Letter from European writer Wang Qingmin to Iranian human rights protesters and Iranian rulers; letter submitted to the Iranian Embassy in Germany
On September 28, I went to the Iranian Embassy in Germany, queued up to get a number, and handed over the letter to the Iranian human rights protesters and rulers to the Iranian staff.
I told them that I had quite friendly feelings towards Iran and did not want to see the Iranian people killing each other. I hope that the Iranian government will end its repression, achieve reconciliation and peace, safeguard human rights and improve people’s livelihood internally, resist bullying by foreign powers externally, and allow the Persian nation to be rebuilt and reborn.
Letter to human rights protesters and those in power in Iran
Respectfully
Iranian Political Resisters and Human Rights Defenders
Widows and Families of Fallen Iranian Revolutionaries
Iran’s Government and Parliament
Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei
President Ebrahim Raisi
Iranian nationals of all ethnic groups and ideologies and expatriates abroad:
I am a Chinese writer and human rights activist. I know that in the last year, the persecution and death of Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman, has triggered large-scale protests and demonstrations inside and outside Iran, with much repression and bloodshed, the deaths of hundreds of Iranians, and the injuries and arrests of many more.
I have some words here that I wish to convey to Iranians from all walks of life, including Iranian political resisters and those in power in the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as to all Iranian people and the Iranian diaspora.
As a writer who has dabbled in history and international politics, I am somewhat cognizant of Iran’s long history and the reality of its situation. I know that Iran is a land of brilliant civilizations. As early as three thousand years ago, the great Persian civilization was born and continued by generations of outstanding Persian sons and daughters. Similar to the Chinese civilization, the Persian civilization also emphasized presentism, rationalism, as well as broad-mindedness and inclusiveness. Later, Islamic civilization intermingled with Persian civilization, giving it a new dimension.
In the modern era, the Iranian people have also been marching on the road of modernization with twists and turns. Both nationalists, Islamists, socialists/communists, and liberals have explored and fought for the revival of the Persian nation and the progress of human rights in Iran. Thanks to the efforts of people from all sides, Iran has made great developmental progress in the last hundred years and has become one of the richest, prosperous and powerful countries in the Middle East.
Unfortunately, however, a series of violent clashes have occurred between various groups with different ideologies and political persuasions, although they all love Iran. Whether it was the coup d’état that befell Mossadegh, the repression of the Pahlavi period, or the violence of the Islamic Revolution, Iran has been marred by infighting and killings. These have caused setbacks to Iran’s unity and development.
And in terms of international relations, Iran has suffered bullying and siege from Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UAE. Israel has assassinated many Iranian scientists, and Saudi Arabia has executed Shia clerics. Shias are also bullied by Sunnis in places like Yemen. And the right-wing regime in the U.S. hates Iran with a passion, and in 2020, the leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the heroic General Suleimani, was also brutally murdered, for which I offer my condolences and belated sympathy. Many of Iran’s internal conflicts are instigated by these external evil forces. The external blockade and sanctions have also worsened Iran’s economic and external environment and have sharpened Iran’s internal conflicts.
And the 2022 anti-hijab demonstrations in Iran are the latest internal conflict. First of all, I oppose the Iranian government and conservative Islamic forces’ violent behavior toward women. But the conflict has also erupted because of the Trump regime’s sanctions, the Saudi and Iranian siege, the deterioration of the domestic economy, and the growing corruption ……
The recent year of conflict has resulted in hundreds of Iranians dying and many more suffering injuries and loss of freedom. It has also torn Iranian society apart yet again.
Because my home country, China, has a similar history, culture and reality as Iran, and is also in great distress under the combined oppression of internal and external enemies. Therefore, I have quite good feelings and sympathy for Iran. Therefore, when I see the situation in Iran today and the many human rights tragedies, I feel sad from the bottom of my heart. I also express my condolences to those who died in the struggle. I also hope to be able to make some suggestions to the Iranian parties to bring about reconciliation and peace in Iran.
I believe that Iranians, whether they are nationalists, Islamists, socialists, or liberals, all love the country and its people, and all want Iran to be better. The difference is simply that there are different views and ways of practicing the path to achieve the country’s wealth and people’s happiness. Unlike China, where there are a large number of “reverse nationalists” who hate their own country and people, Iranians from all sides are patriots, although they are antagonistic in other ways.
With such a foundation, there is a possibility and hope for reconciliation and coexistence. The next step is for all parties to show their sincerity and pay the price for national reconciliation and peace in order to bring Iran to freedom and prosperity.
