A case-study in defamation and slander

This was written as a comment about another blog in which both Fred and Darius Kadivar made some statements claiming to be fair and objective critics of NIAC.

This is a case study of how Fred and Kadivar slander and defame even while pretending they are fair-minded judges of NIAC and Trita Parsi. All in the context of another defamation case, that of Hassan Daioleslam against NIAC.

Fred has a literal conflict of interest (he is pro “airtight” sanctions and NIAC is against). But he cunningly pretends he is fair minded and evidence driven. So, he graces us with this “fair” position:

Should NIAC lobby turn out to be not what evidence point to as I stated in the last exchange on the subject we two had, your posting on NIAC visit, I will publically apologize and do all that I can to make up for my mistake and furthering NIAC lobby’s agenda.

This position lacks integrity and morals. It’s only designed to sound like a fair and objective stance but it is not. Here are the reasons:

1. Fred considers NIAC “guilty until proven innocent”: So, there is some fact out there that Fred is supposedly concerned about. There are accusations that Fred himself has made toward NIAC and other pro-peace people. However, he doesn’t care about his own accusations being proved, he will “apologize” if only NIAC disproves his baseless allegations. This is what’s known as a fishing expedition and the equivilant move in any legal system will be laughed out of court.

First you prove the allegations, then judgement is rendered and only last you can pass it off as true.

2. Fred is Anonymous. When he says “I will apologize” is that supposed to be meaningful? He’s a attack machine with no personal stake. He can (and may already have) made other fake accounts with fake name and fake “concerns”. So he has no stake and no risk in what he’s saying personally. What’s the worst thing that can happen to him? “Apologize” as “Fred” the Iranian.com fake account? Who is supposed to even enforce that? What’s to say that when he is finally disgraced and proven wrong, he will not disappear like his sister Zion did a while back? Nothing of course. So the conclusion is that this “apology” business is meaningless.

The point is further driven home by this:

Till then I and it seems many others need to be convinced and if the price of it is to be called names, so be it.

Of course this is not ethical either. You don’t “need to be convinced” of someone’s innocense, you need to be convinced of someone’s guilt. You are assuming guilt until proven innocent just like I said. I nthe mean time you claim the license to carry out these baseless allegations until… YOU consider the matter closed.

So as we see here, this point is also meaningless. But I still find it funny how at least rhetorically, Fred is playing the victim in this whole process (so typical).

if the price of it is to be called names, so be it.

Fred is basically saying, I will continue to defame and slander real people with unproven allegations, but I will accept the sacrifice of being called “names” for my fake persona

Wow, I’m really in awe of the sophistry and self-righteous arrogance.

Darius Kadivar, on the other hand is not a fake persona so he is to be commended for writing under his real name. However, he, too is being unfair and abusive performatively, perhaps even without his knowing.

I have no definitive judgment on NIAC or its people or on Trita PArsi who has EVERY right to defend his honor at court in this legal affair and I will only wait for the conclusion of the Court on this controversy to draw my own conclusions.

OK, this sounds reasonable. Kadivar says he has no judgement, that he’s “neutral” in other words. He will reserve the judgement and “wait” for the conclusion of the court. But does Kadivar really believe it?

It becomes clear that the answer is no. Kadivar writes for about 5.5 lines about how he will wait and reserve judgement. But spends the next 95 lines NOT waiting, NOT reserving judgement and NOT being neutral. Even if he wants to say he’s reviewing the fact, why so one sided?

The simple conclusion is that Kadivar is not truthful when he says he has not drawn a conclusion and will “wait for the courts”, etc. He just said that to make himself sound credible, but it’s obvious from the 95:5 ratio of his own writing that he, too, is considering “guilty until proven innocent”. But unlike Fred, he’s just not that blunt about it.

Furthermore, on the specific things he mentions, he is being one-sided and biased. I eliminate ignorance because I have personally answered some of these points and he continues to pretend like they are real controversies. Let me show you:

I have never found that NIAC was ever speaking on behalf of Iranian Americans as such because it was simply taking upon itself a political role such as demanding the US Congress to stop financing the Iranian Opposition in Exile.

Darius Kadivar must know by now that a majority, perhaps even a large majority of Iranian Americans do not trust these US-funded “opposition”, part of this distrust is the “US funded” part. He knows how Green leaders and other freedom fighters like Shirin Ebadi have specifically decried US meddling or funding of opposition. He also knows that 30 years of such funding hasn’t produced the slightest result.

So, when he says “NIAC is taking it upon himself” he’s distorting to be generous. NIAC is reflecting what most Iranian Americans want.

Even if you don’t believe your own eyes in all the rally’s, Kadivar, you can read the NIAC surveys to its own constituents which questions like this have been posed. They all confer the same thing.

