In this letter Arash Irandoost of the target Pro-Democracy Movement of Iran says that the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) is a lobbying group for the Islamic Republic of Iran. This would be no surprise, since the deeply dishonest and arrogant Islamic supremacist pseudo-moderate Reza Aslan is a Board member of NIAC. Please contact Rep. Moran's office and politely and courteously urge him to drop his plans to speak at the NIAC conference.
"Please sign, call and urge Congressman to cancel NIAC Leadership Conference," by Arash Irandoost of the Pro-Democracy Movement of Iran (thanks to Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi):
Dear friends, please call Congressman Jim Moran and urge him to cancel the event. We have 2650 people who say that Trita is an IRI lobby. Why is the Congressman attending such a shameful event. Also, if you like to add your name to the letter below, let us know."All that it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
Your voice matters! Please contact the Honorable Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) and express your deep concern over NIAC and its President Trita Parsi and Congressman's Keynote Speech at the conference on Oct 3rd, 2011.
Capitol Hill Office
2239 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515-4608
Phone: (202) 225-4376
Fax: (202) 225-0017
District Office
333 N. Fairfax St., Suite 201
Alexandria, VA 22314 - 2632
Phone: (703) 971-4700
Fax: (703) 922-9436____________________________
August 21, 2011
Honorable Jim Moran
Senior Member of the Appropriations Committee
2239 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515Re: Your participation in NIAC sponsored “Leadership Conference" in October 2011
Dear Congressman Moran,
We, the undersigned, express grave concern regarding your participation as “Special Keynote Speaker” in NIAC’s upcoming Leadership Conference scheduled for Monday October 3rd, 2011.
While we appreciate your attention to issues related to Iran and the U.S. foreign policy towards Iran, The Iranian-American community considers the "self-appointed" Trita Parsi of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) an intellectually dishonest regime apologist and an unofficial and unregistered lobbyist for the Iranian regime. Trita Parsi contributes to the regime’s agenda and serves the interests of those in power in the Islamic Republic of Iran, not the Iranians, nor the Iranian-Americans. In an online and currently active survey of over 2,000 participants, 94% of the Iranian-Americans expressed that Trita is a lobbyist for the Iranian regime and 95% stated that NIAC does not represent Iranian-Americans’ interests.For over three decades, various governments have used dialogue and diplomacy with the regime in Iran to no avail, starting with the administration of President Jimmy Carter, who did everything possible to assure the new regime of American friendship and failed miserably. Since that time, the more world governments have tried to engage the regime’s leaders, the more belligerent, emboldened and abusive they have become. President Obama in his speech stated: "We support a set of universal rights. Those rights include free speech; the freedom of peaceful assembly; freedom of religion; equality for men and women under the rule of law; and the right to choose your own leaders – whether you live in Baghdad or Damascus; Sanaa or Tehran." Well, the regime in Iran has violated all of stated of universal rights and then some. Yet, the West continues to appease this regime. It is time for the United States to support the pro-democracy movements in the region with actions and just the empty rhetoric.
The Islamic regime’s apologists such as NIAC deceptively portray the Islamic government in Iran as a pragmatic and rational entity. They suggest that dialogue and diplomacy are the best way to deal with Iran. They falsely claim that sanctions are not effective and hurt ordinary Iranian people. Recently, primarily due to opposition leaders Mousavi's and Karoubi’s arrests, these apologists are attempting to shift the focus from Iran’s weapons program to what they have decided is more acceptable and palatable human rights issues. They have blamed the regime’s blatant human rights violations, which have recently overtaken China's as the worst in the world, on U.S. pressure and ridiculously claimed that recognition of the IRI would improve the human rights violations in Iran.The Islamic Republic of Iran is a study in contrasts. The ruling theocracy is draconian and dangerous. It is a very real and imminent threat not just to our national security but also to world stability. Lobbyists such as Trita Parsi who use the pretext of easing the sanctions to help the ordinary Iranians, are deceitful, and are meant to intentionally misguide the American public, Iranians-Americans and the our government officials. NIAC’s recent strategy of advocating human rights is merely a cover to hide its true intention which is carried out behind the scene to ease sanctions so that big corporations can sell nuclear technology, military gear, sophisticated surveillance technologies, electronic hardware and software applications to a criminal regime which uses them to spy on, arrest, torture, rape and kill its own citizens. As of August 15, 2011, FBI has documented 13 incidents of Iranian spies that are illegally buying and shipping sensitive technologies and missile parts destined for Iran. NIAC’s effort to ease sanctions will ultimately endanger the national security of the United States.
