azadi baraye iran

"freedom is neither eastern or western. freedom is global." -azar nafisi

is this really it? the revolution we've been waiting for? it seems like it started on accident. i've been saying for a while now that it was only a matter of time before people started revolting but the ongoing protests still caught me off guard.

i wasn't surprised that they cheated. the last election was a sham as well. they were just smarter about it and at the time people were apathetic. this election, though, was a blatant insult to the people. iranians are not stupid! they know that millions of hand written votes can not be counted in a few hours, not to mention the votes coming from iranian citizens in america.

to be honest, i was not very trusting of moussavi. he was once behind the religious movements that helped make iran what it is today and its hard to believe that someone could change so radically. just the fact that they allowed him to run makes it appear to me that he was never planning on changing anything. he claimed he wanted to create change from the inside which i don't think is possible. however, anything is better than that ignorant asshole, ahmadinejad.

when mousavvi contested the results, i don't think he expected things to get so explosive. these protests are more than the fallout of a false election. people have been angry for a long time.
the past week has been unbelievable. the images and stories coming out of tehran are terrifying but i am so proud of the people for standing their ground. despite the governments attempts to stifle their voice by kicking out the media and blocking the internet, iranians have found ways to make themselves heard. the world is listening.

i want everyone to be aware of what is happening. its the least i can do as my people risk their lives for freedoms that i've been lucky enough to have my entire life. i feel very helpless. i wish there was something more i could do. if i could reach my family and the protesters somehow i would tell them to stay strong. we've come too far to back down. "natarsin, natarsin, ma hameh ba ham hastim." (do not be afraid, we are together)