Today, America’s Independence Day, it’s important to recognize the Iranian struggle for what it is: a grass-roots, vital movement for greater liberty enriched by more than a century of struggle against foreign powers, autocratic kings and repressive theocrats. Iran’s rulers would have the world believe that the protesters are a minority inspired by foreigners, but this denies a fundamental piece of Iranian history.
For more than 100 years, beginning with an extraordinarily progressive constitution written in 1906, Iranians have been struggling to achieve azadi, the Persian word for freedom. In recent weeks peaceful protesters have been detained, beaten and killed, yet Iran’s constitution purports to protect freedom of assembly, of the press and of belief. Article 23: “The investigation of individuals’ beliefs is forbidden, and no one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief.”