For a long time, the Iranian diaspora has projected itself as a far-right, firebrand community, one that is only a shadow of the entrepreneurial immigrants from Iran and their offspring who have made it in America. The expats' embrace of war on their home country and their indifference to ICE crackdowns on their neighbors have been unfathomable to observers
If Iranian arts and culture have been glaringly missing from our newspaper pages and TV screens for so long, if Iran resurfaces to the headlines and everyone has heard something about it without knowing anything about its provenance as a civilization, and if Iran's civil society continues to be discounted, it is the outcome of a collective failure.
A US-Israeli airstrike substantially damaged the Golestan Palace, a 15th century royal complex in Tehran and the former residence of the Qajar Dynasty. Since the start of the war, an increasing number of iconic locations, neighborhoods, parks, and local businesses have been bombed. Donald Trump had floated the idea of targeting Iran's cultural sites in his first presidency.
As midterm election races heat up across the United States, more Muslim Americans are venturing to run for office, navigating the odds of success at a time of increasing polarization and political violence characterized by the steep rise of anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant sentiments.
If the world’s fifth most resource-rich country is incapable of providing running water and electricity to its citizens, would it not be irrational for it to remain obsessed with a nuclear program that has neither earned it any deterrence nor any civilian benefits?
The upheaval in Iran represents a watershed moment when many are awaiting long-lasting change. This is precisely the time when the voices of Iranian writers and journalists are needed more than before. It is inconceivable to ask them to remain silent bystanders.
With thousands of protesters killed and the social fabric in tatters, I mourn the Iran I knew. Just months ago, a 12-day war with Israel left scores of Iranians dead and further weakened the country’s ailing economy. Where is the treasured past and the vibrant present, that Iran once celebrated?
Three weeks of protests in Iran over the collapse of the national currency has left the country reeling from hundreds of deaths, violence, destruction, and increasing polarization. In response, Iran's diaspora has exuded division and confusion.
Between 2009 and 2014, I worked as a reporter for Daneshmand, Iran’s longest-running popular science magazine, where I initiated an effort to foster dialogue between Iran and the world through journalism, resulting in nearly 30 interviews with Nobel Prize laureates. That initiative was cut short by political shifts that stripped the magazine of its relevance.
The banality of Donald Trump’s commercial hunt for a Nobel Peace Prize was self-evident since the day it was set in motion. It became more grotesque over time as he ramped up his violent immigration raids and military deployments across U.S. cities, terrorizing communities while lavishing praise on his peace credentials.
