Sadegh Bozorgmehr
به زبان فارسی
PICTORY
LATEST MUSIC
SEARCH
Anti-Iranianism and the Iranian "Brown-Skins" that Make It Possible
07-Nov-2011
A new groundbreaking report by the Center for American Progress (CAP) uncovers what can only be described as a complex but organized web of groups and individuals working to undermine Iranians in public life and foster anti-Iranian sentiment. The shocking report reveals the names of seven donors doling out $42.6 million to hate groups and pseudo-scholarly think tanks. The 138-page report concludes that the industry’s success depends crucially on Iranian collaborators.
Only a thorough treatment of the subject can do justice to the report’s findings, but for brevity's sake a look at one partnership may be instructive.
Exhibit A, professor Daniel Pipes of the Washington based Middle East Forum (MEF) and his Iranian underling, a recent immigrant to the United States from Paris by the name of Hassan Daioleslam (Dai for short).
In public policy circles Daniel Pipes has come to be known as to Iranians what David Duke is to African-Americans, and a glance at his record reveals why.
In the 1980s Pipes became a lobbyist for Saddam Hussein in his war with Iran. In the aftermath of 9/11, Pipes became one of the most influential neocons advocating war with Iraq—and there was a lot of competition for that job.
After successfully agitating for war, Pipes turned his attention to Iran. In an article titled “How to Save the Obama Presidency: Bomb Iran,” Pipes outlined his best case for war and even argued for boots on Iranian soil.
Pipes did not anticipate what was to come. His long-time lust for “bombing Iran” was being met with surprisingly fierce resistance. This time, Washington’s Iran policy was being significantly influenced by one unexpected source—Iranian experts and the Iranian-American community.
A few words must be said about Pipes’ anti-Iranians before we move on. The hate-infested venom of Daniel Pipes can best be demonstrated using his own words. Pipes is on record for promoting the idea that Iranians and Muslims should be rounded up and tossed into concentration camps. According to Pipes the people of the Middle East mere “brown-skins” with bad hygiene.
Examples abound, but I digress. As disgusting as Pipes’ racism is, it is what keeps him up at night that concerns us most. In a stunning moment of candor at a gathering of the American Jewish Congress (AJC), Pipes revealed his belief that "from the Jewish point of view, the presence, and increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement" of Iranians and Muslims in America entail what he called “true dangers” for America's Jewish community.
This belief gave birth to The Legal Project, the intimidation arm of the MEF. Central to its mission is to delegitimize, intimidate and destroy Middle Eastern voices seeking a place in the political arena through legal means. The project is backed by millionaire individuals and foundations who also finance other pet projects like the "Judaization" of East Jerusalem and it’s cleansing of non-Jews.
Enter Hassan Dai, the Iranian lackey in the Pipes campaign. Pipes’ reasoning in backing Dai is clear. There is an end goal of pushing the US to war with Iran. To achieve this, opposing views must be suppressed. An emerging Iranian political class in America therefore cannot be tolerated. The individuals and groups must be delegitimized, and their support within their own community undercut.
The decision to employ Dai makes enormous strategic sense. The neoconservative movement since its maturation in the 1970s has always been careful to use non-neoconservatives as spokesmen for their agenda. A recent obvious example is Iraq’s Ahmed Chalabi. The CAP report calls these individuals “validators”—foreigners used to give the neoconservative narrative a stamp of validity.
The rising “validator” of the Iranian community is Hassan Dai. Uncle Hassan is now the de facto conduit of neoconservative influence in the Iranian community. With a suspect past as part of the Mujahedin-e Khalq’s (MEK) inner-circle in Paris, Dai moved to Arizona where his sole undertaking became the smearing of all Iranian policy experts whose views stand to the left of John Bolton.
Frequently using 10 degrees of separation, Dai has targeted the likes of Rudi Bakhtiar, Vali Nasr, Ray Takeyh, Trita Parsi, Karim Sadjadpour, Christiane Amanpour, and many others as agents of the Islamic regime. Pipes has done the same, though the brunt of his dirty work has been delegated to “brown-skinned” Hassan. Perhaps to reward Dai for good behavior, Pipes recently wrote a column urging the administration to “unleash” the MEK against Tehran.
The $42.6 million dollar attack machine has chosen its allies carefully. At a conference of the MEF, Dai was invited to discuss a supposedly vast web of “jihadists” and “Islamists” in the Iranian-American community that must be stopped. In his opening remarks, he explained that the “easing of sanctions” against Iran induced him to start a campaign against what he calls “the Iranian web.”
The House Persian won the rapturous applause of conference attendees. The Legal Project turned on the money spigot and provided, pro bono, the services of Bradley Barenson, the Bush administration’s lawyer on defending torture. Among the other perks Dai received was free counsel, including editing and reviewing Dai’s work in order to just escape the definition of what the US legal system considers libel.