This will first require more goodwill and concessions from those in power in Iran, the Islamists, who triumphed in the 1970s-1980s in a contest between multiple political forces. At one time, Leader Khomeini claimed to create a united and inclusive Islamic state. But the reality was that the Islamic Republic suppressed the other forces and monopolized power. And monopolizing power also means having carte blanche to assume obligations. That is why the religious and governmental elements of the Islamic Republic bear the greatest responsibility for the decades-long tragedy in Iran and for making the most changes.
Islamism is indeed a valuable ideology that promotes caring help for the poor, the common man, the disadvantaged, and the equality and dearness of people. But it also has limitations, such as restrictions on women’s rights and resistance to secular society. And these shortcomings can be remedied by improvement.
Iran’s political dominants and the vast majority of its nationals are Shiites, which itself is a sect formed by a larger refinement of Islam, as opposed to Sunnis, who place great emphasis on following tradition. Once pioneers risked their lives to reform the religion. And shouldn’t the succeeding clerics carry on the legacy of the martyrs and make the religion more adapted to reality?
In today’s world, where society is advancing rapidly and science is changing day by day, being too old-fashioned will only lead to the marginalization of nations, peoples and sects. Only by keeping pace with the times, adapting to modern civilization, and integrating religion and secularism with each other can faith be kept young. The Prophet Muhammad’s instructions in the Qur’an were also interpreted and adapted to the particular historical stage of the time. As a wise man, he hoped that his Muslim brothers and sisters all over the world would make full use of their resources, adapt to their environment, develop and innovate, rather than dogmatically following specific statutes from a thousand years ago. This is the true meaning of the teachings of Islam.
In recent decades, Iran has suffered from poor economic conditions, social repression, and women are quite bound. These need to change. The two reformist presidents, Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani, elected by the Iranian people, also reflect the people’s heart for change. While economic reforms have a limited role to play, what is more important is political liberalization.
Most urgently, there is a need to pardon the imprisoned and awaiting execution political prisoners without further bloodshed. There is also the need to vindicate those who have been imprisoned and killed, so that these people are no longer wronged. This is the first step towards reconciliation. And, of course, no more continued repression. Unless acts of violence against the security of the State and others have been committed, all other people should be free to express their dissenting views.
As for women’s rights, both adult women and girls should be fully protected and respected, and they should be allowed to have the same rights and freedoms as men. In fact, in terms of women’s rights and freedoms, such as women’s schooling, employment, and the percentage of women in elite positions, Iran is already better than most Islamic countries. However, the Islamic Republic’s emphasis on Sharia law has led to relative harshness in certain areas (such as the wearing of the hijab) and has led to many conflicts.
These strict laws, which infringe too much on women’s freedom, are not only detrimental to the maintenance of social order, but also lead to more conflicts and instability, which affects the lives of the citizens and their goodwill towards the regime. Therefore, it is time to abolish these dress codes.
In other areas, women should have the same rights and freedoms as men. Throughout thousands of years of history, including the decades of the establishment of the Islamic Republic, Iranian women have contributed greatly to the prosperity of the country. Whether in science, mathematics, physics and other scientific and technological fields, or in the humanities, such as movies and TV shows, literature and philosophy, Iranian women have contributed immensely, to the extent that in many ways men have not been able to match them. Don’t they deserve rights and freedoms to match their achievements? If they were further emancipated, they would surely contribute more to the nation and gain more international prestige and benefits for Iran. It would also change the world’s perception of Islam, especially Shi’ism, with more praise and support.
More reforms are needed in Iran. Instead of monopolizing power completely, the Islamists should share power with other ideological communities, and diversify Iranian politics. Once upon a time, Iranian Islamists, socialists, and liberals came together to overthrow the Pahlavi regime because they were dissatisfied with Pahlavi’s authoritarian rule and suppression of other political forces. Now that Islamists are in power, how can they do anything similar to Pahlavi’s or even worse, even better deeds? After overthrowing Pahlavi, who was authoritarian, corrupt, and persecuted the people, shouldn’t the new Islamic Republic be more democratic, more socially just, more humane to the people, and more tolerant of dissent? Otherwise, what was the point of the revolution?
Of course, change may take a long time. But it must be turned on, acted upon, and not kept delaying. The enemies of the republic, both internal and external, are undermining the country’s development and peace. Only with more reforms to make Iran truly rich, strong and united will it be difficult for the enemies to destroy it.
The following words are addressed to the Iranian resisters, the political opposition.
Iranian resisters of all ethnic groups and ideologies, I admire you for your courage; I am touched by your sacrifices; and I envy you for your unity and mobility. The unity and organization of the Iranian people against tyranny and oppression, their empathy and solidarity with the victimization of disadvantaged women, as opposed to the scattered, exquisitely self-interested, and socially Darwinist Chinese, reflects the greatness and concentricity of the Iranian people. Amini, on the other side of the world, will be comforted by the sacrifices you have made for her and her sisters in the same situation.
