Thirty years hence that fire still burns in Iran, because moments before her death, Neda Agha Soltan cried: “I’m on fire!” I am entranced by her because she and I are the only two possibilities of the dictatorial narrative: Death or escape.
She died. I escaped.
[…]
If history is a contest among competing narratives and icons, let the image of a young woman lying on the ground endure as that of Iran today. Let it loom so large to wipe away the memory of the thugs marching American hostages out of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
[…]
For 30 years, Iran’s regime has appropriated God. Let us reclaim God from those who deny a family the right to properly mourn the death of their child through our prayers and help bring peace to a tormented nation.
