Iran in Turmoil
The following are excerpts from an NPR article that was written by Leila Fadez and published on 11/23/2022. These brave men and women protesting the religious authoritarian regime, in Iran, have fought for months to be able to live a life that they feel is worth living. Working around Iran’s internet blackout these courageous souls send voice memos trying to explain why they protest. And more importantly why they don’t give up in the face of persecution, assaults and possible death if they are caught. I was so moved by two accounts that I wanted to just pass them on for readers to digest.
This first account is from a 19-year-old student.
As she listens and translates these messages, Fadel, tells us that this young woman apologizes for her cough. Not from Covid or the flu but from inhaling too much tear gas when she started demonstrating.
“I’m a teenage girl. And I want a future. I want happiness. I want a good life. I want a good home, good car, good – I don’t know – husband maybe. I cannot have a better future in this country, in this situation. So I think it’s for freedom. It’s for have a better future. It’s for have a better days. We don’t have them. So I just want a happiness and I don’t have it. No one have it.”
“If I want to describe these protests to you, its like a war none of you have ever seen. On the news, I see my brothers and sisters are taken away, killed and raped. I’ve seen boys and girls arrested in the most brutal way. Unfortunately, there is nothing we could do because they are the ones with the weapons.”
“It is so, so sad for me as a young woman to prefer to be killed by them than to be arrested, because I know what dark fate is awaiting me and what horrible things will happen to me if I am arrested.”
“I don’t know how you’re hearing us. I don’t know how you are seeing us. And I don’t know whether you really care or not. But if you do, help us any way you can. Do something that we are not forgotten. If we don’t have a voice outside Iran, we will get killed.”
This next quote is from a retired 63 year old retired principle.
“We Iranians are protesting for this regime to go.”
Fadel states: “(Our student above) is worried security forces will rape her if she is arrested. This type of violence against protestors is one reason they’re asking for wholesale regime change, not a few reforms. It’s why the retired principle is back in the streets day after day.”
“I believe all the revolutions in the world that have happened and have been successful, it was because of unity and continuing and not giving up. I won’t give up. And we’ll continue until we get what we want, which is a normal life.”
Please look up this article if you can. The stories are so inspirational and deserve to be repeated throughout the world. Let’s all stand with the woman of Iran.
