Iranians worldwide are protesting against the Islamic Republic, from Tehran to Birmingham.
Professor of politics, Arshin Adib-Moghaddam spoke to BirminghamWorld
about the Iranian revolution protests, motivated by the death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
He said: “The death of Mahsa Amini symbolises the struggle for emancipation all over the world. The type of Iranian feminism that has emerged chimes with global sentiments for justice, not only in Iran, as there are various forms of gender and racial discrimination everywhere. We need to battle racism and misogyny in that global sphere, as a global struggle with local manifestations.
With Birmingham Iranian community only making up about 0.6% population it would be wrong to assume that all of them are in support of the protesters.
“The truth is that we don't know. It is absolutely crucial to be critical of claims that all Iranians are in support of global protests,” said the professor.
Yet, the Professor in Global Thought highlighted that the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic is being challenged by the ongoing 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.
Whilst demonstrators in Western nations fight for an Iranian Revolution, thousands are being arrested in Iran, and hundreds dying for the cause.
“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.”