Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed the video. It seems like most of the controversy so far has come from the first 10 minutes or so of the video, so I'll use this space to address that. I just sent an email to a pastor who (gently and respectfully) took issue with my claiming Islam, Christianity and Judaism shared the same god, and also (even more gently and respectfully) took issue with my calling the Abrahamic story a myth. A lot of other people have said the same thing. I thought I'd post my response to the pastor here to address those issues: I'm open to a dialogue showing that I'm wrong, but this is my view. I think what's happening is that the people making these claims are close to the subject, and when people are close to a subject they have a magnified view of small differences in beliefs between groups. So perhaps the best thing to do is zoom our perspective out by looking at a different god and different culture entirely for the sake of an example. Let's say we're talking about ancient Greece, and I said various groups around ancient Greece believed in the same god: Zeus. We might all accept that, but different groups around Greece might say 'no our Zeus is different because we believe Zeus had a daughter and appeared on Earth at X time, etc' while another group might have different beliefs about Zeus and say something similar. But looked at broadly they all do believe in the same god: Zeus. It's just that different groups have different beliefs about the same god. They may conceive of him differently, worship him differently, but it's just different interpretations of the same god. That's what I think is happening with Jews, Christians, and Muslims. They all share the same god: the one who they believe spoke to Abraham, but have differing beliefs about how to conceive and worship that god, and different beliefs about what that god did or didn't do. With the word 'myth,' my usage has no necessary bearing on whether or not it's true. It's the traditional meaning of a myth, meaning a story that holds foundational value in a culture which is held above question. I used the word because I considered it the most accurate word in English for what I was describing. I hope that cleared things up. Judging from the comments, it seems like the other most controversial claim in the video is also from that section, which said that 'the Quran is full of contradictions, making it difficult to discern its precise divine intent.' That offends a lot of Muslims, and they will readily tell you that most Muslim scholars say that there are no contradictions in the Quran. But most Muslim scholars are themselves Muslim, and Muslims don't typically come from a tradition of attempting to present subjects neutrally, as I try to do here. When I said there are many contradictions in the Quran, I'm talking about just the plain words themselves. To claim there are no contradictions requires interpretation. One must say 'this statement here was in X context, so it should be understood with its significance windowed down to Y, so it therefore does not contradict Z' and so on and so forth throughout the Quran. Whether or not that interpretation convinces you is up to the listener. I wasn't referring to the interpreted Quran, just the Quran itself. It's probably also important to mention that the speaker in the Quran actively argues that the speaker is in fact God (the one who spoke to Abraham and the rest of the Judeo-Christian prophets). One argument the speaker makes is that the Quran has no contradictions, and the lack of contradictions proves it is the work of God. So it's important to Muslims to demonstrate that there are no contradictions, because according to the logic of the Quran itself if there were contradictions then it is not the word of God. That also means it would be considered heretical for a Muslim (scholar or not) to say there was a contradiction in the Quran, since it's a universal tenet of Islam to believe that the Quran is God's speech. If you followed all that, it means that according to their religious principles, Muslims (at least in their current popular forms, including Iranian Shias) cannot acknowledge or believe that there are contradictions in the Quran. This isn't to weigh in on whether or not there are contradictions if it's interpreted 'correctly,' but only to defend that if you look at the plain words there are clearly many. I highlighted one in the section of the video that spoke about it. In other news, if you want a glimpse into what's coming up, I'm going to stick with the Middle East for a bit before moving elsewhere. I'm working on Zionism as the subject for the next main channel video, and making a private members/Patreon video in the coming weeks on Islam and Khomeini. - Ryan
Perfectly acceptable explanation. I'm a part of the Christian tradition and have never heard anything different than the Abrahamic religions interpreting the same historical event, ergo worship the same God. However true or not true theologically that statement is, it is certainly true as a sociohistorical statement. And have no issue with the more technical usage of myth.
One people's religion is another's myth. Since people are literally killing each other because they are sure that theirs is "true," I think it's best - and closest to "true" - to call them all myths.
If Christians consider that they believe in the same god that Jews believe in, then it is not up to Jews to decide that the Christian god is a different god.
