AFP
News from the NOS•today, 07:03
In Iran, women and men took to the streets for more than two weeks to demonstrate against the authorities in Tehran. The reason for the protests is the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The woman died after being arrested by the moral police, because she was wearing the hijab that was too large. The protests continue, because the dissatisfaction is much wider. An economy in crisis, corruption and a suffocating regime composed mainly of older men; many young Iranians have had enough.
Iranian-Dutch author Ferdows Kazemi believes the protests pose a serious threat to the regime. “Iran has a young population that doesn’t believe in strict Islamic rules,” he says. “Social media has opened a door to young people who yearn for freedom and independence. Now they know what they are missing out on and what in return.”
Protests in Iran in recent years have more often sprung from discontent with rising prices or human rights abuses, and then have extended to broader accusations against the state. That resistance has always been suppressed relatively quickly, without causing any cracks in the power structure.
The single order protects those in power
The Iranian constitution is unique. In addition to elected administrators and people’s representatives, the country has a supreme level of religious government.
The religious leader is at the top and is the head of state. Now he is Ali Khamenei, 83 years old. Then there is the Guardian Council. These twelve men choose who can and who cannot participate in the elections. They also test laws passed by parliament for religious admissibility.
Six of the council members are appointed directly by the Supreme Leader, Khamenei, the other six by the President of the Supreme Court. But this same head of justice was also appointed by Khamenei. In this way, the spiritual leader has a finger in the cake in multiple layers.
absolute power
On paper, Khamenei’s power isn’t absolute. An 86-man expert council should monitor this, but in practice that council poses no real threat to power. According to Ferdows Kazemi, this has to do with Shiite Islam, which is dominant in Iran. “Therefore, the religious leader has absolute power. To resist him is to resist the word of God.”
Power in Iran is therefore concentrated within a small group. “But despite the ongoing protests, he acts as if nothing had happened,” said Iranian-Dutch activist Shirin Ghahramani.
The president and parliament are elected by the people; only after the candidates have been selected by the Guardian Council. There is often tension between the more reformist politicians and the religious upper class. As a result, the prudent reform proposals come to naught.
NOS
Ghahramani organizes demonstrations against the Iranian regime in the Netherlands. In the ongoing protests, he sees a solidarity among Iranians he has never seen before. “People in Iran also realize that it’s not about your political preferences, everyone is a target within the Iranian dictatorship,” she says. “And in the Netherlands we are in solidarity with all those who now take to the streets”. There is also such a show of solidarity this afternoon, at the Malieveld in The Hague.
Ghahramani notes that protesters at protests in Iran are less intimidated by the infamous Revolutionary Guard and are smarter with their security forces. This elite guard was founded by Khamenei’s predecessor, Ayatollah Khomeini. He did not trust the military and wanted a military body under his direct command of him.
In the video you can see more about this elite corps:
What is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard?
The Iranian demonstrators fear above all the Basij, part of the Revolutionary Guard. While riot police and officers are recognizable on the street, Basij members wear civilian clothes. They blend inconspicuously among the protesters and use excessive force.
Ghahramani says the young protesters are now dealing more strategically with unity. “They have learned to recognize the Basij by their attitude and the things they carry. “Through WhatsApp groups, they inform each other when Basij members are seen and then choose a new place for their protests. According to her, she shows how a young girl generation refers to an outdated regime.
The regime is once again struggling to break the resistance with the help of the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian-Dutch activist knows. But partly because the protesters have smartphones, she is still confident. “We are no longer afraid. Everything is recorded via social media and goes around the world.”
