Mohammad Nourizad is a journalist, screenwriter, and director who, before the controversial presidential election of 2009 in Iran, used to write for the newspaper Kayhan. However, after taking critical positions, he was arrested and sentenced to prison by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran.

In addition to these critical positions, after his release from prison, he has also carried out many humanitarian and courageous activities, including a recent example of visiting a Baha’i family and kissing the feet of their child in defense of religious minorities.

We had a short telephone interview with Mr. Noori-Zadeh, who is on a trip, and asked him if he will defend the Kalimians in the same way. He says, “For me, the Kalimians are no different from me as a Shia, and their children are my children and my children are their children…”

Mr. Noori-Zadeh, your defense of religious minorities in Iran in the past year has been a bold and constructive action. In this regard, considering the topic of the special case in this issue of the peace line, I ask you: Will you also defend the rights of the Kalimians or the Iranian Jews in the same manner?

It will definitely be the same. I absolutely do not see any difference between a Sunni, a Shia Muslim, a Baha’i, a communist, a Christian, and a Zoroastrian in terms of citizenship rights. This means that the government, regardless of its ideology, must treat all citizens equally according to the law. Unfortunately, we have divided our society into elites, masses, insiders, outsiders, and first-class and second-class citizens, causing turmoil in the realm of mental and religious peace of our people. In my opinion, this is an unforgivable sin and in the future, we will see the consequences of the numerous damages we have inflicted on the lives of our fellow citizens.

For me, the Kalamians are no different from me in terms of being Shia, and their children are my children, and my children are their children. We should be good neighbors in terms of beliefs and this is one of the teachings of our religion. We should not do anything new or strange. Unfortunately, this has become a taboo and has created barriers and separation among our fellow citizens, and the direct cause of this is the government or a group within the government who have created and maintained this distance.

But I am confident that when wisdom and intelligence come together in the future, we will definitely owe a great apology to our good minorities and I see good and blessed days in the future. Unfortunately, the Islamic Republic has given the slogan of peaceful coexistence with minorities, but has never been sincere in this slogan; to the point that our Kurdish compatriots almost never felt safe in their own land. Yes, for example, we have a representative of the Kurds and Zoroastrians in parliament, but what can this representative do other than sitting mostly silent like the rest of the representatives? How much power does this representative have to voice the demands of their constituents?

In any case, as I mentioned, I believe we owe a great apology to everyone, even to the Communists and Baha’is; because a new minority has emerged in our society that did not exist before, and that minority is the Shia minority. In fact, a group with the name Shia, who are very few in number, are ruling over a Shia majority who have become a minority, and they are disrupting all relationships. This widespread and extensive minority actually has no role in the affairs of the country, and this majority that has now become a minority is ashamed that other minorities in this society are being harmed and do not have mental, social, and religious peace.

Why have you not spoken about this religious minority so far, is there something like this in your future plans?

The reason I didn’t say anything was because the atmosphere was very bitter, insecure, and impossible, and I sincerely say: before the year 88, I was afraid or maybe I didn’t have the power to understand that a Jew-Baha’i, shoulder to shoulder with a Shia Muslim, has the same rights and is inseparable. Either I didn’t understand it, or if I did, I didn’t have the courage to express it. Well, we were all very afraid… But with the events of 88 and the fact that many political relationships fell apart and many faces revealed their hidden nature, and the media sphere went out of the realm of government control and the people and public opinion were able to connect, this courage gradually emerged and this great ignorance that dominated my mind gradually gave way to a more open-minded and wise approach, so much so that I felt that delaying this apology to minorities is a double crime and injustice. This is something that we will definitely continue in the future

Mr. Nourizad, from the Kalimian minority in Iran (Iranian Jews), is also known as a silent minority, because less is said about their rights being weakened; even in the recent report of the UN Special Rapporteur, they were not mentioned. With this description, do you imagine that as the Iranian government claims, their silence in the face of their rights being violated, which is at least expressed in the laws, is due to their consent and favorable conditions, or based on your understanding of the government, do you see it as a result of increased pressure on this community?

Kelimians, our land, suffered the most because of Israel; after the victory of the revolution and the slogans of eradicating Israel, naturally the easiest target for attacking was Kelimians in our land. In any case, in the minds of the general Shi’a community, there is an interpretation between Iranian Kelimians and Israel, and our Kelimians have remained silent to prove that they have no connection to that place. Our Kelimians have lived peacefully alongside us and our ancestors for centuries, but suddenly with the rise of the Islamic Republic and the conflict with Israel and Zionism, unfortunately some of these animosities were directed towards our Kelimian compatriots, and they were not spared from the slogans and attacks towards Israel. 

My belief and perception is that the silence of the Kalimians was mostly due to the fear that they might do something that would immediately lead to their imprisonment by Israel. In any case, this non-evidence-based labeling was turned into a specialty in the Islamic Republic, so that one person with a weak argument could manipulate a group and make them feel trapped, without providing solid evidence for their argument. Our Kalimians were burned because of Israel and had no opportunity to demand their rights; just as Zoroastrians and Christians were also in a similar situation as Kalimians, and due to the conditions of war and post-war circumstances and narrow-mindedness in the government, our minority groups were never given the chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with others and point fingers at the authorities to restore their rights.

So, do you consider the behavior of the Iranian government towards this minority as a political behavior based on religious beliefs?

Yes, because for centuries Shiites and Jews lived together in different provinces and had no problems; with the rise of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Zionist incident and slogans that had reached people’s lives and daily needs, the Jews of Iran were unconsciously pushed towards silence; because even the slightest demand for rights from them gave the rulers an excuse to be connected to Israel.

My perception is that, unless there are other reasons now that I am not aware of.

And as a final question, do you have any words for the young and children of Iranian Jews who have suffered from the pain and discrimination and still hold our land dear?

Do not insist on saying Jewish children, Jewish youth, or Jewish girls and boys; they are Iranian, now we have divided them into being Shia or Jewish. I may be shouting and my words may seem idealistic, but what is prevalent in society is an undeniable reality.

See, in the employment sector, Jews have no place, or in other fields, they are not present in positions of responsibility, management, or leadership… But I assure Jewish children and loved ones that we will gradually move towards a direction where Jews in our land will be placed in positions suitable to their merit and abilities, because rationality demands it. For example, consider a 25-year-old educated Iranian Jew, a wise and patriotic manager; in my opinion, this young person is thousands of times better and more suitable than a deceitful and hypocritical Shia worker, and in order to build Iran, we must rid ourselves of these narrow and unjust constraints and move towards rationality.

Thank you for providing us with the time for the monthly magazine of the Peace Line.