When double standards reign, Western 'humanity' dies between the lines

• By Manal Samhat 

• Source: Al Mayadeen English

Cheerleading from the sidelines, the US offers only words, and more words, as rivers of blood shed by the West-instigated riots flow on the streets of Iran.

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, entered a police station in Iran on her own, suffered from health complications due to a chronic disease, and collapsed. She was instantly transferred to the hospital, where she unfortunately died. From that day on, hell broke loose in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Following Mahsa’s tragic death, Iran witnessed violent US-instigated riots allegedly "protesting" the death of the young woman while in Iranian police custody. They started as protests that later escalated into violent acts that spared no one, not even passersby. 

Iran repeatedly denied the accusations and provided CCTV footage as proof, with multiple reports confirming that there were no traces of beating or wounds on the head and face of the late Mahsa. But what proof did the US submit for its claims? Absolutely nothing. Cheerleading from the sidelines, the US gave only words, and more words, with a pint of blood shed on the streets of Iran. 

The incident, recorded by the CCTV, clearly shows a female police officer approaching Amini as she entered the station and pointing at her attire. Amini and the officer entered into what seemed a verbal disagreement, after which the officer turned around and left Amini alone, without any physical altercation. A few seconds later, she just collapsed. But, of course, the exonerating video failed to find its way into the hallways of social media platforms that were swarming with videos of the riots, despite all the violence they entailed. 

Arman Ali Vardi; a victim of brutality and double standards

In the same country, yet in a different scene, 21-year-old Arman Ali Vardi was beaten to death by the same rioters who took to the streets to protest Mahsa Amini's "unjust killing". On October 26, Arman, a Hawza (religious school) student, came across a group of fellow Iranians who surrounded him and started questioning him. The reason why? His looks.

They went through his belongings and found religious books, which "exposed" Arman's interest in religion, being a Hawza student. The West-supported rioters shoved him to the ground and started beating him. They stripped him of his clothes, they kicked, punched, slapped, insulted him... you name the brutality, they did it. And when this did not cure their unprovoked anger, they ordered him to insult his own religious beliefs, but Arman repeatedly refused, which infuriated the "advocates" of freedom of thought, belief, and religion; freedom of speech; and freedom of expression. So they beat him even more.

The beating did not stop, and for Arman, it seemed like it went on forever. Following the violence that was not provoked in any way, young Arman was transferred to the hospital, where he was admitted for a couple of days, enduring agonizing pain and unbearable suffering until he eventually succumbed to his wounds; the wounds inflicted on him by brainwashed fellow Iranians blinded by hatred and used only to fulfill a western agenda in the country. 

What was left of Arman was a ring broken on the side, covered with stains of his spilled blood, which exposes the western media's double standards, that in turn have not said one word about his tragic death that failed to make the same headlines as Mahsa.

Double standards; a weapon of choice

When compared to Mahsa Amini's coverage, it becomes crystal clear that the western media's attempt to bury his story, following his own burial, is deliberate, as it simply does not serve their propaganda or fit into their agenda; rather, it puts them in the crosshairs. 

Arman's brutal murder speaks volumes about the approach of double standards the West adopts. At a time when Mahsa Amini's natural death sparked weeks of riots, sabotage, vandalism, and killings via agents executing western commands, with full western media coverage, Arman's brutal murder fell on deaf ears. 

Iran did pay respect to its national hero, as thousands gathered for his funeral procession, but no one else in the humanity-selling world paid him one word of tribute. 

Not a single condemnation or criticism, to say the least, was issued by any western party. No statement in support of their so-called "humanity" or a mere rejection of violence was issued. The whole situation can be summed up in one word: hypocrisy, which the West masters. 

Riots; a prelude to state terrorism

In the once safe and secure Iran, the riots that took the country by storm provided an entry point and a prelude to terrorism that would have prevailed were it not for the security forces' alertness.

On October 26, 15 Iranians were martyred and 40 were wounded in a terrorist attack that targeted the Shah-e-Cheragh shrine in Shiraz. The perpetrator was arrested following his injury, and he later died at the hospital.

In a Hollywood-style execution, the attacker entered the shrine where innocent pilgrims and visitors were attending to their religious duties and opened fire, moving from one person to another. CCTV footage obtained from the shrine shows chilling scenes that can make one easily question the perpetrator's humanity. 

The disturbing footage sends a shiver down one's spine, yet again not a single word of condemnation from the advocates of "humanity" was issued. After all, the victims are just Iranians that do not serve their agenda, and Iran is merely the country in their crosshairs that they aim to bring down. 

The US, along with the entire West, did not bat an eyelash and maintained suspicious silence despite the atrocity of the scene. Again, only Iranians rushed to heal each other's wounds, vowing to stand in the face of the conspiracy threatening their country.

Arteen Sarayedaran; a forgotten childhood

Arteen Sarayedaran, an Iranian child, was with his family at the Shah-e-Cheragh shrine when the ominous attack hit. The attacker shot dead his mother, father, and brother in cold blood right in front of his eyes, leaving the child with wounds and lasting trauma that will forever haunt him. He will wake up every single day to the tragedy that his loved ones are no longer there. 

The 7-year-old child, after the attack, asked his aunt, "Was my mom shot?" She answered, "Yes, and she was martyred." To his aunt's surprise, he did feel that his momma was gone, but all he wanted was to know when he will be reunited with her.

Arteen has not spoken a single word since yesterday. The tragedy must be setting in, and the sense of loss can only grow stronger from here.

One would imagine that him being an innocent child burdened with such a tragic calamity would have earned him a spot on the front pages of the proclaimed child-rights-defending western media, but none of this has proven worthy of coverage, as per the western norms, since according to them, humanity is divisible and compassion is driven by their political calculations. 

Freedom of thought, belief, and religion jeopardized

In a series of videos circulated on social media, rioters can be seen approaching religious scholars, be they Sheikhs (wearing a white turban) or Sayyeds (wearing a black turban), and knocking the turbans off their heads, in deliberate acts of provocations and infringement on their personal privacy and their right to believe and practice religion. The videos are obviously well-planned and the approach is premeditated. Again, the western media made no mention of these attacks, let alone denounce them, as their bubble of so-called democracy and humanity nears bursting.

Riots in the West; "democracy" in Iran

In the western world, where inflation and costs of living are skyrocketing, due to the war in Ukraine and the draconian sanctions on Russia, people are taking to the streets to demand solutions to the economic crises and to better their living standards that are going downhill. Protesters swarm the streets holding banners and flags and chanting slogans demanding instant change. They are just practicing the democracy their countries pride themselves on. But how do their police and security forces react? They crack down on any such movement under the pretext of fighting riots. 

In the tweets below shared from France, an "exemplary" European country, the police force can be seen brutally attacking protesters, especially women, subjecting them to insults and violence, in the very country that preaches freedom, democracy, and respect for womanhood and encourages self-expression. 

So, technically, when people protest for their most basic rights in a European country, they are attacked and beaten under the pretext of putting an end to riots. 

In stark contrast, the actual riots taking place in Iran, coupled with vandalism, violence, murders, and arson, which are in fact instigated by the very natural death of Mahsa Amini, are hailed as acts of "democracy" that ought to be protected by all means necessary, even if that leads to the violation of a country's sovereignty and interference in its internal affairs through collaborators and proxies, such as the terrorist groups MEK and ISIS.

The aim behind all that is going on in the Islamic Republic of Iran is terrorizing and fomenting unrest in the West Asian country after all the development and progress it has achieved at all levels. Rising as a key influential player in the region, all eyes, whether friends' or foes', remain focused on the Islamic Republic either to build or to tear down bridges.