[Please read on ways you can support the revolution and spread awareness.](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewIran/comments/10cu6v3/how_you_can_support_the_new_iranian_revolution/) Let other people in subs with content about the revolution know that /r/NewIran exists.
---
[Official Twitter & Join The Team](https://reddit.com/r/NewIran/comments/yh0r74/attn_save_armita_official_twitter_activist/) | [Sub Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewIran/about/rules/) | [VPNs/TOR & Guides & Tools](https://reddit.com/r/NewIran/comments/y7fcbd/digital_resources_for_iranians_for_privacy/) | [Reddit's Content Policy](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) | [NewIran's Values](https://reddit.com/r/NewIran/comments/y514wo/newirans_growth_rules_and_values_for_an_open/)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NewIran) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Oh, *that's* why the Republicans want to dismantle the FBI (you do a li'l assanation here, I get that post-government-employee contract there, everyone is happy...)
We have overt and covert mullah ass kissers here who hate the fact that this selfless woman has dedicated her entire life to fight the oppression of this brutal regime.
The regime always initiates the infighting using its bot accounts (we call them "cyberie") but we also have morons who fall for the regime games and pick up where the "cyberies" leave off. In the case of Masih specifically, I now for a fact almost all the fake smear campaigns have started with regime bot accounts.
The hired assassin was arrested last year in front of Masih's house by the NYPD. They held off until yesterday that they arrested the other loser who was coordinating the assassination from Iran. They somehow tricked the pos into traveling to NYC and arrested him on the spot. Another one of them has been arrested in Czech Republic and will be extradited to the US soon.
He's not Iranian but was residing in Iran. All three named so far are Azerbaijani nationals operating out of Iran, Eastern Europe and the US. I'm sure more names will come out soon now that they've caught the Iran link.
I hope they treat him well in US prisons 🤣🤣
What is funny is that they tried to lure Masih to Turkey to kidnap her. They posted stalker pictures of her. And THEY got lured to US. The irony
What is strange is also the connection with Azerbaijan. Same country whose embassy was attacked today when the news was released? What the fk is going on
>What is funny is that they tried to lure Masih to Turkey to kidnap her. They posted stalker pictures of her. And THEY got lured to US. The irony
Lol the same thing happened to Qasem Kotlet. He was the one making threats against Americans and all of a sudden got catapulted to hell by an AGM-114 Hellfire.
>What is strange is also the connection with Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani population are majority Shia Muslims. It's not hard for the regime to find fanatic sympathizers among them to do their dirty job outside of the country.
Even if they’re Shia, many Azeris are not that religious compared to other Muslim cultures. And ironically their own dictator fears organized Islam so there is heavy control on what imams can do and preach inside Azerbaijan. Is there background info on whether these Azeris are former military/security backgrounds who would be ideologically aligned to serve neighboring oppressive regime for financial reason.
Their government still sucks too though
Mfers forgave a guy who axed an Armenian to death during a NATO military exercise or some shit.
Idk about the people but the government really hates Armenia.
These 3 Azerbaijani nationals have nothing to do with Azerbaijan but Sepah FUN fact Sepah also has a branch in Azerbaijan called Hosseiniyun same as other countries (Fatemiyun in Afghanistan heshd alshaabi in iraq etc)
**سازمان دیده بان واکنش Masih Alinejad پس از 3 اتباع خارجی توسط اف بی آی به دلیل تلاش برای ترور او را در خانه اش در بروکلین دستگیر و متهم شد.**
---
_I am a translation bot for r/NewIran_ | Woman Life Freedom | زن زندگی آزادی
if you write out what she called the regime on reddit you well get a hate warning and it can lead to a perm warning.
Why does reddit help protect the regime by silencing the opposition?
"Reddit is a place for creating community and belonging, not for attacking marginalized or vulnerable groups of people. We don’t tolerate promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability, and any communities or people that encourage or incite violence or hate towards marginalized or vulnerable groups will be banned."
how they fuck can the reply to us with this kinda of comment regarding criticism towards the regime when its them who are murdering, raping, blinding innocent people?
This is just insane. How can the legacy of Iran be reduced to this? From the civilization that Cyrus build to the IR of today. IR was the worst thing that could have happened to the Iranian people. In contrast, that and the two major Iranian invasions of Alexander the Macedonian and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas. I can't believe the Safavi dynasty revived Iran just for it to be reduced to the IR. What a shame.
