It was a cold rainy day in London. I happened to be in the city centre and decided to take a look in Westminster Abbey, the ancient church where royal coronations and funerals take place, but I couldn’t enter as it was already to near closure time. I was advised to come back at 5PM, for the choral evensong, a service of prayer and scripture reading, where the famous choir of the Abbey would sing the liturgy.
Since I had an hour or so left, I walked past the church to the Houses of Parliament. On the famous square, in front of the Big Ben, there was a protest going on. Desperate Iranians were shouting their lungs out, waiving Iranian and Israeli flags, and some carrying portraits of the son of the former Shah.
“STOP GENOCIDE IN IRAN!”, they shouted and as a message to all Western governments, “STOP SUPPORTING TERRORISM”. And then as a desperate reminder to the US president of his promises to intervene, “TRUMP ACT NOW!”
It is hard to not feel sympathy for these brave protesters. All of them likely had family in Iran, which they could not get in touch with due to the internet black out. All of them would have heard the news of the thousands or ten thousands brutally killed during protests in their homeland. All of them were clinging to a desperate hope that this time the protesters would prevail and the Islamic regime would fall.
It was also impossible to not feel sad. If these Iranian Islamic leaders are determined to kill every last one of these protesters under a cloud of internet blackout, nobody will stop them. Yes, foreign governments will intervene when they feel their own interests are at stake, when they worry about nuclear arms development or Iran posing a security threat or an economic threat to them, but no foreign government will think “Wait, all these innocent people are getting killed by their government, it is our responsibility to stop that now, by any means necessary!” They don’t stop genocide in Sudan, they don’t stop the junta killing its own people in Myanmar, they don’t take decisive action on behalf of Ukraine. Unless there is something to gain for them, why would they intervene in Iran?
Idealism has been draining from world politics lately and the pragmatism that we are left with is colder than the London winter air around me. Keeping their own voters pacified seems to be all that matters. When I look at these poor protesters, how can I encourage them?
It is with a heavy heart I turn back to the church and join the queue for the evensong. I get seated in the choir, right behind a row of boy sopranos in their red and white gowns. The awesomeness of the ancient building seems to naturally quiet everyone down. We pray. We listen to scripture, read and sung. It is time for the Magnificat. A soft but clear child’s voice sings the prophetic words of the young peasant girl from Nazareth.
“He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.”
The prophecy unites the spiritual reality with the desperate reality of the protesters outside. The fate of the Iranian people is not in the hands of Trump, Europe, the UN or any other earthly authority. Mary saw what was to happen, and what began when she conceived the Savior of the world. Rulers will be brought down from their thrones. The humble will be lifted high.
In the coming of God’s kingdom is hope for the protesters of Iran. How long God will allow the current regime to continue, we do not know. They may be gone tomorrow, or fall in ways we cannot predict or imagine. But fall they will.
As we end the evensong we pray the Lord’s prayer. “Thy kingdom come.” Amen, let it come in Iran.
Great writing. The people or Iran have woken up so many people of the world to the horror extremist religion brings, but we need to look at all religions, comforting as they may be, to see where things are going so badly wrong.