Ultimately, it was only a mere twenty-five years ago when Saddam savagely employed chemical weapons on Iranians, forever devastating countless Iranian families. The US government is believed responsible for preventing action against Saddam in the UN for that war crime. Iranians in the United States said nothing and did nothing. They couldn’t.
The Daniel Pipes vision of America is a reversion to those dark days. A time in when he could facilitate the killing of Iranians unhindered, and not have to deal with those pesky Iranian-Americans that might object.
We, Iranians of all political stripe, are duty-bound to never again revert to the misery of helplessness. Yesterday’s pitiful displays have given way to a new environment in which the US government gives weight to Iranian-American concerns. The decision to monitor the Islamic Republic’s human rights violations came largely at the behest of Iranian-American pressure. Unlikely a few years ago, unimaginable in the 1980s.
Lastly, I cannot comment on the alleged odor emanating from Uncle Hassan’s body, but the betrayal and subservience brought to light by these recent findings is sure to offend all senses in all red-blooded Iranian. With the proverbial cat officially out of the bag, Dai and associates will no longer be given the benefit of the doubt. In the eyes of Daniel Pipes, you are probably “doing a heck of a job, browny,” but the time has ended where your own community gave you a free pass.
| Recently by Sadegh Bozorgmehr | Comments | Date |
|---|---|---|
| First They Came For Hooman Majd | 13 | Feb 02, 2012 |
| The End of Hassan Dai’s Free Pass | 4 | Jan 17, 2012 |
RECENT COMMENTS
IRANIANS OF THE DAY
| Person | About | Day |
|---|---|---|
| نسرین ستوده: زندانی روز | Dec 04 | |
| Saeed Malekpour: Prisoner of the day | Lawyer says death sentence suspended | Dec 03 |
| Majid Tavakoli: Prisoner of the day | Iterview with mother | Dec 02 |
| احسان نراقی: جامعه شناس و نویسنده ۱۳۰۵-۱۳۹۱ | Dec 02 | |
| Nasrin Sotoudeh: Prisoner of the day | 46 days on hunger strike | Dec 01 |
| Nasrin Sotoudeh: Graffiti | In Barcelona | Nov 30 |
| گوهر عشقی: مادر ستار بهشتی | Nov 30 | |
| Abdollah Momeni: Prisoner of the day | Activist denied leave and family visits for 1.5 years | Nov 30 |
| محمد کلالی: یکی از حمله کنندگان به سفارت ایران در برلین | Nov 29 | |
| Habibollah Golparipour: Prisoner of the day | Kurdish Activist on Death Row | Nov 28 |
Hassan Daei is the worst of the worst.
by MOOSIRvaPIAZ on Thu Mar 15, 2012 05:29 AM PDTWell reasoned article!
Do we really want to play "connect the dots"?
by AMIR1973 on Wed Nov 09, 2011 08:20 PM PSTSince Hassan Dai is NIAC's nemesis and since the NIACis are quite zealous in attacking him, it's only fair to "connect the dots" with their organization as well, isn't it?
For example, one can connect the Trita Parsi dot to the dot of imprisoned former Congressman (and former Parsi boss) Bob Ney. Or we could connect the President-for-Life to Hooshang Amirahmadi. Or to Atieh Bahar and "Siamak Namazi". Or to former IRI UN envoy Mohammad Javad Zarif.
"Just connect the dots" and NIAC can come out looking rather like an IRI lobby.
Let's play "connect the dots"
by MM on Wed Nov 09, 2011 06:53 PM PSTThe reports here talks about $42.6M as the size of the pot devoted to the neocon causes, which includes MEK as a vehicle to push their agenda. Of course, Pipes has had several articles praising MEK, and it is understandable that the more MEK smooches, the more money they get. It is said that the neocons considered the MEK as a possible vanguard against the Iranian government. Let's play "connect the dots":
dot 1. The uber-neocon, Kenneth Timmerman, sent Hassan Dai an email on August 7, 2008; which partly states ".....The problem, though, is that YOUR FRIENDS have got to have something newsworthy to say.... "
dot 2. Iran Dissidents Pinpoint Alleged Nuclear Site « Strategic Policy ... (one of several exposed newsworthy items by MEK)
dot 3. Pipes as well as other neocons publish articles praising MEK ....too numerous to list.
dot 4. Speakers are paid thousands of dollars (10K to 50K) to speak at MEK rallys (Iranian group's big-money push to get off US terrorist list), to get MEK off the US terrorist list (MKO rally in France) as well as peepel who are bused in to participate in MEK rallys (Interesting "Iranian-Americans" at the MEK Rally in DC! | Iranian.com).
dot 5. I don't even want to think about the possibility of the Mrs. President-select addressing us as "I tank my peepel....". I think she and hubby will act even more crazy than the AN/VF duo.