In the East, in China, we are also under the tyranny of dictatorship. But the people of the country do not have such national pride and unity as the Persians, Kurds, Azerbaijanis and Iranians. Thus, the 1.4 billion Chinese/Han Chinese, in general, live in a state of atomization, distrust, and sometimes even victimization of each other. It is certainly difficult to resist tyranny and revitalize the nation. I envy the Iranian protesters waving the sun and lion flags symbolizing the Persian nation, fighting for the nation to get a new lease of life, and I feel sad that my own motherland has been sinking for a long time.
It is for this reason, as well as thinking of the various historical similarities between the Han Chinese and the Persians, that I am particularly concerned about and sympathetic to the struggle of the Iranian people. In Germany, other Chinese have also expressed their support for you. I, on the other hand, once again, as a Han Chinese left-wing nationalist, express my support for the Persian people and the Iranian people’s struggle against oppression.
There is something else that you may not particularly want to hear, but I want to tell you anyway. I know that some radical Iranian resisters advocate the overthrow of the Islamic Republic’s clerical rule and the removal of conservative Islamic forces from Iran. This is understandable emotionally and politically for some.
But there are two sides to the Islamic Republic. While it has a side that oppresses its people and binds them with Sharia law, it also has a beneficial other side that represents the positions and aspirations of Iranian Islamists, gives material security and spiritual solace to the common people and the underclass, and fights against the aggression of foreign enemies. And in contrast to a highly secular and totalitarian state like Saudi Arabia, Iran still has a limited but genuine democracy and a dualistic political system and social pattern of religion and secularism.
And while Iran’s rulers are conservative and some are corrupt, there is still more idealism and purity compared to the rulers of my native China. Leader Khamenei has been puritanical and some internet rumors about his corruption and preference for beauty are obviously lies. And Iranian religious and governmental figures are relatively clean and dutiful compared to those in Saudi Arabia and the UAE who are extravagant and have no real religious or national feelings. And the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, who are indeed involved in internal repression, have also defended Iran’s national sovereignty, dignity, and interests, and have allowed Iran to survive under the bullying of Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the American right-wing.
So, they and you are not totally incompatible and enemies to the death, but fellow Iranians who have differences and hatred, but can coexist in the future after reforms and transformations are realized. Moreover, there are at least 30% of the people in Iran who are devoutly practicing Islam. There are also more than 90% of the nationals, who are Muslims. So, in the future, if democracy is realized, it is inevitable that Islamists will also have to have a significant presence in Iran. This means that whether nationalists, socialists, or liberals, they are also bound to share power with the Islamists in the future, and also bound to include the Islamists who are in power today, without being able to abandon them completely.
And internationally, there are many who, out of conscience and justice, support the Iranian resisters. Such as feminists, progressives, and liberals in various countries. But there are also forces such as the Saudis, Israelis, the American right wing, and some other anti-Iranian Sunnis, Christians, and Zionists (not all of them, but the extremists, the anti-Iranians, of these groups) who simply want to capitalize on the fact that Iran is in internal upheaval to profit from it. They don’t give a damn about human rights and women’s rights in Iran, and are even more conservative than the Islamic regime in Iran in these areas. Depending on these people or being exploited by them will not lead to women’s liberation and liberal democracy.
Moreover, the reason why the Iranian clerical forces and government have increased their internal oppression and the spread of poverty and corruption has a lot to do with external attacks and sanctions alone. For example, the US Trump administration’s tearing up of the Iran nuclear deal and the reinstatement and even increase of sanctions in 2016 have been very damaging to Iran. These sanctions were not motivated by improving human rights in Iran, but rather by hitting Iran’s national power and economy and weakening Iran’s international influence. Under the huge external blow, internal contradictions intensified, and religious conservative forces gained power and tried to please conservatives and maintain social stability by suppressing women.
If Iran’s opposition fails to realize this, to reject external enemies and to distinguish between external forces that are allies for Iran’s progress and those that are ill-intentioned and exacerbate Iran’s authoritarianism and poverty, it will be exploited, making Iran’s liberal democracy and economic recovery more difficult to achieve.
The following words are addressed both to those in power in Iran and to those in political resistance:
Under such internal and external circumstances, if true liberal democracy is to be realized in Iran in the future, it can only be reached in a compromise between various forces. And if the situation in Iran is to be eased and the country’s economy restored, it will take goodwill from all sides, and more concessions from the ruling party in particular, to bring calm back to the country. Political opponents, however, should fulfill their civic duty and do what is right for their country in the face of the realities and pressures that Iran is facing from outside. Reconciliation between the two sides is the key to Iran’s rebirth, and it requires the efforts of both sides.
