Protesting aft er Tragedies

Protesting out of grief

Tragedies in Iran fuel citizens to push for reform of certain laws

Malak Samara samarmal000@hsestudents.org

Protesters all over the world have a general commonality: ghting against a law or event that is in icting negative or positive actions toward the population. ey rally up people who have similar interests and beliefs and begin marching down their streets, shouting for change as they hold up their large signs. For most, like the protesters in Iran, protesting is used as a response to a tragedy that has occurred, causing mass anger and sorrow which fuels their push for a better society. “In an ideal world, no one would want tragedies to be necessary for social change,” senior Kennedy Terhune said. “We shouldn’t be waiting for bad things to happen just so we can nd good things to x it. Unfortunately, the real world operates a little di erently, solutions can’t be brought up unless there’s a problem that warrants a solution. A big reason why protests nd their path for their future and nd what they want to be changed is because they’ve noticed an area that needs to be changed through these tragedies. Usually, because these tragedies exemplify such an extreme problem, it creates such an extreme response.” On Sept. 16, Mahsa Amini died when in the custody of the morality police in Iran. Amini was detained due to not following Iran’s heavily modest dress code for women. Allegedly, she was beaten by the morality police as punishment and the fractures on her skull caused her to fall into a coma and die. is was not the only time a woman has been targeted solely because of her gender, however. “Iran’s government treats women like second-class citizens,” AP world history and ethnic studies teacher Matt Bockenfeld said. “Sometimes, women cannot travel without permission from a father or husband. It’s di cult for Iranian women to get a divorce. eir basic freedoms are limited merely because of their gender. is isn’t just a human rights violation, it also is a violation of basic values in Islam.” e tragedy of Amini’s death caused immediate sorrow and anger throughout the country, and even outside of it. Citizens in Iran started to protest the government’s restrictive laws towards women by marching, holding up signs, shouting for change and even burning hijabs, which is a part of women’s dress code. Terhune and sophomore Jude Menne both see the protests as a show of bravery and sel essness to stand up for a victim and cause in order to prevent future tragedies. While Bockenfeld agrees, he poses a di erent point of view to the protests. “I’m glad that Iranians are ghting back, but I’m fearful for them,” Bockenfeld said. “Already protesters have been killed in the streets. I’m worried the current situation could become far more violent.” According to Dr. Martin Luther

King Jr, the general public has a moral duty to oppose unjust laws. erefore, they need to take into account not only how certain laws are a ecting certain people, but also how those laws will a ect society as a whole, especially in the future. Iranian citizens are trying to uphold their responsibility even if it means breaking Iran’s ‘no protesting’ law. “I think Iranians want the right to determine for themselves how to practice their faith, they deserve that opportunity,” Bockenfeld said. “ ey are merely participating in the millennia-old march for justice, joining freedom marchers from across the world in demanding their human rights be acknowledged and respected.” As mentioned previously, protesting against the government is considered an illegal act in Iran. is has been a leading factor as to why Iran’s oppressive laws have not been challenged in the past. Menne and Bockenfeld believe Iranians have been internalizing their anger for so long that protesting now is not just a protest for Amini but for all of the government’s previous acts of violence, discrimination and inequality. Menne goes into further detail about how the citizens are realizing the power they hold as a community and they are using that to oppose harmful laws. “I honestly think it comes down to a di erence in [the] quality of life versus physical life,” Terhune said. “I think although these laws punishment and the fractures on According to Dr. Martin Luther have been impeding on Iranian

and women’s quality of life for so many years, when it’s taken to the point of removing their physical life, it’s gone too far. Although impeding on both aspects of life are so bad, because it went that extra step of physical life, not just quality of life, it’s curating such a large reaction.” Additionally, outside countries have also inserted themselves into Iran’s issue of human rights, speci cally against women. On one hand, Bockenfeld mentioned that President Biden came out almost immediately in favor of the protesters. However, Bockenfeld believes it might have been in the best interest of all the parties involved to wait to show unconditional support since it may cause the government to in ict additional violence or danger toward Iranian citizens. In opposition, Terhune believes the government is not doing enough. “All of these really developed countries that have the resources and have the in uence to make an impact, don’t stand by it,” Terhune said. “While there might be a tweet or a two-minute speech standing against the issue, I think there needs to be more done. at way, people like me who are brie y keeping up with the situation as well as people all the way in Iran know that they’re being supported and know that something’s going to change going forward.” While these tragedies can be detrimental for everyone involved, in both a physical and mental way, it forces people to open their eyes to potentially corrupt laws that they have been dealing with. Terhune believes tragedies are the perfect way to fuel someone’s anger against injustices and for change. She mentioned that tragedies are the primary cause of so many protests and social movements. “I think tragedies bring injustice to the surface,” Bockenfeld said. “It forces everyone to stop what they are doing and recognize the things we’ve adjusted ourselves to that are wrong. All across the world, tragedies can help unite people in opposition of the unjust circumstances that lead to tragedy.” Moreover, Terhune emphasizes the fact that protests purely stem from emotion and passion. erefore, it is virtually impossible to have people genuinely try to bring about change for a certain cause. Menne adds to this point by saying that tragedies are never expected, even with obvious unjust laws, so there is not much a society can do until one does as a way for them to prove the dangers of the initial law. “I’m not sure it’s possible to really rally people behind a cause without a vivid example of why that cause is needed,” Bockenfeld said. “Terrible moments like [Amini’s death in Iran] are a fresh reminder of the injustice.” Protesting can be bene cial in the sense that it can bring change to the future so tragedies will not continue to happen. Sometimes, however, a tragedy can fuel too much personal emotion and anger that the reason for reform starts to get blurry. “When you’re protesting against a tragedy, there needs to be a goal going forward,” Terhune said. “I think the fact of the matter is that nothing can take back what has happened in the past, but I think if an organized protest has a clear path going forward to prevent something like that from happening again or institute systemic change, then it’s absolutely justi ed. I think it’s necessary to be intentional with that path going forward in order to bring meaning to the tragedy that happened.” Movements against laws or government that are fueled by anger and injustice can, at times, become illegal. Terhune believes that illegal protests stem from the feeling that legal protests were not entailing any change or being heard. On the other hand, Menne mentioned that illegal ways to protest are doing the exact opposite and, instead of implementing change in a corrupt government, it puts the fault on the people. “I could only see [illegally protesting] as a disadvantage for the people that take advantage [of] it and destroy property,” Menne said. “ at’s not the point of a protest, it doesn’t really accomplish anything. I think peaceful protesting should be the only way [to] go about it.” Tragedies, while heartbreaking, cause two important factors of growth from people: natural empathy and education. A death, such as Amini’s or even George Floyd’s, allows for people to understand how inhumane a system or law can be, in both an emotional way and in a learning aspect. Terhune believes that it is people’s emotions that causes immediate change and Bockenfeld believes that education is what causes long-lasting change. “James Baldwin said, ‘ e paradox of education is precisely this — that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated,’” Bockenfeld said. “I think that’s a really good takeaway from all of this. Education has the potential to liberate us from injustice. It doesn’t always, but it provides new opportunities to move countries forward.”

Background photo: Protesters in Santa Barbara organized a march on Oct. 1 in California to show their support for Mahsa Amini and the urgency for change in Iran. Photo used with permission of Wikimedia Commons.