Within the last few days there has been a great deal of information coming out of Iran about the state-sanctioned beating and murder of a woman named Jîna Amini. It has become known that many women before her have faced the same or similar treatment. We at Lutheran Peace Fellowship are horrified and stand with the people of Iran as they protest and stand up against their oppressive government.
The Iranian government claims religious freedom as an excuse to oppress and harm women. They have claimed that their Islamic beliefs allow for them to control the people in this way. Islam is a religion of peace, but the Iranian government has co-opted the faith and deliberately misinterpreted the religious texts in order to oppress others.
No religion should ever be used as an instrument of harm and hate. Just as the Christian faith is misinterpreted by some groups as an excuse to hate, so too is Islam.
It’s scary to think that there is very little that we can do as individuals to help in this situation. There are two important things that we can do. First we can pray. Prayer reveals avenues of action and strengthens our commitment to seeing the necessary change. The second thing we can do is to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions regarding this heartbreaking situation. Our government has power that we individually do not. By demanding our government support the Iranian people, we are making it clear that as individuals that desire a just peace and respect for all human life we stand with the women of Iran and all Iranian people that desire peace, justice, and equality.
We at LPF stand with the Iranian people and pray for them during this time of great need and suffering.
