Hello, im a 21 year old, iranian citizen and i got beat up in the recent protests, Ask me anything

Sia,

What are you protesting against? What are the goals of the protesters? Are there a list of demands?

Thanks in advance for your answer, and stay safe.

What are you protesting against?

same as two years ago, this entire system of government for being authoritarian, corruption in the Parliament and the executive branch, and the general lack of human/civil/womens rights, and the consolidation of mosque and state, also i would add terrible economic situation of the country

What are the goals of the protesters?

well, this time was much different, people are angry and they dont want this government anymore, its so desperate that chants of Long live the shah was being shouted very loudly, many want this government to Massively change its behavior and to separate state form religion and representative legislators that reflect the community, freedom of expression, speech and faith, stopping the waste of money in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen...etc

however many just want them to be erased and a new government made on top of their (the clergy theocratic leaders) graves

its safe to say the goal is to change the government or change it beyond recognition

Are there a list of demands?

there are Lists of demands, different oppositions want different things, understanding the above mentioned goals should explain the demands

Thanks in advance for your answer, and stay safe

thank you for participating, have a nice day

You know it's bad when your regime is so authoritarian people would rather have a king.

his son is loved by many, he's actually a leader of one of the oppositions

last living heir to the throne of persia

Couldn't a democracy work? The only options aren't Islamic regime or monarchy. The reason the monarchy under the Shah was established was because of a foreign coup under Prime Minister Mossadegh. There's a reason, after all, the king was overthrown in 1979, no?

the reason this gov survived so long

is that they mixed a small dose of democracy with theocracy

people have representation but within the confines of the Sharia

thats why its been so difficult to react, people have faith in their vote still

Sia,

What do you think of foreign sanctions on your country? Have they made life harder?

well yes, price of everything is doubled and many cases tripled

but i think its a means to an end, it limits how much of irans resources can my gov waste on arab countries that hate us (i.e iraq, syria etc)

do i enjoy living like this ? no, but i rather have the boot of sanctions on my leader's throat than not, its not changing their behvaior too much but it does make people take action

its bitter sweet

How is the morale of the protesters?

well since internet was disconnected nationwide i wouldnt know how exactly

but from people i met in the protests, confidence and willful are words that come to mind

people are desperate so everyone gives their 100%

Disconnecting internet nationwide is an insane move, because it is like shooting their own economy in the foot! I am so sorry all this is happening. Be safe and strong.

Irony is our communications minister said few months back

if you silence a man, you do not prove him wrong, you prove to the world that you are afraid of what he might say

and then he went on to kill the internet, he's a real dipshit

What’s the best way for the rest of the world to help? What would you like us to know the most?

stable communications would be my number one priority if i was someone that wanted to help iran's people

the government disabled the internet nationwide for 2 weeks, having a tool to avoid needing their infrastructures is a great way of enabling the protesters to be heard and for them to communicate freely

there are ways to use satellite internet but its costly and tricky to work with, but any way to provide free stable communication is the way to go

I know this doesn't help today but SpaceX's Starlink broadband service is going to be a game changer for oppressed people in the near future.

Since it's satellite internet from low earth orbit, you'll have access to fast broadband that no government can shut off or censor.

It's supposed to have its initial roll out in 2020.

https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-internet-service-2020.html

im aware of this, looking forward to elon helping humanity one more time

Sia,

Happy Cake Day!

Are you in the city or the countryside -- specifics aren't necessary? Are you being treated for your injuries?

I'm glad you are safe and wish you (and your country) all the best going forward.

Are you in the city or the countryside, specifics aren't necessary

im in Alborz Province, its right next to Tehran and its the industrial heart of the country (or i've been told)

Are you being treated for your injuries?

well, i wasn't injured because of the beatings, baton hurts but not as much as Hot BBs, they were shooting BBs into the crowd randomly, 5 of them hit me in the face, one got under my eyelid and was stuck there for 2 days (left corner of my left eye), couldn't go to the hospital because i heard the police check the submissions and arrest anyone with injuries like that, so i just hoped i wont go blind, after 2 days the swelling went away and the BB came out on its own, most of the other ones were in shallow flesh of my face, got those out too, its all healed and im alright

I'm glad you are safe and wish you (and your country) all the best going forward

thank you, i too hope things get better in the future

Sia, what is something about the protests that isn't being covered enough in the media?

