Nothing good comes out of war. War is all about killing, destroying, displacement, misplacement, and difficulties. However, when in a recent gathering I said I supported the war in Iran, a friend in the meeting shouted, “So why don’t you go back to Iran and fight the war you are supporting?” Although a sharp criticism, she was right. ‘Why don’t I go back to Iran?’
Her comment made me quite upset. I was more mad than upset.
I knew I could not reason with her. It doesn’t matter if I give her the most reliable journalistic answer. Truth and facts don’t matter here. When emotions are high, the brain cannot function rationally.
I kept thinking of her comment at work the next day. Her tone of voice kept repeating in my mind. I kept thinking, ‘why haven’t I gone back to Iran for the last 22 years,’ ‘does she know I am an exiled journalist,’ ‘is she ever interested to know about the sacrifices I made to stay invisible in order to keep my family safe,’ ‘does she care about the nine journalism awards I had won.’ Then I thought, ‘maybe she was mad at herself for not going back,’ or ‘maybe she is mad at the unjust war,’ ‘does she know about more than 400 sanctions imposed on Iran?’
I was determined to do something about my calm and maddening anger.
Learning from my DBT, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, skills, I tried to listen to my wise mind. The wise mind in DBT is where the emotional mind and the reason mind meet. My wise mind kept telling me to focus on ‘prayers.’ Especially since we are in Ramadan, and I am fasting, praying can go a long way. Besides, I felt that was the only strategy I could use. THE ONLY!
I sent a message to a group of 33 people, including the person I felt who attacked me.
I invited people to come over to my home to pray for Iran, our people, our families, and ourselves. I knew, in a way, who would reply “yes.” My internal bet was right. Those I suspected to say “yes,” replied “Yes.” And, as I expected, the lady who attacked me didn’t reply.
Supporting the war in Iran is a very difficult decision for me. I am a peace journalist. I support peace at all costs. However, when the cost of keeping peace is too high, I had to change my position.
The Iranian regime killed more than 16,000 people in a single day on Feb. 12; and close to 36,000 in a week, according to an unofficial account inside Tehran. The death toll in the week of Feb 15 skyrocketed.
Before the killing took place, the value of Iran’s currency dropped sharply. For comparison, my aunt in Tehran had to pay $15 for a single egg, relative to the dollar and the rial. Before the internet shutdown, my aunt told me that all the necessary food items tripled in price. To give a quick clue, my cousin owned an apartment in Tehran that worth 36 million toman, which was around $12,000 USD in 2020. The same apartment is worth $220 today.
US sanctions against Iran, as well as Iran’s regional support of terrorist groups, and the internal corruption, left no alternative but for people to go to the streets and demand a better life. Seeking a good time, Israel used the leverage to attack Iran. And now, we have entered a full-fledged war in the Middle East.
I have always believed that there is no peace before a big war. I hate to support a war. But, here I am!!