In recent times, as Iran is rocked by protests and many citizens risk their lives to free the country from a medieval regime and secure a bright future for future generations, a strange phrase has emerged on social media that was previously not present in Iran’s political culture. This phrase is “the sedition of 1979,” referring to the people’s revolution in 1979 that brought an end to the monarchical dictatorship in Iran. It is being used by the remnants of that Pahlavi who fled the country after the revolution.
The strange aspect of this term is its coincidence with the term used by the current mullah-led regime in Iran to describe the people’s uprising in 2009 following a fraudulent election. After brutally suppressing the people, they labeled the protests “the sedition of 2009.”
Now, the same term is being used in Iran’s political landscape, not by the mullahs, but by those who claim to support the shah. The mullahs are the only ones who benefit from such distractions, as they label any protest and revolution for Freedom as a “temptation.”
This term is enabling the regime to escalate its repression, giving it more time, and prolonging its lifespan. Those who use this term, whether intentionally or not, are presenting the people and their leaders in any protest or revolution to achieve freedom as their main adversary.
Advocates of the defunct dictatorial monarchy frequently post nostalgic content from the Pahlavi era on social media, capitalizing on the public’s outrage towards the mullah regime’s crimes.
By absurdly criticizing the 1979 revolution and calling into question its necessity and legitimacy, they aim to erode the people’s faith in any uprising for change. The objective is to demonize the philosophy of the revolution and tell the people that any revolution will result in a worse situation than before.
Since the restoration of the monarchy in Iran is not feasible, this demonization helps maintain the status quo and sustains the religious dictatorship. For this reason, the regime’s cyber army widely supports, amplifies, or spreads such posts on social media. However, these illusions can only exist in the realm of dreams, and history cannot be reversed.
The inherent deception in these claims is the notion that a revolution in a society occurs because of the will and desire of a few individuals, and it can be orchestrated.
According to Wikipedia, the definition of revolution is “a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization that occurs when the population rises against the government, usually due to perceived oppression (political, social, economic) or political incompetence.”
Therefore, according to this definition, no one can force or command a nation to rise against the government if there is no discontent caused by the government’s incompetence or repression.
The anti-dictatorship revolution by the people of Iran in 1979 was a result of political suppression, suffocation, a one-party state, etc. The Shah was the founder of the brutal security force and SAVAK, and the mullah regime inherited and expanded that system, only giving it a new form and reinforcing it with medieval religious laws.
Idealizing the Shah regime and fostering its nostalgia cannot hide the dark aspects of Iran’s monarchy history. The 1979 revolution was a continuation of the people’s desire for freedom and independence, which started with the Constitutional Revolution between 1905-1911.
In conclusion, the term “the sedition of 1979” used by shah supporters, and “the sedition of 2009” used by the mullahs’ regime both attempt to discredit the people’s desire for freedom and equality.
These terms serve the interests of the current regime and distract from the true reasons for the revolution: political oppression, social injustice, and economic incompetence. It is important to recognize the historical context and understand that revolution is a result of a population’s discontent with the government, not something that can be forced or ordered.
By demonizing the revolution and fueling nostalgia for the past, these groups are denying the people’s right to sovereignty and trying to maintain the status quo. The real sedition is to give in to their manipulation and forget the people’s struggle for freedom and justice.
