Iran’s modern history is a fascinating one. Problems currently faced in Iran are the result of the political actions and decisions carried out during the 20th century by Iranians and by foreign powers. If they want to move forward as a country, the changes that needs implementing have to be done in the interest of themselves, without any interference from foreign powers.
Iran has never had a good balance between living in a society for Muslims, and a “modern” society. It is possible for Muslims to live in a modern society. Remember, Muslims were at the forefront of science and technology, until the 20th century. During much of this period, it was the Muslim world that was regarded as “modern and forward thinking”. So, what changed? Why is the Muslim world now regarded as “backwards”? One major impact was the influence the British empire had on the region, which depleted and destroyed much of its resources and stifled forward thinking ideas. This led to a decline in the way of life, in many Muslim states. Another big factor was American imperialism, which looked to profit off the resources in the region, through wars and violence. Whenever a state did try to “modernise”, it was always at the expense of the way of life of Muslims, by implementing “Americanism”. It is impossible to implement ideologies and cultures from another part of the world on another country, and they will always fight back.
What happened in Iran is a perfect example of a society fighting back to reclaim their culture. After the 1921 Persian coup d'état, Reza Pahlavi became the Shah of Iran. He believed in modernising Iran by appeasing to the Brits, who helped to install him as leader. One of his policies of westernisation was to ban the Hijab. Women would no longer leave their home, and some even committed suicide, to avoid embarrassment without their hijab. Police were told to beat women and forcibly remove their hijab. Men were also forced to wear European style hats. Even though the ban was lifted under the rule of Mohammad Reza, anyone wearing the Hijab were still discriminated. The Hijab was still frowned upon and was seen as a sign of backwardness and the lower class. Women would still not wear the Hijab to prevent them from being abused. When you see pictures of pre-1979 Iran, it was not a modern and free state, but one that oppressed its citizens to be like America. This was the beginning of a rocky relationship between Iran and foreign powers.
Throughout Iranian history, whenever their leader works for the people of Iran, instead of the benefits of foreign powers, we see tough economic sanctions being placed on the nation. Foreign involvement is even more evident during the early 1950s. At the time, the democratically elected PM, Mohammad Mosaddegh, put the needs of Iranians before the needs of the Brits. As a socialist, he implemented many social reforms. The main policy he implemented which Britain hated was nationalising Iran’s oil. Since British control on Iranian oil was reduced, they imposed economic sanctions on Iran. Even with this, Mosaddegh was unwilling to give up control on the oil to Britain and for that reason, they decided to overthrow him. The MI6 along with the CIA carried out the coup d'état in 1953. As a result, Mosaddegh was overthrown and the western supporting monarchy increased its power.
By overthrowing Mosaddegh, America were able to control Iranian policies and culture. This was a pivotal moment as Mosaddegh could’ve been the person to move Iran forward both politically and culturally. He could’ve been the person who was able to modernise Iran, but still hold onto their religious and cultural background. Instead, by imposing economic sanctions, and then by overthrowing him, Iran moved backwards, and their religion and culture was supressed, in favour of Americanism. Iran did not become a democratically free nation, which could have been possible under Mosaddegh.
The next pivotal stage in Iranian history comes towards the end of the 1970s. Dissatisfaction against the Shah had intensified. To the people, he was seen as a puppet to western powers. Also, the lifestyle Iranians were living felt foreign, as it was. The idea of living a westernised lifestyle did not sit well with many. That, along with many other reasons were the cause of the 1979 revolution. Unlike many other revolutions in the 20th century, this revolution was not led by the workers. It was instead a cultural revolution. The Hijab became the symbol of freedom, as women started to wear the Hijab voluntarily. The Hijab was seen as a rejection of the Westernised lifestyle which was forced upon them by the Shah. Since, the Hijab played a key role during the revolution, it ended up playing a key part in what followed next.
By overthrowing the Shah, Khomeini now became the supreme leader of Iran. Iran fell to the other extreme, where religion was double down and pushed onto the people. Two referendums took place in 1979. The first which would see the formation of an Islamic Republic, and the second was a on the constitution of the Islamic Republic. In both referendums, yes won 99% of the vote. How democratic the results were is very questionable? Any election where one side wins 99% of the votes can’t be democratic. Even though elections took place, Khomeini could overrule any policies based on religious teaching. Iran had now completely flipped the page, going from one extreme of a Westernised society to an “Islamic” society. The hijab, a symbol of freedom, now became a symbol of oppression, as women were forced to wear it.
From 1979 to present day, Iran and US relation has mostly been negative with a few positives. After the revolution, 52 American diplomats were held as hostage for 444 days. In response, America started their long period of economic sanctions on Iran. The Iran-Iraq war took place where America showed their support for Saddam Hussain. What followed was a number of attacks from both sides. The worst being the Iranian plane being shot down by an American missile, killing 290 civilians including 66 children. America claims it was a “mistake”. Although relations were negative for much of this period, there was some improvement under Obama. With the Iran Nuclear deal, Iran would limit their Nuclear activity, and in response, America would lift economic sanctions. This was a massive step forward for the safety of the planet and for the people of Iran. It was the first time, in decades where Iran could now improve their economy, resulting an increase in the living standards of their people. However, all that hard work was thrown under the bus ever since Trump became president. By removing America from the Nuclear deal, led to economic sanctions being placed on Iran and an increase in Iranian nuclear activity. Tensions ever since have escalated and reached a boiling point with the assassination of Qasem Soleimani. This was an act of war and we have reached a point where war is one move away. During this period, Iran and America have to tread carefully with other foreign powers looking for a peaceful process to move forward.
Iran is not some financial superpower. Remember, American economic sanctions are not just sanctions from America, but from majority of the world. Countries and business do not want to do business with a country that’s red listed by America. No one wants to be on the wrong side of America. If Iran wants to move forward to a free, democratic country, it can’t be sucked into a needless war with America, which will have a catastrophic impact on the area. Any changes have to be led by the people, for the people. Also, any change that takes place cannot have foreign interference. Any democratically elected government which does follow, has to be left to carryout its own ideas and philosophies. This idea that American imperialism makes the world a better place is completely not true. For goodness sake, just leave people alone.
Aleha
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