[A-List] Iranian Ethnic Minorities Clash on Capitol Hill! Would-be Regime Changers Unable to Unite!

["Yoshie Furuhashi" <critical.montages@xxxxxxxxx>]

Delightful.

<http://www.niacouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1067&Itemid=2>
Iranian ethnic minorities clash on Capitol Hill
Arash Hadjialiloo
Mar 26, 2008

Washington DC - A March 13 event on Capitol Hill intended to expose
Iran's human rights violations was overcome with political rivalry and
infighting. The event, a one-hour briefing on Iran's human rights
record, was eventually broken up by Capitol Hill police officers.

The briefing piggy backed on a recent rise in concern over Iran's
human rights abuses, and attempted to unite several Iranian ethnic and
religious minority groups. The event, hosted by the Iran Working Group
[LINK: <http://www.house.gov/kirk/committees.shtml#iran>] and The
Leadership Council for Human Rights [LINK:
<http://www.leadership-council.org/>] (LCHR) , was aimed at uniting
some of the many factions inside Iran, but fell apart due to internal
rivalries.

The event, Iran Working Group Hearing: Assessing the Human Rights
Situation of Iran's Ethnic and Religious Groups, featured
representatives from several of Iran's ethnic and religious
minorities, including Iranian Arabs, Azeris, Baha'is, Baluchis, and
Kurds. It also featured comments by Representatives Mark Kirk (R-IL)
[LINK: <http://www.house.gov/kirk/>] and Shelia Jackson-Lee (D-TX)
[LINK: <http://www.jacksonlee.house.gov/>].

Kirk, a Republican congressman from Illinois, is a harsh critic of the
Iranian government; while Lee has been an outspoken supporter of the
Iranian Mujahedin (MEK). Kirk has urged the US to weaken Iran's
economic power by finding other energy sources for Iran's trading
partners. He has also pushed to block an $870 million loan from the
World Bank to Iran (RealClearPolitics.com [LINK:
<http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/11/drop_war_talk_cut_off_irans_ga.html>]).

Lee's, a representative from Texas, took part in a 2006 rally by the
Council for Democratic Change in Iran [LINK:
<http://cdc-iran.org/CDCIJan192006DCRally.pdf>] and has called for the
MEK to be removed from the State Department's terror list [LINK:
<http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/37191.htm>]. She has lauded the
efforts of "sister Maryam," [LINK:
<http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/3280.html>] a reference to
present leader of the MEK, Maryam Rajavi. "Truth is not constrained by
small quarters," said Lee at the briefing, a reference to the event
being moved to a smaller conference room after a scheduling conflict.

During the question and answer period, an Iranian-American retired FBI
employee (and former colonel in the Iranian army under the Shah)
accused several of the speakers of exaggeration. By this time, people
had left their seats and several confrontations threatened to turn
violent until a police officer arrived.

The temporary calm was disrupted again when another audience member
questioned the motives of what he considered the "breaking up" of a
unified Iranian people. He argued that, "Iranians are one nation and
we have been for thousands of years."

The disruption that followed required two police officers to
dissipate. Despite the shared goal of regime change in Iran, the event
reflected the inability of these groups to coalesce.

In an attempt to mollify the various flaring tempers, LCHR president
Kathryn Porter spoke to the nature of the problem: "If you want to
have revolution in Iran, if you want to change the quality of life for
the people, you will find ways to work together with everyone in this
room."

Event speakers included: Dr. Ali Al-Taie [LINK:
<http://www.kanooneiranian.org/Bios_Of_Speakers/ali_altaie_march_05.htm>],
Professor at Shaw University; Sharif Behruz, U.S. Representative of
the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan [LINK:
<http://www.pdki.org/lang.php?lang=1>]; Kit Bigelow, Director of
External Affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is
[LINK: <http://www.bahai.us/>] of the U.S.; Dr. M. Hosseinbor, Iranian
Baluchi; and Fakhteh Zamani, Director of the Association for the
Defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners [LINK:
<http://www.adapp.blogfa.com/>]. Opening statements and additional
testimony were provided by Nina Shea, vice chair of the U.S.
Commission on International Religious Freedom [LINK:
<http://www.uscirf.gov/>].

-- 
Yoshie
<http://montages.blogspot.com/>