【时代论坛讯】自美以对伊开战及伊朗作出报复后，伊朗的对外通讯一直被政府封锁，就连SAT-7的单向卫星广播亦曾一度中断，区内区外的人只能收到当地零星传出的信息。本报日前经在美港人教牧转介，书面访问了一位身处美国的伊朗初信姊妹，盼借此或多或少能助读者了解当地情况，为伊朗、中东，以至普世祈祷时，能从多一个角度思考、纪念。
（由于受访者身份敏感，其名字仅以化名伊莉代表。按被访者要求，回应内容不经编辑删节。原英文回应见文末。）
一、妳能否简单介绍一下自己？妳是何时离开伊朗的？
伊莉：我大约两年前持学生签证来到美国，目前在实验室工作。
二、我们得知妳现阶段无法联络家人。妳能否告知他们居住的城市？妳是否也是透过新闻获悉该城的近况？
伊莉：是的，情况确实如此。遗憾的是，这并非伊朗首次中断通讯。每当伊朗伊斯兰共和国感觉权力受到威胁时，便会封锁网路阻止资讯外流，此类情况已发生多次。
因此，包括我在内的许多伊朗人，正承受巨大压力及焦虑，尽一切办法寻找任何方法，只为获得家里亲人，那管只是简单几句的消息。
我全家都住在德黑兰，那正是备受攻击之地。我持续关注新闻动态，试图得知城中哪些地区遭到波及。
过去几天，几座燃料储存设施遭到袭击，其中几处离我家很近。你无法想像我经历了怎样的煎熬——只能等待并祈求家人平安。
那些爆炸威力极其强大，连远处建筑都遭到波及。邻近大楼的居民中，有人遭受严重烧伤。
三、妳有收到其他目前在伊朗的朋友消息吗？他们情状如何？
伊莉：我完全没有收到任何朋友的消息。或许只有1、2位亲友能透过昂贵的VPN每天上网约5分钟，勉强发简讯报平安。
四、战争开始以来，妳有没有和身处国外的其他伊朗人谈过？
伊莉：有，我居住的城市有个小型伊朗社群。我们每逢周末便聚在一起，彼此分享忧虑，并为伊朗的未来和同胞祈祷。
过去两个月，我们每逢周末都在城内各处举行示威，声援伊朗人民，确保伊朗人的声音传遍全球。我们计划持续示威，直至祖国重获自由、实现民主。
五、妳如何看待当前局势？新闻报道指，有伊朗流散群体认为美以试图推翻现伊朗政权是好事。妳认同吗？
伊莉：此问题需详尽仔细地回应。
依我观察，无论身处国内外，绝大多数伊朗人——可能超过90%——都渴望推翻伊斯兰共和国政府，这十分明显。然而，大家对如何推翻存在分歧。
有人主张应在无外国干预下达成，但近期事件表明这几乎不可能——伊朗境内任何和平抗议都会遭遇枪击、酷刑与监禁。
在伊朗最近的和平示威中，伊斯兰共和国两日内便杀死了超过3.5万人，数以千计的人被逮捕，在监狱遭受酷刑。许多人已被处决或等待行刑，监狱中的男女老幼更面临性侵威胁。
因此，徒手对抗现政权实属不可能，亟需外部援助。与此同时，外国介入或战争将带来毁灭性后果，这点众所周知。但即便如此，伊朗国内民众已疲惫绝望至极，甘愿奋战，只为摆脱这个罪恶政权。
尽管战争不会带来美好结局，我仍认同伊朗国内民众的立场——但前提是普通公民不应成为攻击目标。
正如美国与以色列总统在新闻中反覆声明，这场战争的敌人是伊斯兰共和国政权，而非伊朗人民。然而过去数日，我们目睹了直接或间接针对平民的攻击。
例如石油设施受袭——试想若无汽油，救护车与消防车无法运作、粮食耗尽，引发灾难。今日我亦听闻发电厂受袭，导致许多市民失去电力供应。
美国总统近期受访时，亦谈及重划伊朗版图，我必须强调这对所有伊朗人——无论身在国内外——都是不可逾越的红线。他更提及决定替代领导人选，此举同样不可接受，因为惟有伊朗人民才有权决定国家未来、治理方式及下任总统人选。
六、妳对伊朗有何期许？
伊莉：我期盼祖国获得自由与繁荣。我期盼有一天，伊朗能成为人民毋须为满足基本需求而离开家人或家乡的国度。我梦想建立一个宗教与政治分离、由有能者主导的国家。我期盼散居全球的伊朗人才皆能归回，协助恢复伊朗在47年之前的光辉岁月。伊朗本是全球最富饶的国度之一，无论人力或天然资源皆然。若非伊斯兰革命爆发，若我们能延续原有发展步伐，今日伊朗必跻身世界前5强之列。即便此刻，只要世界强权不再剥夺我们的权利，我相信那一天终将到来。
七、妳希望远方的人怎样为伊朗祈祷并采取哪些行动？
伊莉：我希望其他人协助我们的声音传遍全球。我希望他们要求以色列及美国保障平民生命财产安全，协助我们摆脱这个犯罪政权的统治。我希望他们尊重伊朗的领土完整，支持步向民主与人民所愿——同时避免任何不必要的干涉。
1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? When did you leave Iran?
