Nationwide Protests in Iran "Woman, Life, Freedom"

A Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, was apprehended and detained by the Morality Police of Iran. Her "crime" was the improper wearing of a Hijab, and during her detainment she fell into a coma. Which was almost certainly caused by excessive use of force from her captors. Following her falling into a coma she was hospitalized and died on September 16.

This killing has sparked nationwide protests. That has since engulfed most of the provinces in the country, taking place in over 40 cities across the country. The protests are largely feminist, demanding an end to the mistreatment of women and an end to the compulsory wearing of Hijabs. But there is also an ethnic element too. Kurds have long been repressed by the Iranian government, and this incident is no exception.

Like with many protests things are being set ablaze: Iranian Flags, Hijabs and Qurans are all being set ablaze with fires raging across the streets. Women are cutting their hair short as another form of protest (see the first picture).

At the time of posting this, over 1200 people have been arrested and dozens have allegedly been killed from clashing with security forces (a toll that reaches 30 according to Amnesty International as of Friday, 41 according to Iranian TV on Saturday).

As with every action there is also an opposite reaction. The iranian government has shut down the internet, and pro government traditionalists are desperately trying to change the narrative. Trying to downplay her death, authorities are trying to claim her death was caused by Pre-existing conditions. Framing protesters as Rioters and blaming Komala Party in Iran. A social democratic party standing for Kurdish independence.

But the fact of the matter is. People are fed up of repression, and a brutal Morality Police!

https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cjnwl8q4ggwt

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/25/iran-organises-counter-demonstrations-as-protests-continue

I sincerely hope they succeed. Kurdistan deserves its independence and the Iranian people deserve their freedom. Religion has no place in politics, and whether it is Buddhism, Christianity or Islam, should not be imposed on anyone. Mahsa Amini was a brave, intelligent woman. And my condolenses goes to her loved ones.

Edit: Opening paragraph had been deleted for some reason, wrote a new one.

It would be great to see oppressive governments forced to change.

It's in the hands of each one to fight for their freedom. I wish all the best to the people of Iran.

Aaw, and just a few years ago you guys were cheerleading Iran. Whined about ending a nuclear agreement they weren't adhering to, defended Obama giving them billions of dollars, and even made Soleimani out to be an innocent victim, despite the piles, and piles of bodies of innocent people he's responsible for. But now, now you finally realize Iran is a nation ran by dicks?

Going by many experts Trump pulling out of the deal was a major mistake,

Experts don’t like Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran deal — or his foreign policy in general - The Washington Post

U.S. Experts Say Why Trump Should Support Iran Deal - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

A worthless withdrawal: Two years since President Trump abandoned the JCPOA - Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation (armscontrolcenter.org)

Also cheerleading a nuclear agreement doesn't mean you accept their cultural practices. Are you feeling okay?

I heard about the protests before I heard about why. I Google'd it and found out it was in response to the woman being taken into custody and dying. They said normally incidents like this the people get detained, processed at station, released and compelled to take a 1 hour class on the matter later. For her she was bruised all over her body and suffered injuries that made her brain dead. But I did not know the woman was Kurdish until reading this thread, and knowing this now wonder if the reason she was beaten was also because she was Kurdish, and yeah, like TC says, Kurdish people are treated pretty horribly, pretty much everywhere.

Blah blah blah.

I am LOVING these protests, but absolutely HATING what is going on over there as a result.

I mean it is so great to see these women, and the men supporting them, taking to the streets and burning these burkas.

But so many have died. And the way the more conservative men (and even women) talk about these women is frightening. It's almost like a sport to them, to abuse these women. Was watching an interview with some Yemeni men (not Iranian, but similar views) and they were like "Oh ya if my sister did that, I'd take an electrical cord and tie her feet and hang her upside down and let her swing." WTF dude? I mean I get you disagree, but such detail? Wow...

And the "morality police"? WTF why do they actually have these? Apparently they're just a bunch of old men plucked from super religious villages in rural Iran, indoctrinated, and told to beat people. It's like if the reddest rednecks of the American south were given clubs and told to go around beat women that were not wearing bras. I mean WTF man.

So that's your response? Blah blah blah? Jesus Christ dude...

Anyway, I don't think many folks were cheerleading Iran, we just knew it is better to make a deal with them and have control than to not and let them do what they want. Evidence shows they're closer now to being a nuclear power than before we got out of the deal, as @zaryia has clearly shown.

A few billion dollars in to make sure Iran isn't armed with nukes seems like a good investment.

Yeah, morality police seem as ridiculous as a social credit system.

We criticized Obama getting out of the Iran deal because it gave the government access to nuclear weaponry while hurting the citizenry.

And you are misrepresenting what Obama did. Obama didn't give them billions of dollars, he unfroze their money.

For sure. Tribalism is absolutely horrifying. These people have been conditioned to view women as property, and the honor culture dominant there doesnt help either. All humans need to be treated like sentient individuals. And to treat anyone like property is beyond disgusting.

I am seeing some really bad takes across the globe.

Among some confused leftists. They seem to be cheering on the Iranian government. Makes me think, they just pick people to cheer on, rather than an actual liberal ideology. And bigger confusion is seen in India. Where you have Hindutvas (Indian Nationalists), seem to think they spotted some hypocrisy, when muslim women in India are fighting for the right to be able to keep their Hijabs, while in Iran they are fighting for the right not to wear them. It is almost like both are fighting for the right to wear, or not wear, whatever one pleases.