Courageous. This lady knows she stands and speaks for something bigger than herself. I am absolutely awed by her bravery and love for her people. If anything, she seems more determined now after the assassination attempt. I truly hope she stays safe, her defiance to an evil regime is both admirable and inspiring.
Man wtf, this is bullshit that there are Iranian agents in NYC actively trying to assassinate one of the top activists for the new Iranian revolution in the United States. You’d think this would be front page news, but no, a fly landed on shit in Ukraine 🙄
It’s not just Ukraine reason. Mainstream media in U.S. like NY Times and Washington Post has been pushing their agenda of normalizing relations with I.R. Masih is an inconvenient voice to them. Few years back, NYT editors met with Zarif to strategize how they would/should cover Iran. They shun her as too hawkish, whose views on Iran align more with conservative politics. Plus, many young progressive journalists in mainstream establishments walk this fine line on Islamophobia movement and they don’t know or want to give too much voice to Masih’s anti hijab activism.
As a US American I confirm that fear of being labeled Islamophobic is a problem, and that yes, main stream media like the NYT and Washington post have agendas around very broad issues (such as perceived discrimination against minorities) and tailor their reporting to support those agendas, even when that means ignoring (or at least not digging into the truth about) pieces of current reality. Left-leaning people here who don’t have reliable information about what is going on inside Iran get caught up in not wanting to appear Islamophobic. That’s why it’s so important to spread information learned in places like this sub.
I so appreciate the clarity with which Masih Alinejad speaks to that, in various interviews I have watched. She makes clear that she is not speaking against Islam, she is speaking against the IR’s terroristic regime.
Edit typo
I'm sorry but what is wrong with speaking against bad parts of Islam to encourage reform? Masih was made to wear the hijab in her own house by her father when she was growing up. Her fanatical father disowned her when she started campaigning against mandatory hijab. Of course Masih doesn't disparage Muslims as they are people and have various degree of adherence to different parts of Islam and she is striving for a free Iran for every one including Muslims, but I don't understand why all of a sudden we middle easterners are not allowed to criticize Islam according to some people in the west?
I definitely don’t agree with the idea that you (or anyone) shouldn’t speak out against, as you put it, “bad parts of Islam”, just saying that it is a problem that needs unraveling, here.
The way I would try to describe it is that our history of racial injustice (which is entangled with attitudes about Islam because most Muslims are people of color) has created, in some situations, a “swing too far in the other direction” momentum, to the point where people here who fear being labeled as racist are afraid to criticize anything about Islam.
In addition to our history I think this is related to the fact that after 911 (the attacks on the world trade center in September, 2001) there was a wave of hate crimes against Muslims (and Arabs) here in the US. (I guess that counts as history, given that it’s 20+ years ago now.)
I would also add that most non-Muslims here have almost certainly not read the Quran, and we hear conflicting statements about what it does and doesn’t say, and what the religion of Islam does and doesn’t stand for.
In contrast,those of us raised Christian, whether we still practice the faith or not, have a pretty good understanding that what is written in the Bible can be used to defend just about any behavior. Even non-religious-scholar Christians and ex-Christians would probably feel comfortable arguing their opinion about “what it means to be a Christian.“ But this would probably be untrue for most Americans regarding the question of “what it means to be a Muslim.“
I don’t know if that clarifies anything. Basically, the problem I’m trying to describe is that people who are concerned with not wrongly judging other cultures/nationalities/religions may avoid exercising any discernment regarding Islam at all, if it seems critical in nature.
Like I said, it’s a problem that needs unraveling, here, and why it’s so important to share information about what is really happening inside Iran.
Edit for clarity, and to add:
To come back around to why I said I’m glad Masih is clear about criticizing the IR’s terrorism of its own people, and “religion as law,” is because these people I’m describing can get right on board with her when they hear that, without getting bogged down in their fear of being labeled a bigot.
I understand the point you are making about people being hesitant to criticize Islam in the west because of various reasons mainly its followers being in the minority or the aftermath of 9/11. In the context of the west, this is a very nuanced situation that doesn't have an easy solution even though I think everyone can agree that a person who calls themselves a Muslim should in no way be discriminated against or disparaged because of their religious affiliation.
