[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 146 (Saturday, October 8, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     FOR A FREE AND DEMOCRATIC IRAN

                                 ______


                           HON. BILL McCOLLUM

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 7, 1994

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I want to call to the attention of my 
colleagues one of the most balanced, if not the most balanced, 
publications on Iran. The Azadegan Foundation founded by Gen. Dr. 
Bahram Aryana and now ably led by Dr. Assad Homayoun, has done a 
remarkable job of reporting on conditions in Iran and the need for a 
free and democratic Iran. The following is the September issue of Focus 
on Iran. I am sure you will agree that Dr. Assad Homayoun is a 
thoughtful and visionary leader of the Azadegan Foundation and I hope 
in the near future one of the democratic leaders of a free Iran.
  The text of Focus On Iran reads as follows:

                  [From Focus On Iran, September 1994]

                            Silent Too Long

       The purpose of Focus On Iran is to advance the cause of 
     freedom and liberty of the Iranian People. For too long have 
     their voices been muted by the self serving totalitarian 
     regime of the clerics occupying the seats of power in Tehran. 
     It will also serve to bring relevant information and analysis 
     to the attention of the people of the free and democratic 
     world so as to correlate the events with their national 
     security and other vital interests.
       In this presentation, we will endeavor to answer the 
     following key questions regarding the nature and consequences 
     of the activities of the current clerical regime, the aim 
     being to illuminate the necessity for such a publication at 
     this time, in order to make the voice of the oppressed and 
     terrorized citizens of Iran heard by the general public as 
     well as by the leaders and policy makers.
       1. Why is a democratic Iran important to the world 
     community?
       2. Why is Focus On Iran necessary?
       3. What are the potential consequences of the attitude and 
     policies of the current regime in Iran?
       4. What do we desire of our readers?


            a free, democratic iran and the world community

       The most important reason for a free and democratic Iran is 
     that it will provide the people their fundamental and 
     essential human rights. Since the onset of the current 
     revolutionary government in 1979, the basic political 
     economic, and religious freedoms of the individual citizen 
     has become very restricted. Arbitrary imprisonments and 
     executions have become the order of the day and religious 
     and political persecutions have become the basic tenets of 
     the regime.
       A stable and democratic Iran, concerned with the 
     improvement and the wellbeing of its people through economic 
     and social development, is less likely to be a threat to its 
     neighbors and the adjoining region. Under these conditions. 
     Iran could become an important factor for regional peace and 
     stability on behalf of its own national interest and that of 
     the international community. Closely related to Iran's role 
     in the interests of the regional peace and stability is its 
     potentiality as a significant force for controlling 
     conventional/non-conventional weapons proliferation.
       A politically threatened totalitarian regime such as 
     present-day Iran can only depend on the greater number and 
     force of its weapons arsenal for security, rather than 
     consent and support of its citizens. The danger of the Tehran 
     regime seeking the acquisition of nuclear, biological and 
     chemical weapons to insure its retention of power is real to 
     the region and the world at large. As a consequence of these 
     developments, the national security and unity of Iran is at 
     risk, and it is the Iranian people that will ultimately 
     suffer.
       A free and democratic Iran would respect the rights of all 
     peoples not only within its borders but throughout the 
     international community. Of particular concern is Iran's 
     policy of supporting terrorism against individuals, groups, 
     and even nation states. The campaign against Salman Rushdie, 
     support of terrorism in Lebanon, Egypt and Algeria, the 
     backing of the radical, fundamentalist regime in Sudan, and 
     the recent acts of terrorism in Latin America, are examples 
     of the activities of the radical clerics ruling Iran.
       Finally, a free and democratic Iran can be a force for 
     international good. This can be achieved through a reformed 
     Iran's participation in regional collective security and 
     arms control/limitation, and the various cooperative 
     endeavors of the United Nations. The present totalitarian 
     theocratic regime is virtually isolated from the 
     international community and makes no contribution to the 
     United Nations collective security and peace making/peace 
     keeping undertakings. Iran's isolation and loss of 
     international credibility comes at a time when its 
     influence for stability and peace could be most 
     effectively used in the Middle East, the former Soviet 
     Caucasus and Central Asia, and Afghanistan. Iran's 
     contribution to security and peace is particularly 
     important in the Persian Gulf region, where no security is 
     viable without its active participation.


