Leading up to the early presidential elections in Iran, candidates have been exploiting anti-Afghan sentiment to garner votes. Observations suggest that many citizens are reluctant to participate in the elections, with some even boycotting the process. However, the candidates are targeting the Afghan immigrants, who are considered “non-citizens” and “foreign nationals”, even if they were born in Iran.
Candidates’ Promises: A Hell for “Non-Citizens”
Candidates, including Qalibaf and Pezeshkian, have openly declared their stance on Afghan immigrants. They have proposed plans such as “completely sealing the borders to prevent further immigration, organizing non-Iranian nationals present in the country, negotiating with European countries to accept a portion of the immigrants, and receiving the cost of the presence of non-Iranian nationals from international organizations” if they become president.
Qalibaf, from the conservative faction, and Pezeshkian, from the reformist faction, are clearly following the path of extreme right-wing parties in Europe, leading to increased xenophobia and racism. They are aware that the gap between the government and the people is widening, but they believe that suppressing Afghan immigrants could attract the attention of even the protesting citizens.
“Whoever Brings the Vote, It Doesn’t Matter, Our Situation Always Gets Worse”
In a country where Afghan immigrants’ homes are set on fire, Afghans face prohibitions when buying train tickets, and they are not allowed to buy houses even if they have lived and worked in Iran for years, it is not surprising that presidential candidates are targeting Afghan immigrants to gather votes.
Hossam, born in Iran but considered Afghan due to his heritage and thus does not have an Iranian ID, told Radio Zamaneh:
“When I was eight years old, I was playing in the alley when someone threw a flyer into our house. I went to see it and found that it was a brochure for Ghalibaf’s (a presidential candidate) campaign for the presidency. One of Ghalibaf’s campaign promises was to expel Afghan immigrants. I showed it to my family members and asked, ‘What does he want to do?’ They said, ‘Nothing, just pray that he doesn’t get elected.’ It might be hard to believe, but from that age, I realized that political events in Iran directly affect my life as an Afghan. Although many of my Afghan friends said not to worry, no matter who gets elected or which direction power goes, our situation always gets worse. And of course, I still don’t know whether I’m right or my friends are…”
Nazanin, also of Afghan descent and born in Iran, emphasizes that different political groups in Iran, despite their severe political disagreements, certainly agree on restricting Afghan immigrants as much as possible. She says:
“Both reformists and conservatives, and even some political opposition groups outside of Iran, agree with the government on the harsh treatment of Afghan immigrants.”
Elimination of Afghans, A Demand That Exists in Society
Ali, an Afghan studying in Iran, is well aware of the large gap between the Iranian people and the Afghan immigrant community. He believes this gap is widening day by day and has been systematically implemented by the Iranian government over decades, often benefiting the regime during elections. He told Radio Zamaneh:
“One of my Iranian friends asked me today how long I plan to stay in Iran and said it would be better for me to leave Iran sooner because the attitude of the Iranian people towards us will get worse day by day. His concern was certainly due to the threats made by Iranian candidates and the approval and praise of these policies by the Iranian people. Of course, his concern is not unfounded at all. What saddens me the most is that in the current atmosphere, not only the Iranian government and ordinary people on the streets, but also many Iranian writers and intellectuals, instead of accurately analyzing the situation and understanding the issue of Afghan immigrants, are seeking to deepen this divide.”
Sara refers to numerous experiences of the suppression of Afghan immigrants by presidential candidates or other elections and tells Radio Zamaneh about her worst experience and observation in this regard:
“Honestly, there have been many experiences during each presidential election or even mayoral elections. These kinds of things had become normal for us, and we knew that this promise would definitely be part of the candidates’ pledges. But the most terrifying moment was when Ahmadinejad came and, in his promises about Afghan immigrants, said, “I will make Kabul a paradise for them and turn this place into hell for them…” And suddenly, the entire crowd cheered and clapped with such joy that it was truly a terrifying and deeply sorrowful feeling for us. Especially since we had always been in a kind of hell out of necessity, and he was promising an even worse hell for us. That moment, I experienced a very frightening feeling…”
Milad, however, believes that such promises by candidates are not surprising to him as an Afghan immigrant raised in Iran. According to Milad, either the responsible institutions in Iran do not have coordination and precise policy about the issue of Afghan immigrants and are in confusion, or the Iranian government’s think tanks deliberately create fear and spread hatred against Afghans using the existing atmosphere against them in society.
Afghan residents in Iran are well acquainted with the various election candidates’ plans in Iran regarding the “organization” of immigrants. But for them, scarier than these plans is the reaction of citizens who are not even satisfied with these plans and demand a harsher treatment of Afghan immigrants.
This is a summary of original Radio Zamaneh content crafted with the help of AI, edited by a Radio Zamaneh editor. To read the original article, click here.
