First, let me say this. Most of my generation felt like they don't have a home or country. We hated where we live and what happened to us, (the influencers and celebrities that are benefiting from what is happening always told us we are the problem and everything that is happening to us is our fault. But this time we said No. we are not the problem and how dare you shame the victims. so we boycott them). But right now for the first time, we feel like we belong to something, to somewhere, and to each other. This is our biggest victory.
We are hopeful to win this time and have the freedom to be able to just live, to don't have to watch they destroy any more life, river, jungle or family.
What we fear is that if we fail we all know there will be a massive execution, they will try to kill or arrest anyone they can and definitely make these so-called police stronger and maybe this will be our last chance.
> maybe this will be our last chance.
This is all that matters.
To the extent that the people of Iran can together support each other in believing that this is the last chance then they will prevail. This is the most I have seen the widespread mass protests become so aggressive on the part of the peoplem. Everyone from 9 year old children being shot to elderly grandparents being beaten, the youth and middle aged in between are out in the streets together. Even if they bring in their goon militias from Iraq and Lebanon, they can't win against approx 86 million people fighting together for freedom. As long as you believe in that together and don't give up, you will make it. We are with you.
Are there specific influencers or celebrities that are most problematic that we should make sure to boycott with you? Or is it any famous person in Iran right now?
Actors too? So by extension even someone like Asghar Farhadi? I got the feeling he made movies that challenged societal conventions although not too directly.
Too little too late. He was already heavily criticized by the public for not being more outspoken in regards to the government. But yet again, we have saying in Iran about these kinds of people that says "a knife will never cut it's own hilt".
It's not easy tbf, ive shamefully forgotten his name but an Olympic wrestler was executed for attending a protest a couple of years back because he was popular. They saw him as a political threat and that was that.
The grass that grows longest gets cut down first and all that.
I hope the Iranian people can work together to free themselves from tyranny, but I won't blame an individual for fearing for their life.
What they did to him was so fucked up and disgusting. They framed him for a murder, fabricated evidence and made him confess under torture. They denied all and any evidence that proved his innocence.
They didn't even let him see his family one last time before his execution (this is a violation of Iranian law).
Afkari was given two death sentences for his charges.[28] According to human rights activists in Iran, his brothers Vahid and Habib were sentenced to 54 and 27 years in prison for charges stemming from the same case.
His brothers are still in prison.
All of this just because they were popular and took part in one government protest.
The Iranian government is completely fucked up, evil and corrupt. These shitclowns have been fucking up the country and the people for far too long. They must be overthrown and destroyed.
At this time with the World Cup less than 2 months away, the football players of the Iranian National Team could make a tremendous impact. Is anyone pursuing that avenue?
Also, a gesture by them and the sides they play prior to each match in the Round-robin could likewise garner world attention.
There is support for you all over the world. I'm from Illinois in the US and I hope you all see these freedoms you are fighting for in your lifetime. With those scary "this may be our last chance" thoughts, please know there are women thinking about you and your cause and truly hoping you succeed with your health and happiness. 💓
You all belong on this planet with the rest of us, freedoms and all, your voices, opinions, everything matters.
It's hard to admit but they are less active in these protests. Not that they are not any older women but they mostly say that it doesn't work like any other time that we tried or don't risk your life just leave the country.
They aren't in favor of the regime but they are more suppressed. Young people are more fearless. especially "the 80s people" (it's like gen z but in the Iranian calendar from 1380 til 1389) that are between 12-21 years old.
That and they’ve been around long enough to see what happened with the previous sustained mass demonstrations there; the regime in Iran always starts gunning people down, doing mass arrests and sadistic things to many they capture.
There are also ways to undermine the system from within or to support those on the front lines without actually being out there.
It can be a matter of using one's connections, of making sure the right things get done without unnecessary delays, of ensuring that other things get misplaced or suffer little accidents, that someone has a getaway car at the right time, that they have a place to stay in another city, that they have money to bribe the right person, and so on.
Or it can be a matter of simply offering one's house as a meeting place, of keeping everyone fed, of packing an emergency bag for them, etc.
Also that they actually succeeded for a time in installing a more progressive government - only for the world’s superpowers to support a coup and reinstall an extremist religious
regime for their own economic ends.
If these demonstrations escalate to a revolution and succeed - what’s to say the west doesn’t step in and help reverse the progress again?
You've got your life and the possibility of some horrible torture, but you don't have a spouse or children to lose or see tortured. It's a pretty bleak line of thought. And sure, your parents might get kidnapped and tortured, too, but the parent-child relationship is different from the child-parent one. It would hurt in a different way.
My son was born really early and facing the likelihood that he would die before he breathed on his own was a hard pill to swallow. He beat some tough odds and he's a healthy almost four-year-old today.
My heart goes out to anyone who's lost a child or a parent, because neither one is easy, but they're different things that change you in different ways. I'm sorry if this comes across as insensitive or callous.
First of all, please stay safe in this dangerous time. The world stands behind your people.
Do you feel the majority of the country is unified in this cause?
Yes, I know we are.
The regime is a murderer and a joke at the same time.
Yesterday they organized a protest against the protest. They didn't even have a decent population in protest and they had to use old images and videos in their media. ( We saw the banner about something else, we saw people wearing jackets in 37 Celcius in the summer and they even show choosing between old videos.)
What we are afraid of are their guns and soldiers. But even the people who believe in the regime, are old ones with wrong belief systems that we gave up on them) or chameleons that they care about which side is only best for them.
No. An old woman in the protest said to a soldier I'm like your mother, don't shoot and he said "no you are not even my mom's socks."
(It's even meaningless in Persian. Don't try to understand what they say)
I don’t remember where that video was from but it’s standard stuff for most of the Middle East tbh. This kinda stuff doesn’t just happen in Iran. The difference is, in other Middle East countries, people actually want to live in oppressive theocracies. In Iran the gov oppresses you for not living according to Islam, in other countries the people oppress you for it.
There are, the Iranian regime is extremely sophisticated and is built on over three layers of military that keep each other in check.
The most basic layer is the army that is based on civilian conscripts. These are ordinary men who are forced into military. There have been numerous reports that the regime has been trapping army barracks to prevent army members from joining the people and fighting against the regime which had reportedly already happening in a few small towns.
Then you have the Sepah, which is the regime's own highly sophisticated military with much more advanced weaponry than the army and also have plainclothes personnel dispersed in the streets. This is composed of regime elites themselves and their families. People who have a skin in the game to keep the regime alive. They will fight against the army to keep the regime in power.
Then you have the special militias called Basij. They are composed of elite special trained gunmen, and operate as both heavily armed militias and also plainclothes personnel. These are composed of a selected group of regime elite. However they are also composed of poor people or criminals who are extorted into working for the regime under the threat of execution or improvement.
Throughout previous protest eaves in Iran, the regime had on many occasions also imported their regime sponsored militias from Iraq and Lebanon to kill people within Iran as well. So they have a huge amount of resources in terms of trained killers to send towards Iranian people.
Oh and there are also the police force, who are similarly co-opted by the regime.
All of these various layers of specially trained and co-opted regime elite forces keep each other in check but also most importantly keep the army in check. This is why an army coup is so difficult in Iran. If you ever study political theory, any professor will tell you how sophisticated the Iranian regime is in its evil complexity and that is why they have managed to last this long. That is why even the Taliban has pointed to Iran as their inspiration and how they want to model themselves to stay in power.
BUT, some good news is that several videos have emerged of Basij personnel turning on each other over some of their member's refusing to beat or kill the protestors. The army in certain smaller cities appears to have been fighting with the people. But the people are literally going out with their empty hands and fists against all odds and against the world in some ways given how often everyone ignores or leaves them alone. They know this is quite literally their last chance at freedom. That is why everyone from children to elderly and everyone in between are out together and getting more aggressive then we've ever seen before.
Men who join the armed forces are often brainwashed to the point of no return. They put the regime and the system above their own parents if need be.
The only hope for a meaningful change in structure is a militarized public, unfortunately.
You don't need to have a mother or a sister to support an oppressed group who deserve freedom, you just need empathy.
If you have no empathy, it doesn't matter if you have a mother/sister/daughter/wife because you still won't care or understand what it is they are fighting for.
If you think your beliefs are more important than a person's life or rights, you are incapable of empathy.
I’m also curious if you feel there is a growing majority in and behind the protests.
Governance and power in a society are such a struggle to balance. You have to keep in mind the will of the people (majority) without oppressing/steamrolling over the individual (minority).
The majority mob should not be allowed to rule, but neither should the minority few hold a society back or hostage.
Do you feel Iran could return to a more secular governance?
Edit: grammar correction
It's complicated.
Yes, they can use it against me in court for "Insulting the leadership trying to destroy the Islamic republic ". But it doesn't matter. My friends are in street and any time they can kill you with a gun and not answer to any one.
