khomeini during the revolution, but their fighting of mullahs under any condition is understandable.
The MKO has not committed any terrorist activities outside the country and the ones committed inside the country were mostly committed by the regime and specially.
I would put the entire Islamic republic network on terror list, most of the IR diplomats are terrorists and murderers including the Rafsanjani mafia network (Rafsanjani mafia with terrorist appeasing NIAC,and individuals such as Hamid Dabbashi, Houman Majd, Reza Aslan, Sadjadpour, mullah Kadivar, etc are planted by the Islamic Republic to deceive and divide the Iranian people and the west and are now taken the cover of green banners to be viewed as “liberals”)? After all they misguided the Iranian secular movement, hijacked the media and deceived the world under the fake reform banners. Both the Beirut and Argetina terrorist bombings that killed US and ISraeli citizens conducted by the IRGC-QF and Hezbollah required Rafsanjani’s authorization and he is still wanted by the interpol as a terrorist.
But I have criticized some in the US for considering the MKO as the “main” opposition or consider it as a democratic/popular opposiion which are not, the MKO can be positively used as mercenaries, but not a democratic leadership because the core of the MKO idology is Islam & Marxism, boththe biggest enemies of democracy. There is no such thing as ideological democracy, both Islam and Marxism re against democracy.
Still, the MKO has a small number of members (relatively large outside Iran, but unpopular inside) and is not a threat to democracy by itself, they also have a good reputition of cooperations with counter terrorism in the west providing them with intelligence from inside Iran.
The Islamic Republic has been refarded as an occupying regime to the most Iranians and we praise anyone fighting the barbaric rulling mullahs under any conditions, don’t let the reformist acting IR cyber armiy deceive you.
Regime change desired by almost all Iranians is not something acheivable by a single group and without help from outside, we will need America’s backing to get rid of this evil occupying dictatorship.
Islamic Republic is the occupying regime of Iran and has always been, that’s the real enemy, the MKO is not a concern, we should focus on the ones who are trying to save the Islamic Republic and expose them.
Islamic Republic is like a cancer that is trying to infect the whole world (Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Nigeria, Sudan, etc are already infected, the US/western media is also infected by the IR propaganda and they’re mastering psycological and Internet Warfare)
The Islamic Republic cancer should be removed at any cost because it’s another Nazi Germany on the rise, but the best option is regime change done by the Iranian people themselves.
Cyrus,
My argument is simple:
The US cannot afford to support an organization that is so tarnished by its own actions. What it can support is meaningful change through actions that won’t endanger Iranian lives – like I mentioned in the case of VOA.
We’ve had convos about this before. My position is quite clear.
We used Communists in Eastern Europe during World War II and Eastern Europe suffered for it for decades.
You hit the spot.
Josh,
Agreed, the US cannot afford to “openly” support a group like the MKO but it is entirely within our ability to covertly use them. As another poster remarked, we are already using them for information on Iran, all we have to do is not actively pursue them. Give them enough freedom of movement to continue their opposition of the IR but keep denying any contact with them. So long as they don’t harm civilians they will be a great thorn in the side of the regime.
As for VOAS and Sajjadi, I wasn’t aware of how bad he really is. Thank you for pointing this out. We definitely need to get him out of there. The whole idea of VOA is to get the truth out not echo the enemy’s propaganda.
It’s just one of those times when a Politician gets a letter that asks to remove a group from the terror list,and without ANY research he goes and votes for it. Empowering a group of radical Muslims that only (so far) fight in their own country,is a bit much. These Muslims that the pollies want to help are RADICALS.Why don’t the pollies check these things instead of just blindly obeying to get some points. You vote for it then you deserve it.
When this group Help out the Muslims attacking NY ,then you might ask if it was the right thing to do,BUT it will be too late.
Captain,
Actually, the MKO is a communist organization – worse than radical Muslims.
In all honesty, I could not care less about the fate of the Iranian people, particularly with the internal mess America must now take care of.
People need to remember that the Iranian election riots favored a man who was arguably more dangerous than Ahmadinejad and just as crazed – I don’t care which whackjob the Iranian people voted for. If anything, the internal strife works in our favor: if they must submit resources to dealing with internal conflict “over there,” we don’t have to.
The US didn’t care about Afghanistan in the 90s.
It didn’t care about Iraq in the 80s.
Didn’t give a rat’s ass about Islamic extremism for 5 decades.
Look where all the money’s headed now even though the US has internal issues with its economy? To fighting Islamic extremism in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Might as well not care about Iran and then watch US money being spent there for another decade, eh?
Josh Shahryar you are not a journalist nor a human rights activist. Try reading the definition of a journalist before declaring yourself one. First rule of a journalist is not to take a political stance. I have no doubt there will be a day that a list of “Donations” to so called journaists will be published and we will know more about intentions of people like Josh Sharyar. Hopefully an Iranian WIKI LEAKS will be published soon.
Ever heard of Op/Ed pieces?
Or do they not educate you about those things at MKO camps?
I decided to dig a bit more on some of the topics raised in this discussion. I am discovering the PMOI may be more of a Nazi-Baath Party organization, not a Communist or Islamic group:
“MKO was from the beginning similar to a Nazi-Islamic opposition to the regime. They wanted to revive the glory of Iran’s Shiism using the latest achievements of the radical theory and movement. Their formation was a lot more similar to the formation of the Syria’s Baath Party and Germany’s Nazi Party than being similar to any Communist or Islamic organization” This excerpt is taken from the following article http://iraneayandehnegar.blogspot.com/2006/05/10-mojahedine-khalgh-organization-mko.htm
If this is truly the case, the MKO would be a disastrous mix for the US to recruit (or particuarly the Iranian people) in their fight for a secular, democracy.
They are anything BUT what they and people who are starting to support them suggest. And totally agreed re; the consequences.
Oh, look here, another impressionable minded goon like Eichmann who rushes to the side of Mujahedin-e Khalq, a group well known, not only for its terrorist activities since the Shah regime and current one, but most importantly for its ultra-Marxist/Islamist, and “cultist” characteristics.
And this comes from someone who had his immediate family members butchered by the mullahs. These fools have no idea who they are supporting. Nativity and reactionary disposition are what they know best.
The fact remains, even among people who hope the regime ends tomorrow, 98% choose the mullahs over Mujahedin-e Khalq any day. Any Iranian with two brain cell can voucher for the fact that these terrorist wannabes are not what people of Iran need right now or would ever be needing. Get educated fools.
What’s more interesting is that MEK is an extreme-Socialist/Maoist cult, so I cannot phantom she would in any shape or form support them politically.