Anniversary of Your Passing…

The anniversary of your passing, Neda, just came. In the first days of your passing, your murderers believed that nobody would follow up on you and the propaganda machinery of the state decided to pay an Irish woman to make a film pretending to be searching for your murderer, just like a foreign Hollywood movie, but this time they wanted to hide the real murderers and portray those who have been suffering to be the culprit.

On the anniversary, even your mother was denied permission to hold a memorial for you because you have remained alive and they are afraid of you. They forget that there are countless sneaker wearing girls and angry waiting men in Iran who remember you, while your murderers could not find peace because of your look.

Your murderers fail to understand that Neda was just one person initially but on your death on June 20, 2009 you turned into thousands, into millions.

When Mr. Ehsani went to register the birth of his grand daughter, the unfortunate birth certificate registrar told him to write June 19 or June 21, 2009 as her birthday rather June 20th. “You want to call her Neda, and with that date of birth?” the registrar asked, and then continued, “Do you want to destroy my life?”

Why did the editor of a newly created government news agency who is still learning how to write his own name, reprimand a writer who was wearing sneakers? Because the title of his report contained the word neda, which in Persian means call or voice. It is so meaningful that you have become the voice of the Iranian people while you yourself cannot speak any longer.

Why did the teacher of prose in a school tell a student who had written a Rumi poem that contained the word neda to read her poem quietly so that the headmaster’s office would not hear her?

The young girl who was born on June 20, 2009, was filled with life, and wanted a full and happy life. This was evident from the jeans she wore, from her hair styled under her scarf and the comfortable sneakers that she wore on that day of conspiracy. Those were the days when everybody wanted justice and loved Iran had joined Neda with jeans and sneakers.

On that day, a whole generation poured into the streets as they wore happy sneakers and were full of optimism. Neda opened her almond shaped eyes, smiled and moved on to eternity. She created the most widely watched death in history, and then left.

Nobody stopped to ask what she wanted in those fearful streets. What was she searching for in a town that is ruled by cowards? At 20 minutes past 10am on June 20, 2009, as her spirit left her body laying on the asphalt while her eyes were wide open on her ever beautiful face, her sniper had escaped out of fear. And he is still at large out of fear as are his commanders, bosses and their chiefs.

Only cowards resort to violence. Only cowards fear a sneaker-wearing girl when they come to the streets. It is cowards who have sold all their beliefs to pay other cowards from the national treasury which belongs to Neda as well to shoot at a girl wearing sneakers. It is cowards who encourage other snipers more coward than themselves to silence the Nedas that spring from the heart of this land. And to shoot at their voice. But Nedas don’t fear.

Neda, and Sohrabs and Ashkans and all those Green Movement members who lost their life who took the nick name of the sneaker-wearing girl, have nothing to fear. On those days, any voice that you heard wore white sneakers in the streets.

But the cowards didn’t understand that Neda and Sohrab were not the threat. It is now their images that cause fear, and so repeatedly, as they grow, become landmarks and become meaningful.

Neda, it is priceless to see people all over the world put your face-mask on their face.