Kamangir (Archer)

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The Sad Story of Iranian Fake Activists

Kamangir | April 1, 2007 | Category Iran

Important Notice: Please read this note before reading this post.

For the background on the self-assigned Iranian activists see this. One of these fake activists is Amir-Abbas Fakhr-Avar. A while ago, the political detainee Ahmad Batebi published a letter in his website regarding clamis made by Fakh-Avar. This is the English translation of that letter.

Correction on and Description about the Claims Made by Amir-Abbas Fakhr-Avar

Recently, Mr Amir-Abbas Fakhr-Avar, who has recently left Iran, has called himself one of the leaders of the Iranian students’ movement in the media. He has also claimed to have a especial political relationship with me and other political activists and others who fight for democracy and human rights. To clarify these matters, I should mention a few points.

During my political activities and the years I have spent in prison I have had political and also friendly relationship with many prisoners and political activists. These people have been members of many different political groups. Mr Amir-Abbas Fakhr-Avar is one of these many people. The claims that he has had especial political relationship with me and that my political views are in line with him are false and unrealistic. My relationship with him has been solely humanistic and nothing else.

Nevertheless, I think it is necessary to friendly remind him of an important point. Attaining social-political reputation is a known and timely process. Only those people can claim to have social influence and effectiveness in a society’s efforts towards wellbeing that first have a known and clear theoretical framework and second have a distinct social position. Trying to blow like a balloon and benefit from political doping through making false statements and manufacturing exaggerated background for yourself by claiming to have been the leader of the students’ movement might produce benefit in short term but the thorough look of the social-political bodies and citizens will carry out the correct, and cruel, judgment. After all, the unjustifiable efforts of those who try to obtain personal benefit from the honest tries of the social activists would not remain hidden in the eyes of the people.

Ahmad Batebi

July 2006

Reader's Comments

Alireza | April 1st, 2007 at 8:07 am
I saw Mr. Amir-Abbas Fakhr-Avar in VOA round table with not so well rounded Ahmad reza Bahrlou! I trully found him fake right there not to mention after seeing his website that even become more reality. I don’t understand all these new to be Journalists get to get to come to US and Canada when there are tons of talented young Iranians are denied a visa to come and study for real! we shall we what is the theory behind this.
Aree | April 1st, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Your random bashing of Fakhravar used to be more pointless. At least this is half worth blogging about. But I believe you are almost a year late. If you spend all your time posting.. or perhaps “exposing” IR, give a little credit for those who spend their time doing it in other ways. Discrediting fellow Iranians is a bad habit, lose it. What is your real criticism? he wasn’t as good friends as Ahmad Batebi as he has claimed? He shook hands with Bush? Give everyone a break.
Brad | April 2nd, 2007 at 12:27 am
In what Circumstance do you consider him to be a fake activist?
Atifeh | April 2nd, 2007 at 12:38 am
What is sad.. is your silly posts against him. It was probably you and likes of you and your gossip that made Batebi say that, if he has really said such thing at all.
Kamangir | April 2nd, 2007 at 5:15 am
Aree,

Discrediting fellow Iranians is a bad habit, lose it.

Pardon? Do you expect me to lie when it comes to “fellow” Iranians?
Kamangir | April 2nd, 2007 at 5:16 am
Brad,
He is a fake activist because his activism is geared towards personal benefit. Does that sense like convincing?
Kamangir | April 2nd, 2007 at 5:18 am
Atifeh,

What is sad.. is your silly posts against him. It was probably you and likes of you and your gossip that made Batebi say that, if he has really said such thing at all.

With all respect, the text is quoted from Batebi’s website. I also have done all my best to ensure an honest translation. So, please tell me again, what is inappropriate here?
Aree | April 2nd, 2007 at 10:56 am
Kamangir, how has he exactly “geared towards personal benefit”? Have you even read his interviews? what has he said that made you think he is doing this for personal benefit? I suggest you actually read his interviews properly and perhaps watch http://www.iranian.com/JahanshahJavid/2006/July/Fakhravar/index.html to understand what he is in fact fighting for. If you disagree with his methods, that’s one thing, but with the likes of you anyone who gets his names on the papers fears being completely discredited for one thing or another. Amir Abbas and Batebi were both friends in jail and I do not believe any of them have said otherwise. Perhaps Fakhravar called him a “good friend” that has made you hate him so much?! there have been a lot of accusations against Fakhravar calling him everything from a monarchist to someone who supports the war against Iran, but if you actually read his interviews you will see that he supports a republic and he is in America to tell them about the struggle of the democracy movements in Iran, including the struggle of workers/students/women etc and make them understand that they can support the Iranian people rather than attacking the country. I am sick of people like you and your revolting khale zanak bazi, if one person stands up for the rest, all you do is bash him and give him a bad face. If you want a good criticism regarding your blog which is bound to lose popularity with your random accusations, is try to be critical but not just bash someone because everyone else is doing it.
Kamangir | April 2nd, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Aree,
Thanks for your concerns over the popularity of my blog. Please kindly read this and then we can talk about his agenda, if he has any. :)
ella | April 2nd, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Archer

