Condemn Dianne Feinstein's Resolution, & about MEHR, Petition, and Voting Block of Iranian-Americans
I condemn Senator Dianne Feinstein's resolution banning Visa to Iranian visitors, but I will not sign the petition that has been going around by the pro-IRI groups, because those organizations sponsoring that petition have not written any petition to condemn human rights violations by IRI, during all these years, and these kinds of petitions for fingerprinting and visa are just a way for pro-IRI groups to get Iranian-Americans to stay as supporters of IRI regime. The pro-IRI lobbyist organizations are using these issues as a way to make themselves look as the representatives of Iranian-Americans. Unless these organizations clearly condemn the human rights violations in Iran, I would not sign any of their petitions. Politically it is crocodile tears when they do not condemn the regime which is responsible for what is happening to Iranians in all these cases, but only raise these cases that are the consequence of that regime, without even condemning the regime which has been responsible for all the hardship of Iranian-Americans, including this latest ban on visitor Visa for our loved ones, in the last 23 years.
The regime which started all these by hostage-taking, murder of dissidents like Bakhtiar and Ghasemloo abroad, and by threatening to death even citizens of other countries, like Salman Rushdie, for their thoughts and expressions, is the cause for all these discriminations against Iranians abroad. Let me repeat that I condemn the US Senate's resolution and have signed the petition of MEHR organization in this regard in the past. I think we need more petitions and activities to support Iranians and I trust organizations like MEHR that have been petitioning on behalf of Iranian-Americans, as well as petitioning on behalf of students like Ahmad Batebi who are under torture in Evin prison in Iran. MEHR is the organization I would trust for petitions against fingerprinting or visa for Iranian-Americans. I see organizations like MEHR as the real representatives of Iranian-Americans and not the pro-IRI organizations.
Forming a voting block of Iranian-Americans needs to be started up and needs to be a well organized and planned movement and needs a lot of help. I am so happy that many people now see the importance and urgency of it. I strongly believe that this is the only way that Iranians can counter the ban on visa for Iranians and also successfully counter the efforts of IRI and its supporters to gain legitimacy outside Iran. As long as the "INTEREST" factor is the determining factor in the US and Europe, we can only achieve our goals by dictating them through our voting power. Unfortunately, only appealing to humanity has not and will not work and it is the time that the voting block of Iranian-Americans be formed.
I hope MEHR starts a campaign soon. I
think MEHR is the best organization to drive this issue and not the IRI
lobbyists. In short, IRI is the reason for this problem, and all the other
problems Iranian-Americans are facing, and whitewashing IRI is not going to
help Iranian-Americans.
Here is the website of MEHR organization:
http://www.geocities.com/iceicc/
My thanks to all who are giving a heart warming support to MEHR's efforts.
Sam Ghandchi, Publisher
IRANSCOPE
May 10, 2002