The conclusion here is that Kadivar is simply upset that NIAC didn’t honor his French-Iranian minority view rather than what its own members demand.

Before taking such a position did Mr. Trita Parsi bother to ask some of the Iranian American Families directly concerned ( and often for Good Reason) by such as initiative on their behalf ?

Yes, actually, it did. I don’t know if by “directly concerned” you are saying that NIAC should have conducted a survey inside the Islamic Republic (where people like you would instantly call its accuracy into question), or you are saying that people “directly concerned” however that is defined, should have more of a say than others, which is not consistent with a democratic approach. Whatever it is, there’s no wrong doing on behalf of NIAC that has occurred here, except the deadly sin of not having consulted Kadivar before hand.

He may have shared that view as an individual but to do so on behalf of the Iranian American community was not very Honest nor ethical …

The Iranian-American community is not a monolith and NIAC never claims to reprsent the entire community. However, it is the biggest representative of the Iranian American community. Prior to NIAC the only voice in Washington calling itself “representative of the Iranian American Community” was the MEK.

The fallacy which is oft repeated here is simple:

NIAC is the biggest Iranian-American organization. It does not mean the “entire” community but it is a valid voice for the community.

The standards that “concern” critic such as Kadivar put forward are laughable. Does Barak Obama represent the “American” community? The answre is Yes, even though less than 30% of Americans voted for him. (he got 53% of the vote, where 55% of eligables voted). You can make this “case” about any group in NIAC’s position. Even the largest groups like AARP in reality have memberships that are a fraction of the people in whose name they operate. Why is this a problem only when it comes to NIAC ? The answer of course is: bias based on ideological disagreement.

As Far as I understood NIAC was supposed to be a Community organization and Not a Political Party. As Such it Was not supposed to be involved in Iranian Politics but focused on Community work and eventually highlight Iranian Americans involved in the American Political Scene.

I’m not sure what you are basing this on. But community organizations can be very political. They often fight for what is best for their community, including legislation affecting their lives and the lives of their parents and loved ones. There are anti-poverty community organizations that routines mobilize for or against national legislation affecting the poor. Same with religious communities and ethnic ones. Only some of the larger ones are official lobbis but they all do political work to some degree.

I will chalk this up to Kadivar, simply not knowing enough about American politics.

Also NIAC was regularly asked to come and speak on VOA Persian to respond to it’s accusers and contradictors BUT NEVER appeared in any of the debates prefering to call VOA Persian as a nest of Neo Con War Mongerers …

I don’t know what this is supposed to prove. President Obama doesn’t appear on FOX news. What’s your point? Anybody is free to accept or reject an invitation. VOA is far from balanced and objective and in this case it makes sense that they have huge animosity toward NIAC, being that NIAC is against funding of fossilized Iranian opposition groups.

The real question is that what kind of ethical journalist would put Hassan Dai on the air repeatedly when even YOU admit that none of his allegations are proven.

VOA persian and Radio Farda were VERY PROFESSIONAL in covering the Elections in Iran and Fair.

Actually US government statistics show that VOA audience in Iran is dropping in favor of BBC Persian, which is why incidently the IRI is very concerned about BBC again. But this is irrelevant, it’s just your opinion. Peopls still are allowed to think differently about VOA and “professionalism” in your world, right Kadivar?

Even today while Jumping on the Green Movement Band Wagon which suddenly they claim to be it’s spokesperson they have been indulging in creating divisions amongst Iranians by criticizing those who carry the Iranian Sun and Lion Flag.

Kadivar, that this is the source of your wound with NIAC is not lost on anyone. But even in your own video, can you count the number of people who cheered when Talebi said “get your own protest” ? It was the vast majority.

Mr. Trita Parsi aligned himself on the position defended by other Iranians who were Not even American such as Shirin Ebadi or Akbar Ganji regarding their opposition to financing the Iranian Opposition in Exile.

You know that these figures are highly respected by Iranian-Americans. They have sold out tours throughtout the United States routinesly. What is your poin here?

Your critique of Parsi’s book is so meaningless, I won’t even repeat it here. Trita Parsi is an academic with a PhD. He wrote the book based on his research not as a statement of NIAC’s position. You don’t like the book, don’t buy it.

In conclusion. I find Darius Kadivar to be every bit as biased and dishonest as Fred. He is certainly doing it for different reasons but just like Fred he tries to fool the audience into thinking he’s being objective and fact driven, when the reality shows he has deep personal anger about NIAC and is in truth ideologically diven.

Evne for a clueless Patriot and Last Minute Opponent to the IRI Like Trita Parsi …

Yea, “waiting for the courts” my ass Kadivar jan!

For background see here:
http://iranian.com/main/blog/fred/niac-lobby-r…
http://iranian.com/main/blog/q/who-attacking-t…

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