John,
Yesterday, a bomb threat was called into the University of Chicago aimed at canceling an event on the protests in Iran because it featured an Iranian-American journalist who has been subject to vicious and false accusations. 1 [[link removed]]
This coincided with the circulation of a video allegedly associated with “Anonymous” threatening the University of Chicago to cancel an appearance by an Iranian-American journalist that has worked with the National Iranian American Council or face ominous consequences. 2 [twitter.com/jabdi/status/1582518199995670529?s=20&t=DrUi_7-pHBaENptP3pDpgg] This is the latest unacceptable escalation of a hate campaign against independent Iranian-American voices in the United States intended to silence and divide our community.
It is time for the Iranian-American community and the broader diaspora across political stripes to stand for the democratic values of free speech. We must unequivocally condemn these threats against women, academic institutions, and independent journalists.
These events are being driven by a flood of social media activities amplified by hardline Iranian diaspora opposition groups which many experts believe demonstrate a state-actor supported coordinated, inauthentic behavior campaign. 3 [[link removed]] This has led to threats and violence at events against Iranian Americans that are supposed to be focused on solidarity with the people of Iran, threats against prominent Iranian-American elected officials and public figures associated with our organization, and efforts targeting Iranian American academics, journalists, and civil society members.
Let me be clear: NIAC will continue to fight back hard against disinformation and violence online and use all legal and online tools at our disposal to stop it.
Iranians’ struggle for freedom in Iran should inspire us here to recommit ourselves to our own democratic values. We need to pause and consider how to end the divisive rhetoric and efforts to delegitimize those we disagree with, stop silencing each other’s voices, and prioritize the very real struggles Iranians are undertaking over our petty political differences. There must be an effort to heal, to work toward being able to discuss our differences of opinion and even disagree vehemently without resorting to defaming each other.
Anything short of that is an insult to the brave people of Iran, who do not have the privilege that we have to live in a society that offers protections for fundamental rights like freedom of expression without the threat of political violence. We absolutely cannot allow our community to adopt the authoritarian tactics of the Islamic Republic that Iranians are dying in the streets right now to dismantle. We wholeheartedly condemn the outrageous bomb threat made against the University of Chicago and the fearmongering that led to this scary and disheartening point.
You can view our full statement here [[link removed]] and I hope you and your family are well in this difficult time. Please reply with your questions, concerns, and feel free to flag anything problematic you see online to me or my team by replying to this email or emailing us at [email protected] [[link removed]] .
Jamal Abdi
President, NIAC
www.niacouncil.org/press-releases/bomb-threat-against-university-of-chicago-is-latest-threat-to-silence-and-divide-iranian-americans/ [www.niacouncil.org/press-releases/bomb-threat-against-university-of-chicago-is-latest-threat-to-silence-and-divide-iranian-americans/]
1. Breaking: IOP Staff Sent Home Following Bomb Threat [[link removed]]
2. Jamal Abdi Twitter [[link removed]]
3. Controversial State Department Program Backing Trump’s Iran Policy Draws Congressional Scrutiny [[link removed]]