                       The Need For Focus on Iran

       Focus On Iran is essential to the cause of the Iranians 
     seeking to express to the world their fervent desire for 
     freedom, liberty and peace, and to expose the nature of the 
     current clerical regime ruling Iran, their behavior regarding 
     the treatment of their own people as pertaining to the 
     violation of human rights, and their utter disregard for all 
     international norms and standards. As noted above, Iran's 
     gross violations of human rights has been well documented, 
     especially in the American and European press. However, those 
     reports and observations tend to be lost in the welter of 
     world news, deemed by editors and media reporters to be of 
     less importance of `newsworthy' than other events.
       Focus On Iran will make known to everyone the current 
     regime's violation and buses of power, both inside Iran and 
     in the international area. In this manner, the government 
     will be held accountable for its actions. Their behavior will 
     not be lost nor hidden to the world, and ultimately the 
     regime will be forced to answer for its continuing human 
     rights violations. special emphasis will be given to 
     reflecting the views and opinions of the youth and women, a 
     perspective not generally seen outside Iran.
       Secondly, the international community must be made aware of 
     Iran's threat to regional stability through it conventional/
     non-conventional arms build-up, and state sponsored 
     terrorism. Focus On Iran will provide national leaders with 
     the most up-to-date assessment and commentary on Iran's 
     covert and overt military activities and threat: potential, 
     regional and otherwise.
       Thirdly, Focus On Iran will provide the oppressed Iranians 
     a forum, as well as support and encouragement in their fight 
     for democracy and freedom.
       Finally, Focus On Iran provides Iranian patriots throughout 
     the world an opportunity to contribute to, and support the 
     political liberation of Iran from its despotic rule. It will 
     serve as an information resource and conduit for those 
     activities leading to Iran's ultimate liberation and freedom.


            the consequences of ignoring the current regime

       Two major consequences are most likely to develop, both of 
     which have serious repercussions domestically and 
     internationally. In the domestic environment, greater 
     repression of civil rights and personal liberties will 
     continue until this theocratic totalitarianism will parallel 
     Hitlerism and Stalinism. The economy is in shambles, and the 
     educational system grossly overloaded. The clerics have 
     busied themselves with the expansion of the ``Islamic 
     International'' and the propagation of ``Khomeinsim'', to the 
     detriment of the welfare of the people.
       In the international arena, one can expect to see a wider 
     extension of state-sponsored terrorism and activities 
     detrimental to governments deemed not favorable by the 
     clerics. In the era of ``post-cold-war'' and demise of 
     international communism, it would indeed be ironic if these 
     radical clerics in Iran are allowed to sponsor a 
     ``fundamentalist international''. Indeed, their threat to 
     world peace and stability will be just as pervasive. To 
     further elucidate our contention that the self-serving 
     policies of the clerical regime are not only detrimental to 
     the freedom and security of Iran, but are de-stabilizing to 
     the region, and undermine world peace, we shall briefly 
     review the activities of the regime in the fifteen years of 
     its existence.


