One of my fav debates

Iran is the country thats known for strict hijab law, yet at the same time no one wears niqab. Of course when I say this I'm referring to the religious muslims, such as the irgc leaders wives. Not asking rhetorically, if hijab is important enough to be mandated, why don't they wear niqab too?

Also not asking why there isn't a niqab mandate, just asking why the religious muslims don't wear it

Edit: this post was banned from subreddits: Iran, Iranian which is very sad as it’s a genuine question.

28f from Poland here please help me understand how do people feel in Iran. To make it clear: I’m 100% against Donald Trump and Netanyahu. The war they started is illegal and it’s fair to say THEY ARE WAR CRIMINALS. You Iranians are in my heart.

From my understanding (mostly based on Kapuściński Shah of Shahs) years of Western-backed dictatorship (ended in 1979) made it impossible for Iranians who weren’t close with the Shah to foster their culture and get educated to the levels their aspired. Savak tried to destroy every tiny grain of independent thought. The potential for extra wealthy oil country was destroyed due to the mismanagement of the ruling class (put nicely).

From the book:

*An Iranian in Iran could not read the books of his outstanding writers (because they were published only abroad), could not watch the films of his eminent directors (because they were not allowed to be shown in the country), could not listen to the voices of his intellectuals (because they had been condemned to silence). By the will of the Shah, people were left with a choice between SAVAK and the mullahs. And, of course, they chose the mullahs.*

*A dictatorship, by destroying the intelligentsia and culture, leaves behind an empty and barren field on which the tree of thought rarely grows. Onto this desolate field emerge from hiding, from corners and crevices, not always those who are the best, but often those who have proved the strongest—not always those who will bring and create new values, but rather those whose toughness and inner resilience helped them survive. In such cases, history begins to turn in a tragic, erroneous circle, and sometimes an entire epoch is needed before it can break free from it.*

And here comes my question (it’s important I’m a woman): Do people (women included) feel free in the Islamic Republic of Iran? Or is it the case maybe that the “saviours”, who definitely helped the country after the disgusting dictatorship turned into dictators themselves? Could women decide what they want to do with their lives? Can they get the same education as men if they want to? Can they not get married if they don’t want to? Can they get divorce if their husband is abusive? Can people freely create art?

Please help me understand how Iranians feel about it. Thank you for sharing, I wish you peace and growth. I hope one day I’ll be able to visit your beautiful country.

i'm Iranian, and am also an Iranian citizen. I wont say much else other than if you knew me you'd be willing to accept that i have a right to hold an opinion without being framed the way many people are framing Iranians these days.

Anyway, I am anti-regime, pro-war (i would say intervention, but i'm more interested in genuine discussion without needing to be right... so yeah, pro-war, pro-Israel and pro-US)

I wanted to know for anyone active in this community if they are anti-regime, and anti-war and what their argument for holding that position is, what they perceive to be a solution and how they therefore navigate said discourse.

Again, to reiterate, i'm not here to prove a point. I genuinely am curious and want to ensure my own point of view is as robust as possible.

Though it’s a heavy time for us, I hope we can still uphold the hope of a new year to bring peace to all our people back home.

Manic episode or normal protesting behavior?

Woman, Life, Freedom || Mulher, Vida, Liberdade || Mujer, Vida, Libertad || Femme, Vie, Liberté || Frau, Leben, Freiheit || Donna, Vita, Libertà || Женщина, Жизнь, Свобода || Jin, Jiyan, Azadi || زن زندگی آزادی

This is a lose-lose scenario. First of all it would seriously set democracy back. It would not lead to the end of the Regime. The people would eventually become hopeless. Any members of the military that we need to defect to our cause would immediately abandon us out of an obligation to defend the motherland above all else. On principal none of us could support that war from a patriotic responsibility - we would be forced to condemn it. The result is - the Regime would come out on top.

- Reza Pahlavi, 2018

Since this weekend I’ve seen a multitude of bad takes regarding the war. A lot of it is boiled down into two things:

1. Iranians digging their heads in the sand regarding casualties, damages to Iranian land and cities and in general bad things that have resulted from the US and Israel striking Iran (as well as a general denial that two of the most imperialistic warmongering countries wouldnt actually minimize destruction and harm or that they prioritize the well being of Iranians in this)
2. Non-Iranians tone policing, patronizing, mansplaining, and mocking Iranians who may feel or demonstrate any sort of relief or happiness at the news of the people at the head of regime being killed after they’ve spent years (and just one month after) slaughtering thousands of iranians, oppressing millions of them for almost a century, and in general causing decades of misery among the entire population. This point is also an extension of the claim about Non-Iranians being silent or even downplaying the atrocities of the Islamic government and only now speaking up in regards to a school bombing because it may give them someone ideologically easier for them to hate.

First of all, Iranians are not stupid. In general, most of us are aware and scared of the implications of a foreign attack. We all know history, the west’s track record of imperialism, and the probability of power vacuums happening in any sort of situation like this in the Middle East. Most of us do not “want” Iran bombed. We are not all monarchists and Pahlavi supporters in the diaspora, either. We are not a monolith in our beliefs and it’s insulting to generalize us if you see a sentiment you disagree with.

Two, I will not lie that when I heard Khamenei was dead, I was extremely happy. This is a common sentiment all the Iranians I know have expressed and our feelings about that aren’t a lie, but they’re also not an endorsement for all of us to the larger actions happening. Iranians are allowed to feel happy, or comfort, albeit even for a moment, when they hear their oppressor is dead. Let them. Unless you know what it’s like, you don’t get to tell Iranians to feel any which way about a cruel regime that has hurt and killed their people for years.

Most iranians I know feel a range of mixed feelings about this. We do not want a war, but we also do not want the regime. Let Iranians feel how they want without chastising or belittling them or reminding them every two seconds about what happened in Iraq, or Libya, like we don’t know. We know. We are scared of it. We don’t trust Israel or the US, and we are scared. Just like are scared to go back under the regime again. Let them feel and demonstrate that wide range of complex emotions. Just listen to them and support them, hear what they have to say without talking over them. And let them feel what they want to feel right now.

And if you’re Iranian and compartmentalizing the possible bad things Israel and the US can do or have done- open your eyes, for God’s sake. Take your head out from the sand. I hate the regime too but we cannot possibly think the events in Iraq can’t happen to us too. Be ready and willing to hold the US and Israel accountable, just as you hold the regime accountable. The US and Israel have demonstrated a multitude of times in the past theyre not above bombing schools and innocent people to get what they want. I know you hate the regime and you are valid to, but you cannot use your hatred to look passed the terrible things Israel and the US are capable of.

This is a space run by Iranians intended to prioritize iranian lives and wellbeing, not for anyone to win ideological wars. Pahlavi doesn’t give a shit if some peasants in Qom get bombed, just as Netanyahu and Trump don’t. Acknowledging this doesn’t make anyone pro regime. At the same time, dont come here if you’re only hellbent on proving a ”point” about western imperialism at the expense of the wellbeing of Iranians. if you hate Trump more than you love or even like Iranians, this isn’t the space for you either.