
Ɖ Obzrvr vy on ɖ baclaś in Iran folowñ ɖ deʈ v Māsa Amīni
(Transcription of an editorial published in the Observer on 25 September 2022)
Ɖ p’raia stet’s reźīm z nt invinsbl. F it dz’nt fri its ppl, ɖe wl fri ɖmslvz – snr rɖr ɖn lêtr
Súnde 25 Sptmbr 2022
Ɖ rspons v ɖ Ireńn reźīm t ɖ deʈ in p’līscusṭdi v a 22-yir-old wmn, Māsa Amīni, z dsmeyñli fmiłr. Frst, ɖ oʈoṛtiz laid abt ẃt hapnd, clemñ Amīni daid v naćṛl cōzz dspt îwitnis tstiṃni ɖt ś wz rpitidli bìtn bî ofisrz. Ɖen, az demnstreśnz spred acrs ɖ cuntri, ɖe atmtd a cuvr-up ẃl dnǎnsñ ɖ pṛtstrz az eṇmiz v ɖ Izlamic reṿluśn.
Nǎ, fesñ un’swejd public fyri n an incrisñli p’liṭsîzd baclaś, reźīmlīdrz hv lōnćt a vayḷnt cracdǎn, cōzñ mor deʈs. Marćrz at stet-orġnîzd cǎntr-demnstreśnz dmand ɖ x’kśn v “ofndrz v ɖ C’rān” ẃl Tehran’z msnomrd intelijnsmiṇstri slandrz pṛtstrz az sdiṣ́nists opozd t rlijs valyz.
Ɖs grim sīqns v ivnts, ẃl pridictbl, z bʈ infyrietñ n dstresñ, prîmṛli fr Amīni’z faṃli, bt olso fr ol ɖoz in Iran sīcñ t bild an opn ssayti ẃr hymn rîts, n wimin’z rîts in ptiklr, r rspctd. Similr protests in ɖ past, sć az ɖ Grlz v Reṿluśn Strīt Muvmnt in 2018, pṛdyst nt ćenj bt rnyd rpreśn.
It me b difṛnt ɖs tîm. Ɖ breṿri v yuñ wimin in cnfruntñ ɖ s’kṛtiforsz n ɖ so-cōld mraḷti p’līs (Gaśti Erśad or “gîdns ptrol”) z inspîrñ. Ɖe r s’portd bî mni yuñ men n ńmṛs uɖrz amñ an oldr popyleśn xōstd bî svir ic̣nomic hardśp, ofiśl c’rupśn n ɖ iḷjitiṃsi v rūlñ poḷtiśnz hu stoul ɖ 2021 ilex́n.
Ɖ iśu ɖt léd t Amīni’z arest – “in’proprịt” wẹrñ v ɖ hijab – hz hyj simbolic sgnificns. Cmpulsri ys v ɖ hijab wz intṛdyst bî Ōyatŭlā R’holā Ħomenī’z folowrz aftr ɖ 1979 reṿluśn az a mīnz v prjñ rîvlz. Ɖz dez, it z yzd t xrt sośl cntrol n crūdli cīp wimin “in ɖer ples”.
Yt most Ireńnz rjct ɖ mandetri nećr v rlijs reğleśnz, seyñ hijabwẹrñ z a wmn’z ćôs. An indipndnt srve in 2020 faund ɖt 72% opozd cmpulsri hijab. Folowñ Amīni’z deʈ, sivl-ssayti orġnîześnz n s’lebṛtiz hv cōld fr rform. Sm rlijs līdrz admit ɖ lw dscredits Izlam.
Ɖ demnstreśnz t det d nt mać in sîz ɖ midl-clas uprîzñ, noun az ɖ Grīn Muvmnt, ɖt iruptd aftr ɖ dspytd 2009 preẓdnśl ilex́n. Nr hv ɖe atend ɖ levl v līʈaḷti sìn jrñ 2019’z neśnwîd ic̣nomic protests, ẃn hundṛdz v ppl wr cild. Bt ɖe d repriznt a sirịs wornñ, poṣbli a last ćans, fr a moṛli bancrupt, dspotic reźīm.
Iran’z prezidnt, Ibrahīm Raīsi, cmplend at ɖ YN in Ny Yorc last wīc abt wstn dubl standdz on hymn rîts. Ɖe srtnli xist, bt ɖt hardli jusṭfîz ɖ hrific abysz ovr ẃć h prizîdz. Ntorịs xamplz includ ɖ atrośs trītmnt mȉtd ǎt t ɖ wimin’z rîts dfndr, Nasrīn Sŭtūde, ys v torćr n hostijtecñ afctñ dyl naṣ́nlz.
Raīsi mst pt hiz ǒn hǎs in ordr bfr ɖ ppl rîz p n d it fr him. Jst bcz intrnl uphīvlz ofn cm t nʈñ dz nt mīn ɖ reźīm z invinsbl, az ɖ Śa dscuvrd. Il hlʈ afctñ Iran’z ultra-riax́nri, 83-yir-old s’prīm līdr, Ōyatŭlā Alī Ħaṃne, sjsts ćenj z cmñ. Nǎ wd b a gd momnt t rīʈnc Iran’z fyćr at hom n in ɖ wrld.
Iran apirz còt in a tîmworp, fîtñ ɖ batlz v ysṭyir. Ɖ YS z no frend, bt Jo Bîdn jenyinli wonts a ńclir dīl. Ɖ Gulf Aṛbz r mcñ pīs wɖ Izrel. Rifts ɖt dfînd ɖ Midl Īst fr jeṇreśnz r clozñ. Tde’z ćaḷnjz r globl. Iran cd śed its p’raia steṭs n bcm a gret neśn agn – f onli its ppl, n ispeṣ́li its cruwli oprest wimin, wr set fri.