                            domestic neglect

       The domestic policy of the clerics can be summed up quite 
     briefly as repression on the social front, neglect in the 
     educational and public health arena, and chaos in the 
     economic field.
       Except for their ardent followers, the clerics do not 
     discriminate when it comes to oppressing the people. The 
     women have been forced back to the dark ages. They must cover 
     themselves from head to toe in public. They are not allowed 
     to bear witness in court, because their legal status is half 
     that of a man. they are not allowed to wear make-up, go to 
     mixed beaches or swimming pools, ride in a car with someone 
     they are not married to, wear high heels * * * The 
     situation is so oppressive that a few months ago, an 
     American trained doctor, Mrs. Homa Darabi burned herself 
     to death in protest of the government's policies and 
     treatment of women.
       As for men, likewise, they are not allowed to wear short 
     sleeved shirts. Neckties have recently been outlawed by the 
     Spiritual Leader, who has decreed their usage a cardinal sin. 
     They are not allowed free association in social or political 
     groups unless sanctioned by the clerics. Political parties 
     are not allowed to be active unless they subscribe to the 
     radical philosophy of the regime. Persecution, imprisonment, 
     and summary executions of political opponents is the rule 
     ``by the Grace of God''.
       Religious minorities are systematically persecuted. 
     Christians, Jews, and Bahais have been assassinated or 
     executed. In the recent past, five Christian priests have 
     lost their lives. The Reverends Arastoo Sayyah, Bahram 
     Dehghani, Mehdi Dibaj, Hayek Hovsepian Mehr, and most 
     recently, Natavoos Mikhaelian have been murdered. Since the 
     beginning of the revolution, many Shiite clerics not agreeing 
     with ``Khomeiniism'' have been defrocked, exiled, and even 
     executed. Any person perceived not to be adhering to their 
     interpretation of the tenets of Islam, may be apprehended and 
     punished. This could range from not fasting in the month of 
     Ramazan to drinking alcoholic beverages, for which the 
     punishment is normally flogging.
       Many literary figures have been summarily jailed. Mr. 
     Saeedi Sirjani, a noted and highly respected writer and 
     researcher has been held for five months incommunicado. It 
     has been reported that he has been tortured with the aim of 
     extracting from his a confession with which the regime could 
     damn him. Likewise, Mr. Niazi Kermani, another writer was 
     detained without reason or due process of law. At one point, 
     the businessmen of the ``Bazaar'' in Tehran seemed to enjoy a 
     degree of immunity because of their past financial support of 
     the regime. For them too, the tide has turned. Mr. Mohammad 
     Hossein Khotani is one such businessman jailed without any 
     reason or cause or due process.
       The educational system of Iran has been destroyed. The 
     greater majority of the eligible college age students do not 
     get the opportunity for higher education because of the 
     limited capacity of the universities and colleges, and the 
     lack of trained teachers.
       Last year, according to the government controlled press 
     reports, 1,112,000 students participated in the college 
     entrance examinations, competing for 138,486 available seats. 
     Of the available seats, 40% had been reserved for the Islamic 
     militia, Basij (Khomeini's red guards), and other groups 
     associated with the regime. The purpose of these reserved 
     seats is not to create a more educated militia, but to 
     control the students lucky enough to be accepted.
       Public health is on the verge of disaster. The number of 
     hospital beds per capita has been declining steadily. The 
     number of medical professionals as a percentage of population 
     is rapidly decreasing. Infant mortality is on the rise, and 
     the population growth factor has also increased to over three 
     percent, one of the highest in the world. In 15 years, the 
     population has increased from 36 million to 65 million today, 
     and is projected to surpass 85 million by the turn of the 
     century. Common drugs are at a premium, while more 
     specialized drugs are non-existent. There is no serious 
     planning to answer the immense problems of the young 
     population in order to avert future catastrophe.
       The economic picture is rather bleak. There are over 12 
     million unemployed. The rate of inflation, according to one 
     conservative estimate is 60%. The Rial has depreciated from 
     $1=R70 (1979) to $1=R2550 (today). The national debt stands 
     close to $40 billion. The per capita income has fallen from 
     around $2000 in 1979 to under $1000 today. The GNP has had a 
     similar fate. Very little has been added to the industry that 
     existed, and what existed is, for the most part, in urgent 
     need of renovation and repair. What is being purchased from 
     abroad, aside from what is related to the armament program, 
     is a hodge-podge, without any cohesive planning, or 
     priorities. The determining factor is not national planning, 
     but personal relationships.
       Capital investment, even in areas vital to the economic 
     viability of the nation is neglected. The regime is 
     neglecting its own life-line: oil. The oil industry, in order 
     to remain productive, is in dire need of capital equipment. 
     If this gross neglect continues, according to Mr. Ardeshir 
     Fathi, the current deputy oil minister, the wells will start 
     drying up in fifteen years. Such mismanagement of the 
     economy, as well as the immense spending on armaments without 
     a clear national strategy, but solely based on their radical 
     theocracy has brought about an economic crisis of immense 
     magnitude.
       Adverse economic conditions coupled with an oppressive 
     social and political situation have brought about sporadic 
     and spontaneous riots and rebellion throughout the country.
       In the past two year, riots have broken out in the cities 
     of Arak, Mashad, Najafabad, Shiraz, and on August 2nd and 3rd 
     of this year, in Qazvin, and more recently in Tabriz and 
     Zanjan. According to the latest reports, the Qazvin riots 
     left 40 dead and several hundred injured. These riots are 
     indicative of the fact that the people of Iran have reached 
     the point of no return. They are fed-up with the regime of 
     the mullahs, and would like nothing more than to replace 
     them. They need the support of the world public opinion to 
     succeed.


