The Iranian Diaspora broadcasting from a basement in Chicago: “The Ayatollahs

“The perception that if you are Shiite you are against Jews and against Israel is completely wrong. The perception that the entire Iranian people are against Israel is even more wrong.” This is what Ahmad Ovali, 59, an Iranian exile who fled after the Khomeini revolution and received asylum in the United States, told Ynet. “I believe that most of the Iranian people do not see Israel as an enemy.”

Ovali is not known to Israelis but in Iran it is very well known, especially among the Azeri minority who live in the Islamic Republic and make up about a third of its population – about 30 million people. From the basement of his home in Chicago, Ovali operates a satellite TV station that broadcasts in the Azeri-Turkish language to tens of millions of Azeris living in Iran and the Diaspora.

“The Azeris in Iran see Israel as a society. There is no reason for our people to be an enemy of the State of Israel. We, the Azeris in Iran, have a common enemy and that is the ayatollahs,” Ovali said. Some see the station as operating a “revolutionary broadcast” by the Azeris against Iran. In both Azerbaijan and Iran, Ovali has been dubbed the “Iranian-Azeri Anderson Cooper” after the well-known CNN broadcaster.

In the eyes of the Iranians, it is considered a great enemy – but the regime in Tehran fails to prevent millions of citizens from watching its broadcasts via satellite, Skype, WhatsApp groups and social networks. The Iranian Azeris go on air at the station without fear or apprehension.

After the 1979 revolution, Ovali, then a high school student, was arrested on suspicion of sedition. “After the revolution we realized that what they were doing was not what they had promised. We were considered opponents of the regime and therefore arrested me and my friends,” he said. Ovali managed to escape and it took four years for him to reach the United States. He had previously worked for the UN Human Rights Council and collected reports of human rights violations in Iran.

In 2004, Ovali realized he had to broadcast to Iran and set up a television station called Günaz TV, which broadcasts from a basement in Chicago. The aim was to raise awareness of the Azeri minority in Iran. “We have been on the air since 2005 – 24 hours a day. Our broadcasts are in Azeri-Turkish, but every Saturday we also broadcast in Persian. I give a lot of air time to the various minorities in Iran.”

According to him, contrary to what many think, Iran is not one piece. “There is no majority for anyone in Iran and it is a multinational society. There are Persians, Azeris, Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens and others. Not only is Iran a multi-ethnic group it is also multi-geographical. Each ethnic group has its own geographical area such as Kurdistan for Kurds and Arab for Arabs. “.

Ovali said that the Azeris in Iran were perceived by the Iranians as Jews who had converted. “The Azeris are mostly Shiites but they are not really against Jews. There is no reason for the problem between Jews and Azeris, there is a historical connection between them. In fact, Azeris are the most tolerant group in Iran towards other religions and not just Jews. There is no reason to be enemies. “Let us become members. The Azeris in Iran see Israel as a society.”

The Azeri minority in Iran strives for independence, at least culturally. “Throughout history there has been an Azeri national movement in Iran. The Azeris wanted more freedom, more secularism. There is also a movement that calls for unification between the Azeris in Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan – but the demand that the capital be not Baku but Tiberias. There are Azeri activists calling for declaration of independence from Iran.” .

Ovali said the Azeris in Iran were oppressed by the ayatollahs’ regime. “There are hundreds of people in prison, activists calling for cultural independence are arrested. They are being tortured in prison, investigators. There are demonstrations by Azeris in Iran but unfortunately they are not covered in the West. The foreign media in Iran are only in Tehran and are not allowed to leave. “This is a problem because when there is a demonstration we do not know about it and here we enter with our television station,” said Ovali.

“We are the voice of the Azeris,” he added. “Azeris have no representation in power even though they make up more than a third of the Iranian people. In the past, there was a faction in the Iranian parliament made up of Azeris, out of 290 Iranian parliamentarians – 109 joined a group representing Turkish-speaking regions in Iran. Iran sees the Azeris as a threat to its national security.”

What is the attitude of the Azeris in Iran towards Israel?
“I can tell you that most of the Iranian people are pro-Israel. But for Azeris it is a fact. There are also Hezbollah representatives among the Azeris, but they are a minority. I would estimate that more than 90% of the Azeris are pro-Israel.”

The Azeris, like all minorities in Iran, are committed to 18 months of military service. There are Azeris who work in government ministries, there is even one minister in the Iranian government who is of Azeri descent. “Our people say that our and Israel’s common enemy is the ayatollahs. The government of Iran,” Ovali said.

Ovali’s television station, which is watched by an estimated one million people a day, reports extensively on the excellent cooperation between Israel and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which was particularly evident in the war against Nagorno-Karabakh. The weapons that Israel sold to Azerbaijan, and especially the attacking UAVs (the Harup and Hermes) and the missiles, decided the war.

The highlight was about two weeks ago when Israel brought to Azerbaijan a special humanitarian delegation of ophthalmologists, neurologists and medical staff. The doctors treated more than 150 Azerbaijani army soldiers who were wounded in the war in Nagorno-Karabakh and were able to restore some of their eyesight and others to restore their faces with prostheses. For example, the soldier Arif Gadzhiev, in his early 20s, was wounded by a shell and lost his sight almost completely when he was able to distinguish only between light and darkness. Thanks to the Israeli doctors, Gadzhiev returned to reading.

The Israeli operation gained wide resonance in the Azeri media and also among the millions of Azeris in Iran. Ovali’s television station aired about 40 Azeris from Tehran praising Israel with warm words such as “You are our friends”, “Iran is our enemy” and “Israel is our sister”.

Azerbaijan Presidential Adviser Hakib Hajib acknowledged the Israeli aid: “This is just a wonderful story. We are grateful to the Israeli medical staff and the Israeli embassy for providing medical assistance to the wounded soldiers and officers. It is also a sign of friendship between our countries. the world”.

Are we close to a coup in Iran?
“This is a very complex situation. Iran has complex problems. The lack of opposition keeps the ayatollahs in power, that is the main problem. “Without unification it will be very difficult.”

Were US sanctions successful?
“I think the sanctions should not be lifted any time soon and even when they do, they should be partially lifted, because Iran is on its knees. Iran must surrender, stop supporting terrorism, give up the dangerous nuclear program, the missile program. Iran needs to give up many things and if Biden presses them they will do the This is an internal examination. They are in a very difficult situation. But they will never abandon their ambition for nuclear weapons. No matter what agreement they reach with them, they will cheat. In a sense, I think there will be no real change as long as the ayatollahs are in power. “Good for now, but the ambition should be to rehabilitate a new government.”

What about an Israeli or American military option?
“I am not for or against an Israeli or other military attack, I will leave it to these countries. One thing I know for sure, that if there is an attack against the Iranian government there is no reason for the people to unite behind the government. This is another misconception of the West.”

Ovali has never visited Israel and he hopes that he will arrive for the first time immediately after the corona.