There has been a strong outpouring of support for the Iran Freedom Concert from across the spectrum. But we have also received comments criticizing the event, from opposite sides of the spectrum. We share the following material to try to address those concerns.

How did this concert come about?
In early December, an informal conversation between a few students and human rights activists considered the idea of an event to support Iranian students struggling in the face of censorship (like the band 127 profiled in October in the Boston Phoenix). We held meetings at Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square and began to refine our initial brainstorm. We realized that we held diverse views, but that we were all individuals of conscience committed to doing something positive. A bunch of campus musicians and a diverse range of campus groups were approached and many were excited to co-sponsor; others declined because the event didn't fully fit their mission but still pledged moral support. Friends and contacts on other campuses were also eager to join in.

You are naïve if you think the Iranian student movement can effectively address the threat posed by the Iranian regime. Why won't you endorse military action?
We do not propose to have the solution to the Iran crisis. But American students have not yet rallied publicly to support Iranian students. We want to give it a try and we hope the concert can inspire Iran's youth majority (70% of Iranians are under the age of 30) to achieve a non-violent breakthrough. And even if they cannot, we want to let Iran's ruling clerics know that American students care about their Iranian counterparts and won't stand by silently any longer.

Why Iran? Are you avoiding worse countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan because they are US allies? Or why not Zimbabwe?
The individuals and organizations participating in the event promote freedom in many other countries, including Sudan, China, and beyond. We have now come together on Iran for several reasons. (1) American students have largely been silent on Iran for decades, to our shame. (2) The Iran crisis cannot be ignored, and we do not want to stay silent. (3) We believe there is an alternative to the "binary" approach of either war or dialoguing with dictators - and that encouraging indigenous reformers is a good thing. (4) We believe people who disagree on the military invasion debate can still agree on the importance of standing up for Iranian's civil rights (see the unusual range of co-sponsoring organizations). (5) Unlike many other dictatorships, Iran has a very active dissident scene to engage; images of Iranian students, labor activists, and women's rights advocates rallying in the streets is inspiring. (6) March 18 is right before the traditional Persian new year holiday of Norouz, which seems like an appropriate time to hold the event. Oh, and we have no special fondness for dictatorships that are US allies. "The Saudi Freedom Concert" sounds like an interesting idea.

Using the word "freedom" means you are endorsing the Bush administration's plans to invade Iran, like "Operation Iraqi Freedom."
Our inspiration is actually the Tibetan Freedom Concert, a landmark human rights event organized in part by the Beastie Boys, U2, and other leading musicians. We don't think anyone has a lock on the word "freedom" - plus our other possible title, "The Iran Free Expression Concert," didn't have the same ring. We take an approach like U2's lead singer Bono: work with both sides of the political spectrum to support basic human rights.

You claim to have no stance, but your concert helps the US government makes its case to attack Iran militarily.
We are very sensitive to this charge. We are a coalition that includes many individuals, who have a wide range of opinions about a potential military strike. We are not endorsing a US attack. Still, we are not prepared to sit by silently as the Iran crisis escalates, especially as the essential freedoms of Iranians our own age continue to be neglected. Neither a US assault on suspected nuclear sites nor a diplomatic agreement with Iran's ruling clerics will address the human rights crisis inside Iran. By expressing solidarity with student activists and reformers facing brutal repression, we hope to encourage their efforts and to show fellow Americans a positive vision of Iranians.

Who is funding the concert?
The concert has very minimal costs. The performers are donating their time, as well as music equipment. The single biggest expense is $360 required for two Harvard police officers as a security requirement. The Harvard Institute of Politics has generously provided a grant to cover that expense. Student groups are helping cover the costs of promoting the event on campus. We have not asked for nor received any US government funding. Voice of America's Persian service has declined to cover the event.

Why do you think you can speak on behalf of Iranian students?
We don't claim to speak on their behalf, and we recognize that they are not monolithic. In fact, there are many disagreements within the Iranian student movement (just as the student groups co-sponsoring the Iran Freedom Concert have lots of internal disagreements.) But we do feel a moral responsibility to tell Iranians our own age suffering under an often-brutal dictatorship that we support their efforts to achieve a more open society with basic civil rights and equality for all people. If our situation were reversed, we hope Iranian students would rally in solidarity with us.

Won't Americans students rallying on behalf of Iranian students cause them problems?
For the last 25 years, American students haven't rallied on behalf of Iranian students - and Iranians have nonetheless had lots of problems. Also, we are not the US government; we are just a group of students and activists. The Iranian regime could use our rally to slander reformers, but we do not think that possibility should muzzle us. We believe staying silent is worse, and we refuse to abdicate.

You are misrepresenting the civil rights abuses that take place in Iran.
This critique has come from both sides of the spectrum. Some believe we have exaggerated problems, while others think we are being too kind to the brutality of radical ruling clerics. We aren't experts on Iran and don't purport to be. But we are passionate and culled the short website backgrounders through basic research. If you think we've made a mistake, please let us know. We've already edited some materials in response to feedback. The civil rights situation in Iran is so bad that we don't need to distort problems to make our case.

The two teenagers hanged in Mashhad were convicted on charges of raping a minor.
We are not experts on the case. But given the Iranian regime's clear laws on homosexuality and longstanding policies, we are inclined to believe the reports that the charges were trumped. As we know from American civil rights history, false rape charges are often used as an excuse to target vulnerable minorities.

Why hasn't this kind of event been done before?
We don't have a good answer. The Iranian regime seems to be able to intimidate people far from its borders, even in the US. And American students probably haven't stopped to appreciate that Iranians are denied basic freedoms we take advantage of every day. At the same time, students in Washington, DC just rallied in solidarity with Tehran bus drivers, who are facing a brutal crackdown for trying to go on strike. And there is a growing awareness that American students shouldn't leave it to US government officials to speak out on Iran.