Iranians in the U.S. tell Haaretz what's on their mind

There are many factions amongst the community of Iranian dissidents and human rights activists in the United States. Some favor communism while others favor American-style liberalism, and the factions often do not get along on a personal level.

But this week, most of these groups will unite in various rallies to be held in Washington, D.C., protesting against the Iranian government's violent suppression of protests against the results of the recent election.

Neda Agha Soltan, a 27-year old woman whose death during protests on Saturday was captured on video, has become an icon for Iranian protesters and - many of whom remain disappointed with President Obama's 'too careful' response to events.

"I think Barak Obama has a big problem with Iran," Amir Abbas Fakhravar, a demonstration organizer who fled Tehran 10 years ago and gained political asylum in the U.S., told Haaretz.

"One of his advisers maintains close relations with the Islamic Republic and their lobbyists, and maybe he is the reason he's making the wrong decision. He gives this regime legitimacy and sends them invitations for 4th of July celebrations. (State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly announced this in today's briefing). There's no thought to rescinding the invitations to Iranian diplomats," he said.

"He's going to see lots of demonstrations here because of this mistake. The best thing for him to do is to look at the leaders like [French President] Nicolas Sarkozy and act like him. Right now everybody around the world knows it's a fake government in Iran. President Obama can't deal with them as usual. He can't behave like he is their friend or just watch - it's not a football game," he continued.

"People are getting killed in the streets. Now the Iranian government is isolated from the world and has no legitimacy from the outside or the inside. Iran won't be the same," he went on to say.

Fakhravar's family remains in Iran. "My brother and sister are out there in the streets," he said. "I know what this regime is capable of - I was imprisoned, spent 8 months in a solitary confinement, went through torture. I'm really worried about them, but they are happy. My little brother is coming home with blood every night and he whispers: 'I'm happy, because it's a great moment for me and all the Iranian people. At last something is happening in the country.'"

He hopes the protesters will persist during the coming days. "It's different this time, it's much bigger than the demonstrations we had in the past," he said.

"We are really close to blog revolution in Iran, the first revolution organized via Internet. Young Iranians won't stop. Maybe it's their last chance to be a part of the free world. For 30 years the opposition tried to persuade people to protest the dictatorship, but they didn't believe in themselves, they were afraid. Now they can breathe at last. Ahmadinejad and Khamenei can't punish all these people. But freedom has a price."

There's no reason, Fakhravar claims, for Obama to worry that U.S. will be accused of intervention. "The Iranian newspapers already did it," he said.

"They even gave me the undeserved credit of organizing the demonstrations with my laptop. Of course, this regime doesn't care what the world has to say, but at least people have hope when they see that the international community cares," he continued.

Fakhravar personally hopes to go back to Iran if the regime falls "and use all my experience to make our country beautiful again."

Lily Mazahery, a D.C. based Iranian-American human rights lawyer, sounds more pessimistic regarding the possible outcome of the post-election turmoil.

"I do not believe that it is necessarily leading to a regime change," she said. "There is always the possibility that the hardliners will silence the protesters and opposition voices and impose harsher rules. We may actually see a backlash from the hardliners who would restrict Iranians' freedoms and rights even more than they have done so in the past and continue to their escalating violation of human rights by, for example, increasing the number of executions and violent punishments of dissidents."

"Nonetheless," she continued, "I think it's unrealistic to expect revolutionary change without at least some bloodshed, unfortunately."

Mazahery, who has been a passionate advocate of Iranian women's rights for years, is not surprised to see women at the frontlines of the protest. "It would be a mistake to say that something has happened 'now' to make them fearless against armed security forces, Basijis, or Hezbollahis. They have always been known as 'shir zan' which means lioness, and the world is now seeing the reason behind their title."

"They have been in the forefront of the demand for change," she added. "In fact, the women's rights movement in Iran has been the most organized and most powerful political group in the past few years."

"For example, Iran's feminists effectively blocked the passage of various pieces of legislation backed by Ahmadinejad that would have negatively impacted their lives, including one to expand polygamy," she went on to say.

"I do have direct, everyday contact with a number of women in Iran, and their messages to me have been both brave and disturbing. They tell me that government officials are closely monitoring their every move and all forms of communication, especially with someone like me. Yet, in the same email that they tell me that the officials are monitoring and threatening them, they also tell me that they will not back down, that they will not allow government officials to intimidate them or slow them down. Some of them are paying heavy prices, including imprisonment in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. I am extremely worried about them, but I know that their will is strong and their desire for freedom, democracy, and equal rights is too great a force for the government to destroy. They will continue their fight regardless of governmental suppression and violence against them."

Defending some of the high-profiled Iranian dissidents, you're familiar with government agencies tactics tracing the protesters. What worries you the most?

"Yes, I am quite familiar with the government's repugnant tactics in this regard. I worry about the violence that the government has unleashed against freedom-seeking protesters and opposition figures. The Islamic regime stops at virtually nothing in its suppression of opposing voices. Those who have been arrested are rarely granted access to their families or proper legal representation. They are tortured, beaten, and abused in various forms. Those who are not arrested are constantly threatened and harassed, and, at times, subjected to violence by the paramilitary Basijis. I fear for their safety, security, and increasingly, for their lives."

Many conservatives have criticized President Obama's "mild" response to the events - do you think the U.S. should change its position?

"Conservatives are not the only group who have been or are criticizing President Obama's response in this context. I voted for this president and I happen to be one of his greatest fans. However, I firmly believe that his approach towards Iran has not been realistic or constructive. By announcing a desire to engage in open talks with Iran's government regarding that country's nuclear development program at the outset, the Obama administration has placed itself in an untenable position. President Obama now finds himself in the unenviable position of having to potentially engage in direct dialogue with a president who, for all intents and purposes, is universally deemed to have been fraudulently placed in that position."

"Will this regime give up upon its inflexibility and stop supporting Hamas and Hezbollah?" asks Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi, an Iranian-American writer, producer and human rights activist. "This regime will never bend."

Kianoosh Sanjari, an Iranian student activist and blogger, said: "From the point of view of the Iranian people, Ahmadinejad is not legitimate, unacceptable and unqualified. If the U.S. does not support the struggle of the Iranian people or decides to get along with Ahmadinejad and supposedly resolve its problems with him, they have put themselves squarely at odds with the will of the freedom-loving people of Iran."

"Whether we want it or not, either within the 'free' world of the West, if people do or do not support the struggle that the Iranian people are facing, the regime continues to claim that generally, America and Britain, are against the regime and promoting the anti-regime protests," he added.