While the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after being arrested for improperly wearing her hijab is the spark that lit the fuse of recent Iranian protests, this explosion into the streets has been bubbling under the surface for decades.
Now, the Islamic government of Iran has turned on its own people with violent crackdowns as individuals across the country vent their disgust at the government’s brutality, plunging Iran into the throes of a crisis unprecedented in this century. We’ve watched the Iranian government brutally suppress young protesters, killing more than 200 people and arresting hundreds more.
But to reduce these protests down to women’s attire is to dismiss 43 years of relentless violations of Iranians’ human rights. The corruption of the Islamic government and its heavy-handed theocratic policies are to blame for so many of Iran’s problems – economic, political, and otherwise – and this is the heart of today’s protest. Iranian theocracy is crumbling because of the very policies the Islamic government has used in trying to enforce it. What the international community has failed to do to dislodge Iran’s Islamist government from power with 40-plus years of resistance, and more recently through sanctions, Iran’s leaders are doing to themselves as they alienate their own people.
I can attest on a very personal level that the corruption and oppression from the Iranian government has gone on too long. As a student in Iran in the late 1970s, I participated in many protests similar to what the students are doing now. In September 1978, the Shah army opened fire on a group of protesters, killing and wounding hundreds. My wife also faced death twice during this season of protest, but thankfully survived. My brother, however, did not. He was arrested at the young age of 16 for a minor political charge, and after two years in jail, was executed by a firing squad. These stories mirror today’s headlines. This violence and disregard for the lives of the Iranian people has gone on too long. It is time for change.
Over the last few years, Iranian protests have increasingly erupted over long-time grievances
stemming from the unfulfilled promises following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The new government promised social justice, freedom and democracy, and independence from the political oppression of the previous regime. However, more than four decades later, Islam operates in stark contrast to those early aspirations of the revolution.
These protests were primed in small part by economic distress, but ultimately this upheaval is about suppressed anger and a desperate need for hope.
Historically, the Iranian government has responded to the people’s outcries with blatant disregard and violence at the slightest dissent. There is outrage among young people, particularly women, who are disgusted by Iran’s corrupt government and no longer willing to be controlled and mistreated. They’ve had enough.
The people protesting in the streets of Iran have one common goal: an end to the Islamic regime. The problem isn’t just forced head coverings or economic conditions but rather a lack of free expression, inhumane killings, plundering of wealth, discrimination, unfair trials and funding of global terrorism. In fact, with no freedom of the press, covert satellite TV broadcasts such as ours have provided a lifeline of hope to Iranians surrounded by chaos, and we hope have been an encouragement to them that they have the support of the international community.
If we want to see change in Iran, we need to look beyond sanctions and listen instead to those who are suffering the consequences of this oppressive government: women, ethnic and religious minorities including Christians, young people, students and others who feel silenced by Islam.
And we must encourage our government NOT to ratify a new U.S.-Iran nuclear deal, which would only create further havoc. The Iran nuclear deal was created to persuade the Iranian government to give up its nuclear ambitions—through which it would seek to destroy Israel and the United States—in exchange for ending the sanctions and billions of dollars in straight-up cash incentives from the U.S. government.
The Islamist government of Iran already has demonstrated a total lack of concern for its own people, as it has consistently put sponsorship of lethal terrorism across the world before the care of the Iranian people. A cash pipeline in the form of renewed oil revenues and U.S. payments would only make a terrible situation even worse—and give Iran the means to fulfill its nuclear ambitions.
We can stand with the people of Iran by exercising our freedoms to call on our government to forego a new nuclear deal. Reach out to your representatives and let them know the American people stand with the Iranian protestors in demanding freedom from oppression and an end to these blatant human rights violations. We must explore every avenue for coming to the aid of the Iranian people against the oppressive theocratic Islamic regime.
I had the honor of interviewing Dr.. Shariat on TV. His work is worthy of support and the Iranian people deserve US attention
Those protest engaged in by the people of Iran are right and righteous. For the tyrannical Islamic regime is cruelly oppressive in many very brutal hostile and murderous ways.
The Iranian people do have every right to rise up and overthrow that horrendous Islamic tyranny which terribly abuses them and denies then their basic human rights and reasonable personal freedoms and establish a real genuine government.
This is their nature right by, common sense and even explained that very intelligent men, who many Iranians in their quest for freedom might not even know about, as the British philosopher, John Locke.