As a Chinese and a humanitarian, I sincerely hope that people from all walks of life in Iran can reach reconciliation, and that there will be no more bloodshed among compatriots, but unity to make Iran humane, democratic, free and progressive. If Iran’s political change is successful, it will be a useful model for many countries in the world, including China, that have not yet fully realized democracy and human rights. I also hope that groups with different ideologies and positions in China will work together to bring about a democratic transformation in China.
Perhaps my thinking is a bit wishful and naive. I also understand the reality of confrontation, conflict, and hatred between the Islamic regime and political opponents. However, I am still writing this article in the hope of bringing about dialog and reconciliation between the forces in Iran. On behalf of some Chinese people, I would like to express my respect for the Iranian protesters, my sympathy for the Iranian nation, and my hope that the Iranian clerical forces and government will push for reforms.
There are some other words, which I have analyzed and expressed in my commentary “A Century of Political Changes and the Stumble of Women’s Fate in Iran” and my poem “Ode to the Women of Iran”, which I will present to you together with this article. I will not repeat them here.
The most important thing for the rebirth of reconciliation in Iran is for the Iranian rulers to stop the unjustified persecution of dissidents, to allow political dissent, to be tolerant of the people and to protect the vulnerable.
Last year, I read a very emotional story about the real history of Iran: In 1974, under the Pahlavi dictatorship, the Islamist Khamenei, now Iran’s leader, and the communist Houshang Asadi were locked in the same cell. The two were close and had nothing to say to each other. Houshang Asadi later recalled in an interview with Radio Free Europe:
“In the winter of 1975, I was to be transferred to another cell. Khamenei was very thin and shivering. I was wearing a sweater and I took it off and gave it to him. He resisted at first, didn’t want to take it. When he finally accepted it and put it on, we embraced. He cried and said to me, “Hushan, when the Islamic Republic is established, it will not let anyone shed a single tear.”
Later, the Islamic Republic was established. However, Hoshan Asadi was arrested and imprisoned for criticizing the government, released after six years of imprisonment, and went into exile in France, where he has so far been unable to return to Iran.
Clearly, Khamenei has not kept his promise. And Khomeini and other Islamists have made similar promises before the revolution’s victory, claiming that the Islamic Republic of Iran would be tolerant of different ideologies and respect human and women’s rights. But after the revolution succeeded, tens of thousands of Iranians were executed and many more imprisoned and disappeared. Instead of full democracy and pluralism, the Islamic Republic had become a clerical dictatorship. That was a great tragedy.
But today, it is not too late to make amends. Leader Khamenei, fulfill your promise. Let Hossein Asadi be free to travel to and from Iran and other countries, let political prisoners go free, and let Iranian women be more respected and liberated. Your power, prestige, and voice are enough to bring about swift reforms in Iran. Don’t let Iran go on with internal conflict. In the face of external threats, you can’t just rely on violence to maintain internal stability, but you need to get hearts and minds.
The Quran says:”Whoever kills one person is like killing the whole world; whoever saves one person is like saving the whole world.”; “Do not be unjust out of spite.” The words of the Prophet Muhammad are words of wisdom.The Chinese sages also wrote in the canonical texts that advocate benevolence and fairness: “The people are the most important, the altars of the gods of earth and grain come second, and the ruler is the least important (the people are the most important, followed by the state and the regime, and the least important is the monarch/ruler. (Quoted from Mencius)”; “Do not worry about scarcity but suffer from inequality, do not worry about poverty but suffer from insecurity (Do not worry about scarcity but hate inequality, do not worry about poverty but fear insecurity. The words are from the Analects of Confucius).” The two civilizations, Chinese and Islamic, share the same humanism and humanity and the pursuit of fairness and justice. The well-being of the people is the foundation of a country/nation/community; social justice and harmony are the key to long-lasting peace and stability.
I hope that Leader Khamenei, recalling your ideals in the prison of the Pahlavi regime, your oath to Hossein Asadi, and the promises you made to the Iranian people and to the world with Prophet Khomeini before you came to power, and reflecting on today’s internal and external realities in Iran and on the future of the Iranian nation and the Shiite sect of Islam, will work with your clerical colleagues, secular government officials, and political opponents to push for a change in the country.
I have tried my best in my humble opinion. The fate of Iran is determined by the thinking and actions of Iranians of all identities and walks of life. I wish Iran success in its transformation and the renaissance of the Persian nation, the self-empowerment of the Shiites, and the rebirth of Iran.
Wang Qingmin
September 21, 2023
30th day of the month of Shahrivar in the year 1402 of the Persian calendar
March 6, 1445 AH
