Thinking about Iran
The Iran-US-Israel war deserves a more nuanced discussion. A series of mini-essays and links.
This issue began as a series of random thoughts I penned on Substack Notes as I process my feelings about the bombing of a country I have never visited. A country often demonised and feared, but are now facing fire from the sky. A country that is, at the same time, fiercely fighting with fire of its own.
When I heard about the 165 girls killed by a bomb on the first day of the attack on Iran, I wanted to shout on social media: To the soldier who pressed that button to hurl that missile into the bodies of 7-12 year old girls, how do you sleep at night?
It’s my personal principle not to post anything that would enrage others online, so I didn’t. But I could barely control myself on the first and second day of the war. On the third day, I gave in.
So, I typed this which I know would trigger many:
“I am sorry, prayers, we didn’t vote for this, we hate him too, I protested,” It only assuages the speakers’ conscience it does nothing for people who are watching on helplessly as children are yet again being killed by indifference.
Am still filled with helpless rage over everything. Yes it’s not a normal US citizens’ fault, logically, but a part of me cries: “US people, why won’t you stop this? Why don’t you bother?”
It’s especially barbarous that US and Israel attacked during the holy month of Ramadan.
Yes, I know I shouldn’t blame ordinary US citizens who feel largely helpless about what to do themselves, but this is something people outside the US wrestle with every day: Why won’t they do something?
After years of watching people suffer in Gaza while the US government kept blocking every motion in the United Nations to stop it, seeing war break out on Iran … well I’ve reached a limit.
Do something!
After a while, however, I told myself it’s far more important to write posts humanising Iranians than to rage about the politics, ideologies or engage in the binary arguments swirling around the country.
Instead, I want to tell people: Before you cheer about bombs raining down on Iran because of some abstract idea of “bringing democracy” to the country, please remember that the bombs are raining down on these people, possibly harming them and their families. Normal people like you me, who likes to eat good food and love their families.
So I shared these videos:
I want to remind people that the politics, ideologies, and war strategies they discuss involve real human beings—the very people in those videos.
Yet, the most puzzling thing about navigating Iran-US-Israel discourse online is the comments I receive when I share pictures or videos of everyday life in Iran.
Do you know the most puzzling response I get? “I love the Iranian people, but I don’t like the government.”
Isn’t that chillingly familiar? I hear the same thing about China all the time.
It’s almost as if they’re saying: “Because their government sucks, that’s why we’re bombing them—to liberate these people I love.” At least, that’s what I think they mean.
They genuinely believe what they’re doing is right because they want to help the people in those videos. But how can you claim to love these people while supporting bombing the country they live in? Do they really think raining hellfire on this people would improve their lives?
All I can conclude is that the reality of war feels so distant to these people that they don’t grasp how those they claim to care about will suffer through all kinds of torment—all for a political system promised to deliver them. This mindset is so far from how I think, and how people in my part of the world think, that when I keep getting this reply, I’m left wondering: what is wrong with this thinking? Why do they believe this?
If they feel every burning pain from an explosion, the torment of losing a loved one, or the pain of waiting for a loved one to return but never to return, would they still be as glib?
I avoid commenting about Iran’s politics because I know it’s not that simple. Nuance is needed and I don’t have the context. As an outsider all I can do is to read the perspectives from Iranians within Iran and outside of Iran.
The discussions around Iran are so binary
On the celebration of Iranian diaspora on the streets …
But leaving a country does not give you the right to celebrate it being bombed. It does not make you the legitimate voice of the millions who stayed, who built lives, who raised children, who practise their faith, and who, yes, may also desire reform but refuse to have it delivered by American cruise missiles. - the people of Iran unite to demand revenge for their murdered children and Ayatollah.
Can’t help but reflect that this is very similar to the situation with the Chinese diaspora, whose memories of China is stuck at a time when they left, and having acclimatized to a different way of living cannot imagine their life back home could actually get better.
If you are against US & Israel’s actions, that means you must approve of the Iranian government and the Ayatollah Ali Khamanei is a revered figure who died a matyr.
If you support the war, Iran is evil, the Shah has to come back and dropping bombs on the country is a necessary evil.
Iranians celebrate on the streets so they want this war and are thankful to the US!
Iranians are grieving on the streets so they don’t want this war and hate the US!
But two or three things can be true at once!
I think most of the problems I see online in English-speaking spaces is due to binary thinking.
Take the Malaysian perspective for eg. One of our PMs, Mahathir Mohamad, did not-so-great things that we are still trying to recover from today. At the same time, he also did many great things that have resulted in the infrastructure and governance that we have today.
What’s the truth? Both.
The inability of modern online spaces to have a nuanced debate/discussion is more and more apparent each day.
To be honest, Ciara’s story feels so familiar.
I’m Chinese, very much part of the diaspora. We are very different from our cousins in China. But I still feel a deep kinship with them.
However, there are members of the Chinese diaspora that are deeply ambivalent of China. Some even outright hate them and wish for bombs to rain down China to “liberate” the country. Who, then, speaks the truth about China?
Maybe there’s no such thing as truth, just different perspectives. All shaped by their own realities.
Pray for Iran. I don’t care what side of the political debate you’re on. These souls deserve better than to be content fodder for geopolitical enthusiasts sitting comfortably in their air conditioned homes debating via their expensive smartphones about whether Iran deserved her current fate.
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Some of us are doing what we can by posting about our outage (me on Facebook mostly), participating in rallies, and being ready to vote. At this point, violent protests would enable Trump to impose martial law, which he's dying to do. What happens after November, I don't know.
BTW, this isn't excusing what the US has done. I'm furious and disgusted with much of my country, and have been for years.
It is heartbreaking! Having not enough knowledge to say anything else, all I know is my heart goes out to the people of Iran.