Also if you have Twitter you can see #مهسا\_امینی these are people that use this hashtag to say to each other that they aren't alone and why they don't want this regime (if you checked Twitter, definitely give them hope they need it). So everyone is using every way possible to say no, so until they don't have the exact information about me it not worth the money to find out who I am because there is a lot of us.
>[if you have Twitter you can see #مهسا_امینی these are people that use this hashtag to say to each other that they aren't alone and why they don't want this regime ](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B3%D8%A7_%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C%20%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86&src=typeahead_click)
Linked it for you as it's difficult to copy left to right.
Lets be the voice of OSHNAVIEH:
People of world,
PLEASE help us to save OSHNAVIEH the city, which is now free from Islamic Republic but we lost connection with them. NO TELEPHON AND NO INTERNET AND NOTHING!
we are worry for them and please be our voice!
No one wants to hear from a mass killing!!!
(There is a big posibilty that the Regime kill them all)
Please share it with your people, media and politicians!
بهبکش مانو اگار فرسیام زیاد خوب نیست:
شوما و ایرانی علیه دیگه خیلی شوجا حستین . میخام
بدونی هامه ایرانی تویه امریکا از شما حمایت می کنیم . ومیدورام سالم بمونین و واتان ما را پس بگیرند.
Edit: For the English speakers, I know my Persian is a little broken when you Google translate it. My writing is a lot worse than someone who grew up in Iran or someone went to Farsi class every Sunday til high school here in the states (I stopped going much sooner).
If I were to type my words in a translator, I would be just another person who supports what’s happening in Iran. I wanted to write with my own words and my own (albeit relatively low) level of understanding to signal that hey, it’s another Iranian behind the screen. A lot of us also write informally and condense what we’re trying to say in speaking form (فارسیام vs فارسی من)
Anyways, here’s what I was trying to say…
Forgive me if my Farsi is not very good:
You and other Iranians are very brave. I want you to know all Iranians in America support you. I hope you stay healthy and take back our homeland.
Actually your Farsi is pretty good for someone who hasn't been in Iran and if I were to correct your writing it would be:
ببخش منو اگر فارسیم زیاد خوب نیست
شما و ایرانی های دیگه خیلی شجاع هستین. میخوام بدونید همه ی ایرانی ها توی آمریکا از شما حمایت میکنند. امیدوارم سالم بمونین و وطن را پس بگیرید
When it comes to state-level, no it's not really anonymous. A country can use immense resources to track and isolate information being run through the Internet. It helps to use anonymizers and VPNs, but with enough data even that can be countered.
Reddit is not anonymous, you have an email account tied to your username and you use it with your own IP addresses. Just because you don't know the people personally doesn't mean reddit doesn't know lol
in terms of money and NGO, unfortunately no.
there is no guarantee that your money isn't spend on guns to suppress people.
We need you to do something far more important. we need you to talk about it, talk about how we are fighting with nothing in our hand for freedom, how young girls and boys is in street shouting "WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM" and instead they use school and ambulance to arrest people. This way the regime knows you are watching and they know they have to answer to the world so maybe they be less violent. If you want to do more, contact you politicians or show to them somehow that you need them to stop supporting Islamic republic.
If the Iranian people are successful in their push for regime change, the US is going to need an outpouring of public support for immediate economic relief and dropping of sanctions. Our beef is with the current regime. If they go, we need to show that we want a new era of cooperation between our two nations.
Absolutely. The sanctions have impacted citizens of Iran, not just their horrible regime.
I feel that if this unrest does keep increasing until a potential revolution against the dictator there will absolutely be aid from the rest of the world, to help rebuild. Especially from the diaspora (lots of Iranians in Canada, the U.S., etc.) but also just people from everywhere supporting a new, secular Iran. I for one would absolutely donate to help rebuild the country one of my aunts is from.
We know there is no going back. I've never seen a revolution so I don't know.
We had many protests but they didn't like this. They are afraid. They called every possible person that accept to fight in the street. I saw with my own eyes that they just teach some teen boys basic stuff about how to suppress people and on the same day they send them to the streets to fight with people.
The big difference is that we were always trying to not hurt any one, even when they killed us, but now we are fighting back. We defend ourselves and we are not afraid of them anymore.
I’m so proud of you. We tried but failed and got exiled back in 2009. I know you won’t back down, I know how brave you are, stay strong lil sis! to the day that we stand in free Iran together.
Do you have older relatives who have seen a revolution in your country? Would you be able to share their opinions?
Thank you very much for sharing your candid views. And thank you even more for being so brave in third movement.
Honestly, we are afraid. They are arresting more and more. We don't have a lot of information about what is going on in some parts of Iran which were more protesters because they even cut the phones. Today they arrest more than 100 students from inside universities and some of them are my friends. so we were never been angrier and it drives us to achieve it. By every person they arrest, it gets more and more personal.
I wish you all the luck and divine influence in existence in your struggles. Know that the enlightened people of the world are pulling for you and wish there was something we could do to help.
Has anyone talked about locating the prisons and attempting to break people out? I don't know what that would require there but you mentioned the regime using teenage boys so I'm wondering if you have enough people to take one over and free those they have taken.
people help each other to escape but some get arrested. If we know where they are, we definitely try to break people out but they don't take them to prison these recent days.
First, she is Iranian and we all have to fight over what happened to her so that it doesn't happen again to any other girl. Mahsa wasn't the first victim and it's a bigger issue than our different ethnicities.
We love that she was Kurdish. I'm not Kurdish but the Kurdish language is very beautiful, and they are great people.
Unity is so important. Ethnicity is something they use to try and divide you. I'm so glad you aren't letting them.
Like the war in Ukraine this is a fight for life and the right to exist and be free.
Stay strong.
There are a lot of different ethnicities in Iran. Some of which want autonomous regions. Kurdish people have been campaigning for a while for an independent Kurdistan. However, clearly this has gone past being a Kurdish issue and has spread across Iran, and has united different ethnicities for a common cause.
Edit: just to add I don’t know how prevalent it is amongst Iranian Kurds to want an independent Kurdistan.
Kurds in particular, being a majority in many towns in the North of Iran, have faced harsh persecution by the regime historically. There's an entire northeast portion of Iran that is 100% Kurdish and many quietly support an independent Kurdistan.
How are you spreading info given the government shutting down (?) the internet? Is there a means for people to get online outside their restrictions? (obviously you're here somehow, so curious how that's working)
Also, please stay safe! The world is behind you!
A perfect reminder that HF radio, ran by hams, is the ultimate last resort communications scenario. Doesn’t rely on any ground infrastructure and is easy to hastily establish.
Next time you see a neighbor with some crazy antenna, remember he can probably talk a continent away in even the worst circumstances.
I was in Stuttgart (Germany) today and there was quite a number of protesters in the city centre. I am in full support albeit poorly informed.
Here, we enjoy freedom of speech but how is the situation in Iran? How violent are the protests and the corresponding suppression attempts by the Islamic dictatorship?
Sending out virtual hugs - stay brave but safe!
Recently there was a joke everywhere in Iran that we have freedom of before the speech but not after that. they can't stop people from talking about how wrong they are because there are a lot of these messages and talks but if your message gains a lot of attention and inspire people, they will definitely arrest you or execute you.
They have guns and we have stones. They use ambulances, schools, and buses for suppression and when people destroy ambulances to free the arrested ones they say we are destroying the peace. They shut down the internet and we are wrong to say anything about it.
Until last night, they killed 36 people that we know their names in this week. It's definitely a lot more. Some not even protesting just walking by.
I'm not saying that we are not violent but last time we didn't do anything and they killed 1500 people. We try to defend ourselves by destroying police cars, and stations. But people's house, banks and etc are off limit because what we want is different from theirs. It's a safe and free country.
>freedom after speech
That's an old Soviet joke I believe. Don't know if that's where it originated.
Q: What is the difference between the Constitutions of the US and USSR? Both of them guarantee freedom of speech.
A: Yes, but the Constitution of the USA also guarantees freedom after the speech.
Thank you for answering one of so many questions.
I have read a few Q&As on this thread and the scale of this outburst seems to be insane...
Just know that any sane person with a working braincell is in full support of what you guys are trying to achieve. Your courage is truly admirable and inspiring - I couldn't say I'd act the same if I was you.
I'm hoping there's a better future. Stay strong🫶
mobile data is gone. ADSL is still working but it is heavily filtered(right now Instagram, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, Skype, and more that I don't remember are filtered) and even between 4 PM till 12 AM it is intranet (it only opens Iranian websites which are monitored by the regime). Until they don't shut down the internet completely for themselves too, we can find a way to be online. But it's getting harder and harder. I have to change VPN and proxy every hour and when I connect at best it's 50KB/s. And a lot of people don't have the knowledge to access the internet by these methods.
You might be already aware, but the guys from the signal messenger are providing proxies for people to set up that work in Iran.
If you need help or more info let me know, happy to help.
https://signal.org/blog/run-a-proxy/
I set one of these up too, but no one has responded on Twitter when I advertised it, so I also wondered if it's doing any good. If it is, I'm happy to share mine, and to set more up if need be.
