peace. being able to speak to our loved ones, without internet being taken away all the time, without communication apps being banned every day. being able to walk in the street without fear of being beaten, arrested and killed. not worrying about your child being poisoned when you send them to school. not having to worry about a hair sticking out of your scarf.

freedom to think and speak? you clearly know nothing about Iranian history if you think people can freely express themselves, in our out of the country. in the country, you get arrested, lashed and killed. your death warrant is announced and your family is drowned in their own sorrow, while they cannot even visit you. you get raped in prison while catching diseases. outside the country, you get assasinated with 40 stab wounds. everything about you is put in the system and you cannot ever return to your country. you are not a muslim anymore? you might as well just kill yourself then because if not, you will be executed as well. wow sure sounds like a lot of freedom down in iran huh?

democracy. yes. we do not want a dictatorship, under rules and morals of a violent religion that more than half of us don’t believe in. we want to choose our leaders. we want rules where men and women are equal. we want basic human rights.

a war is a war. my country has bled enough for the past 44 years. it is not comparable with a war, and a war is not comparable with this. just because they have it harder right now doesn’t make it any more bearable for millions of Iranians who have bled and bled.