An Iranian in Italy, watching the mess
Today is Friday, and another general pro-Palestine strike is taking place across Italy. There was another strike last week with the same purpose. Of course, the situation of the Sumud flotilla is at the center of attention today, but pro-Palestine demonstrations have been quite common in Europe over the past two years, and Italians love strikes. Therefore, a series of pro-Palestine strikes in Italy is not really surprising.
I’m a student at the University of Milan, whose pro-Palestine groups are somewhat famous. I’m also Iranian, born and raised under the rule of the Islamic Republic. Hence, my classmates expected me, especially after the war, to join them in the strikes last week and today. Obviously, I did not. I say obviously because Iranian society has made its position on the Israel-Palestine conflict abundantly clear over the past couple of years. Participating in a protest that will ultimately support Hamas goes against the life experiences of Iranians. Having suffered under the rule of a radical Islamic theocracy makes it impossible for us to advocate for an Islamic terrorist organization.
Those who grew up in Europe cannot see what I see. Many of them don’t even know the basic history of the conflict (I’ve checked), and some can’t even locate Gaza on a map. Still, they probably enjoy participating in strikes and protests and walking in the streets wearing keffiyehs. Actually, seeing people wear keffiyehs here makes me laugh, because in all Iranian elementary schools, children are introduced to keffiyehs before they finish learning the alphabet. It’s part of the Islamic regime’s ideological education to make students wear keffiyehs on various occasions, such as demonstrations, choir groups, visits by inspectors, etc. Meanwhile, they neglected to explain to us the meaning of wearing the keffiyeh, so many Iranians do not know that the keffiyeh is a Palestinian symbol!
Based on what life has taught me, I can blame only Hamas for the suffering of Gazan civilians since October 7. I think if my classmates had experienced what I did and attended the same classes I did in Iran, where professors tried to justify all kinds of crimes according to Islamic tradition, they would also realize that slogans and blind fighting cannot feed you. They would likely also understand that at the end of the day, the only things that matter are being able to make plans for your life, doing things you like, either alone or with friends, and thriving rather than struggling to meet your basic needs. Hamas, as the government of Gaza, did not provide for its people; instead, it placed them right in the middle of hell.