I made it to the candlelight vigil in solidarity with the people of Iran at PSU last night. There were over 300 people there to show their support, and people observed a moment of silence for those who had been killed by “security forces” in Tehran. I got my “We are all Iranians” button and ran into only a couple people I knew — it’s always great to see unfamiliar yet friendly faces at peace events.
There were a couple folks taking pictures of the vigil with a camera (as opposed to me taking pictures with my phone). There are some photos of the vigil up on Flickr.
It’s important for people in Iran to know that the world is watching, and I have participated in Amnesty’s call to the Iranian government for restraint. (I’m sure that the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei doesn’t read his own email, but someone does.) Even if you can’t make it to a vigil, it is a way you can be in solidarity with the Iranian people.
Of course, I wasn’t actually sure why I was even supposed to email the Ayatollah Khomenei. I will confess to not always understanding all that I have heard on NPR about the Iranian election so far, or what I have read on Twitter. I found this Time Magazine who’s who in the struggle within Iran helpful. Of course, Time doesn’t mention the protesters, but it does help to distinguish the political leaders and political bodies from each other. I also found this commentary by Hamid Dabashi helpful (thanks for posting it to your blog, Gabi).
And, look! A vigil the same night at University of Washington — I found these beautiful photos from the Seattle vigil on Flickr. As President Obama has said, the world is watching.
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