SALT LAKE CITY — As the Iranian government carries out violence and arrests on college campuses, American students and professors need to be the voice of Iranians, said Shanti Deemyad, Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Utah.
“This is something that belongs to humanity, it’s not really just the Iranians," she said. “Every institution that you walk into, you can see that they have benefited from the work of the Iranian academics.”
The Iranian Scholars for Liberty planned campus rallies at more than 100 universities around the globe. Deemyad joined colleagues and students at Wednesday’s rally at the U, marching across the campus chanting "Women, life, freedom," holding signs with the face of Masa Amini, the Iranian woman who sparked protests around the world for allegedly being beaten to death by Iran’s morality police.
“This is a very special revolution in a way because it's the first one that I know of that started with women," said Deemyad. "It's led by women and for the rights of women.”
While the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team may have defeated Iran in the World Cup Tuesday, the United States Soccer Federation is showing support for the Iranian women fighting for human rights.
Ahead of the game, the USSF posted altered images of the Iranian flag on its social media accounts, scrubbing the Islamic Republic emblem, leaving only the horizontal stripes of green, white and red.
Encouraged to see American organizations standing with the people of Iran, Mehdi, a member of Free Iran Salt Lake City, won’t stop until democracy is established in Iran, he said.
“The world is noticing that people in Iran are fighting for freedom and peace," said Mehdi. “I believe that if the people with the knowledge promote human rights, everyone will follow.”
