Protests in Iran 2022: Listen to Iranian women

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King Jr.

In July 2022, Tehran tried to kidnap, then murder Masih Alinejad.

 On September 23, 2022 this blog published a "Call for solidarity with protesters in Iran. Please share hashtags: #MahsaAmini #ZhinaAmini #IranProtests," that highlighted the killing of Mahsa Amini by the Guidance Patrol, also called the morality police, massive nationwide protests that followed, how to help, provided some historic context on relations between Tehran and Cuba, and mentioned the August 2022 attack against Salman Rushdie. However, there was an unforgivable omission that will be rectified in this blog.

Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad, who was repeatedly cited in the previous blog post, was targeted by the Iranian Intelligence Services in a plot to kidnap her for Rendition to Iran, revealed the FBI on July 13, 2021. A little over a year later on July 31, 2022 Khalid Mehdiyev, age 23, was found outside her home with an AK-47, a high-capacity magazine and more than $1,000 in cash.

Khalid Mehdiyev is from Azerbaijan, and according to Jason Brodsky at the United Against Nuclear Iran nonprofit the dictatorship in Iran has been known to contract "Azeri hitmen to target Israelis in Cyprus."   

Ayatollah Khomeini, then supreme leader of Iran, issued a fatwa on February 14, 1989 condemning Salman Rushdie to death for blasphemy, and it was never rescinded. Salman Rushdie was attacked by Hadi Matar, age 24, on August 12, 2022 and stabbed in the stomach, chest, eye, hand and thigh. Rushdie needed to be placed on a respirator following the attack, and nearly died. 

U.S. residents are being targeted for kidnapping and murder by agents of Iran in 2022. This is happening in America. This is unacceptable.

Ignoring the injustices taking place in Iran, have brought them to New York. Time to pay attention, and hold the mullahs accountable.

This is the face of my country Iran, wounded but defiant. Beaten but unbowed.
The woman who sent this video is 21 year old and says; the security forces attacked me tonight for the crime of protesting. But I won’t give up. I am #MahsaAmini#مهسا_امینی
❤️ pic.twitter.com/VA0fNm3bM4

— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) September 24, 2022

Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. Ignoring that reality in too many Western capitals, and legitimizing this murderous regime, has spread the threat far beyond the borders of Iran to Brooklyn and Chautauqua, New York.

This message by @AlinejadMasih on events unfolding in Iran resonates with many Cubans with the role many Western countries play to prop up the Castro dictatorship. Stop saving these brutal and dictatorial regimes. https://t.co/1uZyd6mRzH

— John Suarez ن (@johnjsuarez) September 24, 2022

Please follow Masih Alinejad @AlinejadMasih on Twitter and amplify her voice, and that of other Iranian women such as:  Nazanin Nour @NazaninNour, Roya Hakakian @RoyaTheWriter, Nazanin Boniadi @NazaninBoniadi, Nazenin Ansari @NazeninA, Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay @NazaninAJ, and Mariam Memarsadeghi @memarsadeghi.

Now is the time for solidarity.