It has been more than ten days since my people in Iran have started protesting against injustices they are suffering from, triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young girl reportedly killed by morality police.
The government has shut down the internet again and killed almost all messengers and communication services people used and access to any server located outside the country is very much restricted. This has been a common way for the regime to oppress protesters.
A lot of people, including many athletes and artists, have shown support for the people’s fight and condemned the way the regimes handles this situation. The oppression of opposite voices and all the injustices happening made people rise to streets. I even saw some people in national television condemning the way the regime handles the situation. It is known that those who speak in the television are carefully selected to move the government’s propaganda forward.
I can’t stay silent. People are tired and angry about everything they have been through. Every injustice they have been subjected to and every time they have been oppressed because of the the way they think or behave have made them angry. The economic situation is bad, the level of corruption inside the government is very high, the limitations in their life, mostly imposed by outer elements, are felt a lot, and they are hurt that there’s almost nothing they can do about it.
People are hurt that nobody is there to rescue them from all the pain they’re experiencing and all the lies they have been hearing all these times. They can’t tolerate this anymore.
Forty years ago when our fathers started a revolution, they thought they can finally get rid of monarchy and earn liberty. Now people feel they just replaced the old monarchy and corrupt system with another one. People are hopeless but more importantly fearless because they believe they have nothing to lose.
For the past ten days, I have seen many people quote prophet Muhammad that “the country survives with blasphemy but won’t survive with oppression” and believe me people feel very oppressed. It doesn’t matter how the regime explains to them why they’re wrong or how it’s different from what they feel, what people are experiencing and feeling is different.
People no longer accept what clergymen say. They have lost their trust in them. They feel lied to and betrayed. All the trust they had in the system is being torn apart by every single mistake and mishandled situation. The system is damaging itself, it’s exploding from inside, and its shrapnel is hurting people, making them more angry. It’s not their fault but they have been the blame for a long time.
Nothing is more dangerous than hopeless, tired, and angry people, except for fearless people. And my people have become fearless because they have nothing to lose anymore. My people have become the most dangerous now. I feel the same, and I stand with my dangerous people. You should too.