Hot topic: WORLD
Iran
Iran: Children of the Revolution
Will the Internet help Iranians born
after the 1979 revolution usher in
an era of freedom?
L
ast June, a cellphone
video from Iran set
off a firestorm around
the world. As thou-
page 8: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/epa/Corbis; page 9: YouTube
Supporters
of reform
candidate
Mir Hossein
Mousavi attend
a silent rally.
8
JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC / april 26, 2010
sands of people marched
in protest through
Tehran, the country’s capital, a
gunman fired into the crowd.
A young woman named Neda
Agha-Soltan, 26, died in the
street—and on camera.
The grisly footage was soon
uploaded to the Internet. Because
Iran’s government would never
have allowed this to happen, the
transmission had to be done anonymously. Almost instantly, images
of Agha-Soltan’s last moments
rocketed through cyberspace. They
came to symbolize the battle for
Iran’s future—between its secretive, controlling regime and its
many disenchanted citizens.
The protest was sparked by
Iran’s presidential election. The
contest had come down to incumbent (in-office) President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad (mah-MOOD ahMAH-dih-nee-ZHAHD) and reform
candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Backed by the Islamic hard-liners
who have run Iran since its 1979
revolution, Ahmadinejad was
favored to win by some observers.
But supporters of Mousavi,
many of them young people, were
also hopeful for victory. They used
the Internet, especially social-media
sites such as Facebook, to campaign for their candidate. They also
took to the public square to express
their views. When Ahmadinejad
was declared the victor by a landslide, thousands of them flooded
into the streets, accusing the government of fraud. “Where is our
vote?” many chanted.
Riot police and pro-government
vigilantes attacked the protesters.
Many people were jailed and some
killed. Even when Iran’s Supreme
Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
(kah-MAY-nee), insisted on certifying Ahmadinejad as the winner,
one thing was clear: The spirit of a
new revolution was stirring in Iran.
Simmering Tensions
Tensions in the country have
been years in the making. For more
than 50 years, Iran was controlled
by the Shahs (Kings) of the Pahlavi
family. The last Shah, Mohammad
Reza Pahlavi, sought to modernize
Iran, making literacy and health
care widely available. But he also
tortured and killed opponents. For
much of his rule, the Shah operated with the support of the United
Kingdom and the United States.
Anger against the Shah eventually turned into widespread protest.
Finally, in 1979, the unrest led to a
Image of Neda Agha-Soltan,
after she was shot.
FAST FACTS
AREA: 630,575 sq mi
(slightly larger than Alaska)
POPULATION: 73,200,000
PER CAPITA GDP*: $12,900
RELIGIONS: Shia Muslim, 89%;
Sunni Muslim, 9%; other, 2%
LANGUAGES: Farsi (Persian),
Turkic, Kurdish, others
LITERACY: Males, 84%;
females, 70%
LIFE EXPECTANCY: Males, 69
years; females, 73 years
*GDP stands for gross domestic product; per capita
means per person. The amount is the value of all
items produced in a country in a year, divided by
the population. It often is used as a measure of a
nation’s wealth.
7 Words to Know
• cleric (n): a priest or leader in
a religious group.
• regime (n): a government in
power, often authoritarian.
Continued on p. 10 ➜
JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC / april 26, 2010
9
Hot topic: WORLD
A group of teens
pass under a mural
depicting Ayatollah
Khomeini.
Iran Is a
PresidentialParliamentary
Government Under
Religious Control.
Iranian teens
“talk” with
friends online
at an Internet
café in Tehran.
Above: A sign
advertises an
Internet café.
says. “For us it came in one blow,
with the [arrival] of the Internet.”
A Hunger for Freedom
Opening a Door
Ali, who may be typical of that
generation, was only 4 in 1979.
When he was a teenage student at
10
the University of Tehran, a classmate waved Ali over to a computer
screen. “I have something to show
you,” he whispered excitedly.
“H-I,” the classmate punched
into the keyboard.
