This article has been published in Commonwealth Magazine after being rewritten by the editorial staff:

https://opinion.cw.com.tw/blog/profile/52/article/12818

On September 16, the death of a woman who was arrested for violating the dress code stipulated by Iran's religious laws sparked demonstrations across the country, including the capital Tehran, with demonstrators chanting "against the dictator". , "Protest against the oppression of women from the Kurdish region to Tehran", "Death to Khamenei (Iran's Supreme Leader)" and other slogans, and violent incidents gradually emerged in the protests and demonstrations, with violent clashes between demonstrators and the military and police. In the past two weeks, although the Iranian official dispatched more military and police to suppress and took measures such as cutting off Internet communication in some areas, the protests have not subsided, the conflict has continued, and the number of people killed in the protests has continued to rise.

This wave of demonstrations is not an isolated case, but another climax of the Iranian civil protest movement in recent years. It also reflects the long-term struggle between religion and secularism, autocracy and democracy, conservatism and change in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the impact of changes in the external environment on the Iran's profound influence. To understand the pros and cons of this demonstration, it is necessary to trace back to Iran’s complicated and tortuous history.

Unlike most countries in the Middle East, where the majority of the population is Arab, from ancient times to the present, the majority of Iranian nationals are Persians (61% of Iran’s total population), while Azerbaijanis (16%) and Kurds (10%) It is an important minority (Arabs account for only 2%), which together make up the Iranians of today. The Persians and other closely related ethnic groups established the Persian Empire (the Latin transliteration of "Persian" or "Iran") that flourished in the Middle East more than 2,000 years ago. After the 7th century, after the invasion of Arabs and other Muslim groups, Iran gradually became Islamized. Although the Islamicized Iranians became Muslims, the vast majority (89%) belonged to Shiites who opposed the mainstream Sunni faction. . It is precisely because the Iranians and the mainstream groups in the Middle East have different historical origins, national identities, and sectarian identities, so they have formed a unique Persian civilization. Compared with Arab Muslims whose religious beliefs are greater than national identity and follow more religious traditions, Iranians’ nationalistic sentiments are more enthusiastic than religious beliefs. The secular Persian culture has more influence on the country and people than religion. Iranians from kings to civilians They are also willing to accept modern systems, humanities, and technology.

Against this background, Iran once had a very secularized modern historical experience. From 1925 to 1941, during the reign of Reza Pahlavi (Reza Khan), the "Shah (monarch)" of the Kingdom of Iran, he promoted a series of westernization reforms in Iran, developed modern education and transportation, and abolished old customs. Women were prohibited from wearing veils and headscarves, which weakened the influence of religion on the country and the people; from 1951 to 1953, the Iranian left-wing politician Mossadegh became the prime minister and implemented a series of socialist reforms, developing education and medical care that benefited the common people, etc. Public service, women's liberation was also on the agenda and made progress until it was overthrown by a coup planned by the British and American forces and participated by the domestic opposition; ) during his reign, he was also committed to the modernization and secularization of the country, especially after 1963, he carried out the "white revolution", carried out land reform, nationalized resources, improved the status of women and gave them political rights and the right to education, universal education, Cultivate grassroots democracy, implement basic security for all, and strengthen secular government power. During these periods, Iran was highly secular, with limited religious influence.

But religious forces have been trying to seize political power in Iran and establish an Islamic regime in Iran that integrates the state and religion. Khomeini, an Islamic Shiite thinker and politician, is the representative of Iran's religious forces. In the 1960s and 1970s, although Pahlavi's "white revolution" made Iran rich and powerful, it also brought corruption, polarization between the rich and the poor, waste of resources, the prevalence of hedonism and extravagance in society, and the moral degeneration of some people. And other issues, Pahlavi's own life can also be described as extravagant. Khomeini, who was in exile at that time, took advantage of these problems to advocate the overthrow of Pahlavi's rule, the revival of Islamism, the cleansing of people's hearts and the transformation of society through the ideas of equality, unity, integrity and abstinence in Islam, and to build Iran into a A Sharia-dominated country. Before the victory of the revolution, Khomeini also appeared as a tolerant and sympathetic religious scholar, and claimed that after the establishment of the Islamic Republic, it would respect human rights and accommodate groups and individuals of different beliefs, thus winning the anti-Pahlavi factions in Iran , the favor and support of the Western world and the Islamic world.

