Sana Ebrahimi: Iran’s regime prioritizes Islamic doctrine over citizen welfare, the reality of gender apartheid, and the propaganda tactics suppressing dissent | Bankless

Key takeaways

• Iran’s regime prioritizes exporting Islamic doctrine over the welfare of its citizens.
• The regime justifies its authoritarian rule through Islamic law as the supreme source of legislation.
• Iran aims to be the ideological center of the Muslim world, despite sectarian challenges.
• The Islamic Republic’s alliances with Russia and China contradict its original promise of independence.
• Human rights violations and gender apartheid are rampant under Iran’s current regime.
• The Iranian government fails to provide basic services like water and electricity.
• Khamenei’s power structure undermines democracy by allowing unelected officials to control elections.
• The Islamic revolution was not initially supported by the people as a means to establish an Islamic theocracy.
• Iran’s oppressive regime relies on corruption and connections for survival.
• The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operates like a mafia, coercing businesses for control.
• Iran’s investment in its nuclear program comes at the expense of domestic infrastructure.
• The regime sacrifices the country and its people to maintain power.

Guest intro

Sana Ebrahimi is a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Illinois Chicago. Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, she is a prominent activist who uses Twitter to expose the Islamic Republic’s brutality and advocate for the ongoing protests against the regime. She arrived in the US in 2019 after facing threats from government officials for her outspoken criticism.

The Islamic Republic’s ambitions and contradictions

• “The Islamic Republic of Iran operates as a totalitarian regime that prioritizes the export of its Islamic doctrine over the interests of the Iranian people.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• “Their primary goal is not the interest of the Iranian people; it is the export of the Islamic doctrine and jihad to the world.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The regime justifies its rule through Islamic law, which is treated as the supreme source of legislation.
• “The goal of Khamenei and generally the Islamic Republic is to make this hegemonic religious authority and be the final arbiter of true Islam in the Muslim world.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• Iran aims to be treated as the ideological center of the Muslim world.
• Khamenei’s ambition for Islamic authority is complicated by the sectarian divide between Shia and Sunni Muslims.
• “Khamenei is a Shia Muslim leader, and Shia Muslims are the minority group among Muslims.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The regime’s dependency on Russia and China contradicts its original promise of independence.

Human rights and gender issues in Iran

• Iran is experiencing severe oppression and human rights violations under its current regime.
• “Iran is a gender apartheid state where women are treated as second-class citizens.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The Iranian government, under Khamenei, has failed to deliver on its promises of basic services like water and electricity.
• “People don’t have electricity for a couple of hours every day; there’s a water shortage in Tehran and across Iran.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• Khamenei’s power structure undermines democracy by allowing unelected officials to control the election process.
• “There is a council that consists of like five or six people, and there’s the supreme leader.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• In Iran, women do not have the right to consent to marriage; their fathers must give consent instead.
• “Clerics have divine authority over women’s lives, which can override even a father’s consent.” – Sana Ebrahimi

The regime’s control and propaganda tactics

• The Iranian regime shuts down the internet to suppress information and prevent coordination among protesters.
• “If you’re about to massacre tens of thousands of people, you don’t want these videos getting uploaded.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The regime strategically limits internet access to control the narrative and suppress information about atrocities.
• “They want to prevent anybody from getting an accurate sense of the scale of the atrocity.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The regime’s control over internal communications exacerbates the information blackout.
• The Iranian regime’s propaganda is designed to control the narrative both internally and externally.
• “The regime operates on propaganda, controlling the narrative outside of Iran.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The Iranian state media disseminates misinformation to instill hopelessness among the populace.

The impact of social media and external influences

• The majority of young Iranians are disconnected from traditional media and are aware of opposition leaders through social media.
• “The majority of the people, especially the young generation, know very well no one even watches their TV anymore.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The regime’s fear is amplified when they see high engagement with opposition figures on social media.
• “If you’re the regime and you see that, that scares you.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• There are individuals outside of Iran who also propagate the Iranian regime’s narrative.
• “There’s people outside of Iran who are also in the Iranian regime’s sphere of influence and control.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) has been influential in promoting the Islamic Republic’s propaganda in the West.
• “All they’ve been doing since their foundation is basically push the Islamic Republic propaganda in the West.” – Sana Ebrahimi

The regime’s global influence and actions

• Supporting the Islamic Republic undermines human rights and humanitarian efforts.
• “Supporting the Islamic Republic and saying the protests are fake undermines human rights.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The Islamic Republic’s actions contribute to ongoing conflicts and hinder peace in the Middle East.
• “We want the Islamic Republic to stop funding all the jihadists so that we can have peace.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The Islamic Republic of Iran operates as an imperialist entity despite its anti-imperialist rhetoric.
• “The Islamic Republic exports power and influence into other countries.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The Islamic Republic uses a narrative of resistance to mask its imperialist actions.
• “It’s imperialist, and it’s just mind-blowing to me that people buy into those narratives.” – Sana Ebrahimi

Education and propaganda in the West

• Islamic studies programs in universities are often politically motivated and serve as propaganda for the Islamic Republic.
• “A lot of the money goes through Qatar, and there are all these Islamic studies programs that are set up.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The propaganda techniques used by the Islamic Republic were perfected by the KGB and are now applied in both Islamic and Marxist studies.
• “The KGB and Russia essentially perfected the system and trained the Islamic Republic in this propaganda technique.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The Iranian regime should not be treated as a normal government because it operates like a terrorist organization.
• “You’re dealing with a terrorist mob; you cannot demand things from terrorists.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The Islamic Republic of Iran is not only killing its own citizens but also exporting terrorism that affects countries worldwide.
• “What the Islamic Republic does with exporting terrorism and extremism affects the entire Europe, the UK, and America.” – Sana Ebrahimi

The potential for change and international support

• The Iranian people largely align with Western values and culture, desiring the benefits that come with it.
• “The Iranian people themselves want to essentially be part of the West.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• If the Islamic Republic falls, Iran could become a secular country that promotes stability in the region.
• “If Iran falls, it will stop exporting jihad into all of the neighboring countries.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• Successful foreign interventions exist and should not be dismissed when considering Iran’s situation.
• “There are so many examples of successful interventions.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• 95% of graduates from a top Iranian university leave the country due to the political situation.
• “95% of the graduates from our school leave Iran because of the situation the Islamic Republic has created.” – Sana Ebrahimi

The hope for a free Iran

• Iranians believe that regime change is necessary for achieving their freedom and that it may require significant sacrifice.
• “For Iranians, we know that this is the path to get to freedom.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The hope is that by 2026, the Islamic Republic will be significantly weakened, allowing for a transition to a free Iran.
• “Hopefully, soon enough, the regime’s been weakened enough that people are able to take back the country.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• A free Iran could become a powerful nation that takes its freedoms seriously.
• “A free Iran is gonna be like the most baller country ever.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• The fall of the Islamic Republic will weaken Islamist narratives globally.
• “When Iran is free, the Islamist narrative is gonna get destroyed for a very long time.” – Sana Ebrahimi
• American tax money is linked to the protection of Israel due to threats from the Islamic Republic.
• “If you destroy that, you don’t have to send your tax money to Israel for protection.” – Sana Ebrahimi