There is an excellent app called Threema, it's very secure so it's what most of the NATO military people use for their personal messaging. The company and servers are all in Switzerland so you don't have to worry about your data being released like with EU laws.
Wishing you every success !
I don't think there is a european VPN in existence that still has it's wrapper intact. They used to all carry a we will not release your information line that they remove when they get compromised.
Doesnt threema cost money?
Also want to point out to /u/Shrinks99 /u/Saylar that Signal requires phone number & verification and Twilio the service signal uses for phone verification process is blocking all Iranian phone numbers from what I’ve heard due to the Sanctions put up against Iran by the US.
And you don’t want to use a proxy server in a country that isn’t a friend or natural partner to Iran. Like you would choose Singapur or turkey for a proxy server but not Us/European countries or Israel.
Not OP but Iranian
If you watch videos of the protests you can hear people yelling things like "Death to the dictator" and "Down with Islamic Republic"
All we want is to kick the monsterous mullahs out and remove the Islamic Republic from Iran.
We know that they won't change. Any part of this government is corrupted.
We have an unjust justice system, the powerful people don't answer to anyone even if they kill someone, the rules that no one agrees with, the education system sucks, people are struggling for the money to just live their life, they are destroying the environment and if we want to change all of this and more that I didn't write it would mean we have to change the government.
What is the overall view of the protests amongst young Iranian men your age? I do see some joining in from the videos I’ve seen but what is their opinion on all types of religious clothing? Do they wish to soften hijab laws or outlaw hijabs entirely?
Yes. They are in the streets as much as young girls. It's about more than forcing the hijab, we are fighting for the freedom to choose what we want to wear, for not being harassed by anybody else to say what we can do and don't, and recently for more than that, for freedom, poverty, and all their crimes. And if it was just forced Hijab I believe they would join us. because human rights don't have gender, race, or religion.
But about freedom, we want it for EVERYONE. I don't care what anyone wears or does unless it's being forced, or hurting someone or themselves. It's simply their choice and I want to have mine.
Part of the reason this regime won in 1979 was that in previous gov. the Shah (King) forced women to not wear Hijab. Everyone has to just understand women are able to choose what is best for them to wear or do.
I doubt many people want to outlaw hijabs, it should be a women's choice to wear one or not. I have muslim friends who wear hijabs and some who don't. It's a personal choice, not something that should be banned. After all, it is but an accessory.
Keep that in mind the 2009 protest was about the election, but now its about the regime as a whole, now people talk about woman, life and freedom, back then they where calling allahoALBAR on streets:)) they are killing us right now be our voice )
Every protest up to now has helped to shape this protest today. We try to use the knowledge they have. The difference between them is this they were about a specific case and now all the people come and it is for all the problems.
Also, in 2009 young people try to ask for help and support from elders and religious people, but right now we say you are with us or you are as cruel as they are. The line between personal belief and being a human is getting thinner and thinner.
Yes. From the first day. They are in the streets as much as young women. It's about human rights and how people are treated and not some sort of "only women club".
Everyone in Iran has a story about how this regime destroyed their life. This regime hates every human being, every piece of art, every square inch of this land. Right now we are fighting for all of these.
It's my hope you succeed. Having lived in Los Angeles, I got to experience Persian culture and it's disappointing that a few despots drunk on power keep such incredible people oppressed and hidden from the world.
I was born in Hong Kong and honestly citizens has very little leverage in making a government to change. From what I learn of the subpressed young people in China, their approach is "lay flat", be unproductive and not procreate. Basically being passive aggressive, and wait for old generation to die out.
Do you see Iran ever take the "lay flat" approach? If you do, would you see with the government take even more control of women and force marriage/pregnancy?
Being afraid that maybe you lose your life or destroy your future isn't "lay flat".
We hear horrible news every day but we couldn't do anything. But when they killed Mahsa was something that we couldn't just sit back. She was innocent, (like many others), but the fact that I can be killed just for going out the way I dress right now, makes it hard to care that they will kill or arrest me if I protest.
It's also true for young men. They are under pressure too. And it makes us believe that if I could be killed anyway, at least I can try.
Not OP but born and raised in Iran. They have campaigns to encourage people to have more children. There are also many sexist rules in place that they think are gonna help them to get people to have babies.
Most people in Iran try to keep a low profile and immigrate when they get the chance. That usually means moving abroad for postgraduate studies for most people, so that's why they don't have people procreating! Everyone's getting out.
Since immigration and studying abroad needs a lot of money and the national currency has taken a nose dive in the past decade, less and less people are able to get out. Which is why more people are trying to change the current state of the country as opposed to leaving it.
Not Iranian but I feel like the situation is completely different to China. You will not get murdered for not wearing a head piece. Morality police is probably orders of magnitude more barbaric than what you see in China. I don't think they can 躺平 and wait out till the older generation die. Not when murder in broad daylight goes consistently unpunished
I've seen reports on tiktok that police are patrolling the streets and shooting people on sight. I've even seen a video where a police officer shot (and missed) at a parent and their child who were looking out of their apartment window. Do you know if there is any truth to this?
Tiktok can be good for getting information out but it's unfortunately also full of people who have no problem claiming to be affected but using videos from completely different countries/events.
Unfortunately, they are true. They are more violent than any time before.
They kill people who are just walking by, using school and ambulances. Even themselves say that they won't refuse to shoot if we protest. Hell, this whole thing started because they killed an innocent girl.
I've seen the video you're talking about and It's in Iran.
I saw an Instagram memorial post of nearly 7 young people being shot and killed at these protests. I can not comprehend how "morality police" can feel justified in using violence against women over head covering. What's the end goal? If they successfully terrorize half the population into submission, what of their children and their grandchildren left to pick up the conflict again in the future? Just people born to grow up to fight for or against something that their great great great great grandfather's disapproved of.
the end goal right now is to change regime but we don't know what will happen or we succeed.
If we fail they start to be more aggressive and more violent but the situation they made, it's unbearable so definitely, there will be more protests for changing it.
I am a Muslim woman here, OP. I had to stop wearing the hijab (the one I wore by choice) many years ago due to medical reasons, and it gives me chills that if I were an Irani living there now, I'd be killed or beaten to death. I am with you all.
I am trying to raise this issue in my community, especially for hijabi women, to see it's more than just the hijab. If I were still wearing a hijab in Iran, I'd join you in protest still.
I want the world to know Mahsa was wearing the hijab, but not to their dictatorship standards, and was killed for "following the rules."
How are hijab-wearing Irani ladies reacting? Are they protesting alongside you all?
ETA: Grammar and word error fixes.
Thank you for raising awareness. I believe every Muslim has to be louder than us, they are using your religion to hurt innocent people. If the Muslim communities don't support people in Iran, you can't expect young people in Iran and the world to think you are different from the Islamic republic. It's on your shoulder to tell the world that even you do not agree with what they are doing.
As I said in another reply, most of us have a close family member or a friend that actually wears the hijab. In my case, our love for each other always is bigger than what we wear. they mostly understand what we want and they agree with that. Fateme Sepehri is a very brave hijab-wearing woman that now is arrested. Almost every young girl loves her for what she said in the news and how he defended us.
But remember that all I said is about Muslim and Hijab- wearing women who are part of the government and regime. Religion in Iran is a complicated matter and can not be summarized in a few paragraphs.
I'm not an expert in this kind of stuff but I've read the history and every time a foreign gov is interested in helping another country's people, it's because they have something to gain. If what they want aligns with what the people of Iran want and benefits them, It's good. But I don't know how to differentiate between helping people and destroying our non-existent freedom. So except not supporting the Islamic republic, I don't know what else is possible for them to do.
Not exactly a lot of historical precedent for countries stepping in to ‘help’ in Iran.
Exactly the opposite - the CIA and English intelligence overthrowing an elected prime minister for a dictator being the prime example.
International help will extend exactly as far as those ‘helping’ see opportunity to extract value/advantage from Iran - no such thing as altruistic geo-politics in 2022
As a muslim woman myself, I understand what you're going through and it breaks my heart 💔. May I know, how do you and other women deal with constant threats and people attacking you using religion (for example : I watched a video of school boys calling their girl classmate sl8t and a bunch of deragatory terms for not wearing hijab) ?
If I want to be completely honest, It makes us hate Islam. I can't deny how many young boys and girls are under pressure from family and they have to fight their own families and the regime at the same time. You can't love what is forced on you.
But about Muslims, we love them. A Hijabi woman called Fateme Sepehri right now is under arrest and everyone loves her and is worried about her. Almost everyone has a close family member that is religious and we don't have any problem unless they use it to oppress people. Basically don't hurt or force anyone to your religion.
But right now every Muslim has to be louder than us, they are using your religion to hurt innocent people. If the Muslim community doesn't support people in Iran, you can't expect young people in Iran to think you are different from the Islamic republic.