“
smacking, towering wall of
information” as he puts it. Ali
didn’t speak English, so he set
out to scale that wall one word
at a time. Each new idea became
the basis on which to launch a
I want freedom, and this government
does not want us to be free.
“Hi,” came an immediate reply,
from somewhere in America.
Ali smiles as he recounts that
moment when he was introduced
to the Internet. Since the events
of 1979, Iran had become shut off
from the rest of the world. But as
Ali quickly realized, the World
Wide Web was about to change all
that. It was going to open a door to
another world and link him to new
people and ideas.
Most important for Ali, the
Internet meant access to “a
JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC / april 26, 2010
”
new search. Layers of the outside
world began to peel back.
Ali, now in his 30s, was one of
the thousands of Mousavi supporters who were arrested after the
election last year. He spent several
months in jail and has now withdrawn from politics. But he says
that for his generation and younger
Iranians, the future is only beginning—and that the world should be
patient with Iran.
“Western democracies have had
hundreds of years to develop,” Ali
lfet to right: Kaveh Kazemi/Corbis; Chris Bradley/Axiom Photographic/Newscom; Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images
revolution. Leading the revolt that
drove the Shah from power was
a high Islamic cleric, Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini (koh-MAYnee). Khomeini had condemned
the Shah as being anti-Islam.
The Islamic Revolution turned
Iran into a country governed by
strict Islamic law. Its constitution gave ultimate power not to
its elected officials but to religious
authorities—the Council of Guardians and the Supreme Leader (see
box, far right).
But since the revolution, the
strain between conservative religious
values and the modern world has
increased. Today, a generation too
young to remember 1979 is forming
its own vision of Iran’s future.
Many social and political restrictions exist in Iran today—including
freedom of the press and access to
the Web. Even so, the government
has nearly eliminated illiteracy,
according to Ervand Abrahamian, a
noted Iran scholar.
The result, says Abrahamian, is a
country full of young, educated, and
restless people. The “ever-­expanding
army of university graduates,” Abrahamian has written, “needs not only
jobs and a decent standard of living,
but also greater social mobility and
access to the outside world.”
Tanaz, a young Iranian, is part
of that “army.” “I lost my trust
in [Ahmadinejad] after protesters
were gunned down and violence
was used against them,” she says.
“There were videos on YouTube.
People were reporting and documenting every second of what was
going on. The truth was there.”
For now, the protests that
began last year have been largely
silenced. For many Iranians, the
question is: When and under what
circumstances can they try again to
change their country?
“I want freedom, and this government does not want us to be
free,” Ramtin, 17, tells JS. “I want
to do what other kids my age do
abroad,” he says. “What kind of
life is it when you can’t have any
fun and everything is by force?”
—K.G. Niknejad and Bryan Brown
Web Watch
Iran: Beyond the Revolution
www.scholastic.com/js
The Islamic republic established in
1979 combines democracy and
theocracy (rule by religious
authority). The President and
Parliament are elected. In theory,
they share power with the Supreme
Leader, who comes from the
Islamic hierarchy. In practice,
Iran’s religious leaders have
ultimate control of the government.
THE SUPREME LEADER is Iran’s
highest authority. He appoints
the leaders of the judiciary, the
military, and the media. The
Supreme Leader is selected by the
Assembly of Experts, a body of 86
Muslim clerics.
THE PRESIDENT is the head of the
government. He is elected to a fouryear term and limited to two terms.
THE COUNCIL OF GUARDIANS
approves or rejects all laws passed
by Parliament. It has 12 members,
who serve six-year terms. Half
are chosen by the Supreme
Leader. The other half are judges
nominated by the judiciary and
confirmed by Parliament.
in Iran today?
THE MAJLIS (Parliament) is the
legislative branch. It has 290
members, elected to four-year
terms. It can introduce and pass
bills, but they must be approved by
the Council of Guardians.
technology feels so important
to many young Iranians?
FOR COMPARISON, SEE THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT PROFILE AT
www.scholastic.com/js/ourgovt.
