The article reflects on the deep emotional struggle of an Iranian exile as they confront their father's longing to return to Iran amidst his terminal illness. It captures the collective grief of those who fled the oppressive regime following the 1979 revolution and those who remained and endured decades of suffering. Through personal anecdotes and broader societal observations, it emphasizes the mixed feelings of nostalgia and sorrow yet coupled with hope for a future transformation in Iran's political landscape. The piece amplifies the voices of Iranians who resist attributing their plight to foreign influences and instead focus on the failures of their government.
My father served this monarchy with loyalty, believing that for all its faults as an autocracy, it was modernizing, socially liberal, and politically reformable: the very antithesis of the Islamic Republic.
Those who endured the lash of repression and five decades of near constant insecurity ask: When will we reclaim our country from this long dark night?
As war darkens our skies, we feel sorrow for the innocent, but hope for the fall of the tormentors.
Many Iranians ultimately believe that the Islamic Republic was never a guardian of the nation, but a keeper of its own revolution.
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