How do you stay as safe as you can during the protests?

what is something about the protests that isn't being covered enough in the media?

the protests itself, it was massive and cnn didn't even upload a single video about it on their youtube, so it was rather painful to see them ignoring us like that, also the videos dont nearly get as much attention, they showcase chilling footage that everyone needs to see

How do you stay as safe as you can during the protests?

well you can't if you decide to join in, you and hundreds of other people in one side of the road, riot police and special guards on another, they push and we push back, molotovs rocks against BB guns and tear gas, once you're in that crowd, you cant really be safe, just hope they dont shoot live rounds or catch you and drag you to their side

How do you predict this will all turn out?

Thank you for your bravery.

overthrow of the regime before 1400 (its 1398 in iran's calender)

it seems to me that the rate of protests has increased dramatically in the last 2 decades

after the revolution in 1979 (1357) there was one series of protests in the first few years then the next one was 2 decades later

then the 2009 nationwide protests then 2017, now 2019

im guessing another one, a massive one in 2020 and the collapse of the republic before 2022 world cups

Do you believe the protests are enacting any change? Have you felt that progress is being made despite the violence?

no, not at the moment

the government did pay the poor people using the money they made form the gas price raise, but no progress in civil/womens rights or freedom of expression, it got worse actually

how did it get worse?

How/ why did the protests stop?

How were they organized to begin with? Does Iran take away your internet access?

how did it get worse?

internet got disconnected entirely, there goes our freedom of speech

How/ why did the protests stop?

internet being disconnected really fucked up lines of communication, and gov arrested anyone assumed to have participated, this creates fear of reprisals, so on and so forth

How were they organized to begin with?

mostly on telegram (which was blocked 2 years ago in the last protests)

Does Iran take away your internet access?

interant (internal websites) worked fine, but if any peice of data was leaving the border it was never transmitted, so effectively we were shut down from the rest of the world and ourselves because most our comms apps are foreign (i.e telegram) and internal ones are spywares and untrustworthy

Sia dadash, I'm glad you're ok and I admire your bravery. I stayed home the whole time since I'm married and my hubby..... But I prayed and prayed for you guys out there fighting our fight. My question is do you think less of some of us that did not join you in the streets? Do you think we are cowards? Wish you the best in life.

My question is do you think less of some of us that did not join you in the streets? Do you think we are cowards? Wish you the best in life.

hi sweety, it depends on what you think of yourself

mentioning the word "coward" signals that you think that of yourself in regards to the recent events.

being fearful is not the same as cowardice, we're dealing with an evil of massive proportions, its difficult to muster the strength to walk out the door and into the danger, i think we all have our own way of resisting them, if not walking the streets and chanting, the mindset of defying the evil is strength enough.

i dont think you are a coward, we didn't win and hundreds died, we learned and we move on, what makes you brave is not giving up on the dream that a better day will come

yours truly, have a nice day

Hello Sia, I hope you are recovering well.

I am in the military, and I wonder how people in the Middle East really feel about military people from other countries coming to the middle east to try and bring their verson of stability to the region. Is it a worthwhile exercise, or are we simply delaying an inevitable conclusion?

I hope you are recovering well.

im alright, very little signs of the damage is visible, thank you

I am in the military, and I wonder how people in the Middle East really feel about military people from other countries coming to the middle east to try and bring their verson of stability to the region. Is it a worthwhile exercise, or are we simply delaying an inevitable conclusion?

well, many with a liberal outlook to the geo-political situation of the region (such as myself), would rather welcome a foreign military presence to quell the dogmatic cruelty of the ayatollahs, however i dont see a lasting peace in that way, because i think the collateral damage gets piled up and many who weren't on board from the get-go will pass on their insecurities and sometimes justified dissatisfaction with the external force (i.e u.s military) and it creates a bubble of opposition that will eventually erode the status quo

as much as i dislike this government, i think we need to be the ones making the decisions, and i think many MEA countries agree, also seeing how Iraq/Afghanistan/Vietnam turned out, i think its safe to say that strategy is too risky, i would say supporting the opposition with logistics and money would do more good than stepping in yourself

How did the protests start?

I wish you, your family, and your friends all the best. May you all make it out intact and may things be at least a little better than before.

Good luck❤

Petrol fuel price increased by 300% (50% with rations)

that sparked it, but its not why it continued

same as two years ago, that one started because eggs price got doubled overnight, didn't keep going because of it but it did push people to do something

Hi Sia,

What do you think is the most common misconception about:

1. The protesters and their aims
2. The government and what its done
3. Iran in general

?

all of the above

the western media makes it sound as if its all because of a fuel price hike, it isnt

many in the west also would rather think that iran's gov isn't as bad as they seem so that hating the current administration of u.s would be excused in that regard

1. a lot of people still think we speak arabic and we have dirt roads and militias here, not entirely their fault we're isolated, but iran's people and culture are Very misunderstood

a lot of people still think we speak arabic

Could you clear this up for me? I understand that Persians speak Farsi, but isn't Arabic considered to be an essential language for Muslims? Also, just another general question, what can you say about Zoroastrians in Iran? Do you interact with them much? Are they treated fairly? What's their involvement in these protests?

