In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs

From the hijab ban in 1936 to the mandatory hijab by 1983, Iran has been living through extremities amidst relentless conflict over external influences for over a century

- Snigdhendu Bhattacharya

IN 1907, just like dividing a pie, Britain and Russia split Persia into two halves as their respective spheres of influence.

Persia—which would be known as Iran from 1935—had just started transitioning from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy. Facing popular protests, Mozaffar-od-Din Shāh of the Qājār dynasty established a national assembly called the Majlis (Iranian parliament) in 1906. The Constitution was promulgated in December that year, with legislative powers vested with the Majlis, which would be elected through biennial elections.

But the colonial powers robbed Iranians of their first taste of participation in decision-making—the Anglo-Russian Entente severely crippled Iran’s nascent parliament. In 1911, a Russian invasion forced the closure of parliament and crushed the constitutionalist movement.

IRAN BUILT THE SOCALLED AXIS OF RESISTANCE AGAINST THE US, ISRAEL, SAUDI ARABIA AND THE GULF MONARCHIES.

Persia, the land of one of the world’s earliest civilisations and empires, was never directly colonised by European powers. But at the turn of the 20th century, its strategic location—between Russian and the British colonies of South Asia—turned it into a pawn in the game of the imperialists. Since then, the imperial powers have kept Iran disturbed at regular intervals—leading to a situation where anti-imperialism and opposition to Western civilisation and culture have become synonymous under a theocratic and oppressive regime.

One major aspect of Iran’s opposition to the West has been culture. Strict imposition of the Islamic dress code on women created a substantial internal and international outrage against the Islamic regime. But there is another aspect no less important than culture: sovereignty and resources. The West has its eyes on Iran’s oil—it has always had for a century now—and it is no less an important truth to the Iranians.

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