Of course Pipes is not going to cut a $42.6M check to the MEK or say it, but the writing is on the wall. Just connect the dots.
Wow!
by Ramin J on Tue Nov 08, 2011 10:03 PM PSTthis is a very well researched and convincing article. Of course, Dai's picture at a MEK rally speaks for itself. But I had no idea he was funded by Pipes, or the extent of Pipes racism against Iranians.
Just when you thought the MEK could not become more disgusting, Dai comes and makes it even worse.
I was nevery impressed with his articles, but now it s very clear to me why he has invested so much time in attacking moderate commentators.
Won't be reading any of his articles any more...
Hahahaha!
by JahanKhalili on Tue Nov 08, 2011 05:06 PM PSTIts funny how Iranians divide themselves, based on their allegiances to one group of foreign politicians or organizations vs. another.
As far as I know, I have encountered only one commenter on Iranian.com who in any way even understands how politics in America really works.
Misleading
by religionoutofgovernment on Tue Nov 08, 2011 04:31 PM PSTI agree with Masoud completely. I also read the report. It is not about Iran. I have no reason to support Dai and don't know the guy. However, this blog is a clever character assassination. If you don't read the report carefully, you will make false assumptions, and that is what the blogger is banking on.
Plus, Dai's character are irrelevant here. The documents he presents are verifiable and stand for themselves. The blogger wants to divert attention from the facts and documents by unfairly discrediting the person who presents them.
False assertion
by Masoud Kazemzadeh on Tue Nov 08, 2011 03:05 PM PSTSB: A new groundbreaking report by the Center for American Progress (CAP) uncovers what can only be described as a complex but organized web of groups and individuals working to undermine Iranians in public life and foster anti-Iranian sentiment. The shocking report reveals the names of seven donors doling out $42.6 million to hate groups and pseudo-scholarly think tanks. The 138-page report concludes that the industry’s success depends crucially on Iranian collaborators.
===============================
MK: I looked at the report. The assertion made by SB is FALSE. The CAP report is on Islam and the campaign by some to criticize Islam. The report is NOT on Iran. The report is NOT a research on anti-Iranian sentiments. As the title of the report is "Fear, Inc.: The Roots of Islamophobia Network in American." The title of the report correctly describes its content, which is on anti-Islam sentiments. The report indicates that $42.6 million is spent to counter Islamic groups in the U.S., and NOT to undermine Iranians in public life!!!!!!!!!
SB’s blog is misleading.
I conducted the inside search of the report. There is no mention of "Hassan Dai," or "Hassan Daioleslam." The search showed only 4 mentions of Iran on the document pages 72, 88, 116 (twice on page 116).
ANY thoughtful reader can simply click on the report, and read the report for himself or herself and see that the assertion by SB is simply false. The report is NOT on Iran and Iranians. It is on Islam!!!!!!!!!
My 2 cents,
Masoud
Just say yes....to the IRI!
by AMIR1973 on Tue Nov 08, 2011 06:48 AM PSTTo these people I say: No to War. No to neo-cons... JUST SAY NO to War Industry.
A perfect summation of NIAC's position: Just say yes! (to the IRI, that is). Perhaps NIAC members can put it on their T-shirts and bumper stickers....
Few comments....
by Mohammad Ala on Tue Nov 08, 2011 06:06 AM PSTGood one, MM.
Mash Ghasem, please reconsider your decision. I hope you do... don't let these things bother you.
Dai tried and tried but no one took him seriously then he met the likes of Pipe and Bolton. To these people I say: No to War. No to neo-cons... JUST SAY NO to War Industry.
Was mini-Fereydoon on vacation? Not the first-responder anymore?
by MM on Tue Nov 08, 2011 05:53 AM PSTOr, is it that there are just too many new instructions on direction/subjects to write about?
NIAC lobby respond!
by Fred on Tue Nov 08, 2011 01:57 AM PSTIt is surprising that you have left out the court documents in the lawsuit the NIAC lobby and its lifetime president, Trita Parsi, have jointly filed against this Dai.
Would it be because the documents uncovered in that legal process show the NIAC lobby and its lifetime president being too chummy with the high officials of the Islamist Rapist Republic?
Or could it be, as it was in the Washington Newspaper about Parsi and CIA, and Dai publically alleges, that the lifetime president of the NIAC lobby has received money from CIA and it is documented in the court record?
NIAC lobby refuses to answer questions and character assassination of its detractors has not and will not silence them or make the questions go away.
