The recent protests in Iran have been making the news across the globe, and while many networks and news stories have been focused solely on the brutal death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, her death is only the highlight of the whole story. Truth be told, the nation has been ripe for an uprising for decades.
As the Islamic government cracks down like never before on their people, Iran is heading into a crisis the likes of which have not been seen this century. With over 200 people dead for speaking out against the regime, and hundreds in jail, the revolution is grossly changing the way the country looks at its leadership. It’s no longer just about Islamic law.
To boil down 43 years of oppression and dictatorship down to the death of one woman is oversimplifying the situation at best. The corruption of the Islamic government has been far overreaching since its inception, and the people of Iran have been trapped under the forceful thumb of the Islamic leadership. By keeping the people so limited, the country has sacrificed anything good for nothing but problems economically, politically, and otherwise.
By using Islamic “law” to rule their people and enforce their will, the people are instead choosing to abandon this theocracy. They cannot stay going along with this concept, and they are tired of being oppressed while gaining nothing. As a result, the leadership of Iran is now being rejected instead of embraced, and by making Islam the reason for their decision-making, the people feel no choice but to reject Islam along with their leadership.
In the late 1970s, there were numerous protests against the idea of Islamic leadership taking over the country. In September 1978 the Shah army opened fire on a group of these protestors. Hundreds were killed and wounded. This marked the true turning point of the country and the beginning of the Islamic revolution in Iran. The protests we have been seeing in 2022 are eerily similar to those.
Long-time grievances from the 1979 uprising of the Islamic Revolution are the core of the current protests that far too many overlook. The promise of social justice, reforms, democracy, and freedom from the political opposition of the previous regime made this revolution attractive to many. Now, many realize that much like the liberal’s attempts to rise to power, these promises have gone unfulfilled. They are left with their hand out, and nothing to come their way.
The Iranians, also share the troubles of economic distress, because the revolution didn’t deliver economically as it had promised. Instead, the message of giving it all to Allah was the idea behind keeping their people oppressed. If they had no money, they could not revolt. If they cannot revolt, they will stay faithful to Islam, and Islamic law.
With no free press, no free expression, horrific “honor killings” taking place daily, and thoroughly censored media, it is incredibly difficult to gather the people who yearn to be free. A simple message proclaiming how much better it was before, and how good freedom is would result in death for the person or persons distributing it. Thankfully, with today’s technology, covert satellite feeds can spread the message of the rebels and organize them against the oppressive regime.
Should Biden sign another US-Iran nuclear deal, he is only serving to co-sign with the oppressive regime. Considering the last time it resulted in the US giving them a massive sum of cash to stop making nukes, only for them to only stop for a short time, this would be a horrific move. For now, the regime will continue its oppressive ways, and the Iranian people will be left with the short end of the stick. Hopefully, they will find the freedom they yearn for, and this should serve as an example to the “oppressed” left in the US as to what real oppression looks like.
