Election Ballot Boxes Taken From The Polling Station

Starting with the state-centered institutions, their system is a hierarchy system that takes a top-down approach. They were also able to choose who gets arrested and when as they had absolute authority over others. This was seen when some of the members of the state centered institution agreed with the chief that their point has been made, but he has no choice but to follow through with his orders. Usually, in these forms of government, it is okay to take away the rights of the few in order to sustain the peace of the many. Even though there may be peaceful protests, the police used more force as time went on, even breaking some of the glass windows in vehicles and being more violent towards people.

Although it is centered around the 1978 Iranian revolution, Roy Mottahedeh’s book, The Mantle of the prophet, looks at the various social, religious, and political factors within Iranian history. The main character of the book is a young mullah named Ali Hashemi, a fictional character, who’s story and persona is based on an anonymous person’s life. The chapters of the book are broken up into two distinct voices the first being Ali, who narrates his own story, and the other being the author, who implements aspects of Iranian history which help the reader generate a greater understanding of the stories principle characters. Mottahedehs goal of the book is to articulate what it exactly meant to be Iranian in the 20th century. Mottahedeh’s, Mantle of the Prophet, succeeds in its ability to provide the reader with an understanding of how traditional Shiism, the madreseh education, and Islamic mysticism intertwined to shape Iranian society into its modern state.

Throughout the Iranian Revolution, many events and changes took place that largely affected the views of Iranians by other nations. The graphic novel, The Complete Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi (Satrapi, 2003), conveys many of these events and changes through the eyes of a child growing up in the 1980s in Iran. Satrapi’s main purpose for this book is to describe how the Iranian government was corrupt, causing foreign nations to have a tainted view of all Iranian citizens. The Complete Persepolis does so by presenting major events and changes in a manner that is directed towards audiences that are willing to have an open mind about ethnicity and false stereotypes, and an audience that is young and can relate to the “coming of age” aspect of this novel. By exhibiting a credible first hand account of how Satrapi and many others were affected by the events that took place during the Iranian Revolution, The Complete Persepolis can effectively persuade a reader to eliminate the “Islamic extremist” stereotype that the corrupt Islamic Republic gave all Iranian citizens.

In “A Call for Unity” it is argued that matters such as this should only be pursued in the courts. In this it says that the citizens need to “find the proper channels,” which they believe can only be through court. They are in clear disapproval of demonstrations, saying “that decisions of those courts should in the meantime be peacefully

non-violent protests that caused the government to get into action as a result of failure of court

On June 12, 2009, a series of protests broke out after the results of the presidential election in Iran. The riots started in the capital city of Tehran, and quickly spread throughout the Islamic Republic. Protestors gathered in other major cities around the world, including New York City (Mackey). Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Iranians were protesting against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s reelection, which was allegedly the result of electoral fraud.

Others exercise their right to vote (even if it doesn't really matter because the results are fraudulently attained). For example, "the 1974, 1978, and 1982 presidential elections in Guatemala were all fraudulently manipulated by military regimes "(Pg 109, Booth and Walker). Others take a more active stance. During times of increased repression by the government many coalitions and reform-aimed organizations were formed. Many were actively involved in large-scale marches, labor strikes, and transportation boycotts.

Rebelling has been a part of many people’s lives whether people try to or not, but not acts of rebellion are the same. In Iran, the Iranian people rebel against the Ayatollah in many minor and subtle ways. These small acts of rebellion could result in imprisonment or even death. In Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, the people of Iran bravely protest against the Islamic government in many subtle ways which show their determination to risk everything and fight for not only what the believe in, but also their country.

In addition, the author recalls the Iranian government closing down all bilingual schools or any other symbols of “capitalism” and “decadence”. These became symbols of regression in the eyes of the Ayatollah and everyone must conform. The author struggles with the very idea of politics and religion during this period as laws of forced veiling and oppression came into conflict with her preconceptions of religion. The author cites an instances where the police locked the outside doors of an Iranian cinema, set it on fire, and prohibited people from rescuing those inside. According to the text, “The BBC said there were 400 victims. The shah said that a group of religious fanatics perpetrated the massacre. But the people knew that it was the Shah’s fault.” The secular Iranian perspective of the injustices being committed by the newly formed Islamic Republic was troubling. A release was sought by this group of people, the only problem was enjoying life and not getting caught.

Most individuals who were involved in the protests were led by the belief that it was through the protests that they could better their lives. The majority of the Egyptian citizens have felt down, trodden and despised over the recent years by their governments. Most governments were revolts were witnessed had stayed in power for a long period of time. In Egypt, for example, Mubarak had stayed in power for more than 40 years. Removing him from powered through democratic means had borne no fruits since most presidential elections had been marred by instances or rigging and corruption. He had therefore instituted himself as a president for life. One aspect of Mubarak’s governments was that it was dictatorial. Besides, the people surrounding Mubarak were so powerful that talking negatively about the president could easily lead an individual into trouble.

There was great suspicion of the president and in 1992; a group of young military officers launched a military coup, which sent the President into exile. In April 1996, the country held presidential and parliamentary elections for the first time under the system of proportional representation.

However, Gandhi’s popularity was destined to be short lived as many parts of the country soon burst into protest over increasing prices and inflation coupled with frustration over inefficient bureaucracy and red tapeism. These protests were most animated in states such as Gujarat and Bihar, where students marched on the streets and united around political activist, Jayaprakash Narayan. When in 1975, a judge in the Allahabad high court ruled that Gandhi’s 1972 electoral victory was void due to governmental interference in campaigning, the opposition demanded Gandhi’s resignation. The ensuing strikes across the country including those of public services such as railways coupled with the opposition’s relentless demands of resignation led Gandhi to declare a state of emergency in 1975 due to a state of internal threat. This decision effectively censored the free press and jailed opposition leaders, marking the start of a dark period in Indian History. These were the culminating political and social conditions in which Sholay was released in 1975.

A revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests (both violent and non-violent), riots, and civil wars in the Arab World that began on 18 December 2010, later gained the heading “The Arab spring”. The Arab spring began by a twenty six year old boy named Mohammed Bouazizi was getting ready to sell fruits and vegetables in a rural town of Sidi Bouzid Tunisia. Bouazizi was the primary supporter for his widowed mother and six of his siblings. The entire incident originated when the police officer asked bouazizi to hand over his wooden cart, he refused the police women allegedly slapped him after being publicly humiliated bouazizi marched in front of a government building and set himself on fire. The Jasmine revolution in Tunisia, the shock wave swept across the country which threatened the stability of this oil-rich region with repercussion felt internationally. After the world witnessed what happened in Tunisia, it caused a spilled over into most of the Arab countries. Such as Egypt, Libya Syria and Yemen. Aim of this paper is to show that the current situation corollary of decades of failed policies, exacerbated by an unsolicited foreign intervention. The extensive consequences, I will argue, require cautious attention and careful management from international communities as well as the Arab human rights committee. This paper seeks to explore the profound causes that prompted the so called “Arab awakening” and the covert hidden agenda behind the sudden pro democratic

BIBLIOGRAPHYBarakat, M. 2007, 'More Than 190 Arrested at Iraq Protest', The Guardian, 16 September, viewed 16 September, 2007, http://www.guardian.co.uk.

In the graphic memoir Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, the main character Marji and her family are living through the Iranian Revolution, as well as the War. The people of Iran are revolting against the Shah and fighting for what they believe in. During this time, acts of violence occurred and injured many people, their nation was divided. When in time of war or disagreements against certain beliefs, people may use acts of violence to show their frustrations, instead of solving the problem and uniting, Satrapi develops this theme through graphic weight, motif and chapter titles.