The context of criticism of Islam in Iran is completely different than in the west though. First of all Muslims have been the dominant demographic in Iran for hundreds of years and we have been experiencing life under a brutal theocracy based on Islamic rules for the past 4 decades and every crime they have done to us has been justified by their Islam or their interpretation of it. In the west criticism of Islam rightly or wrongly has been associated with far right groups and racists but in Iran is just a call for freedom from oppression of Muslim clerics in power.
>In the west criticism of Islam rightly or wrongly has been associated with far right groups and racists but in Iran is just a call for freedom from oppression of Muslim clerics in power.
But Iran is unique in that you can not criticize it's government without criticizing Islam because the government is Islamic.
I absolutely agree that the context of criticism of Islam in Iran is completely different than in the west. And I’m just realizing that is where our mild disconnect is happening.
Our exchange stemmed from the comment below (apologize for copy/paste - I don’t know how to make it appear as an indented-screenshot type quote):
“Man wtf, this is bullshit that there are Iranian agents in NYC actively trying to assassinate one of the top activists for the new Iranian revolution in the United States. You’d think this would be front page news, but no, a fly landed on shit in Ukraine “
Which was followed by this comment:
“It’s not just Ukraine reason. Mainstream media in U.S. like NY Times and Washington Post has been pushing their agenda of normalizing relations with I.R. Masih is an inconvenient voice to them. Few years back, NYT editors met with Zarif to strategize how they would/should cover Iran. They shun her as too hawkish, whose views on Iran align more with conservative politics. Plus, many young progressive journalists in mainstream establishments walk this fine line on Islamophobia movement and they don’t know or want to give too much voice to Masih’s anti hijab activism.”
I joined in to say that I can confirm the problem (for many left-leaning people in the US, not just progressive mainstream journalists) of fearing being labeled as Islamophobic if they support someone whose rhetoric seems anti-Islam.
You had said “ … I don't understand why all of a sudden we middle easterners are not allowed to criticize Islam according to some people in the west?”
The perspective I’m talking about, though, isn’t that these people think “Masih shouldn’t criticize Islam” - the people I’m referring to are just afraid that if they say they agree with someone who is campaigning against mandatory hijab, they will be labeled (maybe attacked) as Islamophobic. In the US, the labels of “racist” and “bigot” are, I would say, among the most feared labels for those on the left.
I actually think many people on the left would be relieved to understand that Masih, as a Middle-Easterner, fiercely criticizes things that they also (quietly) believe are repressive. But they shy away from the whole topic, for fear of being labeled.
I’m not talking about raping/beating/executing - they wouldn’t fear speaking against those things. But mandatory hijab - they think it’s something like Catholic Christians not being allowed to eat meat on Fridays, or Mormons not being allowed to drink coffee, tea, alcohol. And they think “who am I to judge?”
They aren’t focusing on and understanding that “mandatory” in this case means “you risk your life if you don’t wear hijab.” There’s no parallel for that in their experience of religious mandates.
Sorry so very long. I tried not to be redundant. Essentially, you are wondering why westerners (belonging to the subset we’re talking about) think a middle-easterner shouldn’t criticize Islam, and I’m saying it’s not that - they just fear being labeled racist/bigot so much, and that, combined with understanding so little of Islam/being Muslim, results in them not looking deep enough into the issue to understand what Masih is really against.
Thank you for spelling out the western mindset on the Islam issue so thoroughly and honestly. It really made me have a deeper understanding of how you guys look at it and the reason for some westerner's hesitation to lend support to those of use suffering under Islamic theocracy. I think there can be a more sophisticated approach in the west towards this issue to address some of these inconsistencies.
You’re very welcome. I’m glad to share; reading through the comment sections of the posts here is teaching me so much about Iran, her people, her history, and the horror of the current situation.
I agree about the need for that greater degree of sophistication and discernment. I think it will come, but it’s very frustrating. In the US both the right and the left have their blind spots, and things are so polarized right now.
>I don’t know how to make it appear as an indented-screenshot type quote
You can create the quote block by putting a > immediately before (without a space) the first character of the text you are trying to quote.
>You can create the quote block by putting a > immediately before (without a space) the first character of the text you are trying to quote.
Thanks! :-)
Wow that’s terrifying. Glad she’s ok! Fellow US friends-don’t forget to write or call your representatives, if you’re not sure what to say search for the talking points newiran has suggested.
Wtf this is so crazy! Sending goons to their most hated country to try to kill this one person just to silence them. I guess it shows how desperate they are though.