Could you clear this up for me? I understand that Persians speak Farsi, but isn't Arabic considered to be an essential language for Muslims?

official language is Farsi (=parsi or persian in greek), arabic is mandatorily taught in schools along with english, but my point was that people in the west think we only speak arabic and that we're arabs

Also, just another general question, what can you say about Zoroastrians in Iran?

well, the religion itself is pretty much not practiced in its entirety, but many of its features are imbeded in our culture, our newyear is Zoroastrian, our holidays like night of Yalda (first night of winter which is in 5 days) are still celebrated, the symbol of ahuramazda is a highly respected one

i haven't met any Zoroastrians per say but i would say all iranians are Zoroastrian without knowing it , all in all they are extremely rare as far as a minorities go, but everyone respects them because they are as persian as you can get and nationalism is a good thing here

What's their involvement in these protests?

as much as anyone else i would assume, there's like less than 200 thousand of them iirc and they mostly live in Yazd

Hi Sia,

I'm sorry to hear harm came to you.

I am a 21 year old citizen from Israel. While I don't agree with the current government we have here, I do value and believe in Israel's existence. Do you think that if the protests are successful in overthrowing the islamic regime the new government might be capable of having better relations with my country? Do you think that most Iranians agree with the current regime's stance on Israel?

Thanks for your time and good luck with everything!

I am a 21 year old citizen from Israel. While I don't agree with the current government we have here, I do value and believe in Israel's existence. Do you think that if the protests are successful in overthrowing the islamic regime the new government might be capable of having better relations with my country? Do you think that most Iranians agree with the current regime's stance on Israel?

hi, i doubt there'll be much friendship between iran and israel after this regime is gone, many people have seen how far you're willing to go and the things you have done is far too cruel for me atleast to get on board and be friends like nothing happend

the apartheid going on over there has left a bad taste in my mouth for israeli promises, i think if you took a step back and realized why so many are against you, you'd understand that its not blind hatred and its well justified

however i dont agree with sentiment of war, i think diplomacy is the way to go about rectifying the situation

Thanks for your response. I do find it interesting even though I was hoping you might express more nuance one way or the other.

i doubt there'll be much friendship between iran and israel after this regime is gone,

I wasn't exactly hoping for friendship. But if the new leadership doesn't take the stance of "destroying Israel" I would be very happy.

the apartheid going on over there has left a bad taste in my mouth for israeli promises

I have to say, this is a simplistic analysis of the current situation.

s, i think if you took a step back and realized why so many are against you, you'd understand that its not blind hatred and its well justified

Again lacking nuance. This conflict has been heavily politicised and narratives have been pushed by both sides. I took the time to speak to many Palestinians to understand their side of the story. This isn't a black and white conflict and I hope you also take a step back and take the time to understand it beyond the narrative that had been fed to you.

however i dont agree with sentiment of war, i think diplomacy is the way to go about rectifying the situation

I'm glad you recognise this. The loss of life on both sides would be tragic. Both sides are responsible for building bridges and vilifying one side or the other stands as a barrier to that.

Even though I am a bit disappointed with your perspective on the conflict, I do truly wish you the best. The islamic regime is a terrible human rights abuser and no one deserves to live in a theocracy. I wish you the best in this conflict and hope that there will be some future where there is peace in the middle east.

Again lacking nuance. This conflict has been heavily politicised and narratives have been pushed by both sides. I took the time to speak to many Palestinians to understand their side of the story. This isn't a black and white conflict and I hope you also take a step back and take the time to understand it beyond the narrative that had been fed to you.

i dont watch state tv, i do my own research and i dont eat whatever someone leaves in my bowl, im not Fed anything

even a blind man could see that israel is the bad actor there, no one can claim a land their ancestors lived in once and expect the current residents to be cool with it

half of euroasia was in the persian empire, does that give me rights to your lands ? it was once part of persia my ancestors lived there, thats the logic behind your occupation isnt it ?

