President's Message
Dear John,
American history is replete with examples of immigrant communities like ours being demonized by politicians who conflate them with governments they have no control of, from the treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II to that of Middle Eastern Americans after 9/11.
That's why NIAC has led the charge, alongside allied communities and civil rights organizations, against efforts by rightwing governors to pass laws that treat nationals of Iran, China, Russia, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela as if they are the same as their governments.
But now the U.S. Senate has gotten into the act and attached discriminatory restrictions to a key piece of federal legislation that risks opening the floodgates to government-sanctioned profiling and discrimination against our communities.
NIAC members across the country will be meeting with their lawmakers in August to warn them against this dangerous legislation. You can help by signing up as a volunteer or making a donation to this campaign.
For more on what is at stake, and the strategy ahead to defeat these measures, see my op-ed with AAJC Executive Director John Yang in The Hill, "Americans must unite to reject 21st Century ‘alien land laws’".
Best,
Jamal Abdi, President
NIAC
Important developments
NIAC Urges State Department to Expedite Visa and Refugee Processing for Iranian Students
Iranian students continue to encounter difficulties in securing U.S. visas due to administrative backlogs and unexplained rejections. NIAC has reiterated, in a public statement to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, our recommendation to expedite visa and refugee processing for Iranian nationals, with a specific focus on Iranian students.
NIAC Calls Out Persian Gulf Militarization
Recent reporting said that 2,000 U.S. Marines and three warships are joining recently deployed fighter jets and a naval destroyer aimed at countering Iran in the Persian Gulf. Why? Because the unilateral enforcement by the U.S. of sanctions beyond our borders has set off a dangerous tit-for-tat with Iran that amounts to competition in piracy.
Time and time again, we’ve seen that escalation toward war hurts ordinary people far more than it helps to bring change. NIAC and many other advocates continue to press the Biden Administration to take the reins of its Iran policy to halt this dangerous cycle. Diplomacy remains the best course for global stability and for ordinary Iranians.
NIAC Advancing Legislation Supporting the Iranian People
S.Con.Res 2 has passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and secured 50 cosponsors in the Senate after its House passage early this year (420-1). NIAC helped develop and secure support for this critical resolution which urges major tech firms to provide internet and communication tools to Iranians, essential for bypassing government surveillance. S.Con.Res. 2 also makes the crucial distinction of advocating for targeted sanctions on human rights violators rather than the broader Iranian society.
NIAC’s Response to Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s Joint Address to Congress
Israel’s president warned that an Iranian nuclear weapon is unacceptable, yet successive Israeli governments have taken actions to make a nuclear-armed Iran far more likely. Netanyahu’s lobbying against U.S. diplomatic efforts and to tear up the successful JCPOA only freed Iran from nuclear constraints and unprecedented inspections while poisoning the well for diplomatic solutions.
NIAC Members meeting with Congress this August
This August, NIAC members will be having meetings with Members of Congress around the country to advocate for the following:
✔ ️ Pass S.Con.Res.2 to support internet freedom and targeted human rights sanctions in solidarity with the people of Iran.
✔️ Demand technology companies take advantage of new internet freedom licensing and provide services to Iranians
✔️ Protect the rights of Iranian and other immigrant communities from discriminatory "Alien Land Laws" by opposing the Rounds Amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act and supporting the the Preemption of Real Property Discrimination Act (H.R.3697)
✔️ Support de-escalation and oppose war with Iran
Click here to sign up as a volunteer and attend a meeting with your representative.
Human Rights Tracker
Resurgence of Iran’s Ershad Patrol: Disturbing Setbacks for Human Rights and Civil Liberties
لایحه حجاب و عفاف در بحبوحه احیای گشت ارشاد ایران منتشر شد: عقبنشینیهای نگرانکننده برای حقوق بشر و آزادیهای مدنی
A Case of Enforced Disappearance: Saeed Zinali
سعید زینالی ، گمشده ای که اگر بود حالا ۴۷ساله بود
 The Systematic Suppression of Teachers’ Rights in Iran
بهار بازداشت و تابستان داغ احکام غیرقانونی و ناعادلانه برای معلمان و فرهنگیان فعال
📥 Subscribe to receive our Human Rights Tracker in your inbox >
Iran Unfiltered
Each week, NIAC publishes a comprehensive newsletter tracking stories and news from sources inside Iran. Our latest edition delved into the Iranian government's amplified hijab enforcement on businesses, Mohammad Khatami's advocacy for a referendum on mandatory hijab, unprecedented rental inflation in Tehran pushing residents to the city's margins, and growing concerns from human rights activist Narges Mohammadi about the health of a fellow political prisoner.
To dive into these stories and much more each week sign up to receive this newsletter by clicking the link to subscribe below.
📥 Subscribe to receive Iran Unfiltered in your inbox >
NIAC Awarded Platinum Seal of Transparency
Transparency in our work is a core principle to NIAC. It is reflected in our annual member survey which guides our mandate each year and in our finances. Two-thirds of our funding comes via generous donations from grassroots supporters like you and the remaining one-third comes from respected charitable grants from organizations like Ploughshares Fund and Proteus Fund.
With this commitment in mind, we are pleased to share two updates with you.
NIAC has been awarded the Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid (formally Guidestar). This puts NIAC in the top 0.1% of nonprofits nationally in terms of transparency.
NIAC has published a 2023 August progress report, outlining exactly what we have been working on, and had successes with this year.
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Thank you for your continued support, which enables us to make a difference. Stay tuned to our emails and social media channels for updates on future panels, actions, and opportunities to get involved.
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