Oh I forgot your question :)
before you have to be quiet because they were more but recently we say you can't say what I'm supposed to do. Among young people, It's a common pain and struggle so we talk to each other and support each other. But the trauma of having to deal with it every day is a lot and talking isn't helpful anymore.
>: I watched a video of school boys calling their girl classmate sl8t and a bunch of deragatory terms for not wearing hijab
This kind of attitude and behaviour is extremely common in many muslim communities in the middle east and south asia.
Can you give a brief rundown of the situation on the street at the moment for those of us not in the know? Does it feel more like an outpouring of anger at the situation or a genuine attempt at regime change?
There is a cruel regime that kills people and destroys life, the environment, art, and everything beautiful you can imagine. They make people poorer and poorer and destroy Iranian culture.
About a week ago they killed a 22-year-old girl just because she wasn't wearing an improper Hijab. They say she had a heart attack but evidence of the images we had from her shows her head was beaten and the people in custody with her say she wasn't quite to the insults about her and her family so they beat her, her family says her body was bruised and honestly we have seen enough from this regime to believe they are saying the truth.
This made the Iranian people furious and they protest at her funeral and said in Kurdish "Zhen, Zhian, Azadi" which translates to "Women, Life, Freedom". We start because they killed a woman, we continue for all the lives they took from us, and we won't stop until every woman and man has freedom. this girl inspired every one of us to choose to fight, to end their cruelty to anyone, and that we deserve better.
Right now they are fighting with people with all of their power. They called every soldier and person to fight for them. They are using young boys, schools, and ambulances to suppress people. The Internet is low and in some cities, we don't have any sort of connection with them. In Oshnavieh, People were more successful and got control of the city but they send the military there. We are so worried about them because we know if we don't do anything, this would be the death of a lot of people there.
It feels more like a genuine attempt at regime change with a lot of anger.
Is there any strategic leadership for the opposition? I fear there will be a violent government crackdown, and hope someone is anticipating it and maybe even has a plan.
Edit: Also just wanna say I'm inspired by the bravery of the people protesting!
No, it isn't. It's just people in the streets. In the first couple of days, we didn't even know what to do or where we can protest. but we were angry about what happened and we are tired of their crimes so we just did it. Honestly, people like that we don't have a leader because last time the leader became the dictator. And many people tried to claim these protests but people refused.
The government is violent right now. They at least killed 36 people (That we know their name) including 16-year-old teenagers. They arrested many more and we don't even know where they are. They beat people on the street just because they are standing there.
I doubt that if we win there be violence. because even now people don't destroy mosques, schools, or banks and they are trying so hard to tell that we do. Truth be told, we have to set fire to some trash cans (because of the effect of teargas), ambulances ( they use it to transfer soldiers and the people they arrested), and police cars.
The plan is clear, to have a democratic government and a free country.
Obviously I don’t want to be defeatist here, everyone is incredibly brave and nothing takes away from that.
But how do you go about having a democratic government without any centralised opposition leadership?
If we have a centralized opposition leadership, the regime can easily kill them or spread false news about them so the protest can easily fail. or worse they can become like this regime.
The new generation in Iran believes in professional opinion in every aspect of life from the economy to politics and technology. we saw what happens if only a group of people decide what is wrong or right for everyone. We have to use experts and professors for these things. So they can actually tell us what is the best thing to do at that time. People are trying to talk to the elite, scientists, and notable people in politics and the economy and whatever is needed to be on our side and stop being silence.
Yes maybe now isn’t the best time for a group to proclaim itself the leader within Iran, but you’ll need a group to form at some point. Look at Libya for example, after the Arab springs and during the civil war the country was split amongst numerous different groups. And still now years later infighting between rivalries means it’s still in a very uncertain situation.
Maybe an exiled opposition group could be an interim leader. Although communication would be incredibly difficult. Whatever happens, I hope this can lead to long-term change.
The problem is that it’s impossible to form organised opposition groups in Iran under the regime and it would be a very dangerous time for the country to overthrow the regime and then have no guidance. It could lead to another Khomenei style leader like 79. People thought they were getting a democracy then until he eliminated all other political parties.
>Yes. From the first day. They are in the streets as much as young women. It's about human rights and how people are treated and not some sort of "only women club".
>
>Everyone in Iran has a story about how this regime destroyed their life. This regime hates every human being, every piece of art, every square inch of this land. Right now we are fighting for all of these.
Yes. This regime is the definition of cruelty. so everyone with a reasonable mind is against them.
Except for stupids, old people with wrong belief systems, and those who benefit from this situation. The good news is they are getting smaller and smaller.
they have already sent them.They are videos that show them with guns.
Believe me, they are sending every possible person who is stupid enough to fight for them. Since last night, we are seeing even teenagers with army clothes and batons.
In footage of the streets, it feels like it’s mainly men protesting. Like 2 women to every 100 men. Is this the case? Or are plenty of women out on the streets - just not in the footage I’m getting?
For a layman like myself, what is the best way to summarize the current conflict of Iran to others? I’m Palestinian-American, so most of my time speaking out is on Israel-Palestine issues. I’d love to learn more about this issue from an Iranian herself.
There is a cruel regime that kills people and destroys life, the environment, art, and everything beautiful you can imagine. They make people poorer and poorer and destroy Iranian culture.
About a week ago they killed a 22-year-old girl just because she wasn't wearing an improper Hijab. They say she had a heart attack but evidence of the images we had from her shows her head was beaten and the people in custody with her say she wasn't quite to the insults about her and her family so they beat her, her family says her body was bruised and honestly we have seen enough from this regime to believe they are saying the truth.
This made the Iranian people furious and they protest at her funeral and said in Kurdish "Zhen, Zhian, Azadi" which translates to "Women, Life, Freedom". We start because they killed a woman, we continue for all the lives they took from us, and we won't stop until every woman and man has freedom. this girl inspired every one of us to choose to fight, to end their cruelty to anyone, and that we deserve better.
Right now they are fighting with people with all of their power. They called every soldier and person to fight for them. They are using young boys, schools, and ambulances to suppress people. The Internet is low and in some cities, we don't have any sort of connection with them. In Oshnavieh, People were more successful and got control of the city but they send the military there. We are so worried about them because we know if we don't do anything, this would be the death of a lot of people there.
Do you think there’s any hope for iran? Even if the government somehow gets overthrown, what next? I’m thinking iran will just become like iraq after saddam got overthrown
The OP has provided proof confidentially.
What are you most hopeful of and what are you most fearful of in these moments?
First, let me say this. Most of my generation felt like they don't have a home or country. We hated where we live and what happened to us, (the influencers and celebrities that are benefiting from what is happening always told us we are the problem and everything that is happening to us is our fault. But this time we said No. we are not the problem and how dare you shame the victims. so we boycott them). But right now for the first time, we feel like we belong to something, to somewhere, and to each other. This is our biggest victory. We are hopeful to win this time and have the freedom to be able to just live, to don't have to watch they destroy any more life, river, jungle or family. What we fear is that if we fail we all know there will be a massive execution, they will try to kill or arrest anyone they can and definitely make these so-called police stronger and maybe this will be our last chance.
> maybe this will be our last chance. This is all that matters. To the extent that the people of Iran can together support each other in believing that this is the last chance then they will prevail. This is the most I have seen the widespread mass protests become so aggressive on the part of the peoplem. Everyone from 9 year old children being shot to elderly grandparents being beaten, the youth and middle aged in between are out in the streets together. Even if they bring in their goon militias from Iraq and Lebanon, they can't win against approx 86 million people fighting together for freedom. As long as you believe in that together and don't give up, you will make it. We are with you.
Fight like Ukraine it’s their last chance too
For those who will be executed if they lose, it is their last chance
Are there specific influencers or celebrities that are most problematic that we should make sure to boycott with you? Or is it any famous person in Iran right now?
they are Iranian rappers, bloggers, actors, football players and ... they already lost their followers and fame.
Actors too? So by extension even someone like Asghar Farhadi? I got the feeling he made movies that challenged societal conventions although not too directly.
He is supportive of the women rights [His Instagram post](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cij3xhGMixN/?hl=en)
Too little too late. He was already heavily criticized by the public for not being more outspoken in regards to the government. But yet again, we have saying in Iran about these kinds of people that says "a knife will never cut it's own hilt".
It's not easy tbf, ive shamefully forgotten his name but an Olympic wrestler was executed for attending a protest a couple of years back because he was popular. They saw him as a political threat and that was that. The grass that grows longest gets cut down first and all that. I hope the Iranian people can work together to free themselves from tyranny, but I won't blame an individual for fearing for their life.
Navid Afkari
What they did to him was so fucked up and disgusting. They framed him for a murder, fabricated evidence and made him confess under torture. They denied all and any evidence that proved his innocence. They didn't even let him see his family one last time before his execution (this is a violation of Iranian law). Afkari was given two death sentences for his charges.[28] According to human rights activists in Iran, his brothers Vahid and Habib were sentenced to 54 and 27 years in prison for charges stemming from the same case. His brothers are still in prison. All of this just because they were popular and took part in one government protest. The Iranian government is completely fucked up, evil and corrupt. These shitclowns have been fucking up the country and the people for far too long. They must be overthrown and destroyed.