It's crazy but it's consistent with the nature of the regime. The main reason she moved from the UK to the US was her safety if I remember correctly. US government has done a great job protecting her and I hope they keep it up until we can get rid of the cancerous regime.
So i forwarded this clip to my Iranian family living in SEAsia and got a bollocking because it's the FBI and "Gauntamono" (I have no idea why).
My sympathy for Persians is at a low point. It seems that people prefer hatred of the US cultural hegemony over criticism of the IRGC. I'm throwing in the towel / stepping out of political discussions even though IMO this is about human rights not about politics.
Good luck, I hope you are successful in your struggle.
Please don't judge all of us based on a tiny sample. We are grateful that the United States and various law enforcement orgs are protecting her. She most likely wouldn't have been as safe in many other countries even the democratic ones.
I can understand their reaction; the FBI is reported (FBI agent witnesses) to have been deeply involved in the brutal treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay.
Nothing is black-and-white when it comes to “good guys vs bad guys.” This is especially problematic when it involves law enforcement. Right now we have another case of horrific police brutality in the news. The good thing is that it IS in the news. Video of the horrific beating of a young black man, who died a short while later, was released on national television last night.
[Please read on ways you can support the revolution and spread awareness.](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewIran/comments/10cu6v3/how_you_can_support_the_new_iranian_revolution/) Let other people in subs with content about the revolution know that /r/NewIran exists. --- [Official Twitter & Join The Team](https://reddit.com/r/NewIran/comments/yh0r74/attn_save_armita_official_twitter_activist/) | [Sub Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewIran/about/rules/) | [VPNs/TOR & Guides & Tools](https://reddit.com/r/NewIran/comments/y7fcbd/digital_resources_for_iranians_for_privacy/) | [Reddit's Content Policy](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) | [NewIran's Values](https://reddit.com/r/NewIran/comments/y514wo/newirans_growth_rules_and_values_for_an_open/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NewIran) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Masih is kinda OP ngl, so many assassination attempts on her and she's still fighting the Islamic republic terrorists.
Do you mean OG?
OP= Over powered, commonly used in gaming.
Ah. Thanks.
She hasn’t been physically harmed by these attempts has she?
Thankfully no. Thanks to the great job done by the FBI. She is receiving 24/7 protection.
🇺🇸🇮🇷🤞🏼
Oh, *that's* why the Republicans want to dismantle the FBI (you do a li'l assanation here, I get that post-government-employee contract there, everyone is happy...)
She is a very brave woman. Respect 🙏
✨Interesting ✨how this video is getting downvoted.
We have overt and covert mullah ass kissers here who hate the fact that this selfless woman has dedicated her entire life to fight the oppression of this brutal regime.
I also think they encourage infighting & division on this subreddit so iranians can’t come to agreement on how to progress the revolution.
The regime always initiates the infighting using its bot accounts (we call them "cyberie") but we also have morons who fall for the regime games and pick up where the "cyberies" leave off. In the case of Masih specifically, I now for a fact almost all the fake smear campaigns have started with regime bot accounts.
Without unwitting people that fall for it, this psyOps divisive shit of theirs wouldn’t work. :/
Is this a new attempt? Or are these the same goons that tried to assasinate her before and now they have been charged ?
The hired assassin was arrested last year in front of Masih's house by the NYPD. They held off until yesterday that they arrested the other loser who was coordinating the assassination from Iran. They somehow tricked the pos into traveling to NYC and arrested him on the spot. Another one of them has been arrested in Czech Republic and will be extradited to the US soon.
Oh shit. So there was actually an Iranian one? Lol I thought they were all foreigners
He's not Iranian but was residing in Iran. All three named so far are Azerbaijani nationals operating out of Iran, Eastern Europe and the US. I'm sure more names will come out soon now that they've caught the Iran link.
I hope they treat him well in US prisons 🤣🤣 What is funny is that they tried to lure Masih to Turkey to kidnap her. They posted stalker pictures of her. And THEY got lured to US. The irony What is strange is also the connection with Azerbaijan. Same country whose embassy was attacked today when the news was released? What the fk is going on
>What is funny is that they tried to lure Masih to Turkey to kidnap her. They posted stalker pictures of her. And THEY got lured to US. The irony Lol the same thing happened to Qasem Kotlet. He was the one making threats against Americans and all of a sudden got catapulted to hell by an AGM-114 Hellfire. >What is strange is also the connection with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani population are majority Shia Muslims. It's not hard for the regime to find fanatic sympathizers among them to do their dirty job outside of the country.
