Freedom today has many supporters but precious few champions; it also has many enemies. Individuals in Iran and around the world struggle to free themselves from theocracy, fanaticism, and terror. It is a condition none of us could comprehend much less ever tolerate. Yet when looking for support, they too often find disinterest, apathy, even antipathy to their plight. For some, quite understandably, there is a feeling of helplessness in the face of such tremendous injustices.
If Albert Camus anguished for the "the decrease of liberal energies, the prostituting of words, the slandered[ing] [of] victims, the smug justification of oppression, [and] the insane admiration of force," how can we not be rendered powerless by the unpleasant reality that all those things are dramatically worse now? Faced with intractable and potent foes is it not better, as John Mayer sings, to "wait on the world to change"?
For others, however, it is not a question of justice. In their view, one of thinly veiled chauvinism, the inherent and inalienable rights to bear the burdens and enjoy the privileges of liberty are not, as previously thought, universal. On one hand, we have the Islamic Republic in Iran stoning women to death for the offense of "adultery" (an exceptionally broad term); and in this part of the world, we have the language of cultural relativism, which too often only serves to excuse the inexcusable.
To both camps, those who are looking for a way to make a difference and those who believe making a difference is a difference not worth making, we answer tonight with the Freedom Concert. Proudly we welcome among us Kianoosh Sanjari, an exile, whose perseverance and conviction are an inspiring testament to the dignity of humankind, and an affirmation of the principles of liberty and democracy which we, in the United States, perhaps too often take for granted.
By gathering together students, faculty, musicians and prominent human rights activists, we affirm unequivocally the universality of human rights and send a strong message that the daily violations of the Iranian people's most basic freedoms are illegal by any reasonable standard of justice. We will not be accomplices (silent or otherwise) to these monstrous acts.
What is more, we hold that there is no respectable alternative to this position. We cannot accept, for example, that the Iranian people deserve their current regime because of their culture, when it was Cyrus the Great, a Persian, who gave the world its first declaration on universal human rights. Similarly, it cannot be said that we our "imposing" a Western preference for liberal democracy, when even prominent ayatollahs have come to the same and rather obvious conclusion. Let's be clear: the ruling class in Iran claims to be speaking and acting on behalf of God. But even the most cursory glance at history demonstrates that theocracy has failed everywhere it's been tried. And Iran is no exception.
Our cause, then, is twofold: to stand in solidarity with Iranian dissidents, especially students, in their struggle to strengthen civil society, cultivate human rights, and build a liberal democracy. We also need to raise consciousness (here and elsewhere) of anyone who will listen about the ways we can work to realize these very realizable goals.
Jason Guberman-Pfeffer
