In less than three weeks in June, a nation forced for decades to keep her collective desire for freedom behind closed doors and hidden in the minds without daring to speak rose from the ashes as one and electrified the world with her courage, her passion and her morality. For three decades, in the world view, the name of Iran had been equated with repression, human rights abuses and angry empty slogans against any and all. In three weeks in June, Iranians once again have become the symbols of freedom and the Persian nation has shown her thirst to be free.
The internet age that we live in is witnessing the first internet “live revolution.” It itself contributes to this movement. Dictators could kick the reporters out of a country. They could use force on and off the streets to silence free voices and they could rewrite the truth to make it fit their own interest yet as CNN, AP, BBC and a host of other news sources were kicked out of Iran by the dictators to suffocate the news and the distribution of the truth, youth of Iran found internet as the vehicle to deliver her struggle, her story and her dream.
Iranian nation with her “green wave” on the streets, the chants of liberty at nights and her blood on the pavements established her new identity. On the streets of Tehran, Isfehan, Shiraz, Mashad, Tabriz and others, people of all ages joined together, joined hands and spoke an unmistakable words: To live free we unite.
As always, the western leaders with their claims of spreading democracy and liberty were behind in recognizing the value of Iran’s democratic movement and the level of sacrifice it was making. As they were determining how they would negotiate with the dictators of Iran post election, Iranian people began a movement that shocked the world.
Iran’s new identity is built upon street protests of millions who put their lives on line, marched peacefully, chanted and sang the songs of freedom.
Iran’s new identity is watered with blood of those fallen in the streets that gave their lives to spell the word “azadi” and spoke of human being’s greatest desire for freedom.
Iran’s new identity is represented by “Neda” and voices of many women and men like her whose simple wish is to be allowed to speak their mind, have their votes counted and their words heard.
It is up to us wherever we live outside of Iran, under the city lights of Los Angeles, by the poetic bay of San Francisco, island of Manhattan, the historic Rome, romantic Paris, foggy London, down under in Sydney or wherever else we call our home away from home to represent, cherish and promote Iran’s new identity.
I don’t know what the future would have for Iran’s “green wave” but what I learned over the last three weeks is that those voices of my countrymen and women must be heard, must be shared, must be told and retold.
Brutal regimes may silence the voices but the spirits of a nation will not be silenced.
Not this time and not again.
These are the chronicles of a nation in stress. These are the chronicles of my homeland.