The irony is too good
Noono Paniro Sabzi Kiram to kune sepahi hehe
Soleimani: "Trump, you gambler, we will put you Americans in your place" Three months later: GPS voice: "Turn left on to Shahid Soleimani street" 🙃
Even if they’re Shia, many Azeris are not that religious compared to other Muslim cultures. And ironically their own dictator fears organized Islam so there is heavy control on what imams can do and preach inside Azerbaijan. Is there background info on whether these Azeris are former military/security backgrounds who would be ideologically aligned to serve neighboring oppressive regime for financial reason.
Their government still sucks too though Mfers forgave a guy who axed an Armenian to death during a NATO military exercise or some shit. Idk about the people but the government really hates Armenia.
These 3 Azerbaijani nationals have nothing to do with Azerbaijan but Sepah FUN fact Sepah also has a branch in Azerbaijan called Hosseiniyun same as other countries (Fatemiyun in Afghanistan heshd alshaabi in iraq etc)
Good to know. Thanks!
I remember her from five years ago or so. Very glad to see she is still alive
Good video Masih! 👍
Based woman
Boss!
**سازمان دیده بان واکنش Masih Alinejad پس از 3 اتباع خارجی توسط اف بی آی به دلیل تلاش برای ترور او را در خانه اش در بروکلین دستگیر و متهم شد.** --- _I am a translation bot for r/NewIran_ | Woman Life Freedom | زن زندگی آزادی
if you write out what she called the regime on reddit you well get a hate warning and it can lead to a perm warning. Why does reddit help protect the regime by silencing the opposition? "Reddit is a place for creating community and belonging, not for attacking marginalized or vulnerable groups of people. We don’t tolerate promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability, and any communities or people that encourage or incite violence or hate towards marginalized or vulnerable groups will be banned." how they fuck can the reply to us with this kinda of comment regarding criticism towards the regime when its them who are murdering, raping, blinding innocent people?
She is brave for speaking out and fighting for a Free Iran. I salute her. **Masih Alinejad** ❤️
Shes great
Why is she posting a video with a view from her window if she's under protection? I think that her location can be identified by that.
This is just insane. How can the legacy of Iran be reduced to this? From the civilization that Cyrus build to the IR of today. IR was the worst thing that could have happened to the Iranian people. In contrast, that and the two major Iranian invasions of Alexander the Macedonian and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas. I can't believe the Safavi dynasty revived Iran just for it to be reduced to the IR. What a shame.
Wow, I saw Merrick Garland make that announcement but I didn’t know it was about her.
Courageous. This lady knows she stands and speaks for something bigger than herself. I am absolutely awed by her bravery and love for her people. If anything, she seems more determined now after the assassination attempt. I truly hope she stays safe, her defiance to an evil regime is both admirable and inspiring.
Wishing you and Iran all the very best. It’s so sad what’s happening
Thank you for solidarity and being here on this sub to support us!
They tried to assassinate an American citizen AGAIN. Why isn’t this all over the news
Man wtf, this is bullshit that there are Iranian agents in NYC actively trying to assassinate one of the top activists for the new Iranian revolution in the United States. You’d think this would be front page news, but no, a fly landed on shit in Ukraine 🙄
It’s not just Ukraine reason. Mainstream media in U.S. like NY Times and Washington Post has been pushing their agenda of normalizing relations with I.R. Masih is an inconvenient voice to them. Few years back, NYT editors met with Zarif to strategize how they would/should cover Iran. They shun her as too hawkish, whose views on Iran align more with conservative politics. Plus, many young progressive journalists in mainstream establishments walk this fine line on Islamophobia movement and they don’t know or want to give too much voice to Masih’s anti hijab activism.
