IRNA – Iranian NASA scientist Firouz Naderi who along with engineer Anousheh Ansari, another Iranian national, accepted Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s Academy Award, has responded to ‘an avalanche of trash by professional mudslingers’, criticizing him for his approach at the ceremony.

“Since Oscar night an avalanche of trash by professional mudslingers has hit my public Facebook page,” Naderi who has worked on the search for Earth-like planets and led the Mars Exploration Program for NASA, wrote on Facebook.

“Some are now confused as to who I really am,” Naderi wrote.
“This write-up — a stream of consciousness — is not for those who know me well, or for the people who have an agenda and whose mind will not change.”

“It is for those good people who have read some of the trash being written, are confused and expect me to clarify.”

“So, here you have it. This is who I am. If you like it fine, if you don’t too bad – I am not here to impress you.”

“Being Persian is part of my history, and being an American is part of my identity and the two are irretrievably intermixed — like an egg that once scrambled, you cannot separate the yolk from the white.”

“America is my country, and Iran is my homeland. And how blessed I am to be rooted in an ancient civilization with a rich culture, and at the same time a proud American living in this young nation.”

Naderi then went on to clarify some of his political stances, including his views on the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“Did I support Obama’s nuclear deal agreement with Iran? Yes I did. Good for both countries,” he said.

“Do I support bombing Iran? Hell no. If my family was taken hostage in my own home, I would not burn down the building to get rid of the hostage takers. There are those who support such action, but I think they have forfeited their right to be called Iranians,” he said.

“I am not a member of the NIAC [National Iranian American Council] organization – not because I think there is anything wrong with them. I am just not a member or active in their organization.”

Naderi, who moved to the United States in 1964, also said that he is not supporting President Trump and his policies.

“Did I support Donald Trump? No. I am a liberal democrat. I voted in the primaries for Bernie Sanders,” he wrote.

“Do I support Trump’s travel ban? No I do not. It is not good for America,” he added.

Commenting on the reason for accepting to represent Farhadi at the 89th Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood, Naderi said that the film by the Iranian filmmaker was a brilliant one, nominated for an Oscar long before Trump’s ban on Muslim migration.

“Why did I accept to represent Mr. Farhadi at the Oscars? I saw the movie. I thought it was brilliant. It won several awards at the Cannes film festival long before Trump was president, and It was nominated for an Oscar long before Trump’s executive order,” he said.

“So, it was not a political statement by the Oscars,” he added.

The NASA scientist also said that appearing on the Oscar stage did not mean to provide him with a chance to express his own personal views.

“This was not my moment, it was Mr. Farhadi’s moment and it was his statement,” he said.

“The allotted time by the Academy was 45 seconds.”

“Why do I talk politics on social media when I have not studied political science? I think those who ask this question are people who have not lived in a democracy. It is a responsibility of each citizen to engage in political affairs of the country – in my case America.”