In 1979, Iran's Islamists, socialists/communists, liberals collaborated in a revolution that overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty. However, Islamists did not share the results of the revolution with the other two factions, but after a short transition period, after several years of violent cleansing and public opinion control, they suppressed all non-Islamists and established a political and religious system where politics is more important than religion. In the Islamic Republic, religious forces monopolized political power, and Khomeini served as the "Supreme Leader of Iran" who was in charge of religious, political and military power at the same time. Instead of fulfilling his promise to respect human rights and tolerate different beliefs before the revolution, Khomeini began to implement strict Islamic law, and all state policies and national behaviors must follow Islamic teachings and laws.

The main victims of the religiousization of the Iranian state are women. Before the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Iranian women had the best protection of rights in Islamic countries, enjoying political rights such as the right to vote and stand for election, the right to education, and a large degree of freedom of marriage and dress. Moreover, during the Pahlavi era, Iranian women often called for and advocated women's rights through demonstrations and other means. Whether they were religious conservative women or secular radical women, they could publicly express their dissatisfaction with the government and put forward their own demands to a certain extent. The downfall of the Pahlavi regime and the success of the revolution itself had the participation and contribution of Iranian women.

But after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the religious regime quickly restricted women's rights and suppressed the women's rights movement. Based on their fundamentalized understanding of Islamic teachings, they believe that women have a lower status than men, are subordinate to men, cannot enjoy the same rights as men, and need to abide by some rules of speech and behavior that are unique to women. One of the very important requirements is that women need to wear sharia-compliant clothing, such as a black burqa and a specific headscarf. Not only dress restrictions, but also women's political rights, education rights, employment rights, family civil rights, etc., have also been compressed. Women are asked to play the role of "housewives" and reduce their participation in public affairs. The cartoon "I grew up in Iran" by the Iranian-French cartoonist Maja Shatabi and the animated film "Life of Jasmine" adapted from the cartoon describe the oppression and imprisonment of Iranian women in the Khomeini era and their stories. physical and mental pain.

In 1989, Khomeini died. Khomeini's disciple, then President Khamenei was transferred to the "Supreme Leader of Iran", and the presidency was taken over by Rafsanjani (according to Iran's political system, the "Supreme Leader" is somewhat equivalent to the presidents of other presidential systems , while the President of Iran is somewhat equivalent to the Prime Minister of other countries). Khamenei, who inherited Khomeini's mantle, is very close to Khomeini in position, but far less prestige than Khomeini. And President Rafsanjani is a relatively enlightened politician, more moderate and pragmatic. At this time, Iran, due to domestic political and religious cleansing, economic rigidity and stagnation, external sanctions from the United States and other Western countries, the destruction caused by the Iran-Iraq war, and the isolation of Iran by Sunni countries, led to internal and external difficulties for Iran.

Therefore, with Khamenei's tacit approval, Rafsanjani carried out a series of reforms, such as abandoning the nationalization and the planned economy-biased policy of Khomeini's era, and instead promoting privatization and developing a market economy to improve the deteriorating situation. Iranian economy and livelihood. On issues related to religion, although it has generally inherited Khomeini's ideas and policies, the specific implementation has been largely relaxed. After a decade in the darkness of fundamentalism, Iranian women are finally seeing some light again. Another president, Khatami, is also an enlightened reformer, and the situation of women has been further improved. Not only do women still have the right to education and most jobs, they are also treated liberally when it comes to dress.

But under Ahmadinejad's presidency, Iran's political ethos turned conservative again. On the prominent issue of dress, women began to be required to standardize their dress and abide by religious rules and regulations. The next president, Rouhani, has a similar political stance to Khatami, and the situation for women has improved again.

In fact, from the Islamic Revolution in 1979 to the present, except for Khomeini’s ten years in power, the rights and freedoms of Iranian women, although limited, are still better than most other Islamic countries. This is of course not only because of several enlightened presidents, but because Iran has a system and culture that is different from that of other Arab countries.

Iran implements a special "dual politics", that is, the combination of theocracy and secular politics. On the one hand, the supreme power in Iran rests in the hands of the “supreme leader” representing Iran’s Islamic sectarianism, and religious forces control, infiltrate, and participate in politics, military affairs, economy, and culture; on the other hand, Iran also has a system based on Government agencies in a broad sense such as administration, legislation, and judiciary in the secular model, and these secular agencies and laws govern the country and the people. Under such a system, although religious forces hold fundamental power and influence all aspects of the country and its citizens, the people under the secularized state apparatus can still partially live in accordance with the statutes of civil rights (rather than religious ones) based on secularism. , and has a lot of freedom. This allows Iranian women to be restrained by religion and protected by secular institutions and laws, and have the freedom to choose their own way of life, instead of having to accept a full set of "Sharia" as women under the Saudi Wahhabist regime and the Afghan Taliban regime did. Law (Islamic Law)”.

