Hello! My name is Shelby Doden. I am a freshman this year at the University of Oregon, I’m a Global Studies major and a member of the Chinese Flagship program. Broadening my perceptions of the world around me by keeping tabs on hot topics that pertains to the interest of the United States governement is engrossing to me. Perusing news articles, interviews, and documentaries is how I reach outside the bubble that our nation resides in. To my great joy I am able to do this as a project for my ARC program, and share my findings with you all via this blog.
Iran
Iran has boasted a rich culture, history, and society that dates back well over tens of thousands of years, making it the oldest nation to exist. Iran has witnessed the rise and fall of many ancient empires, most notably the Achaemenid Empire and the Sassanian Empire. The Achaemenid Empire (or Persian Empire) is responsible for the majority of the population being Persian (61%), and the nations official language, Farsi. As for the Sassanian Empire, it facilitated the rapid spread of Islam that is now the predominant religion (99.6%) that has shaped every aspect of Iranian life since. Iran sits on top of extremely valuable oil reserves, however its participation in the global economy is problematic due to its isolation.
Current Events
10/5 Post 1 Nika Shakarami: Outrage sparked from death of the teenage protester
Following the suspicious death of Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old Iranian woman who died on September 16th after her detainment by the Iranian “morality police”, protests have flared up in the streets of the nation. Young people have been flocking in fearless droves, denouncing the leaders of Iran and demanding for change to be made. One such member of this movement was Nika Shakarami, a 17-year-old Iranian girl. On the day of her sudden disappearance, Nika called for others to act and join the demonstrations via her Instagram stories. Her last message was sent September 20th, telling a friend that she was being pursued by security forces, and then connection was suddenly lost. Eight days later after futile efforts were made by the family to wrangle answers from the police, Nika’s body was recovered in a morgue. Forces of the Iranian regime have attempted to cover up the death of Nika in an array of despicable acts. Family members have been arrested, threatened to give false confessions to the media, and security forces have gone so far as to steal the body and bury it several miles away in another village. Despite this series of unfortunate events and attempts of the Iranian government to assuage the public, protests have continued with even more vigor.