I would like a change of government in Iran, but Mr Amir Abbas is talking what some people in the west want to hear. And why he is saying not to support democracy movement in Iran? I understand that it is fragmented but why stop supporting them?
It looks to me like you are quite right, he is similar to many Iraqi refugees who talked about how wonderful everything would be if only US will attack Iraq.
We all know what happened when some people in US listened to them. They have trouble and Chalabi (one of these people cheering up for americans) was found out to play “good guy” to everybody…americans, Iranians, and europeans, but in reality he was good guy only to himself, not even to his fellows Iraqis.
This guy seems the same.
Kamangir | April 2nd, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Ella,
I like it when you compare Fakhr-Avar to Chalabi. :)
Aree | April 2nd, 2007 at 10:58 pm
He has never said “not to support democracy movement in Iran?” he has said exactly the opposite. I have read all his interviews Kamangir. Did you watch the interview I linked you to or are you too ignorant?
Kamangir | April 2nd, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Aree,
First of all, why are you so angry? We are talking about an issue about which have different opinions. :)
Second of all, I love this part,

Fakhr-Avar believes the revolution can be accomplished within ten months to a year. He does not ask for much from the Americans: â€œWhat we really need is the tools,â€ he says. â€œCell phones, computers, cameras, publication ability. This is the funding we need for our (revolutionary) activities, to coordinate within Iran and outside.â€
ella | April 3rd, 2007 at 12:31 am
I may have read him wrong, although he said: “His message to the West is: Stop supporting the reformists in Iran.” Nevertheless his talking about cell phones and revolution seems to me directed to the west for people of the west.
How could he called Ahmadinejad “stupid”? Ahmadinejad is fanatic, he may want to be dictator ( under Mesbah Yazdi or some other ayatollah) but whatever he is, he is not stupid.
If so many people laughed at him why he got to be a president? True he may had the backing of clerical establishment but nevertheless his promises to the poor helped him get his presidency. It was the democracy movement people who were stupid, they concentrated on pushing democratic slogans but poor people did not much care about reforms, they cared about food and jobs. Ahmadinejad promised them that. He did not fulfill his promises nevertheless he understood better what poor people wanted than some intellectuals from democracy movement.

I want to stress, I would like Ahmadinejad gone with majority of mullahs in power in Iran, but there is a difference between wishful thinking and a reality. Revolution coming directly after military attack is not a reality.
Aree | April 3rd, 2007 at 12:31 am
Why are you so ignorant? :)

In fact at other times he has asked for the American media to focus on democratic movements in Iran.

I personally love the ones where he says America should support democratic movements in Iran such as the students/women’s/workers like in front of the US Homeland Security testimony Oh yeah you probably didn’t focus on that part because you were too busy trying to find something to be critical about in one interview you read and didn’t like. Don’t worry its never too late to wake up from the never ending dream of ignorance.
Aree | April 3rd, 2007 at 12:40 am
Ella, Fakhravar has never supported military attack against Iran, and right in front of US homeland security he said:

“About military efforts: No one wants war, neither we nor you. Our greatest efforts have been focusing on own people and forces within our boundaries, without war, to uproot the zealot Mullahs governing our country and replace them with a secular, democratic government which respects human rights and freedom”.

He has again and again said that he is completely against any military efforts against Iran.
ella | April 3rd, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Well Aree, never say never. He may not said that explicitly but he said that implicitly.