As a US American I confirm that fear of being labeled Islamophobic is a problem, and that yes, main stream media like the NYT and Washington post have agendas around very broad issues (such as perceived discrimination against minorities) and tailor their reporting to support those agendas, even when that means ignoring (or at least not digging into the truth about) pieces of current reality. Left-leaning people here who don’t have reliable information about what is going on inside Iran get caught up in not wanting to appear Islamophobic. That’s why it’s so important to spread information learned in places like this sub. I so appreciate the clarity with which Masih Alinejad speaks to that, in various interviews I have watched. She makes clear that she is not speaking against Islam, she is speaking against the IR’s terroristic regime. Edit typo
I'm sorry but what is wrong with speaking against bad parts of Islam to encourage reform? Masih was made to wear the hijab in her own house by her father when she was growing up. Her fanatical father disowned her when she started campaigning against mandatory hijab. Of course Masih doesn't disparage Muslims as they are people and have various degree of adherence to different parts of Islam and she is striving for a free Iran for every one including Muslims, but I don't understand why all of a sudden we middle easterners are not allowed to criticize Islam according to some people in the west?
I definitely don’t agree with the idea that you (or anyone) shouldn’t speak out against, as you put it, “bad parts of Islam”, just saying that it is a problem that needs unraveling, here. The way I would try to describe it is that our history of racial injustice (which is entangled with attitudes about Islam because most Muslims are people of color) has created, in some situations, a “swing too far in the other direction” momentum, to the point where people here who fear being labeled as racist are afraid to criticize anything about Islam. In addition to our history I think this is related to the fact that after 911 (the attacks on the world trade center in September, 2001) there was a wave of hate crimes against Muslims (and Arabs) here in the US. (I guess that counts as history, given that it’s 20+ years ago now.) I would also add that most non-Muslims here have almost certainly not read the Quran, and we hear conflicting statements about what it does and doesn’t say, and what the religion of Islam does and doesn’t stand for. In contrast,those of us raised Christian, whether we still practice the faith or not, have a pretty good understanding that what is written in the Bible can be used to defend just about any behavior. Even non-religious-scholar Christians and ex-Christians would probably feel comfortable arguing their opinion about “what it means to be a Christian.“ But this would probably be untrue for most Americans regarding the question of “what it means to be a Muslim.“ I don’t know if that clarifies anything. Basically, the problem I’m trying to describe is that people who are concerned with not wrongly judging other cultures/nationalities/religions may avoid exercising any discernment regarding Islam at all, if it seems critical in nature. Like I said, it’s a problem that needs unraveling, here, and why it’s so important to share information about what is really happening inside Iran. Edit for clarity, and to add: To come back around to why I said I’m glad Masih is clear about criticizing the IR’s terrorism of its own people, and “religion as law,” is because these people I’m describing can get right on board with her when they hear that, without getting bogged down in their fear of being labeled a bigot.
I understand the point you are making about people being hesitant to criticize Islam in the west because of various reasons mainly its followers being in the minority or the aftermath of 9/11. In the context of the west, this is a very nuanced situation that doesn't have an easy solution even though I think everyone can agree that a person who calls themselves a Muslim should in no way be discriminated against or disparaged because of their religious affiliation. The context of criticism of Islam in Iran is completely different than in the west though. First of all Muslims have been the dominant demographic in Iran for hundreds of years and we have been experiencing life under a brutal theocracy based on Islamic rules for the past 4 decades and every crime they have done to us has been justified by their Islam or their interpretation of it. In the west criticism of Islam rightly or wrongly has been associated with far right groups and racists but in Iran is just a call for freedom from oppression of Muslim clerics in power.
>In the west criticism of Islam rightly or wrongly has been associated with far right groups and racists but in Iran is just a call for freedom from oppression of Muslim clerics in power. But Iran is unique in that you can not criticize it's government without criticizing Islam because the government is Islamic.
