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Many Iranians See Regime Change as the Only Acceptable Outcome
(RealClearWorld) Dr. Fariba Parsa - The Islamic Republic defines itself through an ideological mission rooted in a specific interpretation of political Islam and revolutionary identity. Many Iranians, by contrast, understand their identity in civilizational terms: as heirs to a long, pluralistic cultural tradition that predates and transcends any single ideology. The conflict is therefore not simply about governance. It is about meaning - about who has the authority to define Iran's identity and future. Religion, often assumed to be the regime's strongest source of legitimacy, has become a ground of alienation. After more than four decades of state-enforced religiosity, large segments of Iranian society have moved toward open disaffection with religion as it has been practiced within the political system. Independent surveys indicate that many Iranians today do not identify with Islam as enforced by the state. The regime has achieved the opposite of what it intended. Nationwide protests were met with the widespread use of lethal force by security forces, with some estimates indicating that the number of people killed may exceed 40,000. There is a shared sense that those killings were expressions of the regime's willingness to slaughter its own citizens to maintain power. Trauma on this scale reinforces an uncompromising rejection of the existing system. For many, the regime is no longer seen as a legitimate representative of the nation. The durability of the Iranian opposition should not be underestimated. The divide between state and society has reached a level where many Iranians see fundamental regime change as the only acceptable outcome. The writer is the author of Fighting for Change in Iran: The Women, Life, Freedom Philosophy against Political Islam.