you have global funds helping you buyout palestinian homes anonymously, move in at night and then building a wall around the buildings, putting soldiers on top to defend you, these are facts

i still think diplomacy is the way but that by no metric means that im willing to turn a blind eye to this, you Chose to give palestinians semi-autonomy, you could have assimilated them but chose this path because you have an etho-centric desire to not mix with other ethnicities, its frowned upon by your clergies which last i checked wielded a lot of power and influence

i find a lot of things you do Wrong, different than my gov, but wrong non the less, i dont want to eliminate israel, you have a right to live there but not more so than anyone else that calls that place home, you're not special or chosen, you took it because you had more guns and better trained armies, this doesnt give you the right to treat palestinians like pest

im getting off the bus and i gotta get to work, i'll look for your nuance when im on my break taking a shit

What would you like to tell the world?

well, understanding that a majority of people want a liberal democratic republic (like eu / u.s) would be my first point

that enables the listener to understand that we're literally the same people and we want the same things, and to not forget that we're fighting for our rights everyday

there's a lot that i would want to tell the world, i just dont think the world cares that much

also, epstein didn't kill himself.

Salam Sia,

My longtime girlfriend is Iranian as well, and I’ve been following your guys political situation pretty closely! They always say that if proper cellular networks were set up, Iranians would try staging an Egypt-style revolution. Does that seem realistic with Iran’s more diverse population?

I don’t think the US can touch anything in the region right now. Anything the US gets involved with becomes a rallying point for martyrs and volunteer mujahideen. Unfortunately this administration absolutely refuses to see peaceful regime change an option, and even many Democratic primary candidates don’t speak in positive terms about it. Who does the Iranian liberation movement see as potential sources of foreign support/legitimacy?

Moteshakeram And stay safe!

Who does the Iranian liberation movement see as potential sources of foreign support/legitimacy?

well hi first, uhh anyone that i talk to thinks its a mistake to take help from external forces

we've been burned in this region way too many times, but i would say spreading the word and informing people on whats going is important as well as trying to provide or championing a system of free communications for iran's people, a lot would happen if access to free uncensored internet was allowed/given

فارسی میتونم حرف بزنم چشم بدخاها کور

یه مشت کص کش سپاهی ریختن اینجا میگن من دست پرورده غربم

کصه ننت جاکشه وطن فروش

زنده باد ایران

How do Iranians feel about Obama vs Trump? I know Obama tried to have a nuclear treaty and Trump tore it up. Or is that no longer important to young Iranians in the grand scheme of things?

well there's 2 sides

one side (pro iran gov) argues that trump is a criminal maniac that ripped an international treaty, so he can't be trusted and by extension america cant be trusted, as for obama well he wasn't as bad as trump but an american so you know ...

the other side (opposition to iran gov) loves trump for the sanctions and his hatred for the putrid mullahs, they just love him and they generally hate obama for turning his back on iran's people and making a deal and giving the mullahs a branch before they hit the ground

What do you think percentage-wise what you're doing will affect something? Either way good luck buddy!

well thats a tough one, it did force the governments hand to pay back the money they earned from the fuel price hike back to the poorest people, so thats something

but as a general rule of thumb for any opposition, it only has to work once, so far nothing has changed other than more people dying and cruelty being dialed up every iteration

i would say 0% towards changing what we wanted to change, but it only makes us stronger for the next protests

What do you think of hizbollah? And what do the rest of Iranians think of it? This iranian terrorist branch fucked our country up.

sorry about that, kill it before it takes over is my suggestion

its one more avenue that our money is being wasted on, most people hate it, its like everything wrong with our gov, but remotely controlled

Sia,

What can people that aren't there do to support the protesters?

How can we help?

Hope you're okay

sharing the news about it, calling your representatives ....

there honestly isn't much for you to do to help, just stand up for us if we're not there to do it ourselves

What are people protesting exactly? Trying to overthrow the clerics? What are your objectives?

if you saw how people chanted and shouted in the streets you'd know they want blood

a complete overthrow is what they want, but there are some who want to resolve this peacefully and to change the system from within and with consent

How difficult is it to emigrate out of the country? What are the top destinations for emigrees? Do young people generally want to stay or emigrate? Thx

if you have half a brain you'll leave here

no future in sight, everything you want to do after college is either illegal or Haram or is just not possible

typically europe or u.s, most aim for germany, britain, and u.s

but many prefer armenia or turkey as alternatives

Sia,

How did you get into Dota2? You seem pretty invested in it. Also, all your other posts are in perfect english.

