Be Free...

To say that the protests happening now in Iran are over an election would be simplifying the matter. It may have been the trigger point, but there has been increasing resentment towards a regime that has taken away what most of use consider basic human rights and now that resentment has exploded forth in the unrest you see in the streets of Tehran.

Iran is the birthplace of Cyrus the Great, who's charter of Human rights sit on display at the UN. This is the country that gave the world Hafez and Rumi, that spoke so eloquently of love and humanity. And here is Iran today a far cry from the nation once led by Cyrus. It is now country that human rights, basic rights no longer exist. It is country where you cannot read, you cannot write, you cannot say, you cannot love what and who you want. It's a country of youth, the majority of Persian are now below the age of 30, that can only dream of what it would be like to enjoy freedoms that you and I consider matter of fact.

You can squeeze a person just so much, at some point they will scream, at some point it will not matter anymore that there are bullets showering on them. What is death when you are the living dead .

And basic freedoms is just one side of this story. Iranians should be enjoying booming economic times. Just look at all the gulf countries around Iran and how they have thrived these past few years with the increases in the price of oil. Instead Iran has had a president that was more concerned about establishing himself as a threat in the eyes of the world. Maybe it's his short stature that makes him crave power so, but because of his obstinate insistence on taking a stand against Israel and US, his countrymen have had to suffer sanctions that have left the country with a overwhelming 25% inflation, crippling them. People are suffocating, emotionally, mentally and financially.

And the biggest crime in my eyes is how the world has seen Iranians in the past 30 years since the revolution. We have become radicals, backward people, zealots. Our rich colourful history has been forgotten and instead the world sees us in the eyes of those that assume to speak for us.

The uprising that you see is really about claiming what is rightfully ours. Our dignity, our freedom, our respect and our right to the pursuit of happiness.