There have been repeated protests in Iran for three weeks – they have been particularly violent over the weekend, even as the Iranian leadership has brutally retaliated. At least 130 protesters have already been killed. Why are people still demonstrating? “It is no longer just about the compulsory headscarf and the death of the young woman, but about Islamic ideology as the basis for a political system,” explains a political scientist in Tehran. One protester said he was not afraid of the security forces: “We have nothing to lose.”
“Islamic Republic, we don’t want you,” the protesters chanted. “This is no longer a protest, but the beginning of a revolution!” The protests were sparked by the death in September of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini (22) in police custody, who allegedly did not wear her headscarf properly. The protests were initially directed against the strict dress code imposed on women by the Iranian leadership since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The protesters are now questioning the system.
As a political scientist in Tehran explained to the German news agency in an interview, politics in recent decades has not only isolated the country internationally, but also plunged the economy into the worst crisis in Iranian history. The national currency, the rial, has lost a lot of value in recent years. People are suffering from the economic crisis and inflation – hopelessness and frustration are increasing, especially among young people. Like 27-year-old Shayan, who studied chemistry and now makes ends meet as a taxi driver.
He couldn’t move in with his girlfriend, let alone get married, because they couldn’t afford an apartment. There is also no money to emigrate. “Therefore we demonstrate, even to the bitter or, inshallah (God willing), sweet end.” The young chemist and his girlfriend know they could be arrested or even killed during the protests – but they are not afraid of the security forces. “We have nothing to lose,” Shayan says.
Nobel Peace Prize Winner: The Beginning of the Next Revolution
Iranians have repeatedly taken to the streets in the past, partly because of the economic crisis. But these protests are different, according to experts. They had “reached broad sections of the population,” said Cornelius Adebahr, Iran expert and analyst at the German Council for Foreign Relations. It concerns people in cities and provinces and from different social classes. Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, who lives in exile, puts it this way about Deutschlandfunk: “When everyone from granddaughter to grandmother is dissatisfied, and not just in one city but in 100 cities, you have to be convinced that this the beginning of another revolution in Iran.”
Young women don’t want to end up as housewives
Young women are leading the way: “It is indeed a women’s movement and we (men) only support it de facto,” says student Bijan. But schoolgirls – and their mothers – are also taking an active part in the protests. “Scarves are stupid, school is stupid too, because we won’t have the crap in our books in the future,” says 16-year-old Tanas. She doesn’t want to end up like her mother, who cooks and cleans alone at home. “I want to make something of my life, but I can’t with Islam and the mullahs.” This is how she explains her participation in the demonstrations.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