Moreover, unlike Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other authoritarian monarchy regimes, and different countries such as Egypt and Syria where the military controls power, Iran has an imperfect but quite real and powerful democracy. Iran's president and members of Congress are elected by universal suffrage. Although candidates for the president and members of parliament both need to pass the qualification review of the "Constitutional Guardian Council" composed of clergy members, and after being elected, they need the approval of the supreme leader to take office, but the popular election is real, and it is often a differential election. and competition. The fact that three liberals, Rafsanjani, Khatami, and Rouhani, were elected president (and defeated the candidates selected by conservatives) also showed the authenticity and competitiveness of the election.

Under this premise, the Iranian people can at least partially influence state power and decision-making. While women in Iran have the right to vote, the Iranian government certainly needs to consider their interests and concerns. The Iranian Congress has also elected some feminists, and joined moderate parliamentarians to promote some policies to promote women's rights, which is almost impossible in other Islamic countries. In addition, Iranian people, including women, have freedom of speech, association, procession, and demonstration (even if they are greatly restricted). There are often various political rallies in Iran, and various civil organizations and self-media are also very active. , which is also rarely seen in other authoritarian countries.

Iranian women not only have a certain weight in politics, but also in the field of art. Iranian female directors and actors occupy half of the Iranian film industry. For example, Nargis Abeye and Roshan Benitima are well-known female directors inside and outside Iran. Iranian actresses like Leila Khatami in The Farewell also caught the world's attention. Although these women do not directly criticize the religious regime, their achievements and the concern for women in their works are powerful enough to promote the advancement and empowerment of Iranian women.

In terms of cultural education, Iranian women are also quite successful. At Iranian universities, 60 percent of students are women, a higher percentage than most countries in the world. The good education women have received has also made them successful in the fields of natural science, science, and humanities and social sciences. The Iranian mathematician Mariam Mirzakhani, who won the Fields Medal, the highest award in mathematics, is a typical example. Many more women who have obtained higher education have become doctors, judges, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and have a high status and respect in society.

All of the above are unthinkable in most Islamic countries. In Saudi Arabia, a country with a high degree of fundamentalism, women not only have no political rights, but also do not have the right to receive a complete education and to freely choose a career. Most Saudi women can only serve as housewives with their husbands and children throughout their lives. While other Islamic countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and other countries have relatively loose systems and social environments, women's rights and freedoms rarely reach the level of Iran, and women's achievements in cultural, economic and social fields are even more difficult to match with Iranian women. compared to.

Obviously, Iranian women have a higher status, greater rights, and more freedom than women in most other Islamic countries and authoritarian countries. It is under this premise that Iranian women can fight for their rights and freedoms. At the same time, the Iranian regime itself is still a religious theocracy, and the country has various laws and policies based on religion. This means that Iranian women face both oppression and the ability to resist, which has led to intense conflicts between Iranian women and the regime.

In 2017, conservative Ibrahim Rahi was elected president of Iran. He reversed the liberal policy of former President Hassan Rouhani and strengthened the enforcement of religious decrees. One manifestation of this is stricter requirements for Iranian women to abide by religious dress codes.

On the issue of women's rights in Iran, disputes over political rights, education rights, marriage and property rights, and employment rights are all very important. But the most obvious one is the requirement on women's dress. According to Sharia law, women are required to wear a burqa that covers most of the body and a headscarf/veil on the head. However, different sects and different regimes have different requirements in terms of specific clothing forms and how much to cover. Generally speaking, more moderate and enlightened sects or regimes will relax their regulations and allow women to cover their heads and hands and feet only symbolically. Conservatives, on the other hand, demand that almost the entire body be covered, with the veil covering the face completely. Because the issue of dress is the most daily and most conspicuous, and the law enforcement is the most direct and frequent, it has become the most intense area of conflict with the regime in the Iranian women's rights movement.

Therefore, after the Lehi regime introduced stricter dress codes and stepped up enforcement, it triggered a fierce resistance from Iranian women. Over the past few years, many Iranian women have been arrested or even sentenced for dress problems. Finally, the death of Amini in September has provoked the now extremely large wave of protests.