Your definition of 'myth' is abusive and misleading to the definition itself. 'Myth' implies unverifiable or untrue stories. Your particular definition, which can be applicable in some circumstances, does not apply in your own context. It is the equivalent of "the myth of racial superiority", "the myth of science", or "the myth of Shakespeare". In modern English, the use of the word "myth" affords no value to a sentence unless there is verifiable and provable evidence that said myth is actually false. The proper word would have been something that does not carry such heavy bias. The word "story" would have been much more appropriate, and a more accurate portrayal, of Abraham. While I myself might not say it, calling your entire video "a 100% regurgitation of one myth after another, with not a single statement being anything other than pure myth". It would be true, using your own strict, and accurate, definition of the one subset of the definition of myth, but it would also be damnable and inflammatory to anyone that cares. I used "regurgitation", above, in the same abusive manner. It technically is true, that you stated nothing that hasnt been said by many, a thousand times before, but the word suggests derogatory accusation to the fundamental assertions of your argument, when there is no justification for such claim.
for westerners who don't know, nowadays here in Tehran there's a lot of women that just don't wear Hejab at all(and some barely wear it with half their hair out)and I'm proud of these girls because they're taking risks, this is some serious ballsy feminism
@@mr.x817 it's not a western thing to not wear hejab, in fact in pretty much all countries everywhere people don't wear hejab, maybe go read a book and educate yourself instead of talking out of your ass
The Islamic Republic of Iran is on the brink of collapse-it's only a matter of time. This regime is deeply unpopular, both domestically and internationally, with the vast majority of Iranians opposing it. Islam itself is losing its influence in the country, largely due to the atrocities committed by the Islamic Republic since its rise to power. I'm writing this from Tehran, Iran, and I can see public sentiment is shifting toward a regime change.
You're not Iranian, no Iranian outwardly wants their government to fall right now given Israel wants to see Iran plunge into civil war. No Iranian, inside of Iran, wants foreign interference or war. Do not comment again.
@ciaronsmith4995 I am a holder of an islamic republic passport and am from Iran. I also did not mention, that i want foreign interference and war, although no change will come without them and that's just the truth. The regime is too oppressive to be changed with peaceful protest. And thirdly i will comment as much as i want and you can respectfully stick your opinion up your rectum.
@@hellrayzerr Don't comment again. The only people that post those slogans are people who advocate for war against Iran. Nobody in Iran wants unrest right now.
@@realryanchapmanThe video was actually about the history of Iran. Which wasn't wrong, but it was half the truth. The same repetitive words, but in reality, the analysis of Iran's internal conditions is much more complicated than these words.
@@realryanchapmanFor example, if you go to this same UA-cam, you will see that currently there is practically no compulsory hijab in Iran. Although some strictness is still applied, especially in big cities. But practically there is nothing special.
The Islamic republic imposes morality where it's never needed. Picture this: How do I, as an Iranian woman, harm anyone by having no hijab? How does morality play into this? They merely propagate religion by calling it "morality" to indicate superiority. Iranian women have bravely fought against the enforcement by refusing to wear hijab in everyday life but since it is punishable by law, they are traumatized daily by the hijab police. Just look up "Iranian women punished by hijab law" to see how it can escalate to receiving a death penalty by the Islamic court for it. Thank you so much for this video. It was incredibly well-researched. I’m happy people like you take the time to spread information about parts of the world that are culturally isolated from the west.
@@crasherbasher8067 Nowhere in the comment did it state that liberation=taking off clothes. That's your narrow mind being unable to comprehend that something exists between being fully covered and totally nude. You're the only brainwashed one here.
@@silentwatchingvideos why is there no lobster when I order lobster from the abandoned, dilapidated building that years ago housed a Foot Locker and Adult Video Store?
Really?. Women in islam were given their rights way before the west. The right to- . Divorce . Inheritance . Halal work . Halal education . Marry who they want . Own property . A mother comes before a father in islam for her role as a mother. And a daughter is considered a blessing. Islam does not prevent women getting rights. Rather people like you asociating islam to that is wrong. As for women not wearing the hijab in a country which has strict law punishing it. It is stupid. It may be wrong or right. But they could have prevented it from happening. And no I dont support women being abused for not wearing it.
People go insane when you criticise religion. They don't see the insanity with playing pretend and it affecting real lives, costing real lives. How can something argued, not real, tangible, affects so much, especially if others don't believe it? If someone killed someone because they didn't believe in something they said, it would be a crime. Yet here we are.
@@robertortiz-wilson1588, how real a human created concept is? Yes, nationalism and communism are too human concepts, but affected millions. Religions affect billions, did so for millennia, and will continue to do so.
