‘Like pain in the body:’ Iranian lawmaker calls protests ‘a blessing’

“Protests are a natural thing in a society. It’s like a pain in the body. Pain is a blessing for one’s health and plays such a crucial role. When you feel pain in your body, you immediately refer to a professional [medic] and seek treatment. Protests are to a society what pain is to the body; the government looks for the source of the pain, analyzes it, and treats it,” Mahmoud Abbaszadeh, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee, told Entekhab news outlet on Tuesday.

“For a dynamic society and a high-capacity political system like the Islamic Republic, protests are a blessing,” Abbaszadeh said.

But, he added, “others misuse” the protests. “After all, Western liberal democracy, which has been in a confrontation with us for 50 years, wouldn’t want protests to lead to reforms.”

Abbaszadeh said Western media attempt to “hijack and deviate [the protests] and promote violence. We understand these things and stop them.”

He said the “discourse of the revolution, the system, and our constitution” provides the room for “repair and reform,” saying that it is natural for any government to make certain mistakes.

Iran has been beset by protests since September 16, when Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died in the custody of Iranian “morality police.” Protesters have been voicing a range of concerns, including over the country’s dire economic situation.