How did you get into Dota2?

used to play wc3 dota allstars in net caffes when i was 8, after few years got my own PC and then internet, eventually switched to this NEW verison of the game, got friends from everywhere and i enjoy the game being skill-based and communication heavy

Also, all your other posts are in perfect english.

thats not a question, but i try to be as accurate as i can whilst being articulate, it helps avoid misunderstandings and i enjoy writing in general

I like how just two days ago we had a CIA shill come in pretending to be an uyghur refugee and now a guy comes in with no proof at all claiming to be an Iranian protester and Reddit just doesn’t question it at all lol.

what proof would you like ?

Are you afraid of retaliation? I wouldn’t be posting so freely if I had broken laws in my country. I can’t imagine how much worse getting caught in Iran would be.

Are you afraid of retaliation? I wouldn’t be posting so freely if I had broken laws in my country. I can’t imagine how much worse getting caught in Iran would be.

yes i am afraid for myself and my loved ones, but i rather die on my feet than live on my knees

my ancestors lived through Far worse (arab invasion) and im alive to remember their struggle, people weren't allowed to speak Persian when arabs invaded us, for 200 years they silenced us, here we are still speaking persian and arabs make less than 1/1000th of the population, resistance always prevails

Just to correct, Arabs make up a bit over 2% of Iran's population, predominantly in Khuzestan but also on the southern coast there are many.

(I have family in Iran from Afghanistan).

my point was that they lost their battle of erasing persian culture

didn't have the exact statistics in mind when writing that hyperbole

Sia Jan salam. As a fellow Iranian who grew up in Europe I’m extremely pissed that the western media did minimal coverage on this protest. Do you know the reasoning behind it? Why are we in the west so apathetic towards middle east

its a shithole here and im not entirely joking

its been like this for a century now, no one cares

so its up to us to help ourselves

you know hichkas said, ye rooze khoob miad, meaning a good day will come

and someone wiser said, you have to bring the good day, sitting and waiting wont make it happen

its incumbent on us to save ourselves

I would like to know what is the progress of the protest and revolt?

died down after internet was cut, then they arrested couple thousand people in the following week

its quiet and seems to have killed the momentum

How hard is it to get on the internet? I saw reporters that said something like 99% of al traffic was being blocked. Thanks for sharing, hope you recover quickly.

it was complete blackout for 2 weeks, been back for over 2 weeks now

they arrested anyone they suspected in each province/city and then they reinstated the internet

How hard is it to get on the internet?

not difficult at all, its just that almost everything you're using is probably blocked(censored) i.e youtube, twitter ..etc, we just get around it by using free VPNs or proxies

note : i took the liberty of deleting the exif data from the image and im on a number of proxies to protect myself, incase you were wondering if its safe for me to do this

Smart man. Where did you learn of this? I am familiar with it but for non-political reasons, pirating mostly.

Where did you learn of this?

8chan

pirating mostly

ahh, a man of culture, ahoy there fellow pirate

although iran never signed the copyright treaty so, its legal for me to download any song/movie/app i want

First of all, why would anyone think your from the mossad? What does saying you're Iranian and posting on reddit do for them?

And secondly, can't mossad agents use translate?

fuck if i know, ive been sitting here sorting comments by new and hitting f5 to answer as many comments as i can

i kept seeing mossad shill cia shill, so i adressed it

its also a common thing for our gov to say, they call everyone mossad agents, its their scapegoat

Sia,

what's your biggest fear, of what could happen? Are you depressed sometimes? Would you change your life for a better one? Are you currently save? How do you ensure you're safe while answering our questions?

Hope you can achieve your goals and have a long life!

what's your biggest fear, of what could happen?

the gov doesn't bend, so it breaks like syria and the nation decays into chaos and the vultures (u.s russia etc) come in for their piece

that would be worst case scenario for me

Are you depressed sometimes?

only when i think about just how much im not allowed to do, otherwise i can focus on small tasks and ignore the bigger picture for even days, but realty catches on eventually and it is depressing

its like a penguin, wanting to fly

Would you change your life for a better one?

everyone would, but if you mean would i rather be somewhere else, i dont, i love my country and im committed to making it a better place for me, thats how i would change my life for a better one

Are you currently save? How do you ensure you're safe while answering our questions?

im safe, theres millions like me, im not alone.

strength in numbers, theres just way too many of us for the gov to pursuit individually, even if they do thats ok

as i said before

I rather die on my feet, than live on my knees

How big is the generational divide in the support for Khomeini vs the resistance against Khomeini? Are certain demographics on certain sides?

How is the imprisonment of Baha'i's and banning of education for Baha'i's viewed by every day Iranians?

How violent are things getting?