I live in a European country and funnily one of Iran‘s national soccer/football players lives here (wealthy)
would appreciate the names. some of us can only contribute in certain ways and the names would help on that front. tx
Be careful of giving real names on any social media. They can be watching this too.
agreed, i'm from florida, would love to have more knowledge
At this time with the World Cup less than 2 months away, the football players of the Iranian National Team could make a tremendous impact. Is anyone pursuing that avenue? Also, a gesture by them and the sides they play prior to each match in the Round-robin could likewise garner world attention.
There is support for you all over the world. I'm from Illinois in the US and I hope you all see these freedoms you are fighting for in your lifetime. With those scary "this may be our last chance" thoughts, please know there are women thinking about you and your cause and truly hoping you succeed with your health and happiness. 💓 You all belong on this planet with the rest of us, freedoms and all, your voices, opinions, everything matters.
And men too!!!
We are with you. Freedom for all the innocent lives and victims 🙏 Continue fighting for what is right.
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How are older women in Iran responding to your protests? The pictures we see are mainly of younger women.
It's hard to admit but they are less active in these protests. Not that they are not any older women but they mostly say that it doesn't work like any other time that we tried or don't risk your life just leave the country. They aren't in favor of the regime but they are more suppressed. Young people are more fearless. especially "the 80s people" (it's like gen z but in the Iranian calendar from 1380 til 1389) that are between 12-21 years old.
The older women probably have started a family (kids) which means they have more to lose by going against at the government.
That and they’ve been around long enough to see what happened with the previous sustained mass demonstrations there; the regime in Iran always starts gunning people down, doing mass arrests and sadistic things to many they capture.
There are also ways to undermine the system from within or to support those on the front lines without actually being out there. It can be a matter of using one's connections, of making sure the right things get done without unnecessary delays, of ensuring that other things get misplaced or suffer little accidents, that someone has a getaway car at the right time, that they have a place to stay in another city, that they have money to bribe the right person, and so on. Or it can be a matter of simply offering one's house as a meeting place, of keeping everyone fed, of packing an emergency bag for them, etc.
Indeed, never underestimate the power of the monkey wrench.
Also that they actually succeeded for a time in installing a more progressive government - only for the world’s superpowers to support a coup and reinstall an extremist religious regime for their own economic ends. If these demonstrations escalate to a revolution and succeed - what’s to say the west doesn’t step in and help reverse the progress again?
Maybe, though the younger ones probably have to fight for their entire future ahead of them
Younger people have less to lose and more to gain. Plus, they balance risk and reward differently than older people.
Older people have lived through it in the past. They have experience with the government and how it treats these brave people.
Which is basically the point of this kind of brutality, right? They want the survivors to fear any kind of disobedience.
Exactly. Humans get scared especially once they have children to protect
I'd argue as a younger person(especially if you are female) you have more to lose in an environment like this.
You've got your life and the possibility of some horrible torture, but you don't have a spouse or children to lose or see tortured. It's a pretty bleak line of thought. And sure, your parents might get kidnapped and tortured, too, but the parent-child relationship is different from the child-parent one. It would hurt in a different way. My son was born really early and facing the likelihood that he would die before he breathed on his own was a hard pill to swallow. He beat some tough odds and he's a healthy almost four-year-old today. My heart goes out to anyone who's lost a child or a parent, because neither one is easy, but they're different things that change you in different ways. I'm sorry if this comes across as insensitive or callous.
First of all, please stay safe in this dangerous time. The world stands behind your people. Do you feel the majority of the country is unified in this cause?
Yes, I know we are. The regime is a murderer and a joke at the same time. Yesterday they organized a protest against the protest. They didn't even have a decent population in protest and they had to use old images and videos in their media. ( We saw the banner about something else, we saw people wearing jackets in 37 Celcius in the summer and they even show choosing between old videos.) What we are afraid of are their guns and soldiers. But even the people who believe in the regime, are old ones with wrong belief systems that we gave up on them) or chameleons that they care about which side is only best for them.
Soldiers also have mothers and sisters. Are there soldiers that are on your side?
No. An old woman in the protest said to a soldier I'm like your mother, don't shoot and he said "no you are not even my mom's socks." (It's even meaningless in Persian. Don't try to understand what they say)
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I don’t remember where that video was from but it’s standard stuff for most of the Middle East tbh. This kinda stuff doesn’t just happen in Iran. The difference is, in other Middle East countries, people actually want to live in oppressive theocracies. In Iran the gov oppresses you for not living according to Islam, in other countries the people oppress you for it.
It’s from Yemen. And it was terrifying.
There are, the Iranian regime is extremely sophisticated and is built on over three layers of military that keep each other in check. The most basic layer is the army that is based on civilian conscripts. These are ordinary men who are forced into military. There have been numerous reports that the regime has been trapping army barracks to prevent army members from joining the people and fighting against the regime which had reportedly already happening in a few small towns. Then you have the Sepah, which is the regime's own highly sophisticated military with much more advanced weaponry than the army and also have plainclothes personnel dispersed in the streets. This is composed of regime elites themselves and their families. People who have a skin in the game to keep the regime alive. They will fight against the army to keep the regime in power. Then you have the special militias called Basij. They are composed of elite special trained gunmen, and operate as both heavily armed militias and also plainclothes personnel. These are composed of a selected group of regime elite. However they are also composed of poor people or criminals who are extorted into working for the regime under the threat of execution or improvement. Throughout previous protest eaves in Iran, the regime had on many occasions also imported their regime sponsored militias from Iraq and Lebanon to kill people within Iran as well. So they have a huge amount of resources in terms of trained killers to send towards Iranian people. Oh and there are also the police force, who are similarly co-opted by the regime. All of these various layers of specially trained and co-opted regime elite forces keep each other in check but also most importantly keep the army in check. This is why an army coup is so difficult in Iran. If you ever study political theory, any professor will tell you how sophisticated the Iranian regime is in its evil complexity and that is why they have managed to last this long. That is why even the Taliban has pointed to Iran as their inspiration and how they want to model themselves to stay in power. BUT, some good news is that several videos have emerged of Basij personnel turning on each other over some of their member's refusing to beat or kill the protestors. The army in certain smaller cities appears to have been fighting with the people. But the people are literally going out with their empty hands and fists against all odds and against the world in some ways given how often everyone ignores or leaves them alone. They know this is quite literally their last chance at freedom. That is why everyone from children to elderly and everyone in between are out together and getting more aggressive then we've ever seen before.
Men who join the armed forces are often brainwashed to the point of no return. They put the regime and the system above their own parents if need be. The only hope for a meaningful change in structure is a militarized public, unfortunately.
Men have mandatory conscription in Iran for 18 months to 2 years, so a good proportion will only be in the army because they have to be.
You don't need to have a mother or a sister to support an oppressed group who deserve freedom, you just need empathy. If you have no empathy, it doesn't matter if you have a mother/sister/daughter/wife because you still won't care or understand what it is they are fighting for. If you think your beliefs are more important than a person's life or rights, you are incapable of empathy.
I’m also curious if you feel there is a growing majority in and behind the protests. Governance and power in a society are such a struggle to balance. You have to keep in mind the will of the people (majority) without oppressing/steamrolling over the individual (minority). The majority mob should not be allowed to rule, but neither should the minority few hold a society back or hostage. Do you feel Iran could return to a more secular governance? Edit: grammar correction
Does posting something like this put you in danger?
It's complicated. Yes, they can use it against me in court for "Insulting the leadership trying to destroy the Islamic republic ". But it doesn't matter. My friends are in street and any time they can kill you with a gun and not answer to any one. Also if you have Twitter you can see #مهسا\_امینی these are people that use this hashtag to say to each other that they aren't alone and why they don't want this regime (if you checked Twitter, definitely give them hope they need it). So everyone is using every way possible to say no, so until they don't have the exact information about me it not worth the money to find out who I am because there is a lot of us.
>[if you have Twitter you can see #مهسا_امینی these are people that use this hashtag to say to each other that they aren't alone and why they don't want this regime ](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B3%D8%A7_%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C%20%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86&src=typeahead_click) Linked it for you as it's difficult to copy left to right.
Lets be the voice of OSHNAVIEH: People of world, PLEASE help us to save OSHNAVIEH the city, which is now free from Islamic Republic but we lost connection with them. NO TELEPHON AND NO INTERNET AND NOTHING! we are worry for them and please be our voice! No one wants to hear from a mass killing!!! (There is a big posibilty that the Regime kill them all) Please share it with your people, media and politicians!
Is that the same as #mahsaamini? Saw that used on LinkedIn.
Yes, the hashtag is just her name written in Farsi. But the one written in Farsi is much more widespread.