In fact, the outbreak of this protest wave is not only due to the controversy over women's clothing and the death of Amini, but also the sharp roars of Iranian women's resistance to religious oppression and the Iranian people's domestic and foreign difficulties.

As mentioned earlier, Iranian women are not only restricted by religious rights and cannot fully claim their rights and free development, but also have more rights, freedom and achievements compared to many other Islamic countries and authoritarian countries. But in the final analysis, Iranian women are still deeply oppressed by religious power, religious law, and the regime, and cannot enjoy the same rights, freedom and development opportunities as men. The dress/hijab issue is just a fuse. What Iranian women really have to resist is the entire clerical culture and order, striving for the rights of women based on secular equality and equality between men and women.

And this time, it is not only women who took to the streets to protest; women participated in the protest not only because of feminist issues. For decades after the Islamic Revolution, Iran’s political rigidity, economic sluggishness, conservative ideology, relatively isolated diplomacy, as well as the sharp deterioration of the economy under sanctions from the United States and the United Kingdom in recent years, and the more sinister external environment are the reasons for this protest, especially the violent activities. The most frequent root cause.

Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran's economic situation has been very bad. Compared with the booming economy during the Pahlavi period, Iran's economy slumped more than 40 years after the revolution. Even with reformists like Rafsanjani and Khatami pushing for economic liberalization, it cannot really change the state of economic decline. The root cause of its economic decline lies in the post-revolutionary political system, economic policy, and distribution model, which are all rigid and conservative, unable to stimulate economic vitality. Even though Iran is rich in oil and natural gas resources, most of the income from resources belongs to religious figures and military and police forces (such as the "Iranian Revolutionary Guards") attached to religious regimes, and the people are generally poor.

Politically, although Iran has a certain degree of democracy, the rule of law, and freedom, it is limited after all. The "supreme leader" representing religious theocracy has far more power than the president. In other departments and places, "god" is higher than "government" and "teaching" is higher than "law". Religious forces have always played a conservative role in Iran, refusing to change and even set the country back. This was the case in the Khomeini era, and it has not fundamentally changed since Khamenei took power. The Iranian people have elected a moderate, reformist president three times, showing that the people's hearts are open and free. But the president and the secular government are powerless to compete with the "supreme leader" and religious forces, and many reforms can only be abandoned halfway. Some reforms require Khamenei's approval, but they also need to make great compromises.

Even worse is the diplomatic/external environment. Immediately after the Islamic Revolution, the "Iranian Hostage Crisis (Iranian military and civilians broke into the US embassy and beat and kidnapped US diplomats, the crisis lasted for 444 days)" occurred, which led to the US breaking off diplomatic relations with Iran and having long-term bad relations. Khomeini also clearly put forward his own anti-American proposition, regarding the United States and the entire Western world as a symbol of decadent secular capitalism and the enemy of Islamic civilization. At the same time, Khomeini also firmly opposed the communist ideology of the other camp, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Iran and the Khomeini regime are dominated by Shiites and dominated by Persians, which makes it hostile to surrounding Arab countries dominated by Sunnis, especially Sunni-led countries and monarchical dictatorships. Saudi Arabia is incompatible. From 1980 to 1988, the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein invaded Iran. The two countries fought for eight years. Nearly one million people were killed and disabled on both sides (more than 500,000 in Iran), and the economy and infrastructure were greatly damaged. During the war, except for a few countries such as Syria, all the countries in the Middle East supported Iraq and were hostile to Iran, which made Iran's external environment even worse.

And Iran also has a country that is extremely hostile in terms of religious beliefs and national interests, namely Israel. Khomeini and his followers openly made anti-Zionism and the elimination of Israel their doctrinal and realistic goals. Iran, led by Khomeini and Khamenei, threatened and harassed Israel by supporting Israel's enemies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine. Israel also regards Iran as its number one enemy, attacking Iranian military personnel and scientists through assassination, sabotage, etc., and uniting with Iran's Sunni enemies to contain Iran.

