Where is the separatist agenda in my article? Land has been confiscated from Arabs in Khuzestan by the current regime for industrial and military purposes and to settle people from outside the province. This was confirmed by the UN Special Rapporteur Miloon Kothari. The problem of water quality in the area is well-known and Iranian scientists have call it an environmental disaster zone. Human rights organisations have claimed that the regime is trying to push the local population out. Ahwazi Arab activists believe this is part of the regime’s attempt to extend its control over the Middle East and to collectively punish an ethnic group that opposes it. None of these points indicate that I am supportive of separatism, they are simply statements of fact.
The term “Iran’s Occupied Territories” was intended to draw parallels with the situation facing Arabs in the West Bank, which the Iranian regime claims to support when it itself is creating a similar situation for its own Arab population. But on a number of occasions, I and my colleagues have said that separatism is not achievable and fighting for independence will solve nothing.
Please read the article I wrote, in which I said that federalism, not separatism, is the only solution for Iran’s minorities. It is here in English – http://www.gozaar.org/template1.php?id=351&language=english – and here in Persian – http://www.gozaar.org/template1.php?id=351&language=persian
Here is an extract:
“The denial of constitutional rights is the surest sign that Ahwazi Arabs cannot expect freedom and justice under the Islamic Republic. The question is: what is the alternative? As yet, only a minority support pan-Arab and separatist parties … The solution is federalism. Many Iranians eschew such a concept, fearing that it would be the first step towards their country’s fragmentation … There is also the fear that local autonomy would make Iran vulnerable to the kind of interference in its domestic affairs seen during certain periods of Iranian history … The notion that Iran would balkanise with the introduction of a federal democratic constitution is based on the supposition that Iran’s minorities are inherently disloyal … Yet, the majority of Ahwazi Arabs did not rally behind Saddam Hussein’s call for pan-Arab unity, but rather fought and died in their thousands against the Iraqi invasion. They have paid and continue to pay a blood price for passing the loyalty test, but are still regarded as an enemy within. It is clear to most Ahwazis that a constitutional commitment to equality is not enough. Equality needs to be accompanied by the devolution of power and a fair redistribution of wealth generated by the abundant resources in their traditional lands.”
I hope this makes it clearer. Instead of attempting to ostracise Ahwazi Arabs, why not approach the issue with an open mind and perhaps even meet with some of these activists? I’ve always told my critics that I am more than willing to meet them face to face, but none have taken me up on the offer. For these people, it is easier to throw brickbats from afar than to participate in an intelligent discussion.