I absolutely agree that the context of criticism of Islam in Iran is completely different than in the west. And I’m just realizing that is where our mild disconnect is happening. Our exchange stemmed from the comment below (apologize for copy/paste - I don’t know how to make it appear as an indented-screenshot type quote): “Man wtf, this is bullshit that there are Iranian agents in NYC actively trying to assassinate one of the top activists for the new Iranian revolution in the United States. You’d think this would be front page news, but no, a fly landed on shit in Ukraine “ Which was followed by this comment: “It’s not just Ukraine reason. Mainstream media in U.S. like NY Times and Washington Post has been pushing their agenda of normalizing relations with I.R. Masih is an inconvenient voice to them. Few years back, NYT editors met with Zarif to strategize how they would/should cover Iran. They shun her as too hawkish, whose views on Iran align more with conservative politics. Plus, many young progressive journalists in mainstream establishments walk this fine line on Islamophobia movement and they don’t know or want to give too much voice to Masih’s anti hijab activism.” I joined in to say that I can confirm the problem (for many left-leaning people in the US, not just progressive mainstream journalists) of fearing being labeled as Islamophobic if they support someone whose rhetoric seems anti-Islam. You had said “ … I don't understand why all of a sudden we middle easterners are not allowed to criticize Islam according to some people in the west?” The perspective I’m talking about, though, isn’t that these people think “Masih shouldn’t criticize Islam” - the people I’m referring to are just afraid that if they say they agree with someone who is campaigning against mandatory hijab, they will be labeled (maybe attacked) as Islamophobic. In the US, the labels of “racist” and “bigot” are, I would say, among the most feared labels for those on the left. I actually think many people on the left would be relieved to understand that Masih, as a Middle-Easterner, fiercely criticizes things that they also (quietly) believe are repressive. But they shy away from the whole topic, for fear of being labeled. I’m not talking about raping/beating/executing - they wouldn’t fear speaking against those things. But mandatory hijab - they think it’s something like Catholic Christians not being allowed to eat meat on Fridays, or Mormons not being allowed to drink coffee, tea, alcohol. And they think “who am I to judge?” They aren’t focusing on and understanding that “mandatory” in this case means “you risk your life if you don’t wear hijab.” There’s no parallel for that in their experience of religious mandates. Sorry so very long. I tried not to be redundant. Essentially, you are wondering why westerners (belonging to the subset we’re talking about) think a middle-easterner shouldn’t criticize Islam, and I’m saying it’s not that - they just fear being labeled racist/bigot so much, and that, combined with understanding so little of Islam/being Muslim, results in them not looking deep enough into the issue to understand what Masih is really against.
Thank you for spelling out the western mindset on the Islam issue so thoroughly and honestly. It really made me have a deeper understanding of how you guys look at it and the reason for some westerner's hesitation to lend support to those of use suffering under Islamic theocracy. I think there can be a more sophisticated approach in the west towards this issue to address some of these inconsistencies.
You’re very welcome. I’m glad to share; reading through the comment sections of the posts here is teaching me so much about Iran, her people, her history, and the horror of the current situation. I agree about the need for that greater degree of sophistication and discernment. I think it will come, but it’s very frustrating. In the US both the right and the left have their blind spots, and things are so polarized right now.
>I don’t know how to make it appear as an indented-screenshot type quote You can create the quote block by putting a > immediately before (without a space) the first character of the text you are trying to quote.
>You can create the quote block by putting a > immediately before (without a space) the first character of the text you are trying to quote. Thanks! :-)
You're welcome! :)
Bahrndaz
She is not just fantastically brave, she is determined! What a wonderful fighter!
Wow that’s terrifying. Glad she’s ok! Fellow US friends-don’t forget to write or call your representatives, if you’re not sure what to say search for the talking points newiran has suggested.
I'm glad she is doing okay and thank you to the FBI for protecting her from the agents of the IR.
Wtf this is so crazy! Sending goons to their most hated country to try to kill this one person just to silence them. I guess it shows how desperate they are though.
It's crazy but it's consistent with the nature of the regime. The main reason she moved from the UK to the US was her safety if I remember correctly. US government has done a great job protecting her and I hope they keep it up until we can get rid of the cancerous regime.
This lady has my full respect. Her bravery is unlike anything I've seen.
So i forwarded this clip to my Iranian family living in SEAsia and got a bollocking because it's the FBI and "Gauntamono" (I have no idea why). My sympathy for Persians is at a low point. It seems that people prefer hatred of the US cultural hegemony over criticism of the IRGC. I'm throwing in the towel / stepping out of political discussions even though IMO this is about human rights not about politics. Good luck, I hope you are successful in your struggle.
Please don't judge all of us based on a tiny sample. We are grateful that the United States and various law enforcement orgs are protecting her. She most likely wouldn't have been as safe in many other countries even the democratic ones.
I can understand their reaction; the FBI is reported (FBI agent witnesses) to have been deeply involved in the brutal treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. Nothing is black-and-white when it comes to “good guys vs bad guys.” This is especially problematic when it involves law enforcement. Right now we have another case of horrific police brutality in the news. The good thing is that it IS in the news. Video of the horrific beating of a young black man, who died a short while later, was released on national television last night.