http://www.iranian-americans.com/2008/12/596.html
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A new public opinion survey of the Iranian Americans has been released recently. The survey was commissioned by the newly founded organization, the Public Affairs of Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) to Zogby International.
While there are some reservations about the limited number of people surveyed (only 401) and the formulation of questions, we should however welcome the results as the Iranian-Americans have in large numbers pointed to the roots of their concerns. The results show in a clear way that the Iranian-Americans concerns are directly caused by the Iranian regime.
“When asked to name the two most important from a list of six issues relating to U.S.-Iran relations, seventy percent (70%) of Iranian Americans surveyed cite the promotion of human rights and democracy in Iran as the most important.
An overwhelming eighty-five percent (85%) of Iranian Americans believe it is important to facilitate greater understanding between the peoples of the United States and Iran. Also a significant number of Iranian Americans (75%) believe it is important to ensure that the image of Iranian Americans in the U.S. accurately reflects their values and accomplishment.”
It is well understood that the Iranian and American people’s mutual understanding has been only affected by the Iranian regime’s policies, barbarism in the country and sponsorship of terrorism in foreign policy. Thirty years of anti-American policies by the Islamic regime accompanied by killings of Americans, burning of American flag and active support to the anti-American terrorist groups have caused mistrust and misunderstanding among the American peoples in regard to our community. There would be absolutely no misunderstanding between the two peoples if we remove the Islamic regime factor.
This element is more obvious in the answer to another question: “Nearly half of Iranian Americans surveyed (47%) have themselves experienced or personally know another Iranian American who has experienced discrimination because of their ethnicity or country of origin.”
One of the most respected people in the world; the Iranians have turned to prime suspects of wrongdoings only because of the Tehran’s regime. Now, the Iranians are subjected to discrimination in their daily lives in almost every country. This unfair treatment is more unbearable in America, where a son of an immigrant, a son of an African, a son of a Muslim is elected as president. In the US, people from all around the world live together peacefully without systematic discrimination that the Iranians have been experiencing for the past 30 years.
The answers to another question leave no doubt about the disastrous impact of the Islamic regime on the daily life of Iranians abroad: “75% believe it is important to ensure that the image of Iranian Americans in the U.S. accurately reflects their values and accomplishment.”
No doubt that the Iranian-Americans’ image has been damaged mainly by the Iranian regime’s anti-human behaviors. The peaceful inheritors of Cyrus the great are being wrongly identified with a regime that in 21st century stones the women, cuts the limbs, pull outs the eyes and has turned a whole country to a Middle Age prison.
The Zogby poll illustrates in a clear and unequivocal manner that addressing the real concerns of Iranian-Americans starts with condemning this regime and crying loud that the barbaric regime does not represent our community. Those who try to ignore this basic fact are only harming the Iranians leaving abroad.
The Progressive American and Iranian Committee (PAIC) has been precisely founded to defend the interest of our community. We are a group of Iranian-Americans of diverse political views who share the same aspirations; the establishment of a democratic and secular system in Iran. Inevitably, this includes defending our Iranian heritage and helping our compatriots in Iran in their struggle against the Islamic Republic. We also aim to demonstrate that the ordinary freedom loving people of Iran should not be mistaken with the detested ruling theocracy in Tehran. Furthermore, PAIC strives to build an everlasting friendship between the peoples of Iran and America.
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The Heat: Iran's Political Landscape
Survey of Iranian-Americans / The Progressive American and Iranian Committee (PAIC)
12/20/2008 