Parsi claims to represent Iranian-Americans, but he is not an Iranian-American. Parsi is not a U.S. citizen; he holds passports from Iran and Sweden.
The Center for Security Policy cites NIAC as a lobby organization for the government of Iran. As a result of a lawsuit, numerous NIAC documents have surfaced that show NIAC lobbies for policies favorable to the regime in Iran. Law enforcement experts, who have reviewed some of NIAC’s emails, memos and board minutes, believe that NIAC has operated as an undeclared lobby and may be guilty of violating tax laws, the Foreign Agents Registration Act and lobbying disclosure laws. Trita Parsi falsely purports to represent Iranian-American interests in the United States. NIAC, as the Iranian-American's "self-appointed" representative in the U.S., has less than 1,000 members, yet Mr. Parsi asserts that it represents the majority of the nearly one million Iranian-Americans in the USA. We are convinced that NIAC and Parsi will eventually be subjected to criminal prosecution and organizations and individuals that collaborate with NIAC will come to regret their affiliations with them. In addition, NIAC has received millions of dollars in grants-including, outrageously, from the Congressionally-funded National Endowment for Democracy, because of its false claims, which could actually have been allocated to further the interests of real Iranian-American human rights and other important causes in the U.S. and around the world. Instead this money has effectively been redirected to furthering the aims of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Currently, the Middle East is in crisis. Pro-democracy forces are springing up daily to demand basic human rights and better living conditions. It is about time that countries such as the United States truthfully align themselves with the democracy seeking people who have suffered brutally at the hands of rapists, dictators and tyrants. It is time to give honor, dignity, moral imperatives and ethical values precedence over lucrative financial contracts that often occur, wrongly, at the expense of ordinary citizens' lives.
By supporting pro-democracy Iranian opposition groups, the world community not only can avert a regional and potentially global catastrophe, it will help establish a lasting pro-Western and democratic system of government in the region. If Iranians are successful in shaking off the yoke of theocracy, their success could herald the failure of a political and militant Islam. Helping Iran become a democracy is not only is a moral imperative, but should be considered an essential US foreign policy priority that will bring a more sustainable and lasting peace to the Middle East.
It might help the honorable Congressman to remember that the Islamic government of Iran does not have any regard for the international laws and occupation of the American embassy was the first step to show their disregard for the international conventions, followed by the execution of top ranking Iranian military officers who had remained neutral based on Iran's constitution and their reign of terror, rape, torture, imprisonment, stoning of women and killings, continues to this day.
We respectfully request the cancellation of this event. We do not think you want to be associated with such an organization, person or Conference. Additionally, we suggest that you meet with real Iranian-Americans and representative experts who can provide a more honest and accurate account of the current situation and opposition forces inside and outside Iran. Furthermore, we know that you have an enduring commitment to encourage democracy and human rights throughout the world and cannot ignore the fact that the current regime in Iran is a major threat to world’s economic stability and world peace.
Respectfully,
Dr. Arash Irandoost, Founder
Pro-Democracy Movement of Iran
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Moran is a man of courage and integrity to be sure (cough, cough).
After 9-11, it was discovered that a Sudanese-based company had a then-current contract to do the passenger screening at Virginia's Dulles International Airport. When this was brought to the attention of Jim Moran by the media, his response was:
"I'm not going to touch that one."