Coalition: The Path to Saving Iran
The third and final Q&A session of the Governing in "Transition and Safeguarding Citizens’ Right" conference, held in Oslo on 31 August 2024 by Iran Human Rights, focused on “Citizens’ Rights in a Plural Society.” Moderated by Roya Karimi-Majd, a Radio Farda journalist, the panel featured sociologist Jalal Idjadi, religious-studies scholar Pooyan Tamimi Arab, physician and Bahá’í community member Parvaneh Andacheh, and Baluch human-rights activist Fariba Borhanzehi, each of whom expanded on their perspectives in response to audience questions.
Idjadi argued that each society must shape its own model of secularism, while Tamimi Arab cited South Africa’s transition, stressing broad consultation and public awareness as keys to accepting a secular constitution. Andacheh said Bahá’ís seek no mention in any future constitution, only equal rights for all citizens, while Borhanzehi underlined that a century of discrimination has forced Baluch communities into self-reliance.
On religion’s role, Idjadi noted that only about 40% of Iranians now self-identify as traditionally Muslim, insisting that state funding of religious institutions must end. Tamimi Arab added that Iran’s path must be not just to secular democracy but to liberal democracy, guaranteeing minority rights. Andacheh defended the Bahá’ís’ commitment to non-violence and truthfulness, while Idjadi cautioned against clerics of any sect as guarantors of freedom: the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, he said, was a secular revolution against 1979.
Environmental concerns also featured, with Borhanzehi highlighting ecological destruction in Baluchistan, and Andacheh recalling the execution of ten Bahá’í women in Shiraz as a symbol of shared suffering.
Closing the conference, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, said the event showed how diverse voices can sit together despite differences. Real change, he stressed, cannot come from street protests alone: “No single force can bring transformation. Only dialogue, compromise and coalition across divides can rescue Iran.” He called for unity around minimum principles such as human rights, and urged that the transition not drag on for years. The Islamic Republic, he said, is already losing legitimacy, even among supporters: “Iran’s future depends on cooperation, and on building a tomorrow worthy of the next generations.”
Translated from Farsi via machine translation and lightly edited for clarity.