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Features

Bi Sharaf + Bi Sharaf + Bi Sharaf

January 13, 2020
Maziar Bahari
2 min read
People shouted out the slogan “You’ve Killed Our Geniuses and Replaced them with Mullahs” during protests
People shouted out the slogan “You’ve Killed Our Geniuses and Replaced them with Mullahs” during protests
People accused officials of being "bi sharafs" —someone who has no conscience, morals or values
People accused officials of being "bi sharafs" —someone who has no conscience, morals or values
The Guards’ aerospace commander chose to give a press conference with the flags of militant groups as a backdrop
The Guards’ aerospace commander chose to give a press conference with the flags of militant groups as a backdrop
Kimia Alizadeh, who won a bronze medal for tae kwon do at the Olympics, is among many who have chosen to live outside Iran
Kimia Alizadeh, who won a bronze medal for tae kwon do at the Olympics, is among many who have chosen to live outside Iran

It was Iran’s “Chernobyl moment.” The Revolutionary Guards shooting down the Ukrainian passenger plane, resulting in the deaths of 176 people, brought the Islamic regime’s militarism, corruption and incompetence to the surface. Most Iranians had known this but the crime committed by the Guards — and then lying about it — showed that the current officials don’t deserve to rule Iran. Hence people shouted out the slogan “You’ve Killed Our Geniuses and Replaced them with Mullahs” during the protests in Iran over the last two days.

The term “Bi Sharaf” should enter the English lexicon. This is what the protesters called Iranian officials, including the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the commander of the Guards. It’s difficult to translate “Bi Sharaf,” but it refers to someone who has no conscience, morals or values, i.e. most Islamic Republic officials. This, along with “the enemy is not the US, our enemy is right here,” was among the most powerful expressions of grief and despair heard in several cities across the country, among them Isfahan, Urmia, Boroujerd and Shiraz.

Cruelty, ignorance and recklessness define the regime’s recent actions.

Only days before accepting responsibility for shooting down the plane, the Guards’ aerospace commander addressed the press against a curious backdrop, a collection of flags for some of the Middle East’s biggest terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces. Although we’ve known about the links between Iran and its Shia proxies in the region, political and military leaders have traditionally chosen to be a little more subtle or evasive about the role Iran plays in these operations. As our colleague Faramarz Davar explains, this bombastic gesture will soon haunt the regime and it will have to answer for the actions of its proxies.

So what will you do if you are an ordinary Iranian who just wants to live a normal life? Many people have chosen to leave. Most of the 176 victims of the Ukrainian flight were brilliant peace-loving Iranians who chose to live in a more secure country. Many athletes, including Iran’s only female medal winner Kimia Alizadeh, have chosen to leave their homeland and compete for another country.

This is the cost of discrimination and oppression. Losing your talents and geniuses and replacing them with goons and criminals...

As always, please let me know if you have any comments.

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