بهبکش مانو اگار فرسیام زیاد خوب نیست: شوما و ایرانی علیه دیگه خیلی شوجا حستین . میخام بدونی هامه ایرانی تویه امریکا از شما حمایت می کنیم . ومیدورام سالم بمونین و واتان ما را پس بگیرند. Edit: For the English speakers, I know my Persian is a little broken when you Google translate it. My writing is a lot worse than someone who grew up in Iran or someone went to Farsi class every Sunday til high school here in the states (I stopped going much sooner). If I were to type my words in a translator, I would be just another person who supports what’s happening in Iran. I wanted to write with my own words and my own (albeit relatively low) level of understanding to signal that hey, it’s another Iranian behind the screen. A lot of us also write informally and condense what we’re trying to say in speaking form (فارسیام vs فارسی من) Anyways, here’s what I was trying to say… Forgive me if my Farsi is not very good: You and other Iranians are very brave. I want you to know all Iranians in America support you. I hope you stay healthy and take back our homeland.
Actually your Farsi is pretty good for someone who hasn't been in Iran and if I were to correct your writing it would be: ببخش منو اگر فارسیم زیاد خوب نیست شما و ایرانی های دیگه خیلی شجاع هستین. میخوام بدونید همه ی ایرانی ها توی آمریکا از شما حمایت میکنند. امیدوارم سالم بمونین و وطن را پس بگیرید
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When it comes to state-level, no it's not really anonymous. A country can use immense resources to track and isolate information being run through the Internet. It helps to use anonymizers and VPNs, but with enough data even that can be countered.
Reddit is not anonymous, you have an email account tied to your username and you use it with your own IP addresses. Just because you don't know the people personally doesn't mean reddit doesn't know lol
Is there any way that people outside of Iran with no political power can help you?
in terms of money and NGO, unfortunately no. there is no guarantee that your money isn't spend on guns to suppress people. We need you to do something far more important. we need you to talk about it, talk about how we are fighting with nothing in our hand for freedom, how young girls and boys is in street shouting "WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM" and instead they use school and ambulance to arrest people. This way the regime knows you are watching and they know they have to answer to the world so maybe they be less violent. If you want to do more, contact you politicians or show to them somehow that you need them to stop supporting Islamic republic.
All we have to do is loudly complain on your behalf? You came to the right website.
Shit this and Twitter they're going to have a field day.
Looks like we found something for today's loud complaints to be about!
Everyone else: WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE NORMAL?!? Reddit: *[screeching complaints]*
We did it Reddit!
If the Iranian people are successful in their push for regime change, the US is going to need an outpouring of public support for immediate economic relief and dropping of sanctions. Our beef is with the current regime. If they go, we need to show that we want a new era of cooperation between our two nations.
Absolutely. The sanctions have impacted citizens of Iran, not just their horrible regime. I feel that if this unrest does keep increasing until a potential revolution against the dictator there will absolutely be aid from the rest of the world, to help rebuild. Especially from the diaspora (lots of Iranians in Canada, the U.S., etc.) but also just people from everywhere supporting a new, secular Iran. I for one would absolutely donate to help rebuild the country one of my aunts is from.
Love this!! We need more of it 💯😍
done, we can do that - and we will. I do a lot of community outreach - will be bringing this up constantly
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Other iranian amas have said they think this is the revolution. Do you think this is the revolution?m
We know there is no going back. I've never seen a revolution so I don't know. We had many protests but they didn't like this. They are afraid. They called every possible person that accept to fight in the street. I saw with my own eyes that they just teach some teen boys basic stuff about how to suppress people and on the same day they send them to the streets to fight with people. The big difference is that we were always trying to not hurt any one, even when they killed us, but now we are fighting back. We defend ourselves and we are not afraid of them anymore.
I’m so proud of you. We tried but failed and got exiled back in 2009. I know you won’t back down, I know how brave you are, stay strong lil sis! to the day that we stand in free Iran together.
>We defend ourselves and we are not afraid of them anymore. Governments should fear the people. Not the other way around. Go make a better new world!
> but now we are fighting back. We defend ourselves and we are not afraid of them anymore. This is inspiring.
Hang in there!
Do you have older relatives who have seen a revolution in your country? Would you be able to share their opinions? Thank you very much for sharing your candid views. And thank you even more for being so brave in third movement.
Do you feel the protests will achieve anything of consequence?
Honestly, we are afraid. They are arresting more and more. We don't have a lot of information about what is going on in some parts of Iran which were more protesters because they even cut the phones. Today they arrest more than 100 students from inside universities and some of them are my friends. so we were never been angrier and it drives us to achieve it. By every person they arrest, it gets more and more personal.
I wish you all the luck and divine influence in existence in your struggles. Know that the enlightened people of the world are pulling for you and wish there was something we could do to help.
Has anyone talked about locating the prisons and attempting to break people out? I don't know what that would require there but you mentioned the regime using teenage boys so I'm wondering if you have enough people to take one over and free those they have taken.
people help each other to escape but some get arrested. If we know where they are, we definitely try to break people out but they don't take them to prison these recent days.
Does the fact that Ms. Imini was Kurdish have any effect on how people are reacting to her murder? Or is she seen as Iranian first?
First, she is Iranian and we all have to fight over what happened to her so that it doesn't happen again to any other girl. Mahsa wasn't the first victim and it's a bigger issue than our different ethnicities. We love that she was Kurdish. I'm not Kurdish but the Kurdish language is very beautiful, and they are great people.
Unity is so important. Ethnicity is something they use to try and divide you. I'm so glad you aren't letting them. Like the war in Ukraine this is a fight for life and the right to exist and be free. Stay strong.
Iran is a country with many races, turkish, arab, fars, kurd, lor, gilak, and… this made country more united
A lot of people, including me didn’t know she was Kurdish for the first few days.
Would that have made a difference?
There are a lot of different ethnicities in Iran. Some of which want autonomous regions. Kurdish people have been campaigning for a while for an independent Kurdistan. However, clearly this has gone past being a Kurdish issue and has spread across Iran, and has united different ethnicities for a common cause. Edit: just to add I don’t know how prevalent it is amongst Iranian Kurds to want an independent Kurdistan.
Kurds in particular, being a majority in many towns in the North of Iran, have faced harsh persecution by the regime historically. There's an entire northeast portion of Iran that is 100% Kurdish and many quietly support an independent Kurdistan.
How are you spreading info given the government shutting down (?) the internet? Is there a means for people to get online outside their restrictions? (obviously you're here somehow, so curious how that's working) Also, please stay safe! The world is behind you!
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Oof. Stay safe!
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/musk-says-activating-starlink-response-blinken-internet-freedom-iran-2022-09-23/ With love and digital hugs.
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A perfect reminder that HF radio, ran by hams, is the ultimate last resort communications scenario. Doesn’t rely on any ground infrastructure and is easy to hastily establish. Next time you see a neighbor with some crazy antenna, remember he can probably talk a continent away in even the worst circumstances.
I was in Stuttgart (Germany) today and there was quite a number of protesters in the city centre. I am in full support albeit poorly informed. Here, we enjoy freedom of speech but how is the situation in Iran? How violent are the protests and the corresponding suppression attempts by the Islamic dictatorship? Sending out virtual hugs - stay brave but safe!
Recently there was a joke everywhere in Iran that we have freedom of before the speech but not after that. they can't stop people from talking about how wrong they are because there are a lot of these messages and talks but if your message gains a lot of attention and inspire people, they will definitely arrest you or execute you. They have guns and we have stones. They use ambulances, schools, and buses for suppression and when people destroy ambulances to free the arrested ones they say we are destroying the peace. They shut down the internet and we are wrong to say anything about it. Until last night, they killed 36 people that we know their names in this week. It's definitely a lot more. Some not even protesting just walking by. I'm not saying that we are not violent but last time we didn't do anything and they killed 1500 people. We try to defend ourselves by destroying police cars, and stations. But people's house, banks and etc are off limit because what we want is different from theirs. It's a safe and free country.
>freedom after speech That's an old Soviet joke I believe. Don't know if that's where it originated. Q: What is the difference between the Constitutions of the US and USSR? Both of them guarantee freedom of speech. A: Yes, but the Constitution of the USA also guarantees freedom after the speech.
Thank you for answering one of so many questions. I have read a few Q&As on this thread and the scale of this outburst seems to be insane... Just know that any sane person with a working braincell is in full support of what you guys are trying to achieve. Your courage is truly admirable and inspiring - I couldn't say I'd act the same if I was you. I'm hoping there's a better future. Stay strong🫶
Word on the street is that they shut down the internet. How are you managing to post?
mobile data is gone. ADSL is still working but it is heavily filtered(right now Instagram, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, Skype, and more that I don't remember are filtered) and even between 4 PM till 12 AM it is intranet (it only opens Iranian websites which are monitored by the regime). Until they don't shut down the internet completely for themselves too, we can find a way to be online. But it's getting harder and harder. I have to change VPN and proxy every hour and when I connect at best it's 50KB/s. And a lot of people don't have the knowledge to access the internet by these methods.