Iranian millenials are really cool (and Zoomers). Have you met any? They are some of the brightest people I have ever known. It is not uncommon for them to identify as Persians, because they are disgusted by the ultra conservative government.

While I am not Iranian, I even joined in on the protests in my own way. Just like how Men are shaving their hair, I joined them too, gave myself a nice haircut (and by that I mean, I shaved everything off).

I have a friend from Kurdistan. I did it for her!

Yes, because banning books, abortion and sex ed, restriction on contraception, etc., which you love and support, is not policing morality.

It didn't give their government access to anything. They still don't have them. Furthermore they weren't adhering to the conditions of it, so it was ended. Agreements with the Iranian government, who have a goal and will not be deterred from it, only use such agreements to delay any other actions taken against them in the mean time. They "agree" to these things on paper to buy themselves time while they do what they want outside of the public eye.

If you haven't noticed by now, the Iranian government isn't exactly comprised of the most decent, honest group of individuals. It's curious you trust them on this matter.

Yes it did. Since the Iran deal ended and the sanctions began. Iran has been making a lot of headway compared to before. It's almost like tough guy bullying is nowhere near as effective of a strategy as pragmatic diplomacy.

It's almost like every expert warned about this (as shown in the links you called Blah Blah Blah).

Honestly, the fact that you are calling Evidence and Sources "Blah Blah Blah" shows that you are making an effort to stay out of touch with reality.

@eoten: You always go with the take that makes you look like a complete idiot, isn't it?

This is a radical Republican talking point. He just regurgitates all they say with no awareness of the truth. Or he works on a troll farm. Either works.

Pretty sure he works on a troll farm.

This is the guy who afterall is the king of Whataboutisms. Which we all know is a Soviet Disinformation/Propaganda tactic. He learnt well from Putin... or at least that is what I would say. No one is falling for his whataboutisms.

This ended about as expected. You started with a post full of lies and misinformation, were corrected on it with citations, then promptly responded with sticking your fingers in your ears....LITERALLY.

Posting politically biased op-eds is not "refuting with citations." It's parroting a political narrative based in the debunked theory that Iran was being honest. Iran is, always has been, and unless something major happens, always will be ruled by trash. And the nuclear deal gave Iran money, relaxed sanctions, freed prisoners, ended investigations, all based on the "word" that the regime was going to stick to the agreement, which they were not. They never stopped enriching uranium, nor did they ever stop testing weapons capable of delivering nuclear warheads. Both of which were terms of the nuclear agreement.

Iran was violating the terms since day 1.

What parts of the JCPOA were violated and were they confirmed with the IAEA?

I feel for the people of Iran, but they need to overthrow their government again. Nothing will change as long as they're a theocracy.

@hansbeej: I think that is gonna happen sooner or later, they are already shouting some pretty violent rhetoric against the dictator.

And the younger generations, millenials and gen z, are far more pro-western than older gens.

Yeah and this goes back to their parents.

I mean back in the 70's before the Shah was overthrown, Iran was developing into a pretty progressive place. This would have been 1970's so a lot of American and European fashion and social trends would have found their way there: women were wearing skirts, not wearing burqas, and walking freely through town.

Then all that was undone when there was a coup and a religious fundamentalist took over.

Time is ripe to overthrow the theocracy; the current Ayatollah sounds like he is dying, and the president is currently in New York of all place talking to the UN (though he might have flown back by now).

The younger folks are pretty great. Very tech savvy, they've been able to get a lot of footage, audio, and other information out of a country that's in lockdown so the world can see it. Very brave, too; can't imagine hearing about a woman that was shot six times for protesting and then going out and protesting.

Two of my articles were not op-eds. Literally and unquestionably you just lied. Flat out.

The third is arguable.

Here is more,

• Consequences of the U.S. Withdrawal from the JCPOA | Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
• AP FACT CHECK: Trump vs. truth on the Iran nuclear deal | AP News
• Potential Consequences of the U.S. Withdrawal from the JCPOA – ERI (eurasian-research.org)
• The Strategic Fallout of U.S. Withdrawal from the Iran Deal | RAND

These are "High" fact sources, citing experts. It was a bad move.

@zaryia: I don't know why you guys continue to engage with him. He's not going to have a serious conversation at all. Troll farm mean anything to you?

@LJS9502_basic: I dunno about in Zaryia's case. But in my case it is the same reason I bash Elden Ring and continue to rile up its biggest fanboy in the SW board.

Trolling these trolls is pretty entertaining at times.

When I respond to the garbage, it's not to change his mind but present reality for others that might not know. Unfortunately, too many here don't want to see anything that doesn't fit their narrative. I don't understand that lifestyle myself though.

What the **** is a social credit system?

I commend the courage of the Iranian youth. Their courage, their brilliance is an inspiration for all of us.

A messed up thin in China. Used to reward loyalty to the CCP

Just a few updates

1. OpIran (Anonymous) have restored Iranian Internet
2. The slogan of the revolution seems to be "Woman, Life, Freedom!" I like it!
3. There are reports of Iran deploying children to try to suppress the protests. UNICEF needs to investigate this.

This has been done before, but in far more tragic circumstances.

During the Iran-Iraq war, they used children to sweep for mines. Literally gave them a plastic key on a necklace and said "Here is your key to paradise should you step on a mine, now go" and told them to run.

Not to generalize, but cultures governed by sharia law have a very, very, very different set of values from societal norms in not just Western cultures, but most others as well.

Troll farms aren't exactly comparable to one user being overly fan of ER.

@horgen: Both are still hilarious :P

Yup, Religious fundamentalism is a terrible thing.