M∀YcHEL

As an Iranian woman who watched my country get ruined by Islamists, was bitten by the morality police, and saw my sisters and brothers die in the streets for protesting for freedom, I warn you Americans: don’t assume it can’t happen here. Before 1979, many Iranians thought their relatively modern society was safe from a full Islamist takeover. They were wrong. After the revolution, Sharia became law. Women lost fundamental rights overnight. The legal marriage age for girls dropped to 9–13 (with guardian and court approval). Compulsory hijab was enforced and everyday freedoms vanished. Even something ordinary like Owning a pet dog became haram(forbidden), under the regime’s rules, dogs are ritually impure, and dog-walking is banned in many cities. Many Iranians spent the rest of their lives under a system they never thought possible. I tell you because I lived this, I watched this, I felt this. Don’t make the same mistake of thinking “it can’t happen here.” The warning signs are visible, yet too many still refuse to see them.