As Iranians living in the Bay Area, we condemn the attack on innocent civilians on September 11, 2001. In addition, we express our strong opposition to the U.S. military attack on Afghanistan. This war has resulted in the slaughter and displacement of innocent civilians and will take more innocent lives in any other country targeted by the U.S.
As Iranians, we are intimately familiar with
the devastating effects of war and terrorism. The Islamic Republic government
of Iran has victimized Iranians, at home and abroad, by ruthlessly eliminating
dissenters and free thinkers. We have been through the bloody Iran-Iraq war,
instigated and fueled by the US government; a war that lasted 8 years and
claimed a million lives from both sides. Iranians have also suffered the
painful results of US government intervention in the affairs of Iran, amongst
other countries. The democratically elected government of Dr. Mossadegh in Iran
was overthrown in 1953 by a CIA engineered coup, reinstalling the monarchy of
the Shah. Nearly a half a century later, Iran has yet to recover the democracy
and freedom that it lost as a direct result of this coup.
As much as we are appalled by the terrorist acts of September 11, we do not think that bombing Afghanistan is the answer. Cluster bombs wreak death and devastation upon populations but do not bring about peace and security for those dropping them. The government of Israel, itself a perpetrator of many terrorist acts, is second to none at violent suppression and murder of whomever it deems to be terrorists, consequently perpetuating an ongoing cycle of violence. The attack on Afghanistan comes at significant human cost, having already resulted in the deaths of women, children and other non-combatants. For the same reason that we condemn the murder of American civilians in New York and Washington, we condemn the killing of Afghan civilians.
The “War Against Terror” is ultimately ineffective
in achieving its proclaimed goal of eliminating terrorism. The way to combat
terrorism is to eliminate the conditions that give rise to it. Otherwise, the
“War Against Terror” will be as futile as the “War Against Drugs” has been.
Osama Bin Laden and a number of like-minded fanatics are themselves the
products of flawed US government policies. Therefore, one of the concrete ways
to combat terrorism is to change policies of the US and other western countries
supportive of undemocratic governments and structures in the region that
promote enduring injustices; conditions that prompt some individuals to turn to
terrorist acts out of hopelessness and desperation. We warn that the current
wave of violence will produce the next generation of terrorists. US military aggression
in the region may not stop with Afghanistan. The U.S. government may rush to
settle old scores with other countries that it deems to be undesirable under
the guise of the “War against Terrorism”.
We also voice our concern about the devastating environmental
costs of the bombing, including the release of large quantities of depleted
uranium used in the missiles which will permeate into the environment and
continue to create life threatening diseases for the people who live there. We
express our support for the efforts of all peace-loving people in opposition to
further bloodshed and the struggle towards promoting security through democracy
and social justice throughout the world. We support ending the cycle of
violence by finding peaceful alternatives for resolving the conflict.
Bay
Area Iranians for Peace and Social Justice - December, 2001 http://www.geocities.com/iforpeace/