Letter to President Obama
Photo source: thedailyvoice.com
Dear Mr. President Obama:
My name is Masih Alinejad, one of the controversial female journalists in Iran in recent years. I was the first ever journalist to be expelled from the Iranian parliament in 2005 due to my critical articles and analyses about the conservative Iranian parliament. During the judicial procedures that followed, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, represented me, and since then she has become one of my strongest supporters.
Iranian journalists have been banned from interviewing prominent individuals from the U.S. government for more than 30 years. You may be aware that, during your presidential election campaign, a visit by 10 Iranian journalists to the U.S. was banned by the Iranian government and their passports were confiscated. As one of the active Iranian journalists with a wide and diverse audience, inside and outside Iran, I decided to overcome these political limitations and contact you directly on behalf of the Iranian journalist community to request an interview with you as the President of the United States of America.
By conducting such an interview, I may risk my political and professional future in Iran. However, from the heart of the masses in Iran, I know that they will warmly welcome this gesture and will view it as an important break with the past. Sadly, the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been the only person who had the right to travel to the U.S. to speak at the U.N. general assembly about the so-called “freedom of speech that the Iranian media enjoy”. I can tell you Mr. President, as an Iranian journalist who has worked for 9 years in the ‘corridors’ of Iranian power politics and media, that such a claim is not true. For one thing, my third book, entitled ‘I Am Free’, was banned from publication under the Ahmadinejad government (it has now been published in Berlin).
Although still a columnist for a reformist newspaper inside Iran, I am currently spending a short time in the U.K. to oversee the publication of my second book in English. Residing there gives me an incredible opportunity to travel to the U.S. for the purpose of that interview without the need for any governmental permission.
By accepting to take part in this interview, and by communicating with a true representative of the Iranian people rather than its conservative government, you will be taking the first and most important step towards breaking the artificially and politically-constructed barriers between the two great nations. The American people were highly regarded in the early 20th century in Iran, for supporting the educational and medical infrastructures of the country. It is regrettable that the relations between these two great groups of people have been so bitter over the last three decades. Despite all the hardships that the Iranian journalists face, I have never given up ‘hope’ that ‘change’ is possible in the Iranian political structure. I hope ‘we can’ bring peaceful democracy to Iran so that we can live and breathe in freedom.
Mr. President, with your message of ‘change’, you have sown the seeds of hope amongst the Iranian people. I hope an interview with an Iranian journalist becomes a defining moment in bringing about a cordial relationship between two great nations. I assure you that from this moment, the rest of the Iranian journalist community and I, eagerly await your response.
Sincerely yours,
Masih Alinejad
16 Comments
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Dear Masih,
what now??? Do u still intend to interview him? Any luck or do they try to ignor your request because of A.N?
Dear Masih I heard your speech in San Francisco for Iran green movement in your site.I am very proud of myself to see one Iranian is lecturing such fluently and strongly that the oppressors in Iran are wavering from her speech.I read all your reports in your site and I strongly support you.After watching your speech I thought if once in future Iran can have a woman president it can be Masih Alinejad.It is not any kind of exaggerating.Everybody has seen how black people in USA were suffering so much oppressions but we are seeing a black as president there at the moment.We have seen the oppressions of our ideology in Iran for women too.If we can have a woman president in near future,Why sholudn`t it be this wonderful speaker.
I like Mr. Obama very much too.and I really want from Mr. Obama to accept this interview.Maybe in near future these two will speak both as there own country`s presidents.
Dear Masih,
I strongly support your idea of conducting an interview with President Obama. I wish you are given this chance to relay the Iranian people’s message to Mr. Obama and the American people. I believe, through dialog with the true representatives of the Iranian people, the United States can proceed to take any necessary steps to help the democratic movement of Iran.
