Fearless Iranian Blogger Threatened by Nusra, Vows to Continue Work

The work of Iranian blogger and international affairs analyst Mani Mehrabi, known inside Iran for his commentaries on the counter-terrorism operation in Syria, has not gone unnoticed by the jihadists. The official website of the Nusra Front has announced a manhunt on the political scientist; he responded by vowing to continue his work.

A regular commentator for Sputnik Persian, Mehrabi gave the Sputnik affiliate his thoughts on the jihadists' declaration.

"In general," Mehrabi said, "most new terrorist recruits groups are recruited among uneducated and illiterate people, who do not have accurate or correct information about what is happening in the region. When terrorist groups gain access to sources of information, they react to it with hostility, thinking it to be out of line with their interests."

"This is not the first time that terrorists have declared a manhunt against me. Other groups swearing their allegiance to Daesh have resorted to similar methods. But this time the effort looks much larger and more serious, since the threat is coming from a fairly large terrorist group – the Nusra Front," (which serves as Al-Qaeda's franchise in Syria).

The commentator recalled that "at a time when the internet activity of Daesh missionaries has weakened, other terrorists are coming in to fill the void. And since many countries do not recognize groups such as the Nusra Front and Jaish al-Fatah as terrorists, their online propaganda is gaining momentum."

Despite the threats, Mehrabi emphasized that he would not be silenced. He will not abandon his views, said that he has only been inspired to work more diligently.

"After this event, I can say with confidence that I have chosen the right path – since my work results in such a reaction. So I'm going to hold the line and will write with even greater vigor. The attacks in my directions by terrorists demonstrate that they fear the truth that I'm writing about."

In any case, the commentator noted, there is nothing surprising about these types of threats.

"Such pressure and threats are used all over the world. Naturally, Iranian experts, researchers and bloggers who cover important topics such as the fight against terrorism face similar threats. But I doubt that such threats could change or stop these kinds of journalistic activities. After all, we should not expect anything else but threats of violence and terror from groups like the Nusra Front, Daesh, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Therefore, it's not just me personally; other active bloggers, journalists and researchers also risk such threats against their lives."