After Watching This, You Will Question Who In Iran We Are Fighting

When you think about Iran, what comes to mind? Terrorism? Radical Islamic beliefs? Those are my usual first thoughts, but a short film titled Thursday Appointment by Syed Mohammad Reza Kheradmand, a 21 year old Iranian man, has me questioning what I know about Iran and its people.

The short film depicts an Iranian couple in their car. They are reciting poetry to each other as they approach a red light and pull up next to a car with a couple arguing while their young daughter sits in the back seat. If you want to know what happens next, just watch.

Comments on the video report that in Iran, it is common for people to visit the graves of loved ones on Thursdays, thus the title. The flowers were for his wife who passed away. If that doesn’t stir something in your heart, I don’t know what will.

What we often forget is that conflicts between countries are often about governments, control, power, and resources. While America may tout the idea of freeing the people of Iran from an evil regime, that is likely not the primary motivator for conflict. Iran is said to be the largest supporter of terrorism in the world, but does that mean all of the people that live there support evil themselves? While it is likely that a percentage of the people do, we often let what we know about the government, military, and religion of a country dictate what we think about it. This is an oversimplified point, but it is important to remember that in World War II we weren’t fighting the people of Germany per se, we were fighting the Nazi’s of Germany. There were those in Germany who were strongly against the Nazi regime and died trying to save Jewish people from the Holocaust.

So, when you think of war with Iran, remember that it is the Iranian government and military we are fighting. Many of the people that live there are not so different from the rest of us humans. Have you ever thought about what your life would be like living in Iran? The Iranian government has elements of an Islamic theocracy, while in America there is religious freedom. If you grew up in Iran, the odds are you would adhere to Islamic beliefs for at least part of your life and think America is wrong to have religious freedom.

Art is powerful in showing that people all over the world are just as human as us. We would do well to remind ourselves of that.