Protests that began in late December have spread across Iran, driven by deep economic hardship, political frustration, and long standing grievances.
These demonstrations have been met with a severe crackdown, including lethal force, mass arrests, and a widespread internet shutdown that has restricted communication, reporting, and access to help.
The impact on ordinary people has been profound. Families struggle to locate detained relatives. Medical care has become more dangerous to provide. The internet blackout has made it harder to verify events, protect civilians, and ensure accountability. These are not abstract concerns. They affect daily survival, dignity, and safety.
As international attention has turned to Iran, public debate has often fallen into a stark binary. On one side are calls for military intervention or escalating confrontation. On the other is a sense of resignation, silence, or fatalism. This framing suggests that violence is the only way to respond seriously, and that rejecting violence means doing nothing.
This is a false choice.
Christian faith does not ask us to choose between force and indifference. It calls us to resist injustice while refusing to mirror the violence we condemn. Naming abuse, protecting life, and seeking accountability are not weak alternatives to war. They are demanding, costly forms of nonviolent action.
What we are called to seek is not regime change by force, but the protection of people. That means calling for an end to unlawful killings and arbitrary detention. It means insisting on the restoration of communication so truth can be known and families can remain connected. It means defending medical neutrality, the right to peaceful assembly, and the preservation of evidence so that accountability remains possible.
It also means resisting language that turns human suffering into a geopolitical tool. When violence is framed as inevitable or redemptive, it is always civilians who pay the price.
As Christians, we are invited to hold a different posture. One that speaks truth without inflaming fear. One that rejects both militarisation and silence. One that stands in solidarity with those who suffer, while calling the international community to respond with restraint, accountability, and care for human life.
This is a slow work in the face of dramatic conflict. It asks for consistency, care, and faith. It asks daily for us to remember the humanity of those caught in the middle of violence.
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