Split decision for Iranians in U.S [IARC: 64% still support President Bush]

LA Times ^ | 9/7/04 | Kelly Niknejad

[freedom44]

The 2004 presidential campaign is shaping up as a season of unprecedented interest and activism among half a million expatriate Iranians who have made Southern California their largest community outside Iran.

It turns out that the polarized American electorate is mirrored among voters with Iranian roots.

Some of the strongest feelings on all sides of the Iranian American community can be traced to the 2002 State of the Union speech in which Bush declared Iran — as well as Iraq and North Korea — part of "an axis of evil" that threatens world peace.

For some Iranian expatriates, the president's provocative rhetoric unleashed visions of regime change for Tehran.

"Iranians would never accept an invasion, but they would be willing to accept help to free themselves from the Islamic republic," said Siavash Azari, host of a Farsi radio talk show broadcast from KRSI studios on Wilshire Boulevard.

Azari said he will make his first trip to an American voting booth in November "because Mr. Bush has promised to defend the Iranian people."

Tuned in to Bush

At KRSI, in fact, the writing is all over the walls. A Bush-Cheney 2004 placard hangs in the reception room, and there's another in the hallway. Bush-Cheney stickers are dispensed at the reception desk, next to voter registration forms. In the mornings, KRSI broadcasts Farsi news from Radio Israel, and talk show chatter echoes with familiar neo-conservative themes.

In some instances, hawkish pro-Bush sentiment among Iranian Americans has brought together traditional foes, including monarchists supporting a return of the Pahlavi royal family and sympathizers of their archenemies, the one-time Marxist Islamist group People's Mojahedin.

Alireza Morovati, chief executive of KRSI, acknowledged the contradictions but shrugged and said: "We must speak in one voice."

[freedom44]

74% of Muslims and Arabs may be voting for Kerry this electorate, but this excludes Iranians who are coming back for President Bush.

[blackie]

Freedom for Iran ~ Now!

[wideawake]

Given the fact that a large percentage of Persian Americans live in the New York and Los Angeles areas, this is a pretty impressive number.

[oblomov]

The 74% figure came from an email CAIR-Net survey. Totally unreliable. In fact, I think the Muslim/Arab vote will be about where it was in 2000.

[Reza2004]

I don’t know about Moslem/Arab vote but the Persian vote is 2 to 1 for president Bush. There are 600,000 Persians in Ca.

[ccmay]

I've got a neighbor of Persian extraction, a successful businessman and a real straight shooter. He's Muslim but not fanatically so. He is 110% for Bush. I think this article is right on the money.

-ccm

[F14 Pilot]

BUMP!

[sionnsar]

but this excludes Iranians who are coming back for President Bush.

There is an effort by local Persians to register more Iranian Republicans. I also note that there have been a number of fundraisers for Republicans for various offices, state and national, conducted locally by Persians.