When women rise in anger ...

Way, way back in January 2008--yes, that long ago--in my Register Guard column, I wrote about the global importance of the year 1979:

If ever there was a competition for which year since World War II will qualify for the title of Annus Horribilis, 1979 could be a leading candidate. First, a list of some of the events from that year: 

• Jan. 16: The shah of Iran flees the country, and goes into exile. 
• Feb. 1: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Iran, and is warmly welcomed by millions of Iranians. 
• April 4: Former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is hanged in Pakistan. 
• July 3: President Jimmy Carter signs a directive to support the opponents of the pro-Soviet government of Afghanistan. 
• July 16: Saddam Hussein becomes the president of Iraq. 
• Nov. 4: Americans in the U.S. embassy in Tehran are taken hostage. 
• Nov. 20: Armed dissidents stunned the ruling Saudi family by seizing the Grand Mosque in Mecca
• Dec. 25: The Soviet Union begins to deploy troops in Afghanistan.

Look at that list again.  Think about the global ramifications of those events.

Iran is in the news again because the women are out on the streets protesting against the regime.  

The demonstrations, led mostly by women, broke out in more than a dozen cities and on university campuses in Tehran. They were prompted by the death on Friday of Mahsa Amini, 22, who had been arrested three days earlier in Tehran for allegedly violating Iran’s hijab law, which requires women to cover their hair and wear loosefitting robes.

Women protesting on Monday took their head scarves off and waved them in defiance.

The theocratic regime has been utterly misogynistic ever since it gained power in 1979. 

The essence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 15 seconds. “Although the 1979 revolution in Iran is often called an Islamic revolution, it can actually be said to be a revolution of men against women." -Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi pic.twitter.com/gVN1QsO4cv

— Karim Sadjadpour (@ksadjadpour) September 20, 2022

It is godawful how women are held under force by bearded mullahs!

The mullahs have already started clamping down on the internet in Iran:

⚠️ Confirmed: Real-time network data show a nation-scale loss of connectivity on MCI (First Mobile), #Iran's leading mobile operator, and Rightel; the incidents come amid widespread protests over the death of #MahsaAmini 📵

📰 Background: https://t.co/8cCHIJA2Oi pic.twitter.com/8FY4TIOJdI

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) September 21, 2022

This is not the first time that women and young men of Iran have taken to the streets.  All the previous protests were violently and forcefully crushed.  It is not easy to predict what these protests will lead to:

The widespread protests in #Iran are significant in of themselves but also come at a particularly tricky time for IR. With SL's health in question and nuclear deal in play it is not clear how far protests will go and the outcome #MahsaAmini #مهسا_امینی

— Vali Nasr (@vali_nasr) September 21, 2022

One thing is for certain: Women in Iran are "mad as hell and not going to take it anymore."  I, for one, hope  that they will successfully topple the mullah regime!