How big is the generational divide in the support for Khomeini vs the resistance against Khomeini? Are certain demographics on certain sides?

this is a wonderful question, its massive, 70% of the population is under 30 years old, meaning born after the revolution, not part of the referendum of 1980 (the one that instated the islamic republic), and most are tech-savvy, educated young liberal minded people

as opposed to the minority that revolted the shahs throne, if you say that the entire population was for the 1979 revolution and they all supported khomeini, even if they were 18 at the time, they are now 60 years old, (avg life-span being 73 fyi), in the streets the divide is very revealing, many women/girls show as much skin and hair as they can, their hijab (mandatory) is loose and turned into a fashion accessory rather than just modest clothing

How is the imprisonment of Baha'i's and banning of education for Baha'i's viewed by every day Iranians?

well since the doctrine of bahaism states that shites are wrong you can guess how bad it is for them, but it doesn't get nearly as much attention because most who are bahai keep it quiet and never tell anyone, one of my best friends was bahai and they told no one (other than me obviously)

but the ones that do talk about it on social media, call it as it is, cruel injustice that should be stopped

How violent are things getting?

right now its calm, but at the peak of the protests, people burned gas stations and banks all over the country (about 1000 banks iirc), not a single gas station (8/8) was left standing after the week was over

cops died, people died, people got messed up Bad, it was like a warzone

What are some of your personal hobbies? What kind of things do you enjoy doing for you?

There are a lot of deep questions here and i think it’s awesome that you’re putting time to this AMA.

What are some of your personal hobbies?

day dreaming,playing dota and smoking me pipe while listening to persian hip-hop

What kind of things do you enjoy doing for you?

my entertainment is limited because i generally dislike domestic TV, but i like hollywood movies, mainly chris nolan, tv shows too, still reeling from that GoT ending

Leave some links for some of the best Persian hip Hop songs.

Mehrad Hidden ft Pishro - Rock o Chock

JJ , Sijal, Leito - Naab

Hichkas - Bang (remix)

these 3 crescendo irans rap, hope you enjoy

Hi Sia, thank you so much for doing this!

I know it's not very related to the protests, but what is your opinion about Israel? I had the chance to talk to other Iranians about this and they clarified that mostly the government is anti Israel, and not necessarily everyone there thinks that way.

well, im sure there are good people in israel that see my point of view

i personally dont like how similar the situation is to apartheid S.A

i find their arguments weak and their cruelty unjustified, i dont like how they do everything they bar everyone else from doing

i dont like that cunt netanyahu, he looks and sounds like the Devil

it makes me feel weird to agree with my gov on that one, but i dont think war or deleting them from the map is the way to go

but seeing how palestinians hate our guts (they denied the blood we donated to them years back) i think i dont support either one

but im always with the downtrodden

Do you have an opinion about Israel?

i dont like israel's government and how they're instating an apartheid in palestine

i think its vicious warmongering to go into someones home and tell them it belongs to you now and if they come close they'll get shot

i vehemently disagree that its their land, especially when they kill the current residents to prove their point

not to be mistaken with anti-semitism, i have nothing against jews, 15 thousand of them live in iran just fine, its Zionism that most people here dislike

[deleted]

What news outlets are relatively close to the truth of what's happening? Western media is biased, and local media probably sides with the government.

non are unbiased, everyone has an agenda these days

but closest to truth that i found was Washington/NY times, still biased towards liberals but very good at what they do

as for more local, there was this Telegram channel, AmadNews

at its peak it had 2 million subs, but gov found ways to unsub people from it one by one, and few months ago their leader Rohollah Zam got caught in iraq trying to do something, got sent back to iran and now is under arrest

the channel with 2 mill subs was lost to IRGC(iranian rev guard corpse)

a new one was made but it only has 47k subs, but its as close to the truth as you can get as far as internal news of iran is concerned

www.t.me/AmadNewsNetwork (incase you're interested)

Hi Sia, I’m traveling to Tehran in a few weeks and to be quite honest, the state of the country is a little frightening to a foreigner. Can you speak on tourism at the moment, do you have any tips? Do you think it will get better in a few weeks? and lastly, whats your opinion on going on a vacation to Tehran? - Thank you and stay safe.