7 Think About It
1. Who holds ultimate authority
2. Why do you suppose
JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC / april 26, 2010
11
Hot topic: WORLD
ARMENIA
40° E
0
0
200 KM
January 1979: After
months of protests,
the Shah is driven
into exile. Leading
the revolution is
Ruhollah Khomeini
(right), an ayatollah
(major Islamic
authority) who soon
declares Iran an
Islamic republic.
JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC / April 26, 2010
O
U
Darkhovin
160 MI
Scale:
M
Isfahan
(s SH
al T
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N
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hrates R.
T
A
IN
IRAN
Yazd
P L AT E AU
OF
IRAN
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Abadan
SAUDI
ARABIA
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U.S.
BAHRAIN
Bushehr
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Bandar-e Abbas
n
Gu
EQUATOR
QESHM
ISLAND
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Area of map
QATAR
40° E
Area of map
PAKISTAN
Bam
Fasa
KUWAIT
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mu
subject
to islam
IRAQ
Oil fields
Natanz
T
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JORDAN
Tigris R.
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AFGHANISTAN
DA
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12
Nuclear-power
facility
DA S H T - E K AV I R
(salt desert)
Arak
R
When he came to power in
1941, Iran’s Shah (King)
Pahlavi sought to make his
country a modern, secular
(nonreligious) society. But
his repressive rule—backed
by the U.S.—sparked a
­revolution that overthrew
him in 1979. Here, read about
the events that followed.
Qom
City
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency
After the Shah
Tehran
National capital
Baghdad
Meshed
Z MO
UNTAINS
G
northern border?
3.What kind of terrain lies south of it?
4.Near which body of water are most of
Iran’s oil fields located?
5.Which city’s nuclear-power facility is
nearest 55°E?
6.Which country borders Iran on its
southeasternmost tip?
7.On which continent is Iran located?
8.In what year was the Shah overthrown?
9.Why were U.S. hostages held in Iran?
10.Why do you suppose U.S. officials fear
development of nuclear weapons in Iran?
Chalus
A
1.What is the capital of Iran?
2.What body of water is located on Iran’s
BUR
Z
Write your answers on
a separate sheet of paper.
EL
Karaj
International
border
TURKMENISTAN
Caspian Sea
Tabriz
SYRIA
it is the site of one of the world’s oldest
civilizations, a onetime center for math,
medicine, and poetry. In recent decades,
Iran has been central to the Middle East’s
conflicts over oil, land, and religion. It has
four known nuclear-power facilities. U.S.
officials fear that Iran is also developing
nuclear weapons. Study the map and the
events below, then answer the questions.
60° E
AZERBAIJAN
Bonab
Iran lies between the war-torn countries
of Iraq and Afghanistan. Long called Persia,
L
Lake
Urmia
TURKEY
Iran
Questions
50° E
50° E
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
Hostage Crisis
Nuclear Iran
January 1981:
Fifty-two Americans
are released from
captivity in Iran.
They had been held
hostage by Iranian
militants for 444
days, as revenge for
U.S. support of the
Shah. News accounts
(right) had riveted
the American public.
June 2005: Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad (ah-mahdih-nee-ZHAHD) is
elected President.
Ahmadinejad
denounces the U.S.,
and Iran insists on
developing nuclear
power (right). Western
leaders fear that the
country may build
nuclear weapons.
Enemies of Islam?
July 1989: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
(above) becomes Iran’s Supreme
Leader. He imposes stricter Islamic
laws, attacking reformers and Western
leaders as “enemies of Islam.”
OMAN
Gulf of Oman
60° E
A Revolution’s Echoes
June 2009: Ahmadinejad’s apparent
re-election is declared a fraud
by thousands of demonstrators
(above)—the most since the 1979
revolution. A well of discontent
continues to this day.
JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC / April 26, 2010
13
left to right: RAHEB HOMAVANDI/Reuters/Corbis; ABC PHOTO ARCHIVES;
IRIB/ap images; majid/fars news/deadline photo press/Polaris
images; Kamran Jebreili/ap images; map: jim mcmahon/mapman™
7 MapSearch
40° N