Dear John,
Over the weekend, Politico published an important [[link removed]] exposé [[link removed]] into the shocking threats, disinformation, and defamation accusing so many Iranian Americans who oppose war and sanctions as being "lobbyists for the Islamic Republic".
This sad and dangerous campaign has shut down legitimate debate in our community. It seeks to impose a false choice for Iranian Americans to either adopt a maximalist position on all things Iran, or surrender in silence to threats and intimidation.
We at NIAC reject the use of defamation, disinformation, and threats of political violence as a legitimate part of any political debate. This is not how democracy works.
With your support, we will:
*
Identify
the
real
interests
behind
these
attacks


*
Directly
challenge
those
amplifying
the
disinformation,
and


*
Get
out
the
truth
so
that
those
who
are
attempting
to
silence
anti-war
advocates
from
the
debate
do
not
succeed.


But we need your help so that we have the resources to fight back against this dangerous campaign. CONTRIBUTE [[link removed]]
Last week, NIAC initiated [[link removed]] legal efforts to demand a retraction, correction, and apology for a defamatory Voice of America Farsi broadcast that accused NIAC, The New York Times, Iranian-American journalists, and Americans detained in Iran of being "lobbyists for the Islamic Republic".
For months, we have had experts conducting forensic research into the manipulation of social media, amplification of disinformation and threats, and links to state-based actors. That research will be released publicly soon, and is being disseminated to government, media, and law enforcement.
And, in the coming days, NIAC will launch an online hub and additional tools to enable ordinary people to get the truth, re-enter the public debate, and have the means to fight back against the lies.
Pushing back against the powerful tide of disinformation and hysteria is not fun or easy. But it is our responsibility to do so. Disinformation and threats of political violence are a major threat, not just to our community and to policy on Iran, but to democracy itself. We are proud to take our responsibility to challenge these threats seriously and unwaveringly, and we are confident that truth, justice, and common sense will prevail. But we can only do our work with your backing, so please make a contribution to support these efforts [[link removed]] and keep an eye on your inbox in the days ahead.
Thank you,
Jamal Abdi
President, NIAC
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