Can you speak on tourism at the moment, do you have any tips?

tell people where you're from, the moment they know you're foreign they'll treat you like their own child

its tradition to treant guests good, its said that guests are gods gift

my tip is be open, if someone invites you to their house dont panic its tradition, you can reject but be polite, but i would say go for it, a good warm meal from a loving mother is all you need to love iran

Do you think it will get better in a few weeks? and lastly, whats your opinion on going on a vacation to Tehran?

protests stopped after 1 week, it started nov 10th~ and ended few days later after internet was disconnected, its calm and safe

as for visiting tehran well good choice, it has a lot of tourist sights, massive parks inside the metropolitan city, beautiful structures and kind people all around

make sure you visit Park Melat, its like central park on steroids

and lasty have fun, also if you want weed or alcohol, ask local young people that look like fuckboys, they most certainly know someone that can hook you up

In my time in the military, I was able to meet several Iranians, and was surprised at how similar they were in attitude and beliefs to Americans. I was told this is true, that the Iranian people are fairly open and ,for lack of a better word, liberal, but the government is the exact opposite. I know it's a generalization, but can you tell me if that is accurate?

that sounds about right, and dont let the term liberal put you off

its not the type of liberal you're thinking

people who stand for freedom of choice and expression would be a very accurate definition

and its true that the gov is the opposite, they're stuck in 1400

also on the liberal note, we have feminism here but also unlike what you're accustomed to, Girls of Enghelab Street (google it) is a prime example of persian feminism

women taking their scarfs off to protest the inequality of genders and the mandatory hijab

contrast that to feminists in the u.s, it highlights the difference of persian liberals and american ones

here the term liberal and feminist, has weight and meaning to it

I heard that there have been over 200 people killed, more than in any previous protests. Why was the response so violent?

We're they using live ammunition? What's the situation now?

its calm now, the heat of it was the first 3 days

it was violent because people gave up "peaceful" protests as they did not yield good results

people were setting banks/ petrol stations / police stations on fire, blockading the roads, disabling security cams and so on

just in one street near my house people burned whole building ( no one died ) it was worth around $2BN

and after the first day the supreme leader gave the fire at will command, means do whatever you can to stop it, basically a blank check to do whatever the fuck you want

Hi Sia I hope all goes well. How are you recovering from being beat up? What can an American do to aid the protesters in their efforts?

not invading us would be #1

money, logistics, public support, informing people you know and asking them to do the same

How bad were your injuries and how are you coping?

worst of it was a Hot BB in my left eye's corner

it got better and dropped out when i was asleep

its almost healed up, my eye is still a bit red but no pain or visible scars other than that

Is Fard Saffron Brittle supposed to be chewy or more like tough peanut brittle? Because I got some and while it was very good, it wasn't like conventional "brittle".

And what can the US do to help. I felt we should have supported the green revolution with a lot more enthusiasm than our government did at the time. I need this regime gone so I can go visit and eat the food.

Is Fard Saffron Brittle supposed to be chewy or more like tough peanut brittle? Because I got some and while it was very good, it wasn't like conventional "brittle".

Sohan, my mom loves these, they're supposed to be like a piece of chalk but oily and sweet, its supposed to be solid so i would say if its like peanut butter you shouldnt eat it

And what can the US do to help. I felt we should have supported the green revolution with a lot more enthusiasm than our government did at the time. I need this regime gone so I can go visit and eat the food.

honestly the support goes a long way, logistics and money go way further

How much love would you say is left for the government? Are there a lot of people that are still on it’s side? Or are they really outnumbered?

people who aren't on their side vastly outnumber the ones that are

they had to get help from their militias from iraq to fight the protestors and they also were paying young basij members from countrsides to beat up protestors

thats how outnumbered they are, they're running out of loyal goons that would fight for free

What can Iranians outside of Iran do to help?

inform and share the word honestly

i dont see a tangible way for you to provide meaningful assistance, this one is on people here

edit 1 : some people think im a mosad agent or some such and asked me to write something in farsi

Well, that proofs it! Mossad clearly doesn't have the capabilities to translate something into farsi!

im gonna avoid comments like these, tired of trying to prove who i am and where i am

believe whatever you want to believe

Is there any hope you will get rid of sharia regime?

Hope ? yea there's hope

is it possible or probable ?

its possible and its probable

its inevitable if you look at irans history or any country's history

all governments come and go, this one is no exception, its just the matter of when

When you write farsi, do you actually switch keyboard to one with the "farsi letter" ( یه شون ) or do you write on a ... western keyboard with the keys a b c d e etc.?

my keyboard has both latin and persian alphabet stickers on it by default

and i just hit alt+shift (on windows) and it changes to farsi

you can add any language you want iirc

Okay so I have three questions.

I see you've mentioned you, among others, are protesting for women's rights. Is this generally something the majority of civilians (people) would want to improve? I've heard it's very difficult for women and I'd be interested to hear your opinion on the matter.

