There are moments when history hits you so hard you have to sit down.
Finding out that Iran — the same place we now associate with veils, morality police, internet blackouts, and women being beaten for showing hair — was once a free, secular, glamorous country was one of those moments for me.
Not metaphorically free.
Not “free for men but not women.
Actually free.
And when I saw the photos — women in miniskirts, couples holding hands in Tehran, universities full of uncovered women, nightclubs, music, fashion, travel — I felt something between rage and grief.
How did that become this?
How did Persia become a prison?
Persia Was Never Backward — It Was Brilliant
Before 1979, Persia (modern Iran) was not an Islam dictatorship. It was a secular state. A few people were Muslim, yes — but religion was personal, not obligated.
• No compulsory hijab.
• No morality police.
• No arrests for dating.
• No prison for leaving a religion.
Women worked as judges, doctors, politicians. They dressed how they wanted. They studied what they wanted. They lived like women in Europe, America, or Africa.
Tehran was a tourist destination. People went there for holidays. For parties. For culture.
Persia was not isolated.
Persia was not radical.
Persia was not poor.
It was alive.
And then, in 1979, everything broke.
How a Revolution Was Stolen
People were angry at the Shah. He was corrupt. Authoritarian. Too close to Western powers. So Persians rose up, demanding justice.
But while the people wanted freedom, Muslim extremists wanted power.
They promised dignity.
They promised equality.
They promised a better society.
What they delivered was a theocracy.
The Islamic Republic was born — and with it came a simple rule:
Sharia law is above all laws.
That sentence destroyed everything
Almost overnight:
• Women were forced to cover.
• Music was censored.
• Dissent was criminalized.
• Opposition was executed.
• Leaving Islam became extremely dangerous.
• The hijab stopped being a choice.
It became a threat.
Morality police were created to patrol bodies, hair, behavior, and thought. The state began to own people — especially women.
This wasn’t faith.
This was control dressed up as their god.
And that is why today, when Persian women burn their headscarves in the streets, and people burn mosques, it isn’t about rejecting spirituality.
It is about rejecting ownership, control, dominance, and of course "Sharia Laws".
What Is Happening in Persia Right Now
This is not just “unrest.”
This is not just “economic frustration.”
This is a civilizational uprising.
Right now, Persians are demanding:
An end to mandatory hijab
The abolition of morality police
Free speech
Free internet
The right to live without fear
An end to sharia law controlling and dictating private life
People are tearing down the symbols of oppression.
Women are burning the cloth that was used to cage and oppress them.
Men are standing beside them.
The government responds with:
• Death penalties
• Arrests
• Internet blackouts
• Beatings
• Killings
And still, that did not stop them.
And that my friend, are people remembering who they are.
The Part of Persia Most People Don’t Know
Here is something that shook me to the core.
Persia is not just in history books.
Persia is actually in the Bible.
When God’s people were enslaved in Babylon, it was Persia — under King Cyrus the Great — that conquered Babylon and freed them.
Not only freed them… but paid for their temple to be rebuilt.
The Bible calls Cyrus, a Persian king:
“God’s anointed.”
Persia was the empire God used to restore what was broken.
Persia was known for:
• Tolerance
• Multiculturalism
• Letting people worship freely
Which makes today’s Persia even more heartbreaking — and even more meaningful.
Because something that was once used to restore is now being restored.
This is why their courage feels different.
The courage in Persian streets right now doesn’t feel random.
It feels ancient.
It feels like a civilization waking up.
Whether you are Christian, Buddhist, or an atheist, — something deep and spiritual is happening there. People who were told they are small, sinful, and powerless are standing up against a religion that see non muslims has worse creatures and second hand citizens.
That kind of courage does not come from nowhere.
My Dream for Persia
Free to believe.
Free to doubt.
Free to dress.
Free to speak.
Free to live.
That’s it.
That’s the revolution.
And right now, in the streets of Persia, people — especially women — are burning fear itself.
History is watching.
God is watching.
And so am I.
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