Because Religion has more than just deities, theres still values and philosophy inside of it as well. From what I know of when Friedrich Nietzsche said "God is dead, we killed him." it was not something stated to glorify, it was a warning to people that because a lot of values was based on it, less people will believe in whats culturally seen as right. A lot of whats right or wrong stems from belief as well, it does not have to stem from an deity or afterlife.
this is the first time i have actually learned about muslims and how their society is structured and came to be. really insightful and easy to understand. thanks a lot. we should all work to understand each other
15:03 - "Islam quickly became the predominant religion in Iran." Maybe you're just referring to the leadership, but I want to point out that the Iranian population did not become majority Muslim until probably the 10th century. Up to that point there were multiple movements from Zoroastrians against Islam and Islamic leadership, such as the Khurramites and the Ziyarid Dynasty.
It became the predominant religion quickly in the sense that it broke Zoroastrian's power base and never gave it back. It was the religion of people in power, even though it did take some centuries to convert the majority of Iranians. Iran was more than half nomadic I believe all the way up until the Qajar period, when that started to change. So the nomads were probably hard to convert, but also were probably relatively irrelevant to the religious conversations Muslims were having. I was painting history in quite broad brushes in that section, basically in 1000 year blocks, and couldn't go into details like that. Perhaps I could have worded it better though. I'll think about writing a correction.
While it’s true that Islam didn’t become the majority religion in Iran until the 10th century, I think your characterisation of the process and the movements you cited oversimplifies the historical context. From what I’ve seen, evidence suggests that Islam wasn’t imposed on Persia in a systematic way, and while forced conversions may have occurred, they were likely rare. Instead, Islam grew organically through cultural integration, economic incentives, and the contributions of Persian scholars who played a key role in shaping Islamic civilisation. As for the Khurramites and the Ziyarid Dynasty, they weren’t necessarily Zoroastrian movements against Islam and Islamic leadership. The Khurramites, for example, were more of a socio-political rebellion against Abbasid rule, incorporating elements of Zoroastrianism, Islam, and other local traditions. Similarly, the Ziyarid Dynasty wasn’t a Zoroastrian uprising but a local Iranian dynasty that coexisted with Islamic practices, rather a reflection of Persian autonomy within the broader Islamic world. These movements were more about resisting Arab political domination and injustices than outright rejecting Islam as a religion.
@@zaidahmedkhan4103 Its almost necessary for some persian pre-Islamic fantasiser to gloat about Islam as some form of takeover. Truth is Persian Sunni Islam was so culturally rich and engraved in the society, it lead to its own persian golden age.
Islam is not Christianity ppl were not forced into it , islam is the religion of the state and it has laws in it , and all other religions don't have state laws , and don't confuse the western colonialism with our history, and why we are low now and Muslims run away from their countries ? Because imperialism didn't leave When the borders between these manufactured states disappear then you can talk about our situation
who gives a fuck on what cloths women wear or whats iranian culture,,,,,,,,,,the only matter is western satanic are bent on killing millions on all over the world.......have u seeen gaza ,,,,,,,,,the face of west
Wow man. as an Iranian, this is the most accurate and unbiased history that I heard from a foreigner. It is odd that you can comprehend the history of Iran but many Iranians can't figure it out. I hope you make more videos like this. We need unbiased information more than anything. Good lock and thank you a lot 🌺🌺🌺
I really appreciated your thoughtful commentary and tone throughout this video. It comes across as genuine and informative without any bias. I appreciate the topics you have previously covered and look forward to seeing more content you post in the future. Cheers 🍻.
I‘m glad you‘re dropping again, just make sure to take a break when needed, it seems that there‘s a lot going on in your life and even tho i‘m really thankful for all your inputs your health and well being is the most important thing. (Greetings from Switzerland)
Religion, in today’s day and age is an extremely flawed concept. It is controversial to say this, however, people of current times should not base their laws, styles of governance, and societal construct on literature created hundreds if not thousands of years ago. Not only are they outmoded, but these values indicate little on how a modern country should run. In addition idealizing a certain figure, so much so that his word becomes gospel, is not healthy for any society and individual for that matter too.
It really depends what one considers religion, I guess. Certain “religions” teach some really good things: like Taoism. However considering current mainstream religions, their flaws must be taken into account.
Thank you lol, I was speaking mostly about Islam though. Some people hold very strongly onto their belief system though, therefore certain people might not understand or disagree with the view.