Also, how often do westerners visit your province? Would you say it is safe for travel?

Do you speak Farsi and would Arabic be understood in your province?

women's rights. Is this generally something the majority of civilians (people) would want to improve?

its quite a popular demand, its mindless to force everyone to a dress code, freedom of choice is the foundation this demand is based on

being forced to choose something you dont want is what people are against

Also, how often do westerners visit your province? Would you say it is safe for travel?

i saw a swedish guy once... thats it he was lost in the metro, helped him out

it is safe if you're not american, americans do come here sometimes but as a general rule of thumb i would advise against it, but as for everyone else, iran has a tradition of welcoming guests to their homes and helping them out

its tradition, guests are considered gifts form god, so anyone thats ever come here feels obliged to tell everyone how wonderful people treated him, just watch packpackers vlogs on youtube, that should be insightful

Do you speak Farsi and would Arabic be understood in your province?

everyone speaks farsi, its the national language

arabic isn't understood in any province other than Khuzestan and some parts of Shiraz, english is a safer bet as most people are educated (requires passing english)

you might get lucky and find someone that does speak arabic, but i've never seen one

Sia,

Who did you translate for?

mostly movies for various platforms (subtitles)

but i rake in majority of my pay from e-tarjome.com , its scholastic papers being ordered to be translated to a number of languages or from.

Sia,

Do you have a "Plan B" in case something 'really bad' happens? Like trying to move out of the country in some way or something?

no, i rather die here than run away like some pussy

if poeple keep running away then who's left to fight ?

Shia, how can you ensure your safety long enough to get the news out to the world? Do you expect other countries to come to your aid. And lastly is the Shah’s son safe since he is part of an opposition?

Please take care and my heart goes out to you all. May you succeed in your quests.

its Sia, like the singer Sia

how can you ensure your safety long enough to get the news out to the world? Do you expect other countries to come to your aid. And lastly is the Shah’s son safe since he is part of an opposition?

theres millions like me, i find safety in numbers, i dont expect other countries to help and i would advise against it.

the shah's son is alive and well living in u.s.a

Thanks for doing this Sia,

Can you expand a bit the role of religion in the political system? And what is the public opinion on the appointed members of the Guardian and Expediency Councils?

Stay safe. Best of luck to you, your family, and friends.

Can you expand a bit the role of religion in the political system?

well its simple, pass laws in Parliament, do political work as president, but supreme leader gets the final decision if he chooses to, also you need his greenlight for anything so ...

And what is the public opinion on the appointed members of the Guardian and Expediency Councils?

makes hearing the word democracy painful, its not an elective body so they do w/e the fuck they want, basically oligarchs and generally disliked

Sia,

I don't know much about the situation -- other Iranians have been saying the government does everything to prevent details of the protests (i.e. casualties, weapons, etc.) and instead formulates and publishes propaganda of their own. Are the Iranian protests heavily underrepresented in global news and media?

Stay safe.

Are the Iranian protests heavily underrepresented in global news and media?

it is, i've seen maybe a thousand videos about the events and i wasn't even looking for them

cnn didn't even upload a single video reporting the protests, not even one single 20 second video

Have you guys considered doing a crossover protest with the protestors in Hong Kong? You may be able to maximize your synergy because Hong Kong protests are really hot right now.

they seem to be losing

i like how french yellowjackets work, they shut down the entire train routes by not showing up for work, thats what a real protest should look like

Do they still use a drill on your feet like they used to?

no, but from what i've heard, if you get caught

you get beaten and thrown in a dark cell, tortured and forced to make a confession video and say how you were recruited by foreign forces (israel, saudis, u.s ..etc) and they show it on TV as propaganda

not sure how exactly they torture em

Hi, I have a question. Will you shut the fuck up?

Will you shut the fuck up?

i haven't opened my mouth, this is in text form

the correct way to convey what you wanted to say is

will you cease the fuck up

and no, i wont.

How are you enjoying the last few hours of your life before your government finds out about this post?

reading these comments

they wont, there's thousands like me and it takes a lot of money just to find one, let alone all of them

look at khamenei's instagram (supreme leader) he disabled his comments because everyone called him a cu*t or worse

my point being, theres too many of us for them to rain down on me like in the movies

Sia, what's Virginia like? I've always wanted to visit.

i wouldn't know, but google had this to say

Nightlife is good there, many things to do and an overall good place to live if you like the ocean. Overall, Virginia isn't a terrible state to live, it has the face paced regions of Richmond and NOVA and the slower paced regions of Charlottesville and Virginia Beach