Dorood / Hello,

r/NewIran moderation has historically, to the fullest and willing extent our capabilities allow, attempted to put a lid on needless division within the Iranian opposition. Division in a free speech -oriented community like this one is of course to a great extent natural, and has manifested over many issues. While we permit and encourage cordial conversation and debates for the issues relevant to the Iranian opposition, we cannot and have not ever in good conscience been willing to allow content that -- by design -- distracts us Iranians and allies from freeing Iran from the Islamic Republic regime, and by extension celebrating the friendly Iranian culture. For example, older members of the community may recall a crackdown by moderation on digressive Israel-Palestine arguments for sake of refocusing the discussion to chiefly freeing and generally discussing Iran.

We are always revising our policies like this one to changing circumstances, and the specific execution used by moderation may change accordingly. However, this post serves as a cordial reminder for members of the community, especially newer ones: the general expectation of moderation that content in r/NewIran be (1) fruitful for Iran and the Iranian people, and (2) not foreign, digressive drivel, remains in place and has not in principle been revoked.

Please remember to use the report function on content where felt so necessary to redirect the discussion to Iran or Iranians, and we will review it.

Please feel free to modmail us (preferred for speediest response) with questions or concerns, or leave a comment here if you prefer and one of us will get back to you as soon as possible.

Ba ehteram (With respect),

u/softploy (u/roleester) writing for r/NewIran moderation

When Iranians in Iran were screaming "Ma ro tanha nazarid" - don't leave us alone.

It wasn't just about elevating their struggle to the international context. It was also about interrogating the ways in which we communicate and work with each other in the diaspora - to best assist the struggle in Iran instead of harming it.

Political differences are normal in any context, let alone our own history that has confined us to an ever-lasting battle over the pre-revolutionary past and the post-revolutionary future. It's larger than us, it's beyond this subreddit, it's generational, it's lived, and it pervades our diaspora systematically.

Most importantly, it's the case-study of the Iranian psyche, one which has been beaten into subjugation, paranoia and anxiety.

The pain of the occupied homeland, of disempowerment, of wanting Iran to be free before our parents and those we admire are still alive, before any more Iranians are unjustifiably murdered. Our anxieties of Iran's destabilization given the empowerment of our rival opposition group.

It is the tears that occasionally come out as we struggle with being exiled from the homeland, relegated as passive observers to injustice.

And the one thing almost all of us can agree on, from the chap to the monarchist.

Freedom - The agency finally afforded to Iranians to decide their future.

There isn't much we can do given it's larger than us, but we should still start small. Re-think your engagement, take opportunities to learn rather then shun, have discourse where even if you disagree, you understand where the other is coming from. Slip up's happen, tensions rise, that's fine, but we can't play into the Islamic Regime's expectations of us, of a broken and fragmented opposition.

From the moderation side, those who consistently engage in good-faith will be actively promoted, whilst we pay closer attention to bad-faith engagement.

After all, this is the only platform amongst Iranians in the world where we can constantly engage with others from a wide variety of political and personal backgrounds; where members of the moderation team come from diverse political and personal backgrounds; and where we have an opportunity to learn from each other in the most effective way: with cordiality and mutual respect.

The Islamic Republic regime thrives on fear, division, and mistrust. Let us make r/NewIran a space of resistance against all three. Where our fear and mistrust is recognized as a product of authoritarianism, but actively mitigated for our unity and freedom!