Since the establishment of the Islamic regime, Iran has been in a state of high isolation internationally for a long time. The degree of isolation is no less than that of China under Mao Zedong in the 1960s, which simultaneously fought against the West, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and the Third World. This has greatly affected its normal foreign economic and trade, cultural, scientific and technological exchanges, and naturally caused serious damage to its domestic economy and people's livelihood. Although Iran has gradually eased its relations with the West since the 1990s and established long-term friendly and cooperative relations with Russia and China, it is still relatively isolated on the whole. Even with relatively friendly Russia and China, it is more a friendship of interests than a real close alliance. After 1995, with the prominence of the Iranian nuclear issue, Iran fell into a new round of international sanctions and isolation.

Until 2013, the moderate Rouhani served as president, showing goodwill to the international community, including the United States, and willingness to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue peacefully. At this time, Barack Obama, who advocates peaceful diplomacy and is relatively friendly to U.S. adversary countries, took office as president of the United States. At that time, the United States was also trying to reshape the geopolitical pattern of the Middle East and get rid of its excessive dependence on Saudi Arabia and Israel. As a result, the relationship between the United States and Iran was quickly improved, and the Iran Nuclear Agreement was successfully signed in 2015. Iran promised to give up nuclear weapons development in exchange for lifting sanctions, obtaining civilian nuclear energy assistance, and resuming economic and trade exchanges with Western countries. At this time, Iran's diplomacy finally made a major breakthrough, and Iran has gradually shifted from being relatively closed to the outside world to more open to the outside world. As a result, the economic and people's livelihood situation in Iran has also improved. The Rouhani government has received extensive support in Iran. Even the conservative Khamenei supports the Rouhani government and its signing of the Iran nuclear agreement and measures to improve US-Iran relations. And Iran's domestic economic and social reforms are also in progress.

But there are unforeseen circumstances. At the end of 2016, Trump was unexpectedly elected as the President of the United States. The forces supporting Trump's campaign include right-wing hawks who advocate toughness on Iran (such as John Bolton), as well as Iran's rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel. After Trump was elected, he contracted a group of hawks to completely overturn the Obama administration's policy toward Iran, disregarding international rules and contracts, abolishing the "Iran Nuclear Agreement", reimposing sanctions on Iran, and uniting Iran's rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel, Suppress Iran through various means. Although France, Germany, China and other countries involved in the Iran nuclear negotiations opposed the Trump administration's actions, the treaty was abrogated and sanctions were reinstated.

It was a bolt from the blue for Iran. For Iranian moderates, signing the Iran nuclear deal and improving relations with the United States are not only for opening up diplomatically, but also for domestic economic development and social innovation. If the terms of the agreement are gradually implemented and relations with the United States improve, it can greatly reduce external pressure, get rid of the bad state of isolation, and promote the development of Iran's foreign trade and economic development and the introduction of technology funds. After obtaining these results, the moderates can also gain political advantages and overwhelm the hard-liners (mostly religious forces) who advocate hostility to the United States. If this is the case, social changes in Iran, including political reforms, can be implemented, the religious color of the Iranian regime will also be degraded, and the secular forces will gain relative power, and women will also benefit from it.

And the Trump administration tore up the agreement and reinstated sanctions, making all of this futile. As the world's largest country, the United States' foreign policy toward Iran not only determines its own behavior, but also affects the attitudes and positions of countries around the world toward Iran. After the U.S. re-imposed sanctions on Iran, Iran fell back into international isolation, foreign economic and trade exchanges have been greatly reduced, and its geopolitical situation has worsened. To make matters worse, in 2020, the commander-in-chief of Iran's "Revolutionary Guard" Soleimani was killed by the US military and almost caused a war (in fact, the Trump administration is trying to induce a war, and Iran chose to endure). This series of attacks from the United States and other external enemies has gradually demoralized and lost power among moderates in Iran, and hard-liners, mainly religious conservatives, have regained power. Lehi's victory in the 2021 presidential election is an example. This result has also led to the suspension or even retrogression of domestic reforms in Iran, and the rights of Iranian women have been curtailed again.

Diplomatic setbacks and external sanctions have also seriously intensified domestic conflicts in Iran. In Iran, which has been in trouble for a long time, all sectors of society are counting on improving relations with the United States to open up a diplomatic situation, allow impoverished Iran to reintegrate into the world market, promote employment and improve people's livelihood. But after the deal was wrecked, Iranians faced long shopping queues, widespread shortages of everything from food and medicine to industrial goods, and a surge of unemployed youth from the capital Tehran to the remote Khorasan province. People's dissatisfaction with the government's diplomatic failure, economic failure, and people's livelihood failure continued to erupt, and various protests continued one after another.

