 |
| London rally yesterday in solidarity with protesters in Iran (Jerusalem Post) |
I don’t think it is a stretch to say that being labeled an ‘enemy
of God’ is among the worst accusations a human being can face in the religious
world. I found it especially disturbing to hear Jews use this charge against
fellow Jews in the context of mandatory conscription - something a nation under
constant existential threat deems necessary for survival.
Be that as it may, we do not live in a time when such accusations
can be acted upon. Even if they were somehow proven true.
But this phrase is not exclusive to Judaism.
It is now being used by high-ranking officials in Iran to justify a brutal crackdown against protesters. Under Iranian law, the charge of being an enemy of God is serious enough to warrant execution, hanging, or permanent internal exile.
Nontheless, the revolution continues.
And contrary to the long-held conventional wisdom about the futility of internal revolution against Iran’s brutal theocratic dictatorship, that is exactly what these protests in Iran have become. .
For decades, so-called experts on the Middle East insisted
this could never occur. They argued that Iran’s dictatorship, enforced by the
ruthless Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), would crush any popular
uprising. As it had in the past. And indeed, previous attempts were drowned in
blood. Justified in the name of Islam. The consensus was that mass executions
would permanently deter future revolts.
The same experts also claimed - often with breathtaking
hubris -that any external attack by Israel or the United States would be met
with fanatical, blood-soaked resistance driven by religious fervor. Iran never
hid this threat. They repeated it endlessly.
That narrative collapsed last year.
Israel and the United States successfully executed what has
become known as the 12-Day War, devastating much of Iran’s military
hierarchy and infrastructure; as well as setting back its nuclear program by
years. Iran could no longer rely on the militias it had armed and trained
around Israel, many of which were destroyed or severely weakened - directly and
indirectly - by Israel during its war with Hamas.
Iran’s much-promised harsh retaliation against Israel and
the U.S. proved pathetic, barely qualifying as a response at all. And yet the
regime continues to rattle that saber even as its own country appears on the
verge of collapse.
The Islamic Republic of Iran - once was widely regarded as the most
dangerous actor in the Middle East - if not the world - immune to destruction
either from within or without - may very well see its
downfall very soon. And it may come from the Iranian people themselves, who have now after 46
years finally stood up and said, “We
can’t take it anymore.”
That has resulted in the following.
According to human rights organizations, more than 500
protesters have already been executed. Body bags reportedly lie in the streets
of Tehran. The uprising has spread to cities across the country. The yearning
for freedom is not being extinguished by bullets. In fact, the more the
government kills, the more the people rise up.
Although the Iranian government has shut down the internet for
days in order to hide the revolution from the world, images are somehow filtering
through. Images of huge crowds filling the streets in cities all over the
country, Iranian police firing at protesters, burning government buildings, burning mosques, and
body bags lying all over. Meanwhile, the Iranian regime grows ever more
belligerent, determined to crush the rebellion no matter how many lives it
takes. Justifying it all by labeling protesters “enemies of God.”
The question now is whether the world will have the courage
to help the Iranian people in their hour of need.
Europeans – unsurprisingly - seem content to sit this one out...
Emes Ve-Emunah is no longer fully available here. To continue reading this post, future posts, and comment on them - click on this link: substack. To receive posts - you must subscribe. But it's easy and it's free.
