An Iranian group known as, Iranian Political Birmingham, is protesting in the city centre following the death of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini in Tehran.
Members of the Iranian community group in Birmingham are joining together to hold weekly protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. Amini, who was an aspiring businesswoman, died in custody after being arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly.”
BirminghamWorld spoke to the leader of Iranian Political Birmingham, the Midlands-based activist group, who, for reasons of privacy concerns, wishes to be referred to as ‘Moji Irani.’
Moji explained that these protests have been taking place in Birmingham for about a month, following Amini's death in Iran’s capital city, Tehran, on 13th September for ‘wearing her headscarf too loosely’.
She explained that the protests are one of many worldwide.
“So we’re demonstrating in Europe and all around the world to be the voice as there’s no voice."
Moji highlights that the protesters are not against Islam, being a Muslim herself, she wishes to highlight the fact that her group is against the Iranian political regime - not the religion of Islam.
She said: “With anything, they try to divide people. They try to divide us into different religions, even football teams. The proverb goes: divide and govern, this is their policy.”
Like several other Iranians in Birmingham, Moji an Iranian native, wants European governments and countries around the world to support an Iranian revolution by publicly being against the government in Iran.
The Birmingham protests come as demonstrations continue in Iran during which police are reported to have fired at protesters in Saqqqez - the home city of Mahsa Amini.
Though Persians and Kurdish each only make up 0.3% of the ethnic groups in Birmingham, the group meets regularly at least once a week.
Thousands gathered near the grave of the Kurdish woman and clashed with security, 40 days after her death. Protests have swept across Iran since her death.
Professor of politics, Arshin Adib-Moghaddam spoke to the Reporter and the Detective about the Iranian revolution protests.
He described these protests as ‘ruptures’, which involve a ‘good deal of vindictive violence.’
“I am humble enough to acknowledge that world-views steeped in such a utopian notion that one must change everything are dangerous, unless we invent a form of power that is not substituting one hegemonic system. I have set out in my book "What is Iran?" what I mean by all of this. The book elaborates a future for Iran that is non-violent and pluralistic,” he said.
According to the professor, though these protests are prompting change by challenging the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic it must be remembered that not every Iranian is for a revolution.
“In the short run, these changes will be drowned out because the hardline core of the current government is rattled. But history has proven that Iranians will continue to strive for justice. No state can resist the people's demands for change without further clashes.”