Faced with such a situation, religious forces and the secular government were helpless to solve the economic problems and people's livelihood, so they strengthened social control and issued more decrees with strong religious overtones in an attempt to use Islamic law and traditions to stabilize people's hearts and maintain social order. On the one hand, it won the favor of the conservative part of the people and calmed some unrest, but it also led to greater dissatisfaction among secularists and inspired more violent resistance. Since 2018, there have been more than a dozen large-scale protests in Iran, including protests against rising oil prices, cancellation of food subsidies, and economic weakness. And women are also widely involved. Under the harsh internal and external environment, Iranian women, especially women from the middle and lower classes, are the weakest among the weak, and they are victims of hegemony and national conflict, religious power, political power, class, and gender oppression. The deeper the victim, the stronger the resistance. And Iran is not like Saudi Arabia and North Korea, which is an airtight and completely autocratic system. Its certain degree of freedom makes all kinds of oppression rebound strongly, and women also struggle with all kinds of conditions.

The protests and violence triggered by Amini's death in September this year were the latest in a series of protests and violence. It not only emphasizes the feminist demands to defend women's rights and freedom, but also contains the same common dissatisfaction with other protests over economic recession, rising prices, unemployment and increasing poverty, as well as a deeper level of political dictatorship, rigid thinking, and failure of domestic and foreign affairs. the anger and hatred of the government and religious forces.

Although this protest and conflict are still ongoing, according to the process and results of previous similar incidents, this protest will probably be suppressed in the near future. But even if the regime suppressed it, it would only temporarily quell the turmoil, and would not make the regime stable for a long time. In the face of long-term poverty, the imprisonment of religious power, the oppression of autocracy, and the hopeless future, and recalling the glory of ancient Persia and the prosperity of the Pahlavi period, the anger of the Iranian people will not be stopped by the violence of the military and police, but will only increase. Burn more prosperously. Until the end of religious power, autocracy, and improvement of people's livelihood, the people's struggle will not stop.

So, how can Iran, the Iranian people, and Iranian women get a new life?

The biggest malady in Iran lies in the power of the clergy and its supremacy over the secular. For Iran, its "dual politics" of religion and secularism not only avoids religion's monopoly on all religious and secular affairs, but also becomes a shackle to suppress secular power. According to the results of democratic elections and the operation of government institutions in these years, as well as the social and cultural environment and national values, it can be seen that Iran has a very strong foundation of secular democracy, and the people yearn for freedom. And the power of the clerical authority over the secular government makes democracy imperfect, the secular has to obey religion, and the people do not have full freedom. For women, religious conservatism taking power and enforcing Sharia law is a lifelong nightmare. Even though the situation of Iranian women is relatively relaxed, especially in large cities such as Tehran, women's rights and freedoms are well protected, but religious laws and ideological pressure still make women feel as uneasy as they are under the sword of Damocles.

Religious forces not only dominate the secular politically, but also monopolize the country's economic lifelines such as energy development and foreign trade, and make a fortune from the country's resources. The "Iranian Revolutionary Guards" and its subordinate "Bassky militias" are also masters of robbery while defending the country. Iran's conservative religious forces are like a tumor parasitizing the country, making the country unable to normalize, dragging down its economy and politics, and even more shackles for women. If you want Iran's economic development, people's freedom, and women's rights in particular, the political parasitism of religious forces must be removed.

The external environment is equally important to Iran. In fact, Iran has always been relatively cautious and restrained and abided by international rules in foreign affairs. Except for Khomeini's attempt to "export the revolution", Iran in the past three decades has taken a more defensive stance on external issues. Compared with its rival Saudi Arabia, which spreads the extreme Wahhabi doctrine everywhere and flirts with dictatorships in the world, Iran has to maintain diplomacy with some countries just for survival, and is not keen on preaching. Iran's construction of a "Shia crescent" in the Middle East is also a countermeasure against the Sunni alliance and Israel's aggressive behavior. In striving to sign the Iran nuclear deal, Iran showed great sincerity. More importantly, the pro-Western and pro-secular sentiments among the Iranian people are very strong. Some people think that Iran is a strongly anti-American country based on some news information from China and the United States. This is just political propaganda. In reality, most Iranian people do not have a strong dislike or even a favorable impression of the United States, but they just need to cooperate with the official anti-American propaganda. Iranians are generally eager to integrate into the world, and they are especially envious of the Western world, which gives the international community a good "mass base" for promoting changes in Iran.