                             Foreign Policy

       For the past 15 years, the entire domestic and foreign 
     policy of the current clerical regime has been to emphasize 
     the Islamization and ``de-Persianization'' of Iran, and the 
     promotion of the Fundamentalist International, or, to use a 
     simpler term, ``Khomeini-ism''. This at the price of much 
     needed political and economic reforms, and against the will 
     of the majority of the Iranian people.
       The clerical clique in Tehran views the world as a mosque 
     which must be run by clerics who are inspired by the 
     ecumenical revolutionary ideals of Ayatollah Khomeini. Tehran 
     has achieved its goal of leading the militant Islamic drive 
     to penetrate and exploit all regions susceptible to 
     fundamentalism. The mullahled leadership has constantly re-
     iterated its intention to liberate Jerusalem from the 
     infidel, and shown its displeasure over control of Mecca by 
     the Saudi regime. The Iranian government's indictment and 
     pursuit of Salman Rushdie is indicative of their assumption 
     of moral leadership of the entire Moslem world. In this 
     regard, all clerics are unanimous. There is no such entity, 
     as some specialists mistakenly contend, as a ``moderate 
     cleric''. Their differences are on the tactics not the goal. 
     All mullahs ruling Iran are dedicated to the Islamic 
     International and the theory of ``Velayate Faquih'' as 
     defined by Khomeini and his successors.
       Hojjatol-Islam Rafsanjani, the ``President'', and Ayatollah 
     Khamenei, the ``Spiritual leader'' have been repeatedly 
     speaking of the ``Islamic Block''. They have come to envision 
     themselves as leaders of a resurgent crusade against the 
     west. They hope, ultimately, to precipitate a new round of 
     crusades between the Moslem and the Judeo-Christian worlds. 
     Toward this goal, and in order to paralyze the West, they 
     have sanctioned every means including international 
     terrorism, regardless of its consequences for the people of 
     Iran.


                     focus on iran and its readers

       Sooner or later, Iranian public opinion will overcome the 
     odds, and its demand for the replacement of the clerical 
     regime will come to fruition. The modern communications 
     revolution has made the rule of force, at best, transitory. 
     Once the world finally perceives that the majority of the 
     people of Iran have been saying all along, ie: that the 
     ruling clerics are not legitimate representatives of the 
     people, then the international public opinion will support 
     the Iranians in their quest for freedom and peace. It is the 
     desire of the Focus on Iran to bring to its readers the 
     urgency and necessity of their active participation by 
     whatever means and to whatever degree of involvement they 
     choose, in order to bring about the replacement of the 
     current regime.
       Focus On Iran, being the reflection of the voice and 
     desires of the Iranian people--in essence the conscience of 
     the Iranian people--would like to welcome their active 
     participation in making themselves heard throughout the world 
     as a force fighting for freedom and justice.
       The past 15 tragic years have served to re-awaken the 
     Iranian people, and has forced them to re-evaluate their 
     values, beliefs, desires and outlook on life in general and 
     their own historic truth in particular. A cohesive nation was 
     plunged overnight from its fast track (rutted as it may have 
     been) to development, riches, and success, to an abyss where 
     terrorism and terrorists reign supreme, where life has become 
     a struggle for mere survival, and people have become cannon 
     fodder in the quest of the clerics to advance their anti-
     Persian, primitive ideals.
       We are the voice of these people, and we mean to make 
     ourselves heard.

                          ____________________