All in a Name- Mahsa Amini
In an attempt to do some self-care, a friend invited me to ceramic painting, and I jumped at the chance. Reminiscent of a classic childhood activity that inevitably ended in a horrendous mixture of colours forgotten in a blazing kiln - it was just what I needed to escape the anxiety I’d been feeling.
As per usual, the manager verbally stumbled on my name, and I brushed it off, but he added that he thought it was beautiful. I agree - I do think my name is beautiful, and often - I felt like I didn’t live up to it. Taking us around the tiered surrounding shelves and giving us the lay of the land of naked clay, he ended by asking my favourite question, “Where are you from?” Before I could answer - the man responded to his own question, “Are you Persian? I could tell by your beautiful eyes.” And given the current climate - I felt a sting at a compliment that would ordinarily make me blush in red and squeak a forced “thank you” from my mouth. Now ordinarily, I would be uncomfortable with the compliment because I didn’t grow up with them a lot, making me want to crawl into a closet most days. This time was a bit different - I thought of one of the sources of my anxiety - the current protests and human rights violations in Iran.
Those who may know me - may (or definitely) know about my complicated relationship with my Iranian background. I do not and have not supported the government for as long as I can remember. I also don’t speak Farsi as much or as well as I’d like - so part of me never felt like I would be accepted. I didn’t have a lot of Iranian friends growing up, so I fostered my Arab side a lot more. When I came to university, part of those feelings went away. I started feeling like I belonged as part of the Iranian community - because it's so diverse. The Persian identifying communities are all linked - our histories are shared. I felt a lot of internalized racism between my Persian side and my Arab side - pretty sure it's the source of my heartburn. I found myself making jokes with my halfie friends about the only things our Persian parents said to us were “pedar-sag” or “ay khoda”. It made me homesick for a part of me that I resented for so long because of a government that I didn’t support. I conflated my people with its current leaders - something I have come to unlearn over the years.
So when this innocent man made a harmless compliment about my people and myself - I felt a sting in my heart. Thinking of Mahsa Amini and all the people who have been senselessly murdered because of a regime that none of its people genuinely support. A regime that claims to be Islamic but only uses Islam as an excuse to shield them from their own sins. I’ve said this before, but I mean it - I don’t claim to be an example of Muslims or the Islamic faith - but I respect it to my core, and I know in my own heart the love I have for my Creator (Allah SWT) and those are my beliefs.
The death of anyone is sad - the loss of human life - is sad. When the Queen (RIP) passed, the world was halted. Yes - she was not only a political figure and a head of state, and she was beloved by millions.
However, for the other billions that were affected by her regime and the actions of her government and influence caused turmoil and destruction of people and communities- its frustrating to see the world stop in mourning for a 96-year-old woman who died of natural causes; when we see in the same time frame, we see a 22-year-old young woman beaten to death because of an authoritarian police force acting on the orders of the result of the colonization of the Queen the world mourned. And it's absolute silence.
Mahsa Amini - a beautiful young woman who was taken much before her time by men who feared her beauty and knew what it could do. People resort to violence because they fear their own insecurity - they feel small and want others to cower under them instead.
The powers that be and the financial forces that dictate whether or not a people is worth speaking for don’t seem to care when it's not a white person in a position of peril. Even if you actually knew the history and knew that Aryan (of Aryanism) developed from ancient Persia.
In an attempt to keep this concise and not turn into a never-ending rant on the foundations of imperialism and colonization (maybe you can read my dissertation if you want) - I’ll say this - If Western powers cared about human rights, why are their citizens demanding them? Why do citizens bear the cost of wars that were not their choice? The point is that politics don’t matter more than the people serving them. What is happening in Iran is not a mere protest - its decades of political unrest, censorship, terrorizing, brutality, and pain - so much pain - is coming to light. While the government squandered the people’s money to support foreign rebels and movements - the people of Iran suffered. Women have been silenced publicly and oppressed by men who call themselves Muslim, but in reality, the first thing you learn about Islam is that it is a religion of tolerance and peace. Salam - it's how we say hello in Arabic and Farsi- also means peace. All I felt like I have ever wanted was peace - to see what it would be like when people didn’t need things but only wanted. People shouldn’t have to demand what is rightfully owed to them, yet that is how our world works.
So the people of Iran are demanding their government take action and condemn and extinguish a brutal force that does nothing for its community except fearmongering and violent torment. The Iranian government has cut off most access to the internet and cellular service to avoid information being leaked or spread about what is happening within their borders.
Now there are not many organizations that I know and trust to donate to and support the Iranian people - but I know that if you ask an Iranian friend of yours - they have family who will be willing to help and connect you to what you’re looking for. Most people don’t know this, but the mathematician behind Algebra was Persian. A lot of brain drain happens with Iranians because working for the government is like working for a grandfather clock with an unpredictable ring. It's big, loud, demanding, and requires a lot of repairs - truly needs to be tossed out and replaced.
I have to be careful with my words here because, as most Iranians will know - there are consequences for words spoken or written. So what I can and will say is this - listen to the people and hear what they are saying. They need change, and they need help. The Iranian people are not their government and deserve more than to be censored and cast out for wanting to live without being constantly monitored and reprimanded. The Muslim Empire prospered for so long because people lived in peace and harmony - regardless of their religious affiliation. So please - what not to do after this - is hate on Islam or Muslims who defend it.
If you’re wondering what to do if not donate - listen, spread the word, and if you have ten seconds of your life to spare - add an extension to your browser that allows you to help provide a short proxy service for people being censored by the government- the program is called Snowflake and it's linked below. As with anything, be careful and do your research, but besides educating yourself, sending letters to your local government, and amplifying Iranian voices - the true heroes are the people risking their lives for the change we all pray for. So pray for them and their safety from the totalitarian cowards hiding behind an excuse that is crumbling before them. Be like my idol, Christiane Amanpour - and don’t let others bully you into rejecting your principles.
For Iran. For Mahsa Amini. To the dozens of people who have been murdered but whose names we cannot confirm because of the government censorship that denies them the right to be heard and mourned. We pray for your peace in the afterlife and hope that this time - it is it. إِنَّا لِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
Link to Snowflake:
https://support.torproject.org/censorship/what-is-snowflake/