More than half of the population in Iran belongs to those national or ethnic minorities. The government has been very successful in clamping down on activism within these minority groups or national groups.
For example, in the earlier revolution Iran and Kurdistan were a hotbed of Kurdish nationalism, but the Islamic regime in Iran was quite capable of suppressing that movement. They've done it. Usually these movements have been accused of having ties with Canada or the U.S. They've often alleged that groups in the Arab, Turkmen, or Baluchi areas have connections with outside powers, especially the Europeans and North Americans.
But despite this, the people of Iran have opened their eyes to a lot of these conditions, especially the people belonging to minorities. With the changes in the neighbourhood, especially in Iraq, we've seen more people. Despite all the difficulties, despite all the violence that exists, there is at least a political structure, where Arabs, Kurds, Shi’as, and Sunnis are able to come together in a parliamentary setting and discuss things.
There are debates, and there will be debates, but this has given Iranian national minorities a lot of hope. We need some sort of federal structure in which minorities are accommodated culturally, politically, and economically. Maybe it could be based on a Canadian model. It doesn't have to be a copy, but some sort of decentralization would definitely help Iran.
Fortunately, the Iranian national minorities have been able to come together, at least in diasporas, to create an organization that advocates federalism and decentralization and democracy. That organization is called the Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran.
This congress, this coalition of opposition groups, consists of 15 or 16 groups that represent various ethnic minorities. They've been quite successful. They have educated the world outside that Iran needs a centralized structure that can accommodate everybody. They have also educated the non-nationalities, non-ethnic minorities like Persians, who are very hesitant to try anything that gives ethnic minorities more power and more say in the central government and in the everyday life of the country.
There's something that's been set up. Obviously, it's outside the country, because there's really nothing that could currently be done in Iran. But lately there's been a lot of lobbying in the U.S, as well as in Europe and the European Parliament.
About ten days ago we had a conference done in the European Parliament for federalism and democracy in Iran. These are things that the coalition is doing right now. They are lobbying for, or at least presenting, an alternative to the future of Iran. A lot of people outside Iran are hesitant to do anything, because they say there's no alternative. But the people of Iran, especially the minorities, have come up with something themselves.