I came to the United States almost two years ago on a student visa. Right now, I'm working in a laboratory.
2. I learnt that you cannot reach your family right now. Can you tell us which city are they living in, and if you have heard anything about the city through the news?
Yes, that's correct. Unfortunately, this is not the first time communication with Iran has been cut off. Whenever the Islamic Republic feels its power is threatened, it often shuts down the internet to prevent information from getting out of the country. This has happened many times before.
Because of that, many Iranians—including me—are left with a lot of stress and anxiety, trying to find any way possible to get even a small piece of news about our loved ones back home.
My entire family lives in Tehran, where many of the attacks have been happening. I keep following the news constantly, trying to figure out which parts of the city have been hit.
In the past few days, several fuel storage facilities were attacked, and some of them are close to where my family lives. You can't imagine the kind of moments I went through, just waiting and hoping to hear that my family was safe.
The explosions were so strong that even buildings farther away were damaged. Some people in nearby buildings were severely burned.
3. Have you heard anything from other friends currently in Iran? How're they doing?
I haven't heard from any of my friends. Only one or two family members, maybe, can get online for about five minutes a day using expensive VPNs, just enough to send a short message to let me know they're okay.
4. Have you talked to other Iranians outside the country since the war started?
Yes, in the city where I live, there’s a small Iranian community. We try to get together on weekends to share our concerns and pray for the future of Iran and our fellow Iranians.
For the past two months, every weekend we've also been holding demonstrations around the city to support the people of Iran and make sure the voices of Iranians are heard worldwide. We plan to continue these demonstrations until our country is free and enjoys democracy.
5. What do you think about the current situation? We hear in the news that some Iran diaspora think it's good that the US-Israel is trying to bring down the current Iran government. Do you share the same views?
Answering this question will be very long and detailed.
In my view, a large percentage of Iranians—both inside and outside the country, probably over 90%—want the Islamic Republic government to be overthrown, and this is clearly visible. However, there are different opinions on how this should happen.
Some believe it should be done without foreign intervention, but recent events show that this is nearly impossible, because any peaceful protest in Iran is met with bullets, torture, and imprisonment.
In the most recent peaceful demonstrations in Iran, over 35,000 people were killed in just two days by the Islamic Republic, and thousands have been arrested and tortured in prisons. Many have been executed or are waiting for execution, and men, women, and children in prison face sexual abuse.
Therefore, it's impossible to fight this regime empty-handed, and foreign assistance is needed. At the same time, foreign involvement or war brings destructive and harmful consequences, which are obvious to everyone. But despite all these consequences, the people inside Iran are so exhausted and desperate that they are willing to fight—just to be free from this criminal regime.
Although war does not bring pleasant outcomes, I align with the opinion of Iranians inside Iran—but only if ordinary citizens are not targeted.
As has been repeatedly stated by the Presidents of the U.S. and Israel in the news, this war is not against the Iranian people but against the Islamic Republic. However, in the past few days, we’ve seen attacks that have directly or indirectly targeted civilians.
For example, attacks on oil facilities—imagine if there’s no gasoline, ambulances and fire trucks cannot move, food runs out, and it causes a disaster. Today, I also heard that power plants were attacked, leaving many citizens without electricity.
In recent interviews, the U.S. president spoke about redrawing Iran's map, which I must say is a red line for all Iranians, inside and outside the country. He also mentioned deciding on alternative leadership options, which is also unacceptable, because it is the people of Iran who must decide the future of the country, how it is governed, and who their next president will be.
6. What do you hope for Iran?
My hope is for the freedom and prosperity of my country. I hope for a day when Iran is a place where people don’t have to leave their families or homeland just to meet basic needs. I dream of a country where religion is separate from politics and where meritocracy rules. I hope all the Iranian talents working around the world return home to help restore the country's glory to what it was before the past 47 years. Iran is one of the richest countries in the world, both in human and natural resources. If the Islamic Revolution had not happened and our progress had continued at the same pace, Iran would surely be among the top five countries in the world today. Even now, if the global powers don't take this right away from us, I believe that day will come.
7. What do you want people from afar to pray and do for Iran?
I want people to help make our voices heard around the world. I want them to ask Israel and the U.S. to protect the lives and property of civilians, and to help us be freed from this criminal regime. I want them to respect Iran's territorial integrity and support the path toward democracy and the will of the people—while preventing any unnecessary interference.
