Inspired by the successful liberation movements of Eastern Europe and South Africa, a group of Iranian exiles including an Oscar-nominated actress has launched a new initiative to unite Iranians inside and outside Iran around a tolerant, non-violent vision of their country’s future.

 

“Charter 91” — named for the current Iranian year of 1391 — is a both a document and a plea to overcome the cynicism and passivity of those confronting a repressive regime [1] and the tendency of Iranians to expend as much  effort criticizing each other [2] as on seeking solutions. It seeks to unify the Iranian diaspora as well as to influence the debate in Iran.  “We are talking about Iranian society and not only about the Iranian government,” Ramin Jahanbegloo, an Iranian-Canadian philosopher and professor who was instrumental in drafting Charter 91, told Al-Monitor in an interview.

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