Arvin Gharemani, a 20 year old Jewish man in Iran, is facing execution and desperately needs your help. Below is my understanding of the back story, followed by what you can do, followed by the words of my poem on topic, which I have performed in spoken word form in the video below.
BACK STORY
Arvin was ambushed by six men and assaulted with a knife. He fought back to save his life, and in doing so, seriously injured the assailant, who was a Muslim man. Arvin subsequently called for help for the assailant, following which, the assailant was taken to the hospital – where he died from the wounds sustained in the attack.
In Iran, when a non-Muslim kills a Muslim, even in extreme cases of self-defense, the Muslim family can demand execution in response. The Muslim family has the option of choosing monetary compensation instead, but it is entirely at their whim.
Arvin’s familiy has offered all their financial resources, and the Iranian Jewish community, both in Iran and abroad, have additionally offered financial resources, in the hopes of persuading Arvin’s family to call off the execution. But the family won’t budge.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
I call on you to make a concerted effort to Arvin’s story viral, so as to draw international attention and outrage. You can share this post, or any news articles or other posts you find on topic. In addition, I call on you to contact your representatives, to let them know about this case and request their involvement. Here is what you can cut and paste to your senators and house representatives (look them up here https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member):
Dear ______,
Arvin Gharemani is a 20 year old Iranian Jew, now facing execution in Iran. My undrestanding is that he was ambushed by six men and assaulted with a knife. He fought back to save his life, and in doing so, seriously injured the assailant. Arvin subsequently called for help for the assailant, following which, the assailant was taken to the hospital – where he died from the wounds sustained in the attack.
In Iran, when a non-Muslim kills a Muslim, even in extreme cases of self-defense, the Muslim family can demand execution in response. The Muslim family has the option of choosing monetary compensation instead, but it is entirely at their whim.
Arvin’s familiy has offered all their financial resources, and the Iranian Jewish community, both in Iran and abroad, have additionally offered financial resources, in the hopes of persuading Arvin’s family to call off the execution. But the family won’t budge.
I am writing to ask for your involvement, before it is too late – to demand that Iran put an end to these discriminatory and unjust laws, and set Arvin free.
Sincerely,
_______
MY POEM
Just another dead Jew
What’s it matter to you
That Iran is poised
To execute
A 20 -year old youth
Who fought off a group
Of six goons
Who pulled a knife on him
Arvin Ghahremani
A Jew with the audacity
To stand up for himself
Unapologetically
Under a system
Of Muslim supremacy
That has been
Dominating the MIddle East
For 13 centuries
You lack the integrity
Mental capacity
Or perhaps just willingness
To put the energy
Of hard inquiry
Into the back story
And history
Of the region
Instead projecting
Your Western paradigms
All over the situation
Turning black into white
And white into black
Enabling you
To justify
A racist attack
And then get outraged
When Jews fight back
And win
©2024 by Loolwa Khazzoom. All rights reserved.