A former Muslim who revealed an important reality when he wrote “The Islamic republic of Iran exists and operates as what every fundamentalist dreams of an Islamic state ruled by sharia …” He further exposes that “What followed its establishment was the inevitable consequence and inexorable logic of its Islamic premise; state terrorism, a merciless tyranny.” [1]
Those two words that author used “merciless tyranny” to describe that vicious cruel brutal oppressive Islamic and murderous Islamic tyrannical regime is both appropriate and fitting. Just look at those brutal horrendous malicious murders by the state Islamic police and of so many Iranians who are justly and rightly protesting the severe human rights abuses cruelty and oppression of that tyrannical Islamic regime.
Indeed, the tyrants of Khamenei and Raisi are very guilty and have the blood of many innocent people on their wicked hands.
[1] THE ISLAM IN ISLAMIC TERRORISM by Ibn Warraq page 347.
Good for those brave and courageous people of Iran who are standing up against that hostile brutal cruel and murderous Islamic tyrannical regime of Iran.
The real reason that President/tyrant Rasis is using a strong police and military might to come down hard in a bloody crackdown of brutal cruel vicious force isn’t to keep order in the Islamic regime but to ruthlessly and maliciously murder and terrible harm the brave and courageous Iranian people who are protesting against that horrendous tyranny that they are forced to exist under, for this tyrannical hostile regime denies them their basic and natural human rights.
Another that horrific and deadly might is used on the protesters is because to claim of “keeping order” is only and excuse in inflict misery bloodshed death and further oppression on the people is explained in the wise saying which is “Evil is always looking for an excuse” Evil is what Rasis, and his oppressive regime really and truly are.
The Iranian people who trapped in and forced to exist in the Islamic dictatorship might not know about the intellect philosopher John Locke, but his ideas do apply to them. For Mr. Locke taught that any good government has the duty to ensure the security and safety of its citizens. Yet when a tyranny is the people in the tyrannical government do have every natural and ethical right to overthrow that terrible and oppressive tyranny/ government.
The vicious murder of teenage girls by those thugs in uniform who are the Islamic “police’ of that abomination of a tyranny of Iran is a most unconscionable evil of that misogyny filled Islamic tyranny of Iran.
That cruel vicious murder of those young girls by the hooligan “police” of that Islamic tyranny is the result of that anti-female religion of Islam.
As revealed by a scholar of Islam who revealed in her book “Control of behavior and disregard for human life are key elements in Islam ideology.” Furthermore, the author also exposed that `” Women is Islam are considered unclean, deemed inferior even to dirt.” [1]
[1] THEY MUST BE STOPPED by Brigitte Gabriel, pages 171,172.
That brutal cruel oppressive misogynistic as well as murderous tyrannical Islamic regime of Iran is based on Sharia denies basic human rights is viciously harsh on all people, especially girls and women. For Sharia supports forcing women to wear the hijab.
So, it should be made known that the actual origin of Sharia is revealed in a Time –Life book with the title MESOPOTAMIA: THE MIGHTY KINGS copyright 1995. The point is this what an outright liar Rasis is, for he said that he is “a defender of human rights.” For that future history book about the ancient pagan world of Mesopotamia informs the reader that “many Islamic laws resemble the Babylon and Assyrian forebears.” . page 150.
Therefore Sharia has no value or worth.
The terribly oppressed people of the Islamic Republic of Iran need to read, understand and know the wisdom of the philosopher, John Locke. For he with reason and logic made it known about the importance of basic human rights and if a tyrannical government abuses and even denies human rights, the people existing under that tyranny have every, just, right to overthrow that dictatorship.
Of course, in power in that brutal and cruel will strive to keep the people ignorant about the wisdom of Locke and of other intelligent writers from the age of the enlightenment.
This is because cruel and oppressive tyrant, Rasis, of Iran wants to stay in his brutal tyrannical power.
That dictator, Raisi along with others in power of terrible in that brutal cruel vicious tyranny terrible oppress and terrorize the people who are trapped and forced to exist in that tyrannical regime by its Revolutionary Guards, who are in reality, bands of government thugs, in uniform, and tools of that hideous regime of Iran.
Therefore, the Iranian people trapped and forced to exist in that awful tyrannical regime do have every right to overthrow that despicable and oppressive tyranny.
The Iranian people are are engaging in bitter and strong protests against those cruel malicious and murderous tyrants in power of that cruel and opressive Sharia based dictatorship of that Islamic regime of Iran,
In other words , those vicious despots of that horrendously horrific Islamic regime have provoked the people way too far.