But the international community has not released goodwill enough, and even turned evil for good. The worst is that the Trump administration tore up the Iran nuclear agreement, re-sanctioned Iran, refused to issue visas to Iranian citizens, blocked exchanges and cooperation between the United States and Iran and even Iran with other countries, and joined Saudi Arabia and Israel in the Middle East and the world. Iran. This directly led to the fall of moderates in Iran and the return of religious conservative forces to power. The killing of Soleimani also intensified the conflict between the United States and Iran, allowing Iranian religious elements and nationalists to incite anti-American sentiment. Some people believe that these sanctions and strikes can exacerbate internal conflicts in Iran and inspire revolution, but in fact, this will only lead to the rise of extremist forces in Iran, increase poverty and violence, and ultimately the Iranian people will suffer. Especially for Iranian women, they will become pawns and victims of international games and internal conflicts.

International actions that are truly beneficial to Iran and the Iranian people are by no means intensifying contradictions and increasing hatred, but on the basis of respecting Iran's national sovereignty and safeguarding its legitimate interests, releasing goodwill to those in power and the people, opening the door to openness and dialogue, and actively engaging with them. Negotiate and revise the treaty and implement the agreement to promote Iran's integration into the world and achieve peace in the Middle East. On this basis, it supports the peaceful protests of the Iranian people in a reasonable and disciplined manner, helps all vulnerable groups including women strive for their legitimate interests, and provides material assistance, public opinion solidarity, organizational and information support to the best of their ability for these protests and rights protection. Even sanctions against Iran should be based on human rights rather than geopolitics, and the targets of sanctions should be on criminals who violate human rights rather than the entire country and the general public. If the international community can do this, Iran's political revolution, social reform, and feminist cause will be a great success.

Of course, these assumptions are just an ideal. In reality, Iran's religious forces are deeply ingrained, tightly bound to the state, regime, army, judiciary, education, and media, and even become a part of them. All kinds of interests are intertwined, and it is almost impossible to completely remove them. The international situation, especially the situation in the Middle East, is even more severe and complex. The millennium grievance between Sunnis and Shiites, the rivalry between Persians/Iranians and Arabs for hegemony, the deadly relationship between Iran and Israel based on ideology and practical interests, and The proxy wars between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and other countries in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen have made Iran deeply trapped in the geopolitical game and difficult to escape. Countries outside the region also have their own concerns, and their attitudes toward Iran and the Middle East also depend on their own interests, and it is impossible to put reason and morality as the top priority. Under such internal and external conditions, changes in Iran are far from expected.

But there is no need to completely lose hope for the future of Iran's national destiny, and the future of the Iranian people, especially women. As mentioned above, Iran has a unique national culture and historical tradition, has a relatively secular and open historical experience, has a profound cultural heritage, and has strong independent scientific research capabilities. Compared with other developing countries, Iranian nationals, including women, have a high level of education and a strong sense of national quality and rights and dignity. They have also produced many outstanding figures in the fields of art, education, and science, and many of them are concerned about current affairs, Passionate about civil rights and feminism. Whether it is a historical legacy or a realistic basis, these conditions give Iran a great potential for change.

Internationally, with the defeat of Trump, the defeat of the far-right anti-Iran (Iran), pro-Saudi (Saudi), and pro-Israel (Israel) hawks, and the rise of the Democratic government, the United States has begun to revise the far-right position in the past few years. The distorted Middle East policy and Iran policy under the control of the forces have also restarted the Iran nuclear negotiation. Progressive forces in many countries around the world, including the United States, are also looking for ways to speak for Iranian women, rather than the use of Iranian women and the destruction of the Iranian country, which is only out of interest and sectarian stance, as some other forces do. Although these changes have not had much effect for the time being, at least they will not cause the country and people of Iran to be in greater trouble as they did during the Trump era.

Therefore, Iran's democratic cause and women's liberation contain long-term hope amid short-term hopelessness. In 1979, the Iranian people, with great enthusiasm, pushed the accomplished but corrupt authoritarian Pahlavi from the throne, ending the 2,000-year-old monarchy era in Iran and establishing a republic. Although the achievements of the revolution were stolen and monopolized by religious conservative forces, it also demonstrated the fearless courage and mighty power of the Iranian people. Although today's religious power is more deeply rooted than Pahlavi's autocratic monarchy, its out of touch with modern civilization and democracy and human rights also reflects its backwardness and decay. Under the impact of waves of protests, it cannot last forever. If the international community does not harm Iran's sovereignty and national interests, and can help the people, then the victory of Iran's democracy and the advancement of women's rights will surely come.