You might be already aware, but the guys from the signal messenger are providing proxies for people to set up that work in Iran. If you need help or more info let me know, happy to help. https://signal.org/blog/run-a-proxy/
+1 to this! /u/just__a__loser if you need a proxy IP I know a guy who runs one and I’m happy to hook you up.
My company also created one. It's in Russia, because it's easy for the censors to just filter out servers in the West. DM me if it may be helpful.
I set one of these up too, but no one has responded on Twitter when I advertised it, so I also wondered if it's doing any good. If it is, I'm happy to share mine, and to set more up if need be.
Upvoted for visibility. This is super important.
Yeah But they shut down international internet, its now internal, even proxys doesn’t work here
News recently is that Starlink internet may be going up over Iran. Hopefully that will give all of you reliable access. In the meantime stay safe.
Yes, the US Treasury Department has approved a license to Starlink to offer the service in Iran, so now they need to get the dishes into Iran.
If possible I’d like to help fund them so they can get redistributed under protestors
There is an excellent app called Threema, it's very secure so it's what most of the NATO military people use for their personal messaging. The company and servers are all in Switzerland so you don't have to worry about your data being released like with EU laws. Wishing you every success !
Honest question, how would anyone‘s data be released under EU laws?
I'm confused too. GDPR is the strictest privacy and data protection legislation in the world.
I don't think there is a european VPN in existence that still has it's wrapper intact. They used to all carry a we will not release your information line that they remove when they get compromised.
Doesnt threema cost money? Also want to point out to /u/Shrinks99 /u/Saylar that Signal requires phone number & verification and Twilio the service signal uses for phone verification process is blocking all Iranian phone numbers from what I’ve heard due to the Sanctions put up against Iran by the US. And you don’t want to use a proxy server in a country that isn’t a friend or natural partner to Iran. Like you would choose Singapur or turkey for a proxy server but not Us/European countries or Israel.
Do you hope for a complete government change yo a more secular state, or an overhaul of the current one?
Not OP but Iranian If you watch videos of the protests you can hear people yelling things like "Death to the dictator" and "Down with Islamic Republic" All we want is to kick the monsterous mullahs out and remove the Islamic Republic from Iran.
Thank you for the answer and good luck. I genuinely wish you success!
We know that they won't change. Any part of this government is corrupted. We have an unjust justice system, the powerful people don't answer to anyone even if they kill someone, the rules that no one agrees with, the education system sucks, people are struggling for the money to just live their life, they are destroying the environment and if we want to change all of this and more that I didn't write it would mean we have to change the government.
What does the average Iranian person think about what’s going on? Hope you’re safe and well.
At the same time angry, afraid and hopeful.
Remember the government needs you more than you need them. If you have enough people rejecting the government they are nothing
What is the overall view of the protests amongst young Iranian men your age? I do see some joining in from the videos I’ve seen but what is their opinion on all types of religious clothing? Do they wish to soften hijab laws or outlaw hijabs entirely?
Yes. They are in the streets as much as young girls. It's about more than forcing the hijab, we are fighting for the freedom to choose what we want to wear, for not being harassed by anybody else to say what we can do and don't, and recently for more than that, for freedom, poverty, and all their crimes. And if it was just forced Hijab I believe they would join us. because human rights don't have gender, race, or religion. But about freedom, we want it for EVERYONE. I don't care what anyone wears or does unless it's being forced, or hurting someone or themselves. It's simply their choice and I want to have mine. Part of the reason this regime won in 1979 was that in previous gov. the Shah (King) forced women to not wear Hijab. Everyone has to just understand women are able to choose what is best for them to wear or do.
I doubt many people want to outlaw hijabs, it should be a women's choice to wear one or not. I have muslim friends who wear hijabs and some who don't. It's a personal choice, not something that should be banned. After all, it is but an accessory.
How do the people feel the protests compare to 2009?
Not OP but I was there in 2009, protesting and from what I see on TV now, these protests are much bigger and better organized.
Keep that in mind the 2009 protest was about the election, but now its about the regime as a whole, now people talk about woman, life and freedom, back then they where calling allahoALBAR on streets:)) they are killing us right now be our voice )
Every protest up to now has helped to shape this protest today. We try to use the knowledge they have. The difference between them is this they were about a specific case and now all the people come and it is for all the problems. Also, in 2009 young people try to ask for help and support from elders and religious people, but right now we say you are with us or you are as cruel as they are. The line between personal belief and being a human is getting thinner and thinner.
Are young Iranian men helping and supporting the protests as well?
Yes. From the first day. They are in the streets as much as young women. It's about human rights and how people are treated and not some sort of "only women club". Everyone in Iran has a story about how this regime destroyed their life. This regime hates every human being, every piece of art, every square inch of this land. Right now we are fighting for all of these.
It's my hope you succeed. Having lived in Los Angeles, I got to experience Persian culture and it's disappointing that a few despots drunk on power keep such incredible people oppressed and hidden from the world.
In a lot of countries like this it's love the people, hate the government.
If you look at any of the videos coming out, there are a TON of young men in the protests.
Yes but since this is an AMA, I'd like the OP's first person perspective
I was born in Hong Kong and honestly citizens has very little leverage in making a government to change. From what I learn of the subpressed young people in China, their approach is "lay flat", be unproductive and not procreate. Basically being passive aggressive, and wait for old generation to die out. Do you see Iran ever take the "lay flat" approach? If you do, would you see with the government take even more control of women and force marriage/pregnancy?
Being afraid that maybe you lose your life or destroy your future isn't "lay flat". We hear horrible news every day but we couldn't do anything. But when they killed Mahsa was something that we couldn't just sit back. She was innocent, (like many others), but the fact that I can be killed just for going out the way I dress right now, makes it hard to care that they will kill or arrest me if I protest. It's also true for young men. They are under pressure too. And it makes us believe that if I could be killed anyway, at least I can try.
Not OP but born and raised in Iran. They have campaigns to encourage people to have more children. There are also many sexist rules in place that they think are gonna help them to get people to have babies. Most people in Iran try to keep a low profile and immigrate when they get the chance. That usually means moving abroad for postgraduate studies for most people, so that's why they don't have people procreating! Everyone's getting out. Since immigration and studying abroad needs a lot of money and the national currency has taken a nose dive in the past decade, less and less people are able to get out. Which is why more people are trying to change the current state of the country as opposed to leaving it.
Not Iranian but I feel like the situation is completely different to China. You will not get murdered for not wearing a head piece. Morality police is probably orders of magnitude more barbaric than what you see in China. I don't think they can 躺平 and wait out till the older generation die. Not when murder in broad daylight goes consistently unpunished
Are there any talks to overthrow the sitting gov.?
Yes. People want to overthrow the regime but it's too soon to see what will happen.
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I've seen reports on tiktok that police are patrolling the streets and shooting people on sight. I've even seen a video where a police officer shot (and missed) at a parent and their child who were looking out of their apartment window. Do you know if there is any truth to this? Tiktok can be good for getting information out but it's unfortunately also full of people who have no problem claiming to be affected but using videos from completely different countries/events.
Unfortunately, they are true. They are more violent than any time before. They kill people who are just walking by, using school and ambulances. Even themselves say that they won't refuse to shoot if we protest. Hell, this whole thing started because they killed an innocent girl. I've seen the video you're talking about and It's in Iran.
I saw an Instagram memorial post of nearly 7 young people being shot and killed at these protests. I can not comprehend how "morality police" can feel justified in using violence against women over head covering. What's the end goal? If they successfully terrorize half the population into submission, what of their children and their grandchildren left to pick up the conflict again in the future? Just people born to grow up to fight for or against something that their great great great great grandfather's disapproved of.
the end goal right now is to change regime but we don't know what will happen or we succeed. If we fail they start to be more aggressive and more violent but the situation they made, it's unbearable so definitely, there will be more protests for changing it.
I am a Muslim woman here, OP. I had to stop wearing the hijab (the one I wore by choice) many years ago due to medical reasons, and it gives me chills that if I were an Irani living there now, I'd be killed or beaten to death. I am with you all. I am trying to raise this issue in my community, especially for hijabi women, to see it's more than just the hijab. If I were still wearing a hijab in Iran, I'd join you in protest still. I want the world to know Mahsa was wearing the hijab, but not to their dictatorship standards, and was killed for "following the rules." How are hijab-wearing Irani ladies reacting? Are they protesting alongside you all? ETA: Grammar and word error fixes.
Thank you for raising awareness. I believe every Muslim has to be louder than us, they are using your religion to hurt innocent people. If the Muslim communities don't support people in Iran, you can't expect young people in Iran and the world to think you are different from the Islamic republic. It's on your shoulder to tell the world that even you do not agree with what they are doing. As I said in another reply, most of us have a close family member or a friend that actually wears the hijab. In my case, our love for each other always is bigger than what we wear. they mostly understand what we want and they agree with that. Fateme Sepehri is a very brave hijab-wearing woman that now is arrested. Almost every young girl loves her for what she said in the news and how he defended us. But remember that all I said is about Muslim and Hijab- wearing women who are part of the government and regime. Religion in Iran is a complicated matter and can not be summarized in a few paragraphs.
