In middle of the June I decided to write my story here, so here I am. I got a free time to telling my story in ten posts; however, writing about my life’s events is not easy as long as you don’t know about Iran history and culture. different period of time effects on today’s Iran. Knowing about that makes clear perspective and easy to understand my story, so I began my first autobiography series post by that.

Iran has a long, huge and great history as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel on Lectures on the Philosophy of History said, «The Persians are first Historical People; Persia was the first Empire that passed away.» Therefore, we do not have a national independence day because we always exist, but we have a regime independence day. Thus, let’s began with a contemporary history of Persia.

Iran modern history began from Reza Shah monarchy in 1925. He was a former general who could finish Qajar dynasty after for about 130 years and was founding his dynasty named Pahlavi. It was about twenty years that Iran passed constitutional revolution, but Reza Shah who became a king from parliament does not care about first Asia democracy and began to building a modern country from his opinion. In 1941 he forced to quit by Britain and Russian government during World War II, and his son Mohammad Reza Shah replaced. Pahlavi dynasty interested to make up Iran as Europe; however, Iran religion is unique even in Middle East.

For about 95 presents of population are Shia. A Shia cleric, Ayatollah Khomeini, began a movement against Pahlavi dynasty and he made Islamic revolution in 1975. At the first, as history of Iran, people were looking for freedom and democracy, but Islamic politician take the place and made a Pseudo-democracy/Pseudo-dictatorship. Iraq attacks Iran in 1980 and eight years after they finish the war. In summer 1988 Ayatollah Khomeini order to executions of Iranian political prisoners who still not believes to Islam and want act against regime. «Human rights organizations estimate that between 4,500 and 5,000 men, women and children were killed in the summer of 1988 in prisons across Iran» (Amnesty International).

In 1989 The first leader died and Ali Khamenei replace Khomeini position; however, they change the constitution which the leader got more power. In Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran the leader control two different army, police, radio and television, head of the judicial, who can be candidates for presidency, parliament and the senate. The senate called Assembly of Experts of the Leadership. Their duty is Setting up and supervising the leadership. As you can see, the leader choice the senate candidate to supervising him which never happen. After leader, the president who is the head of the cabinet has duty to act all leader policy, but not that much dictatorship. People in Iran has power as well. Regime leader has to be a Shia cleric as the members of senate. Shia cleric has power while people support them. People in Iran has different opinion, so they can push members of senate and the leader to accept some policy. For instant, people pushed leader to accept stooped the nuclear project. Also regime with propaganda try to Convinced them for regime policy. Therefore, public opinion is strong somehow as the leadership is strong.

In 1997, Iranian vote for change, and Mohammad Khatami took the presidency. He is the leader of Iranian Islamic reformist who believes in regime, but they want step by step make Islamic Republic of Iran modern and more democratic. they couldn’t make big change; however, they made some more civil liberties as those eight years they had been governing. After them, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president and 8 years he ruling with populism. He said in Iran there is no homosexual. He is an Islamic conservative politician who support by Shia radicalism party. In 2009 presidency election he made big questionable victory that people went to street to ask: where is my vote, but the suppressing protests made a movement called Iranian Green Movement. From that movement everything for Iranian youth change. Four years after that Hassan Ruhani became president while the leader ask who do not believe to regime come and vote. After that presidency election regime got some legitimacy back. However, youth never forgot what regime done in 2009.

Most of Iranian are youth and they want more personal freedom. In Iran Alcohol is prohibited, Hijab is mandatory (nor short and top for man; woman allows to show just face), women and men can not take them hands if they are not officially married, kissing is crime, swimming is prohibited for women and etc. Also any protest does not tolerate by police, and them intelligent agencies are strong.

Homosexuality is a crime and same-sex sexual activities has strong punishment as execution. In post «Holes of death for Iranian homosexual» I clarify about the law and problems. There are roughly 200 countries in world and for about ten of these countries has death penalty for men same-sex sex. I born in one of these countries. Hi! My name is Shayan; welcome to my story.