For the religious conservative forces in Iran, including Khamenei, it is their best choice to withdraw from the stage of history with dignity, hand over power to the secular government, and then assume a consultative position as a religious leader. Compared with some other regimes that do not believe in their beliefs at all, never abide by the rules and regulations, have an iron fist at home, and spread extremist ideas and models abroad (such as the religious kingdoms of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, as well as the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe before the end of the Cold War, Now China and Vietnam are one-party dictatorships that are communist in name but authoritarian in essence), the top Shiites in Iran, from Khomeini to Khamenei, are actually more sincere to worship gods and prophets, Those with devout faith and self-discipline also sincerely hope that the Iranian people will be happy.

Before the Islamic Revolution, they all promised that the Islamic Republic would guarantee basic human rights and respect different beliefs. Not only did Khomeini, as mentioned above, show a gentle face, his disciple Khamenei also made a similar promise. Hushan al-Asadi, an Iranian communist in exile, told Radio Free Europe a story. In the Pahlavi era, he and Khamenei were both arrested for resisting the tyranny of the monarchy. They were still roommates, and the two talked about everything. Although they have different beliefs, they cherish each other. Later, the two separated. Khamenei was thin and shivering with cold. Hu Shan took off his sweater and gave it to Khamenei, and the two hugged tightly. Khamenei was moved to cry and said, "When the Islamic Republic is established, no one will shed a single tear."

Such stories are moving, and the post-revolutionary purge of communism and liberals by religious forces makes clear the brutality of politics. But should the ideal of revolution really be forgotten? If many Iranian revolutionaries in the Khomeini era still tried to use such cruel means to build a paradise on earth based on Islamic teachings, "everyone is a brother", helping the weak and the poor, being honest and just, and having good morals, then the politics of the past few decades The failure of the economy, including the corruption and arrogance of many religious elements, still cannot reflect that such a "utopia" has actually failed and is unlikely to succeed in the future? If you still sincerely believe in these things instead of being lured by interests, shouldn’t you change your ways, make up for past mistakes, and retire?

If Khamenei and his comrades can clearly recognize the reality and look back on their original aspirations, they should gradually transition Iran into a secular democracy while retaining certain powers and interests, and then retire. And the Shiite version of Islamic values they respect can fully promote the beneficial elements of religion under the premise of separation of church and state, just like the status quo of Christianity in Western countries and even the Russian Orthodox Church, so that religion can become a moral reference for maintaining social order and good customs and spiritual comfort for the people rather than relying on violence and power to subdue the people. Regarding women's issues, the traditional Islamic teachings were beneficial to the protection of women's rights in the old times thousands of years ago, and they are worth abide by in the specific historical environment of ancient times. But no religion or culture can stick to the old stereotypes, but must keep pace with the times. The old dogma is outdated, and Islam also needs to respect and defend the rights and freedoms of women in modern society. Especially for Shia Islam, its establishment and development and the great difference from mainstream Sunnis are originally a kind of sublation and innovation of Islamic tradition, rather than conformity. In fact, compared with many other Islamic countries and religious forces, and even many autocratic secular regimes, the Iranian religious power has done relatively well. If it can use its own prestige and ability to make the country more civilized and modern, then the merits are enough to justify its sins, and it can be considered a kind of consummation.

But in reality, whether because of their attachment to power or because of their paranoid and conservative ideological stance, they will almost certainly not give up power or change the status quo, but will just pass the time, beat the drums and spread the flowers, and even go back further to contain the revolutionary wave, Maintain religious dictatorship. But going against the trend of history, out of touch with modern civilization, and disregarding the interests of the people, will eventually be swept into the garbage heap of history, "only fighting for the early and the late".

The history and reality of Iran is not only the history and reality of Iran; the fate of Iranian women is not only the fate of Iranian women. The world is a whole, and the whole world is hot and cold. Democracy and human rights are the common values and well-being of mankind; women's freedom and liberation should be pursued and defended by both men and women. I hope that the Iranian people, people of all countries, especially women and other vulnerable groups, those who have been insulted and damaged, can overthrow all kinds of autocratic forces and oppression, lift the shackles of visible and invisible, "remove all coma and rape", all must be justified happiness.

Wang Qingmin

October 2, 2022

Xia Moon Potato Day 231 of the Republican Calendar