To Iranians, March 20 marked not only Iran’s Persian new year—the year 1401, according to their solar calendar—but also a new century. Iranians worldwide celebrate their beloved new year holiday, called Nowruz—“new day”—on the first day of spring.
The overall themes of Nowruz mark the triumph of hope over despair, the end of darkness (winter), and the arrival of light (spring). Regrettably, under the authoritarian leadership of imams and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the arrival of light is still on a long sabbatical.
When the 1979 Islamic revolution overthrew the Iranian monarchy, ayatollahs replaced the country’s ancient name, Persia, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Iran means “the land of Aryans” in Persian.) It is no surprise that these hardline theocratic leaders also wanted to reduce the popular Nowruz celebrations in the world’s first Islamic state. The Iranian people, however, were furious—and the celebrations remained. However, their society has dramatically changed in the last 43 years.
Speeches this week from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Raisi reflect aligned ideas.
Raisi boasted about the past solar century as being the century of the Islamic Revolution, saying the nation would “remain brilliant in history.” He went on to point out, “God willing, the next century will be the century of the emergence and exaltation of the Iranian-Islamic civilization that emerged from the glorious Islamic Revolution.” Underlying that message is another, unspoken one: that the Iranian-Islamic civilization of the next century will include nuclear weapons.
Yet not all Iranians support their government. In fact, opposing demonstrations in city streets during this year’s Nowruz showed a rift in the oppressive regime. Some shouted “Death to America”—the Great Satan—with pride in the newest missile they hope to launch next year. Another group, the National Council of the Resistance of Iran, chanted “Death to Khamenei” in the lead-up to the holiday.
Nowruz, with its rich history, is taking place in an economy with a stunning 40% inflation. A large sector of the Iranian population will sit down at holiday tables reflecting the skyrocketing prices that forced them to forgo or reduce traditional customs of sweets, new clothes, new furniture and gifts for their children. One of their traditional dishes is fish and herbed rice. Today, it costs a family of four up to 4 million rials (Iranian currency)—about $95 in US currency.
Friends and families will gather excitedly for the two-week holiday—especially after COVID-19 restrictions had kept them apart—yet some platters may have less of these items. The markets are full of delicious fruits and goods; however, merchants say that many people come to the market only to look because they cannot buy. Meanwhile, officials like Raisi describe the market in glowing terms simply because the food stalls are full.
Despite the new year’s festival that heralds the arrival of spring and light, under the iron fist of imams and Raisi, darkness is all too easy to find.
Raisi has a shadowy past as a judge and is often called a butcher and executioner. He was sanctioned by the US government for his role in the massacre of 5,000 political prisoners (1988) and the 2019 slaughter of 1,500 peaceful protestors. Last year, Khamenei refused to buy COVID-19 vaccines from the United States and United Kingdom—a decision estimated to have caused the unnecessary deaths of tens of thousands of citizens between June and September.
Iran, the world’s biggest state sponsor of terror, clearly does not prioritize the needs of its citizens. The quality of life would improve dramatically for Iranians at home if the regime decided to abandon its terror operations, its nuclear ambitions, and its hatred for Israel, the United States, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. What they have spent to pay for terror is vast—more than $140 billion in the past 10 years, as reported by Global Security. These billions could surely ease the increasing hardships among Iranians.
Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov, the Soviet nuclear physicist turned dissident and human rights activist, said it best: “A country which does not respect the rights of its own citizens will not respect the rights of its neighbors.” Iran is a prime example.
The Obama/Biden administration’s 2015 Iran deal released Iran’s frozen assets of around $100 billion. Yes, the assets were frozen, they belonged to Iran. The fact that Iranians are still living under substantial hardships is an indicator that the regime is more interested in a revived caliphate to rule the world via means of nuclear weapons than in helping its citizens.
Brigadier Gen. Ran Kochav, spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces—wished Iranians a “Happy Nowruz” in Persian, adding: “I wish the Iranian people a new spring of hope and respect. Missiles and drones will not fix the country’s acute water crisis, just like enriched uranium will not be able to feed any hungry child in Iran.”
The Russians announced that talks on the 2022 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will begin again in Vienna after the Nowruz holiday ends. Thus Russia, another purveyor of terror who recently began warring against Ukraine, now heads up the most dangerous deal in the world. The 2022 Iran deal is already much worse than its 2015 predecessor. President Biden is now considering removing the elite and deadly Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the terrorist designation list.
Reacting to news about Biden’s possible decision, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid expressed astonishment. They could hardly believe the U.S. would do such a thing, especially since the IRGC was “behind plans to assassinate senior American government officials.” They also pointed out that IRGC members “kill Jews because they are Jews, Christians because they are Christians, and Muslims because they refuse to surrender to them.” They know that the IRGC has ruined Lebanon, Syria, and oppresses the Iranian population. We simply cannot forget that Iran’s hatred extends to the United States.
In the Christian community, we can base our prayers on one of the significant themes of Nowruz and throughout our Bible: the triumph of light over darkness!
The light is dawning already for many in Iran. In January 2021, ALL ISRAEL NEWS posted an excellent exclusive interview with Iranian pastor Hormoz Shariat, known as the “Billy Graham of Iran.” Reports about Shariat’s ministry indicate that his satellite is beaming the Gospel into Iran, where many are meeting the “Man in White” in their dreams. Shariat himself was a Shia Muslim who converted to the Christian faith.
Daniel 2:21 is a reminder of God’s sovereignty: “And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.”
This article first appeared here and is reprinted with permission.
Arlene Bridges Samuels pioneered Christian outreach for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). After nine years she retired and later worked part-time with International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA. She now writes a weekly column at CBN ISRAEL. She has often traveled to Israel, including being invited three times by Israel’s Government Press Office to their annual Christian Media Summit. Her web site is www.ArleneBridgesSamuels.com.