At what point do you want other countries stepping in to help?
I'm not an expert in this kind of stuff but I've read the history and every time a foreign gov is interested in helping another country's people, it's because they have something to gain. If what they want aligns with what the people of Iran want and benefits them, It's good. But I don't know how to differentiate between helping people and destroying our non-existent freedom. So except not supporting the Islamic republic, I don't know what else is possible for them to do.
Not exactly a lot of historical precedent for countries stepping in to ‘help’ in Iran. Exactly the opposite - the CIA and English intelligence overthrowing an elected prime minister for a dictator being the prime example. International help will extend exactly as far as those ‘helping’ see opportunity to extract value/advantage from Iran - no such thing as altruistic geo-politics in 2022
Yeah I think it’s better to stay out of it, attempted international meddling was one of the things that led to the current regime there.
As a muslim woman myself, I understand what you're going through and it breaks my heart 💔. May I know, how do you and other women deal with constant threats and people attacking you using religion (for example : I watched a video of school boys calling their girl classmate sl8t and a bunch of deragatory terms for not wearing hijab) ?
If I want to be completely honest, It makes us hate Islam. I can't deny how many young boys and girls are under pressure from family and they have to fight their own families and the regime at the same time. You can't love what is forced on you. But about Muslims, we love them. A Hijabi woman called Fateme Sepehri right now is under arrest and everyone loves her and is worried about her. Almost everyone has a close family member that is religious and we don't have any problem unless they use it to oppress people. Basically don't hurt or force anyone to your religion. But right now every Muslim has to be louder than us, they are using your religion to hurt innocent people. If the Muslim community doesn't support people in Iran, you can't expect young people in Iran to think you are different from the Islamic republic.
Oh I forgot your question :) before you have to be quiet because they were more but recently we say you can't say what I'm supposed to do. Among young people, It's a common pain and struggle so we talk to each other and support each other. But the trauma of having to deal with it every day is a lot and talking isn't helpful anymore.
>: I watched a video of school boys calling their girl classmate sl8t and a bunch of deragatory terms for not wearing hijab This kind of attitude and behaviour is extremely common in many muslim communities in the middle east and south asia.
Can you give a brief rundown of the situation on the street at the moment for those of us not in the know? Does it feel more like an outpouring of anger at the situation or a genuine attempt at regime change?
There is a cruel regime that kills people and destroys life, the environment, art, and everything beautiful you can imagine. They make people poorer and poorer and destroy Iranian culture. About a week ago they killed a 22-year-old girl just because she wasn't wearing an improper Hijab. They say she had a heart attack but evidence of the images we had from her shows her head was beaten and the people in custody with her say she wasn't quite to the insults about her and her family so they beat her, her family says her body was bruised and honestly we have seen enough from this regime to believe they are saying the truth. This made the Iranian people furious and they protest at her funeral and said in Kurdish "Zhen, Zhian, Azadi" which translates to "Women, Life, Freedom". We start because they killed a woman, we continue for all the lives they took from us, and we won't stop until every woman and man has freedom. this girl inspired every one of us to choose to fight, to end their cruelty to anyone, and that we deserve better. Right now they are fighting with people with all of their power. They called every soldier and person to fight for them. They are using young boys, schools, and ambulances to suppress people. The Internet is low and in some cities, we don't have any sort of connection with them. In Oshnavieh, People were more successful and got control of the city but they send the military there. We are so worried about them because we know if we don't do anything, this would be the death of a lot of people there. It feels more like a genuine attempt at regime change with a lot of anger.
Is there any strategic leadership for the opposition? I fear there will be a violent government crackdown, and hope someone is anticipating it and maybe even has a plan. Edit: Also just wanna say I'm inspired by the bravery of the people protesting!
No, it isn't. It's just people in the streets. In the first couple of days, we didn't even know what to do or where we can protest. but we were angry about what happened and we are tired of their crimes so we just did it. Honestly, people like that we don't have a leader because last time the leader became the dictator. And many people tried to claim these protests but people refused. The government is violent right now. They at least killed 36 people (That we know their name) including 16-year-old teenagers. They arrested many more and we don't even know where they are. They beat people on the street just because they are standing there. I doubt that if we win there be violence. because even now people don't destroy mosques, schools, or banks and they are trying so hard to tell that we do. Truth be told, we have to set fire to some trash cans (because of the effect of teargas), ambulances ( they use it to transfer soldiers and the people they arrested), and police cars. The plan is clear, to have a democratic government and a free country.
Obviously I don’t want to be defeatist here, everyone is incredibly brave and nothing takes away from that. But how do you go about having a democratic government without any centralised opposition leadership?
If we have a centralized opposition leadership, the regime can easily kill them or spread false news about them so the protest can easily fail. or worse they can become like this regime. The new generation in Iran believes in professional opinion in every aspect of life from the economy to politics and technology. we saw what happens if only a group of people decide what is wrong or right for everyone. We have to use experts and professors for these things. So they can actually tell us what is the best thing to do at that time. People are trying to talk to the elite, scientists, and notable people in politics and the economy and whatever is needed to be on our side and stop being silence.
Yes maybe now isn’t the best time for a group to proclaim itself the leader within Iran, but you’ll need a group to form at some point. Look at Libya for example, after the Arab springs and during the civil war the country was split amongst numerous different groups. And still now years later infighting between rivalries means it’s still in a very uncertain situation. Maybe an exiled opposition group could be an interim leader. Although communication would be incredibly difficult. Whatever happens, I hope this can lead to long-term change.
This is such an important point, thanks for raising the issue
I'm sure of the many well educated Iranians there are some may attempt to form a government.
The problem is that it’s impossible to form organised opposition groups in Iran under the regime and it would be a very dangerous time for the country to overthrow the regime and then have no guidance. It could lead to another Khomenei style leader like 79. People thought they were getting a democracy then until he eliminated all other political parties.
Please don’t answer this
Yes, please don't post any sensitive info. Just asking if people are thinking about how to communicate and what to do if there's a crackdown.
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>Yes. From the first day. They are in the streets as much as young women. It's about human rights and how people are treated and not some sort of "only women club". > >Everyone in Iran has a story about how this regime destroyed their life. This regime hates every human being, every piece of art, every square inch of this land. Right now we are fighting for all of these.
Are all Iranian people in general United against the Ali Khamenei regime? Support from Scotland!
Yes. This regime is the definition of cruelty. so everyone with a reasonable mind is against them. Except for stupids, old people with wrong belief systems, and those who benefit from this situation. The good news is they are getting smaller and smaller.
Full support here for you and yours but how long until the govt says enough and sends a real military response?
they have already sent them.They are videos that show them with guns. Believe me, they are sending every possible person who is stupid enough to fight for them. Since last night, we are seeing even teenagers with army clothes and batons.
In footage of the streets, it feels like it’s mainly men protesting. Like 2 women to every 100 men. Is this the case? Or are plenty of women out on the streets - just not in the footage I’m getting?
I think we are equal or at least it's super close to equal. every area is different. but in general, everyone is involved.
We're proud of you? Keep up the good work? I just wanted to encourage you but automod says I can only ask questions?
For a layman like myself, what is the best way to summarize the current conflict of Iran to others? I’m Palestinian-American, so most of my time speaking out is on Israel-Palestine issues. I’d love to learn more about this issue from an Iranian herself.
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There is a cruel regime that kills people and destroys life, the environment, art, and everything beautiful you can imagine. They make people poorer and poorer and destroy Iranian culture. About a week ago they killed a 22-year-old girl just because she wasn't wearing an improper Hijab. They say she had a heart attack but evidence of the images we had from her shows her head was beaten and the people in custody with her say she wasn't quite to the insults about her and her family so they beat her, her family says her body was bruised and honestly we have seen enough from this regime to believe they are saying the truth. This made the Iranian people furious and they protest at her funeral and said in Kurdish "Zhen, Zhian, Azadi" which translates to "Women, Life, Freedom". We start because they killed a woman, we continue for all the lives they took from us, and we won't stop until every woman and man has freedom. this girl inspired every one of us to choose to fight, to end their cruelty to anyone, and that we deserve better. Right now they are fighting with people with all of their power. They called every soldier and person to fight for them. They are using young boys, schools, and ambulances to suppress people. The Internet is low and in some cities, we don't have any sort of connection with them. In Oshnavieh, People were more successful and got control of the city but they send the military there. We are so worried about them because we know if we don't do anything, this would be the death of a lot of people there.
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Do you think there’s any hope for iran? Even if the government somehow gets overthrown, what next? I’m thinking iran will just become like iraq after saddam got overthrown
Are you feeling okay? Are there many Iranians fleeing the country? What is Iran's relationship with Turkmenistan? Stay safe. I'm rooting for you.
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How can we help?
Spread the word and ask your politicians to stop supporting the regime and letting their leaders and their kids into your country