Did Anyone See This Coming?
cour-age noun
-mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty.
-the ability to do something that frightens one. strength in the face of pain or grief.
We are surrounded by great acts of courage, in many shapes and forms, each day. It shows itself in many ways. A person battling a disease, mental illness or injury to refugees searching for a place to call home or soldiers fighting for a place that they call home. I have been inspired lately by an event unfolding in Iran and wanted to support these brave people and others who have shown great courage in the face of oppression.
I have spoken before of the power of the people. What can we do if we bonded together and put our energy towards a common goal? What could we not accomplish?
I am old enough to remember when the Shah fled Iran and the shift in power went to the Ayatollah Khomeini. This began a long period of conservative religious control in this country that we are seeing today. But make no mistake, the Shah was no benevolent leader himself. His "American puppet" regime had many serious flaws of its own. The Shah was also a leader that terrorized his people in many other ways. The people of Iran just traded one totalitarian regime for another. But maybe they are ready to throw off the yoke of this oppression.
The civil unrest in Iran began in mid September with the death of Mahsa Amini. She was 22 years old and arrested by something called the "Guidance Patrol" or "Morality Police" for wearing an "improper" hijab that showed too much hair. Witnesses claim she was severely beaten, an assertion denied by the "Morality Police”. She later died. This has sparked a massive and still growing protest of people against a strict clerical establishment in Iran.
Today is October 10, 2022 and the protests have grown to more than 80 cities. Thousands have gathered together to let their voices be heard that they no longer support this oppressive regime. Women, expected to be docile and serene are leading the way. They are publicly tearing off their hijabs and setting them on fire. Symbolically burning the "yoke" that holds them down. They have started cutting their hair in another defiant act of symbolism and to support Mahsa Amini. What's more, women all over the world are following suit to support their sisters in Iran.
But these acts of courage come at a cost. Government forces have been ordered to "severely confront troublemakers and anti-revolutionaries." To date over 150 people have died as police and soldiers put down these demonstrations. Over 1200 people have been arrested including western journalists. Both of these statistics include men, women and children. These numbers have been released by Iran Human Rights out of Norway and contradict much smaller numbers released by state officials. One of the most dangerous areas is Zahedan, where some of the highest death counts have occurred. The brutal crackdown by police has included live ammunition, metal pellets and tear gas.
One of the latest cases of "Morality Police" abuses occurred on September 20, 2022 with Nika Shakarami. She was just 16 years old. One of her last communications was to send a message to a friend to say that she was being followed by the police. Nika had not been seen or heard from again for the next 10 days. Authorities allege that she went into a building under construction and workers may have pushed her from one of the upper floors. Her body was found there the next day. The Regime claims her injuries as being consistent with a fall from a tall height. The family disputes this as her mother tells a different story. She states that a forensic report describes her daughter as being killed by blunt force trauma to the head. The BBC was also able to confirm that she was killed by "multiple injuries caused by blows with a hard object".
We need to stand with the people of Iran. It starts with stopping the dialogue about possible sanctions and making them a reality. Stories and videos are still getting out of Iran, despite the government's efforts to control social media and the internet. I hope the woman and men there are able to see the outpouring of support from other people, particularly women, from around the world.
We need to stand with and support these brave, courageous souls.
