I listen to Antigone! by Maria Yousefi
original artwork by Maria Yousefi
"For me, no better practice exists than the practice of love. God forbid I ever do any work save that of love."
مَرا کَز عِشق بِه نایَد شُعاری
مَبادا تا زیَم جُز عِشق کاری
excerpt from "sokhaneeyé chand dar eshgh"
“A Few Words on Love,”
Nizami Ganjavi
12th Century Persian poet
In 1979, Iran experienced what had been presented as a revolution for the people, but which instead became an oppressive takeover by a theocratic regime. For 47 years the people have been fighting to regain their freedom and to establish a democracy. Countless men and women have lost their lives to this struggle. On January 8, 2026, the people once again united and demanded their freedom. The slaughter that followed was only eclipsed by the indifference of the world and the media. This page is dedicated to giving a voice to the people whose blood was spilled, to honour their memories and to demand justice.
...we love places not for the bricks and mortar that they are made of, but because of the people they represent; how much more so now that those bricks and pavements have been christened with blood? How much more so now, that the same blood was used to paint these words onto the walls of the city with their hands, in a final show of defiance, writing:
"Javid Shah - Long live the king"
The erasure of Iranian culture and hollowing out of its heart and soul by the Islamic Republic, is one of the greatest crimes against humanity and should not be allowed to continue without a fight.
My voice is not here to compete with that of the Iranian people and their raw experience...
I could not. My words, inadequate as they are, will not compare to the great Iranian poets past and present, I am not. But my inadequate ramblings can add to the continued and ever growing voices of those who are unwilling to accept the reality we find ourselves in.
Excerpt from: "Ey Iran, this is love." Published on 1 July 2026
Read full version here
The streets of Tehran
خیابانهای تهران
by Sylwia Izabella Jampolska
You are the streets of Tehran
تو خیابانهای تهرانی
Everywhere I look, you surround me.
هر کجا که نگاه میکنم، تو مرا در بر گرفتهای.
The pavement beneath my feet echoes your heartbeat,
سنگفرش زیر گامهایم
طنین تپش قلب تو را بازمیتاباند،
And the sigh from your lips is the breeze
blowing gently through the trees on the
avenue.
و آهی که از لبانت برمیخیزد،
همان نسیم آرامی است
که درختان خیابان را به نرمی مینوازد.
The windows of every building are your eyes,
پنجرههای هر ساختمان،
چشمان تو هستند؛
watching me tenderly from a distance as I pass you by.
از دور، با مهربانی نگاهم میکنند
هنگامی که از کنارت میگذرم.
Each brick of Tehran; created from your sinews,
هر آجر تهران
از تار و پود وجود تو ساخته شده است،
And the door that greets me
at every house is the door to your heart;
و دری که در هر خانه
به استقبالم گشوده میشود،
دروازهای است به قلب تو.
و آنگاه که از آن در میگذرم
Stepping through that door,
unto the threshold,
و بر آستانهاش قدم میگذارم،
I am home.
به خانه بازگشتهام.
17 Jul 2026 20:58
original artwork by Maria Yousefi
8 Jul 2026 02:17
I am not here to make any value judgements about the religion of Islam; there are definitely those who find some peace and meaning in it, and there are sects of Islam, such as the Sufi and the Druze that focus on spiritual principles, and that challenge the modern black and white narrative of meme culture and anti Muslim talking points.
1 Jul 2026 19:20
A few weeks ago, I wrote a poem after seeing a walk-through video showing the streets of Tehran, and I found that I was struck by a feeling of great love, like an invisible thread tugging at my soul. There was an underlying personal reason for this feeling, but beyond this, a broader respect for the people of Iran which was borne from my weekly interactions with them.
-2023
A journal entry by Kamia Kamyab 17, shot by the IRGC 8th January
Dear God, hello… Please help me stay on the right path. Don’t forget me—just be there for me like this, watch over me. Help me become what I want to be; help me become a useful person in this world. I don’t want to be insignificant or useless—please help me always think. I want to be okay, to stay with myself, and to take care of my inner self. Don’t let me drown in ignorance. Protect all the beautiful things, one by one. I am free.
A message from within Iran:
— Reza Pahlavi Communications (@PahlaviComms) July 7, 2026
"President Trump,
No deal with the regime."
“Global Week of Action for a Free Iran” pic.twitter.com/k25bgz8eA8
The flowers of Iran, those who lost their lives for wanting their freedom and those who simply got in the way of the State Machinery
9 Jul 2026 02:29
A protester whose body was found in the courtyard of Al-Ghadir Hospital.
6 Jul 2026 16:37
Kimia was an Iranian student and graphic design artist from Islamshahr, Tehran province, who was shot and killed by government security forces during protests. She is remembered for her handwritten journals where she expressed a profound desire to be a "useful person in this world" and famously wrote, "I am free"
Hesam Orouji
Iranian-Australian activist
Defending truth, freedom & Iranian identity against tyranny.
From Tehran