To the Iranian people that are angry and frustrated with Mr. Obama’s diplomacy with Iran, I should mention that nobody can help the Iranian people the most, to overcome this brutal regime, than the Iranian people themselves. What results do you expect to bear by having the United States not recognizing Ahmadinejad? Do you want the United States (as it has done through its previous administrations) to continue with meddling in Iranian internal affairs and give the mullahs more excuse to torture, kill, and repress the Iranians and their democracy movement further? What positive results has the United States ever achieved over the past three decades by ignoring the government of Iran? The best method to curb the undemocratic regime of Iran is for the United States to become actively engage and start pressing them to move towards respecting people’s wishes or else face the consequences. I am not here to defend Mr. Obama or speak on his behalf. He is very well capable of explaining himself and his policies. Please have patience and let him finish what he has started. If he’s not able to deliver what he has promised during his election campaign, people will judge him and respond to him accordingly.
Over the events of the past two months, I think one thing is clear for everybody. Ahmadinejad is not the one who runs the country and calls the shots, so recognizing or not recognizing him as the president of Iran won’t get us anywhere. These are difficult moments for the Iranian people, and it is easy to be emotional or angry. Please don’t let our emotions influence what we believe in because it’s very easy to get consumed in these feelings and lose our focus. I wish for many bright and fruitful days ahead for the Iranian people as they fight for their freedom from this immoral regime. I also hope in the near future we once again see the great nations of Iran and America standing with each other, and not against each other, as this is the will of both people.
I support Masih Alinejad and request Mr. Obama to have an interview with her. Thumbs up!
I’m with you too !
When he was elected I thought the time for injustice has come to an end, a black man, as the president of united states wow!!! How happy I was that McCain lost . Now I regret, I wish McCain was elected. We are fed up with sweet words with no truth behind it, we, Iranians, can sense lies from truth better than any nations as we are brought up with a liars! When you find this opportunity ( I cross my fingers for you though I find it a very slight chance as he is dealing with this FALSE government! ) , tell him for me: How would you feel to have your innocent daughter caught by some gangsters, send to unknown place, to be sure she is tortured and rapped, and you are seeking for her in nowhere, no one gives you an answer while you are not sure if she is alive or not? How would you feel if your little daughter is killed by a baton strike because she was paying respect to you martyred soldiers in Iraq ? I wish one day you and your people experience the same then you will understand how important it was for us that you, as The President of United States of America, who claims himself the forerunner of freedom, democracy and a fighter against any discrimination, does not recognize Ahmadinejad as Iranian President. I never guessed this would be the meaning of “ CHANGE “ you promised ! Now for us you are Ahmadinejad’s partner. We know you are seeking for your own revenue but since last night you have become our enemy, along with Russia, along with Mr. Biden, Mr. Hooshang Amirahmadi and any one who seeks for talks with these dictators.. SHAME ON YOU MR. PRESIDENT!SHAME ON YOU.
I urge the president Obama to give this opportunity to the bravest controversial female journalists in Iran to conduct an interview with the president.
Masih, as a true representative of the Iranian people may takes the first step towards breaking the barrier among the people of Iran and the people of the United States of America.
What a great idea Msih. Not only we are so proud of you but also as individuals we ask Mr. president to have an interview with you as a representative of the people of Iran.
Together we will make a difference,
Maryam
Masih, as an Iranian women, I support you and really am proud of you. Awsome..
Dear masih
I strongly support this Idea,In my point of view,Iran and USA have the variety of common rules which can put them to be together.Iranian people are not one part of their government .As a student who left Iran I believe Iranian have different point about the world which is completely seprated from their government,we want peace,we want love and freedom in our country .we want to speak and destroy the wall between Iran and USA also we want to keep Iran as an independent country.longliving humanity and freedom……………
Thanks
You are great Masih as before.
Good luck for the goodness of theses two great nations.
Mahdi Jahandar
President of HAMRAHI association
http://tobarakobama.blogspot.com/
I made site to talk to Mr Obama to tell him that Bush was wrong but Obama is wrong too.
I am agree with most of this message thank you writer.
Masih, we are proud you,
Keep up the good work, you’re making a difference.
Shahrooz
I strongly support the idea of this interview with President Obama and I believe it will be helpful towards mutual understanding of both Iranian people and the American president. President Obama has many supporters in Iran and many Iranians envy the Americans for having such an able, proper and charismatic president. It would be interesting for many to have an Iranian reporter have an interview with him.