According to longtime BNI friend, Amil Imani, an ex-Muslim Iranian-American whose family immigrated to the U.S., Iran’s fires are consuming the pillars of theocracy.
Amil ImaniFor those of us who fled the Islamic Republic decades ago, watching the images of mosques burning across our homeland evokes a complex, visceral cocktail of emotions. To the outside observer, a mosque in flames is a tragedy of religious intolerance. But to the Iranian people – and specifically to those of us who have lived under the suffocating veil of theocratic absolute power – these fires are not acts of “terrorism.” They are acts of exorcism.
We are witnessing more than a political protest; we are seeing a definitive, civilizational uprising against the very concept of the Islamic state. As the smoke rises from Tehran to Mashhad, it signals the end of a forty-seven-year experiment in forced piety. The Iranian people are not just demanding a change in government; they are demanding the return of their soul – a soul that was systematically suppressed in 1979.
To understand why an ex-Muslim Iranian might cheer for the destruction of a “house of God,” one must understand what the mosque has become in the Islamic Republic. For decades, the regime has used the mosque not as a sanctuary, but as a command center.
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As documented by human rights monitors like HRANA, mosques are the primary recruitment and staging grounds for the Basij, the paramilitary thugs used to beat, blind, and disappear young protesters. When a building houses the snipers who fire into crowds of students, it ceases to be a mosque in the eyes of the people; it becomes a fortress of the oppressor.
The burning of these structures is a rejection of the regime’s claim to divine legitimacy. It is a declaration that the “Allahu Akbar” used to justify the execution of teenagers is a phrase that no longer holds power over the Iranian heart. This is an uprising against the ideology of political Islam itself – a system that has, for nearly half a century, held a vibrant, ancient culture hostage.
For those of us in exile, we have always known that Iran is not its government. Beneath the black chadors and the grim sermons of the Friday prayers lies a civilization of profound depth and beauty. Before the 1979 revolution, Iran was a beacon of ancient wisdom, a culture defined by the humanitarianism of Cyrus the Great and the intoxicating beauty of its poets.
“The children of Adam are limbs of one body, who in creation are of one essence.” – Saadi Shirazi
The current movement seeks to replant the seeds of this “goodness” that were scorched by theocracy. We envision an Iran where the Soshians – the bringers of light – are not religious zealots, but the artists, musicians, and thinkers who have been silenced for too long.
The Islamic Republic’s war on beauty is well-documented. From the banning of Western music to the strict censorship of cinema and painting, the regime understood that Art is the natural enemy of Totalitarianism. When people are allowed to sing, they are harder to control.
In the New Iran, the “ancient wisdom” we speak of will flourish through:
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Music: The return of the Tar and Setar to the public square, free from the “haram” labels of the mullahs.
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Social Dynamics: A society where gender is not a hierarchy and where the “morality” of a person is judged by their character (Humata, Hukhta, Huvarshta – Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds), not by the length of their sleeves.
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Poetry: Reclaiming Rumi and Hafez from the dry, religious interpretations of the state and returning them to the lovers and the seekers of truth.
The uprising we see today is the physical manifestation of a cultural thirst. The youth of Iran are thirsty for the “Zendeh” (living) culture that was replaced by a cult of death and martyrdom.
According to recent surveys, a staggering percentage of the Iranian population no longer identifies with the state-mandated religion and shows how a majority now view the regime as an entity entirely separate from the Iranian people. The fire we see today is the logical conclusion of a population that has been pushed too far.
This is not a “reform” movement. You cannot reform a system that believes it has the mandate of God to kill you. This is a displacement. The Iranian people are moving toward a secular, pluralistic society that honors its Zoroastrian roots, its Persian history, and its modern aspirations all at once.
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As an exile, I look at the fires and I see a clearing of the brush. The old, rotted structures of the Islamic Republic must fall so that the soil can be prepared for something new. We are not just watching the end of a regime; we are watching the rebirth of a nation.
When the last mosque-fortress falls, it will not be replaced by a void. It will be replaced by the theater, the university, the garden, and the concert hall. The “ancient goodness” of Iran is like a desert flower; it has waited decades for a single drop of rain. That rain is now falling in the form of the courage of a generation that is no longer afraid of the fire.
The Iran of tomorrow will be a masterpiece of art, music, and poetry – a civilization that remembers its past to build a free future.
The people of Iran aren’t just protesting against the Islamic regime, they are protesting against Islam.
Amil Imani is an Iranian-American writer, satirist, novelist, public speaker, political analyst, foreign policy, National, Border & Homeland Security, Intelligence & Counterterrorism who has been writing and speaking out about the danger of radical Islam both in America and internationally. He has become a formidable voice in the United States against the danger of global jihad and the Islamization of America.
Trump don’t see this thru fallout will be bad for the whole western world ! He knows this .
Let them burn ! Why hasn’t CAIR spoken up ?
CAIR are Sunni Muslims. Iranians are Shia.
IN loverly Pigistan, Shia are regularly killed. I read about an incident in the mountains of Peshwar(?), I believe where Sunni terrorists were stopping all buses and having the men take off their shirts so they could check their backs for any signs of flagellation this was after some Shia holiday where they whip themselves into a frenzy. If they found evidence of such they killed them. Not that I care a whit.
You wouldn’t see stuff like this being reported on BBC in a million years.
We know about them being a bunch of weird-ies who slobber over Islam,
Instead of covering stuff with bias, what they prefer to do is just ignore reality as much as they can
Same with most of our media.
Yeah but ours is the epicentre of the awfulness. (I think anyway)
I wouldn’t get too excited over this: Iran without Islam can still be a threat.
Iran has the capacity to cut off much of the world’s energy supply, causing an energy crisis, despite its limited resources.
We can’t justify sanctioning Iran if a merely nationalist regime comes into power. The more energy it sells, the richer it gets. The more weapons it can make/buy.
Iran could team up with Turkey to cause problems.
The Middle East has no moral center at the end of the day.
If the regime is gone, Iran will go back to being our ally as well as an ally of Israel. The Iranian people don’t hate America or Israel.
And if the Shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi takes over, that’s exactly what will happen.
^ Hey check out this guy trying to find a lead lining from the lifting of a cloud.
If you don’t celebrate the Iranian regime going just when the hell do you celebrate
Who are you talking about?
The commenter calling himself “(Not a Muslim)”
Ok
While Iran stayed neutral throughout the various Arab-Israeli wars (under the Shah’s dictatorship), I wouldn’t ever call them an ally of Israel. AFAIK, Iran never lifted a finger to help Israel under the Shah.
That will change.
They could be, but I doubt they will. They have much more to gain by allying themselves with the West.
I hope and pray he’s right, but if no other country assists the Iranian people in throwing off the thugocracy there, I doubt it’ll happen.
We have a huge armada sitting in the Persian Gulf, filled with aircraft carriers, fighter jets, bombers, and anything else needed for a regime-ending attack. That together with Israeli intelligence as well as their military, if needed. Not sure what they’re waiting for.
We and Israel are the only ones who will help. And Israel needs the go-head from us, I believe.
Tiny, embattled Israel expected to save Iranians from pi$$lam. How sad. Too bad the aholes in the Europeon Urinal can’t be bothered to care.
You’re right, but Iran is more of a threat to Israel than any other country now.
islam should be banned on the planet .
If the Ayotollahs are defeated, the Iranians will abandon Islam. They always had a very easy approach to Islam, until he mullahs took over the country. No loss. This could encourage other Moslems to abandon Islam.
That would be awesome….but this cancer is very hard to kill.