"It is too dangerous to go out"

was the message relayed to me yesterday.  It had taken fifteen days to reach me - from Iran.

While the rest of the world has been focussed on what is happening in places like Gaza, Syria, Ukraine and Sudan there has been a major uprising in Iran as well. Much has been made of the truly appalling behaviour of the ICE agents in Minnesota, of the weather, of this... and that... and more elsewhere. There has been very little coming out of Iran. 

Oh yes, riots. We have been told there have been some riots. There have been a few short clips on the news. Oooh...some people died. There is the late Shah's son talking about it. People want an end to the rule of the "supreme" leader. They are tired of being told how to dress and how to behave and how to think. Yes, all very sad. It's wrong but...

Really? Is that all? Have you any idea what is really going on there. Do you care? Do you actually care? 

I wrote recently about someone who was there to do something to help. He was able to leave...but only with difficulty.

The other message came from someone who lives there. She is a retired teacher of English who still tutors students on an individual basis.  From time to time G... has helped with communication issues. I have never met her in person but I suspect I would like her if I did. I sense she has an excellent sense of humour. It matters in a country like that. 

Right now though there is little to laugh about. Two of her students have been badly injured. Others live in fear of their lives. The regime may be claiming they are not imposing the death penalty on protestors but the very fact they are learning English is danger enough. The death toll is believed to be far greater than our news services are reporting.

It is curious that our news services are making so little of what is going on there. It is not simply the difficulty of getting news out - when has that ever stopped them making claims?  It is not simply because those involved fear for their lives. There are  people willing to take those risks. 

Are we being cowards? I suspect we are. The person who told me it is too dangerous to go out is relying on others to do her shopping and help her when she needs it. She has such poor eyesight she cannot even see what is going on but she has been listening for years and knows what is going on. We are closing our eyes and our ears. It is easier that way - and it may come back to bite us.