“In my testimony to the senate I told them a few things: Mainly that sanctions will help to make the regime weak, and that they need to put down the regime.” (from Ynet)

“NRO: One argument we hear in the West against confronting Iran, whether through sanctions or through military action, is that doing so will make the regime more popular with the Iranian people â€” that it will actually strengthen the regime.
Fakhravar: Please don’t ever say that the people of Iran are going to have resentment or anger in their hearts toward America or Western countries for doing this. That is 100 percent false………They think we have nothing to lose and everything to gain with action that, no matter how long the time period, leads to the downfall of this regime. If you overthrow the regime, we will welcome you with open arms and open hearts. People are counting the minutes for this regime to be over and gone.” (from interview in nationalreview)

http://www.nationalreview.com/interrogatory/steorts200602130807.asp
Kamangir | April 3rd, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Aree,
Please forgive me if I do not take an “activist”, who is going to start a revolt using cellphones, seriously.
Aree | April 3rd, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Thats not what he wants to start a revolt with Kamangir, I am amazed thats all you could came up with after all the other lies you posted about before. I hope you put on more efforts to support your arguments in your PhD but that seems unlikely since you seem to spend so much of your time reading and watching Iranian media and blogs.

An activist in Iran who had enough courage to write criticism of Khamenei, even after being arrested many times before, gets my respect. Not some student who has moved out of Iran to a nice western democratic country like Canada where he discredits those fighting against the Iranian government, basing his criticisms of an activist on one comment like that. This guy has risked his life to change this regime, yet you are so up your a**e that you put all your efforts to discredit him? I didn’t agree with the comments I had read before on your blog calling you an Islamic republic apologist but it seems like they weren’t too far from the truth. If you really wanna see this regime gone, I recommend you stop putting your efforts in to discrediting others which you seem to be doing a lot of recently.

Oh and don’t even think about saying you don’t take him seriously again, if that was so you wouldn’t have spent your time finding an article from almost a year ago, translating it and posting it here.

The only one who isn’t gonna be taken seriously from now on is you and your blog where for a while now, you keep discrediting those against the regime, giving pointless excuses for why you don’t like them. That’s exactly what Hoder did and still does, and look where he ended up, even the likes of you discredit him now.
Aree | April 3rd, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Ella, he has said explicitly that he doesn’t support military action against Iran, infront of the senate, and in every interview where he was asked that question. That quote you pasted implies that people are desperate for the regime to be gone, not that he supports any military effort. I think you are a little confused so I again ask you to read the comment I posted above, for where he is referring to military efforts explicitly. Again and again, in almost all his interviews and in his testimony he has said that if America wants the regime gone, it has to support the democratic movements inside Iran, the “silemt army” as he called it here
Kamangir | April 4th, 2007 at 12:39 am
Aree,
Why are you so angry? I find it laughable when someone who calls himself an activist mentions so naive sentences. About my efforts towards my Ph.D. and my life in Canada, in fact I am enjoying both of them. Did I ever call myself an activist? ;)
Aree | April 4th, 2007 at 7:17 am
Really? I find your criteria for who is an activist and who isn’t, hilarious. Perhaps following that, since you are talking absolute bollocks, you are a “fake” blogger :)
Kamangir | April 4th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Aree,
May I ask you again, why are so angry?
About me being a fake blogger, if I am a fake blogger according to your definition of it then thanks for letting me know that. I would appreciate it if you would tell me why I am not a decent blogger and how I can become one.
Chakerim. :)
Potkin Azarmehr | April 9th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Have you no intelligence to recognise how much Batebi has been under pressure to write something against Fakhravar, not “Fakh-Avar”.

After 28 years you can not see that the regime will make people say what they are told to say?

So who is a real activist? You? Never mind that Fakhravar was in prison for so many years? Have you talked to anyone who was in prison with Fakhravar like Kourosh Sehati, to find out about him?

How do you feel becoming a tool at the hands of the Islamic propaganda machine?

Instead of reporting what people say under duress, go and find out what Fakhravar has done against the interest of th epro-democracy movement. Just name me one!
Kamangir | April 10th, 2007 at 5:27 am
Azarmehr,
Please kindly let me know which portion of the Iranian students know him as their leader, if that title is anything other than a generous present given to him from himself. :)
Potkin Azarmehr | April 12th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Well I got to know Fakhravar through an Iranian Electronics student, Iman Samiizadeh, more than 5 years ago. Here is just one more for you from Amir Kabir University site:
http://www.autnews.net/archives/1386,01,0003051

The problem with people like you is that you regard PEOPLE to be those around you. If someone is not known to your social circle, then its translated to PEOPLE don’t know him.