Neda Agha Soltan Iranian girl shot dead on Tehran street

I am looking more closely at the election fall out in Iran not because it is politically interesting but because of what I’ve seen in YouTube of the last moments of Neda. For the information of those who don’t know, this video captures the last moment of a 26 year old Iranian woman who shot in the chest during a street fight and it has already reach global prominence . The crappy cell phone video captured her last moments before a stream of blood oozed out from her nose and mouth. Enough with the brutal image, the core of this event is it gave a face, a real human face to a complex political crisis far away from home. Even though I can say that fundamentally Iran and the Philippines are world apart in terms of culture and worldviews, but seeing the video of a horrific and tragic death of an innocent woman, that cultural hard line vanished and a common humanity surfaced. By just seeing the video, any person of reason can see that there are “fundamentally unjust” actions that are being perpetrated in Iran. And through the power of the global network, that abstract idea of “fundamentally unjust” actions is given clarity, intimacy, and a singular human story that makes it so raw and real. Another aspect of it is the tender age of Neda. She rose to prominence after her death because she clearly symbolizes the new generation that is asserting their say in the destiny of their nation but was cut short by violence.

So let this struggle abroad also translate into something in our context here. The National Election is fast approaching and it is that time where we can peacefully assert our say in the destiny of our nation without the bullet and the gun.

Justice for NEDA and may her soul rest in peace!