When someone showed me this photo, I was asked where it was. I never would have guessed. No one then thought things would change so drastically so quickly:
The religious zealots who took over Iran promised a much better life under a religious theocracy, but human rights became non-existent. Women, LGBTQ+ people, and ethnic and religious minorities were instantly subjected to discrimination and violence. Laws were enacted once power was seized that eliminated freedoms their citizens had previously enjoyed, including the taking away of sexual and reproductive rights.
The very first fatwa that was issued by Ayatollah Khomeini was against women participating in the new society. Modern music was outlawed, and women could not take up instruments or sing. He called women who sat with men unveiled “prostitutes.” Women lost the right to choose their own spouse. They could not divorce. They could not work. They had to be veiled at all times. The first female Minister of Education in the previous regime was called a “prostitute” and killed.
The GOP is currently flirting with an American brand of theocracy by openly embracing “Christian Nationalism.” This is the anti-democratic notion that America is a nation only for Christians and should thus be ruled by an extreme interpretation of Biblical principles. The rights of women will continue to be curtailed, and non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people and religious minorities will be eliminated.
This will only be the beginning. Once it’s established that rights can be taken away, it doesn’t stop.
Our judicial branch of government has already been taken over once Amy Coney Barrett, a member of a Charismatic Christian cult, was installed on the Supreme Court. Now the high court openly disregards laws and precedent over the conservative majority’s will to impose their religious beliefs on the entire U.S.
It’s frightening. I never thought I’d see a day in America when a state would force a 10-year old rape victim to bear her rapist’s child: an act which has been defended by multiple GOP politicians. We are told abortions must be banned in all cases of rape, incest and even when the mother’s life might be in jeopardy. In fact, the only exception for an abortion that the Christian Nationalists seem willing to accept is if you might win a seat for them as the Georgia Senate candidate.
If the GOP regains power in Congress and the White House, America will face a terrible reckoning. While we currently still have a democracy, please impress upon everyone you know what is at stake this election. Even if you “don’t like to talk politics,” make an exception this year.
By the way, if you want to see more pictures of life in Iran before the Islamic Revolution, click here. The photos are indistinguishable from others in any American city from that time period. Just please don’t tell me it can’t happen here.
Facebook / @thesemdem