In the mean time, gold merchants in Tehran are on strike causing the violent Islamic Republic regime to threaten those working in the marketplace. If they do not stop their strike and protest against raised taxes, they will be dragged before the divinely ordained judges and courts. Living in a lawless society such as the Islamic Republic exposes all citizens to frivolous arrests which could result in phony jail time leading to extortion, abuse, rape, or execution. Under the rule of terror, no citizen, man or woman, young or old, is safe from false accusations, detention, and punishment.
The strike by Iranian merchants is significant in the scheme that is unfolding in a confrontation with the fascist regime in Tehran. In modern history, an Iranian political characteristic has been the role of merchants in the central government’s ability to function and maintain order. During the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1906, merchants across the country often shut down the bazaars in support of the people’s movement against the autocratic and incompetent regime of the Qajar dynasty and the meddling of Russian/British governments in the country’s internal affairs.
In 1979, many Iranian merchants supported the fall of the Shah’s regime by conducting organized strikes. During the past 31 years, they have been a key supporter of the theocratic regime in Tehran. Their protection of the Islamic Republic in part has been due to their traditionally conservative religious views, as well as the desire to preserve monopolistic tendencies as opposed to government regulations and fair market competition. But with recent tough economic sanctions against the regime in Tehran, the country’s economy is under severe pressure. Given unemployment is estimated at more than 20% including 30% of the youth, the regime has no choice but to attack Iranian merchants for desperately needed economic relief. Eventually corruption haunts all members of a society.
The good news is that an important segment of Iran’s society is now standing up against the clerics just as the U.S. Administration is finally showing some signs of a stance against the Islamic Republic’s gross human rights violations. The new sanctions are already affecting the disgruntled and disenchanted Iranians as they struggle to support their families. Workers are going on strike demanding their unpaid wages. Foreign investments have dramatically decreased. Restrictions on cash flow and credit is crushing the public and private sectors. With these forces the continuous pockets of resistance by the people of Iran in their desire to end the rule of the clerics will gain additional momentum. In this endeavor, strikes by the merchant class will help the patriotic cause.
Iranian philosophy and culture believed the pursuit of happiness, a major factor in world advancement, was contingent upon freedom of thought and choice. Despite contradictory foreign teachings having been imposed on such an ancient but modern-thinking people, the inherent characteristic of Iranians never altered. Iranians loved and continue to incorporate new and modern concepts in their daily lives. Although their culture promotes individuality and competition, Iranians value hospitality, honor, and kindness above all else rendering them one of the friendliest people.
The 1979 bloody Islamic Revolution was the final battleground between those loyal to their country versus a 7thcentury socio-politico-religious ideology. The aftermath has been a rude awakening for any Iranian, who knowingly or unknowingly ignored the realities of Islamism as a political movement and a means to control the masses.
The way in which Iranians and the Free World are now reacting to the unstable regime in Tehran is taking on a new dimension. The regime in Tehran is facing cyber warfare beyond its ability to tackle; it is facing growing discontent across all levels of society including former supporters; it is facing demonstrative hatred and rejection by a predominately young population; it is facing aggressive resistance by traditionally strong and warrior-like Iranians such as the brave Kurds; it is facing unified Iranian opposition abroad; and it is facing alienation by the Free World on many levels as it no longer can hide its evil actions and intentions. The fall of this fascist theocracy will reshape global balance of power. And Iranians and the people of the Free World will be wiser in allowing radical ideologies from reaching power in the first instance let alone fester for three decades at the expense of common sense, progress, and humanity.
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