A Democratic Alternative for Post-Theocracy Iran: In Conversation with Ali Safavi
- Solomon Njombai
- Jul 1, 2024
- 29 min read
Updated: Jun 27, 2025
Ali Safavi is a member of Iran’s Parliament in Exile, National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and President of Near East Policy Research (NEPR), a consulting and policy analysis firm in Washington, DC. A sociologist by career, Safavi studied and taught at UCLA, California State University Los Angeles and University of Michigan from 1972 until 1981. An activist during the anti-Shah student movement in the 1970s in the US, Safavi has been involved in Iranian affairs since then and has lectured and written extensively on issues related to Iran, Iraq, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and the political process in the Middle East.
This interview was conducted on 4 November 2023.
Personal Introduction
CJLPA: Can you elaborate on your role and experiences as an activist during the Anti-Shah protests in the 1970s and your involvement in the student movement in the US during that period?
Ali Safavi: Before the revolution, I pursued studies in sociology at UCLA and taught at California State University, and the University of Michigan from 1972 to 1981. My older brother, Hossein, who was later executed by the clerical regime at the age of 29, was also studying in the US at that time. He focused on aerospace engineering at Northrop University in California and was a prolific writer and editor. Both Hossein and I actively participated in the vibrant anti-Shah student movement of the 1970s. We distributed pamphlets and reading materials opposing the Shah’s corrupt dictatorship, participated in meetings, conferences, and protests by Iranian students in Los Angeles, the Bay area, and elsewhere.
The plight of political prisoners, especially the leaders of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) also known by its Farsi name, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), deeply resonated with us in the mid-1970s. The MEK, initially operating underground during the mid-1960s, gained widespread recognition in 1971 after the arrest of most of its leaders and members. Figures like Mehdi Rezaei became prominent in the struggle. At only 19, Mehdi Rezaei delivered a poignant and historic discourse against the Shah during a military tribunal, knowing it would lead to severe torture and his execution. His sacrifices earned him the affectionate nickname ‘the rose of the revolution’ among the Iranian people, and he was executed by a firing squad in 1972. Mehdi Rezaei’s impact on society was so significant that Ahmad Shamlou, arguably Iran’s most famous poet, dedicated an entire poem in his honor.
The struggle, conviction, bravery, and perseverance under SAVAK’s brutal tortures of individuals like Mehdi Rezaei and Ali Asghar Badizadegan, one of MEK’s three original founders, inspired many students studying abroad, including myself. Badizadegan, despite enduring unspeakable agony, remained silent and was executed in May 1972. My understanding of the MEK deepened through reading the last defense of their leadership, including Massoud Rajavi, at the Shah’s military tribunals and their books smuggled out of Iran.
The historic protests against the Shah’s visit to the US in November 1977 crystallized dissent. Tear gas filled the air as students confronted the regime, capturing an iconic moment of the Shah wiping his tears, induced by the gas, behind President Carter’s podium at the White House. Mohammad Hanifnejad, the founder of the MEK, prophetically declared days before his execution, ‘Our deaths will serve to motivate and fuel the future struggles of our people’. Time has become the arbiter of truth, validating his foresight. Since those tumultuous days, the legacy of sacrifice has reverberated, becoming the catalyst for enduring struggles, and I am humbled to have played a very modest role in this historic odyssey.
CJLPA: Building on your experiences during the Anti-Shah student movement, are there specific incidents or encounters that significantly shaped your views on activism and the political landscape in Iran?
AS: My intellectual journey and political convictions during that period were shaped by numerous small and significant episodes and interactions. Two pivotal chapters, however, stand out as prominent markers.
The first chapter unfolded with the discovery of a new movement known as the MEK. Founded by visionary Muslim intellectuals—Mohammad Hanifnejad, Saeed Mohsen, and Ali Asghar Badizadegan—in September 1965, the organization aimed to replace the Shah’s dictatorship with a democratic and secular republic. The organization rooted its principles in a progressive and tolerant interpretation of Islam, presenting a counter-narrative to the rigid and medieval views propagated by clerics. Their remarkable achievement lay in their meticulous exploration of the Holy Quran and the Nahj al-Balagha (Path of Eloquence), authored by Ali, the first Shiite Imam. Through an in-depth examination of the teachings and traditions of Prophet Mohammed and the Shiite Imams, they successfully unearthed the authentic and original ethos and teachings of Islam. This endeavour effectively dispelled the misrepresentations of the religion that had been skewed by despotic leaders to further their own ends, thus unveiling the genuine, enlightened essence of Islam.
