My latest blog is adapted from my book, "Broken yet beautiful: Rising up from their ashes."
Women living in Iran struggle for basic human rights under a dictatorship government. They are
forced to wear the hijab when going out publicly and can be fined or arrested if caught by the morality police. In this new blog, I explain the how extreme the Hijab Law is to the extent that even mannequins are required to be veiled.
One
of the traditions of my Iranian friends as they prepare for the celebration of
Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is shopping for new clothes. Spring is just
around the corner and its time for new beginnings and one of those, “new
beginnings” is expanding one’s wardrobe!
My dear friend Atefe, who lives in
Tehran, excitedly left her home one day to go shopping at a local clothing
store. While browsing around in the clothing store, she noticed Iranian
security officers confronting the storeowner. Later on, she discovered that the
security officers had found the storeowner was in violation of The Islamic
dress code. She had failed to put hijabs on all of the mannequins and had to do
so immediately or be arrested!
It is Islamic Law for all women to wear
a veil when they go out publicly. If they fail to comply they can be fined,
arrested, or lashed.
But
wait a minute! Help me out please!
Is there not a distinction
between human beings and mannequins? What is a mannequin?
A
mannequin is a lifeless form of plastic representing a human being that is used
to display the latest fashions in store windows.
Oh, I get it now...
The
Islamic Regime would prefer that all Iranians behave just like mannequins.
Mannequins don’t speak or talk back or protest or whine or complain. These
lifeless plastic forms wear whatever you put on them without a complaint and
stand in the window all day!
It
seems that image is everything according to Iranian Law. Iranians are supposed
to obey without complaint and wear whatever they are told just like mannequins
in the store window.
The
sad reality to this, “image is
everything,” scenario is that it reduces real human beings to lifeless
forms without hearts and souls. Human beings cannot exist under these
conditions. They quickly lose all self-worth and self-esteem and that’s exactly
what false religion does. It robs people of all meaning and purpose in life and
reduces them to little more than “puppets” on a string.
God
didn’t create us as lifeless forms or puppets on a string. He created us with
great value and gave us a heart to discover the beauty of life that surrounds
us. He breathed into our souls, love, purpose, and creativity to shine like the
brilliant colors of the rainbow and to make a difference in a world of
suffering and pain. Our lives won’t shine very brightly is we are reduced to
the morbid and depressing existence of mannequins in a store window, but…
“Image
is everything, right?”
God
offers true hope and healing for both Iranian and Saudi women. The Bible
teaches that he hears the cry of the oppressed and rescues them. I have spent
the last seven years of my life writing the stories of my dear Iranian friends
and being their voice. One day soon, I believe they will be able to walk down
the streets of Tehran without fear of being arrested. I also believe that God
is going to bring justice and freedom to the women of Saudi Arabia. I can say
this with confidence because the Bible teaches that God is a God of justice!
One precious psalm is my encouragement that God will keep his promise and free
the women of the Middle East and restore their dignity to them. I want to
conclude this section by sharing this powerful little psalm that I pray for my
Iranian friends every day:
“He
will rescue the poor when they cry to him. He will help the oppressed who have
no one to defend them.
He
feels pity for the weak and the needy and he will rescue them.
He
will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to
him.”
(Psalm 72:12-14)
What
a powerful promise from God’s Holy Word! God understands their pain because he
became a human being in Jesus and suffered excruciating pain in order to save
us from our sins. Jesus was spit upon, mocked, insulted, and betrayed. He
understands evil and betrayal,
