A warning to the US: Do not repeat the mistakes of Iran's 1979 revolution - opinion

An Iranian-American ex-Muslim activist warns the US against allowing religious doctrines to influence governance, drawing parallels to Iran's 1979 revolution. She critiques traditional Islamic teachings on women's rights, apostasy, and child marriage, citing her own 15 years as a devout Sunni Muslim. She references Abdul El-Sayed's victory speech and Hamtramck's flag policy as examples of potential conflicts between religious expression and constitutional rights.

An Iranian-American woman who practiced Islam devoutly for 15 years before converting to Christianity warns the United States against allowing religious doctrines to be imposed through democratic institutions, drawing parallels to Iran's 1979 revolution. Writing under a pseudonym, she describes her journey from a secular Iranian family to devout Sunni Islam and eventually Christianity. She argues that Islam's foundational texts address governance and law, not just personal faith, and cites examples such as Hamtramck, Michigan's all-Muslim city council banning Pride flags on city property, and British Sharia councils handling religious marriage matters. The author criticizes Senator-elect Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed's use of Arabic phrases like "Inshallah" and "Alhamdulillah" during his victory speech, raising questions about the line between promoting religion and practicing faith. She notes that nearly 47 years after the revolution, Iranians continue fighting for freedom, with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi emerging as a prominent opposition leader. An independent medical documentation report estimated approximately 54,200 deaths during the January 2026 crackdown on protesters. The author states her criticism is directed at religious doctrines she believes conflict with equality, personal freedom, and constitutional rights, not at Muslims as individuals.