My parents never wanted me to get involved in politics. “Forget about it. Live your life and be happy,” (“Bi-khial, zendegiye khodeto bekon, shad bash”) my mom says to this day. My response is always the same, “I wish I could.” But the fact is that I simply cannot. I can’t turn my back on the suffering of my family and friends in Iran, nor to the increasing discrimination faced by Iranian Americans here at home.
That’s why, this past semester after graduating from college, I packed my bags into my car and drove from San Diego to Washington, DC to intern for National Iranian American Council (NIAC). In this period of dangerous U.S.-Iran tensions, it was hard for me to do anything else but get involved in Washington’s Iran policy debate in whatever capacity I could. I knew that NIAC has its detractors and had heard rumors about the organization. At the same time, for the past several years, I’ve seen every day how my family back in Iran are being economically squeezed by brutal economic sanctions imposed by the Trump administration that NIAC has actively fought against.
What I have found most striking during my time at NIAC is the utter disconnect between the misinformation that is spread about this organization in hawkish quarters versus the reality. I was pleasantly surprised when I met NIAC’s staff, a young and progressive team of millennials dedicated to their community. The more time I spent with them, both on and off the clock, the more it was laughable to think these people were “apologists” for a theocratic regime.
Then, over Memorial Day weekend, I witnessed how NIAC became the target of an orchestrated online campaign to drown out and discredit those who advocate against war with Iran. The campaign was spearheaded by the neoconservative “Foundation for Defense of Democracies” (FDD) and bolstered by fringe Iranian opposition groups and their army of inauthentic social media accounts. In light of these attacks, the Iranian-American community cannot let their voices be silenced.
The online smear campaign reflects how far FDD and extreme diaspora groups linked to the monarchist movement and the cultish MEK group are willing to go to further their cause. These forces seek to manipulate social media to give the appearance that the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure campaign” towards Iran is supported by Iranians. This could not be further from the truth, as polls have consistently shown that Trump’s approach to Iran is opposed by the vast majorities of both Iranian Americans and Iranians in Iran.
At this juncture in time – where the risk of a conflict is so high – it is crucial that the Iranian-American community fight back and voice their opinions.
These smear campaigns target an Iranian-American community that is already facing discrimination and numerous obstacles to becoming politically organized. As many second-generation Iranian Americans know from their parents, there is a fear engaging in political discourse – especially at a time of rampant xenophobia. Our community also faces the unjust Muslim ban that has torn apart countless families from Iran and elsewhere. By seeking to shut out Iranian-American voices, those behind these coordinated smears want to dismantle everyone that stands in the way of their destructive agenda towards Iran.
NIAC has taken on the burden of its pro-diplomacy stance for over a decade, yet despite the best efforts of its detractors, it has grown to become the largest grassroots Iranian-American organization in the United States. As an Iranian American passionate about being politically engaged, I have seen first hand the value of NIAC’s work and the threats they face. They have taken positions that are unpopular with Washington’s foreign policy establishment – and the heat that comes with it. Yet they remain relentless in their mission, and for this, they should be championed, not smeared.
At this juncture in time – where the risk of a conflict is so high – it is crucial that the Iranian-American community fight back and voice their opinions. Being “neutral” and not pushing back ensures that groups with ulterior motives that have nothing to do with democracy or human rights have free reign to divide our community and push policies that harm the Iranian people and further stigmatize Iranian Americans. Instead, the Iranian-American community should seize on the threat of war on their country of heritage to come together and push back against forces that seek to divide and co-opt them.