NIAC lobby respond!
...
by Mash Ghasem on Wed Nov 09, 2011 07:17 PM PSTTwo announcements:
1) Mr. Daei's entry into Gunga Din's Hall of Fame.
2) Mashti's last post on tis site.
------------------------------------------------------------------
1) In recongnition of Mr. Daie's relentless and indefatiguable efforts as a water boy of Mr. Pipe and friends, the Gunga Din Hall of Fame awards Mr. Daie and his twig the official, distinguished medal of Gunga Daei!
P.S. Accordingly with this minor cultural modification from Din to Daie, Rudyard Kiplings famouse last stanza changes to:
Daei! Daei! Daei!
You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Daei!
Tho' I've belted you an' flayed you
By the livin' Gawd that made you, and your wig,
You're a better man than I am, Gunga Daei!
2) Since mashti's blog on Emran Salahi was deleted because of a comment, tis shall be his last post in here. So long.
ha$$an & $afar - does $42.6M come with a $ucking $ound-effect?
by MM on Mon Nov 07, 2011 09:48 PM PSTdo not forget about folks who get dumped on by even coming close to the likes of Rudi Bakhtiar, Vali Nasr, Ray Takeyh, Trita Parsi, Karim Sadjadpour or Christiane Amanpour. That includes nobodys like me or somebodys like Shirin Ebadi or Maziar Bahari.
a sensational title. i
by hamsade ghadimi on Mon Nov 07, 2011 09:46 PM PSTa sensational title. i scanned the 128-page report for references to iran and did find 4 references to iran and none too surprising: 1) an israel lobby urging u.s. to "intervne" with iran (pg. 72), 2) belief that obama is naive and may be appeasing iri (pg. 88), 3 and 4) michelle bachman, tomorrow's yesterday's news believing iri is threatening toward u.s. and that the u.s. should not take the nuclear option off the table (political posturing if you ask me, how're you supposed to raise funds for a campaign?) (pg. 116). and yes, this pipes guy makes a reference to european immigrants as "brown-skinned" people in an article in 1991.
at any rate, i agree with m.g. and bahmani that dai keeps suspicious company and therefore he should be regarded with suspicion. nonetheless, dai is not an influence on likes of me when it comes to niac. i trust neither side.
commenting on the comments about oil and alternative energy. i think the foremost energy concern in iran should be developing the oil industry. iran needs to refine its oil and add value to it instead of exporting raw oil and importing refined oil. that should be done before nuclear, solar, wind, geothermal, or other souces (hot air) are tapped. that's iran's bread and butter for now and years to come whether one likes fossil fuels or not.
and let's hear more on the author's allegation on dai's body odor and his assymetric rug.
...
by Mash Ghasem on Wed Nov 09, 2011 07:17 PM PSTBahmani, great begining, lousy ending.
What's this obsession with drilling oil. Saudis are planning for long term, large scale solar energy; shouldn't we? Didn't know you were a closet Maoist!
I appreciate your argument regarding Daei: Overthrow IR, there would be no reason to discuss Daie or his ilk.
Though, I still have a query. Can we discuss Daie's wig? Me thinks it's tilting to the right. BTW that's a lovely picture, Maryam has such an authentic smile.
A nice catalog of organizations and people…
by Bavafa on Mon Nov 07, 2011 08:34 PM PSTWho have been pushing for war, actively working to divide the Iranian and Iranian-American community and shut the little voice we may have in Washington.
Needless to say can we identify the likes of those and supporters of Dai and the agenda he is pushing on IC?
Yeap, lets us just keep dismissing anything and everything but pointing ONLY and ONLY to the dictators in Tehran as if no one is aware of their crimes or illegitimacy.
'Hambastegi' is the main key to victory
Mehrdad
Well then...
by bahmani on Mon Nov 07, 2011 08:14 PM PSTWe should definitely not listen to or support Hassan Dai.
While it is most definitely important to prevent agents like this from doing their dastardly best to cause problems for Iran and Iranians, I cant help but still cling to the notion that all of this would be moot, if we could recapture and recover our country from the hands of those who illegitimately run the show there today.
It's an end game run with an option.
Do we stop tying to free Iran and momentary fixate on Hassan Dai?
Or should we double up and and free Iran, and in doing so negate any malcontents like Hassan Dai forever, at the source.
In the end, a free Iran is a friend to all, a foe to none, and focused on improving the lives, culture, and society of the Iranian people.
At that point, when we are a free people with our destiny in our hands instead of some dirty mollah's false god's, honestly, since we have all the oil we can drill and sell to a thirsty world (ie China), honestly, fuck the rest of the world.
If you ask me.
To read more bahmani posts visit: //brucebahmani.blogspot.com/