People will always find differences to fight over. Racism and "Race superiority" being just one. It's stupid to think religion is what causes chaos. People are inherently evil
As an Iranian, I want to begin by appreciating your attention to our country and the challenges we face under Islamic totalitarianism. However, I’d like to point out aspects of your otherwise excellent video that I believe need revision. Interestingly, both of these points contributed to the main factors that shaped the Islamic regime after the revolution. The first is regarding the nationalization of oil under Mosaddegh. While it is true that Iran’s share was only 16%, it should also be noted that all the efforts to extract, process, and export the oil were carried out by British oil companies. Mosaddegh, as a highly populist figure, completely ignored this fact, and the sudden nationalization at that time led to terrible inflation and economic hardship for Iranians. Also, the Ajax project and the coup d'état that followed, though they were planned, were not the reason for his fall from power. According to the latest evidence, before the coup d'état, the Shah ordered Mossadegh's dismissal and Mossadegh himself actually signed the dismissal letter he received, the day before 28 Mordad (that is known as the day coup d'état happened). The second point concerns the role of leftists and the alliance between leftists and Islamists that ultimately led to the 1979 revolution. Many anti-Western sentiments within the political thought of Islamic factions in Iran were directly shaped by the dominance of Marxist ideology among intellectuals at the time. Additionally, there was a branch of influential intellectuals, such as Jalal Al-Ahmad, Shariati, and Golsorkhi, who combined elements of both ideologies-Shi'ism and Marxism. The last thing I want to mention is that, during one of the hardest times in Iran’s history, not only my generation but also later ones look back at the Pahlavi dynasty as the golden age of Iran-a period that could have led the country to the greatness it deserves. In the 10 to 20 years before the revolution, Iran was on the path I am describing, and the scale of the downfall we have experienced since then is unimaginable.
Hi, thanks for the comment. Your notes strike me more as elaborations than revisions, but they do add helpful context to the video, and for the most part my research aligns with yours. I tried to heavily imply some of that (like talking about the rise of the Tudeh Party and showing all the leftist groups that were part of the revolution), but time constraints kept me from going into any of that. I originally planned on briefly explaining the rise of Marxist influence in Shia thought (which would have brought in Shariati) but thought it was too much in an already quite dense video. The only point I wasn't aligned on is the evidence regarding the dismissal letter. That would have been great to include, and I would have had I known. I'll look into it. Regarding the coup, is controversial how much the Americans/British actually did to make the coup happen, or how necessary the coup actually was, but the fact was they did orchestrate the coup and they bragged about it afterwords. That made Iranians widely hate them (namely Americans) and blame them for the autocracy that followed, which was the point I needed for the purposes of this video.
@@realryanchapman Hi Ryan, I’m happy to see your reply and also glad your research aligns with the points I raised in my comment. As you mentioned, the relationship between Islamism and Marxism, along with some of their significant similarities, definitely warrants extensive exploration. As you probably already know, the contemporary history of Iran provides one of the best cases for delving deeply into this subject. I hope you plan to create more content on this in the future. The story of Mossadegh, the oil nationalization, and especially the coup d’état, along with their implications for Iran’s political atmosphere, is one of the most intricate topics in contemporary Iranian history. Unfortunately, the version of this story familiar to most academics and politicians-even in Western academia-aligns with the accounts of Marxist historians like Yervand Abrahamian, whose books, as you might expect, are riddled with biases. In contrast, historians and researchers such as Mohammad Ali Movahed and Ali Mirfetros have produced far more detailed and less biased works. However, their research has not yet been translated into English, and only the Persian versions are available. The prevailing narrative surrounding Mossadegh often relies on simplistic theories, such as the idea that the coup d’état created a deadlock for democratization in Iran. This view overlooks the fact that many of Mossadegh’s actions, as well as those of his close associates, were far from democratic. At the end of those turbulences, the Shah's autocracy became unavoidable due to the Cold War climate and the growing strength of the Tudeh Party, which was aligned with the Soviets. It is also important to note that both acts of terror and attempted assassinations were common among factions such as the Tudeh Party and the Fadayan-e Islam in those times. Also While I don't agree with the idea that Mossadegh was the primary cause of anti-American sentiment in Iran, he undoubtedly contributed to the intensification of such sentiments. These sentiments became one of the strongest tools for both Islamists and Marxists in their anti-imperialism efforts. One of the clearest examples of how his ominous legacy continue to influence the Islamic Republic’s approach to governance, is the Islamic Republic’s efforts to nationalize various industrial sectors. Among these efforts, the push for the nationalization of nuclear power also stands out as another well-known example.
One of the best documentaries I have watched. It gives nuance to such a misunderstood situation in a way that is so captivating. Love the background music too, if anyone knows the name of the bgm do share thanks!
This might be among the top 5 youtube videos i have ever seen among the tens of thousands i have watched over the years. Truly incredible research and work, and you are one of a very small number of people courageous enough to speak up on the issues of islam in this day and age. Thank you!
Im a muslim from the neighbouring state of Pakistan where the situation is similar. This is extremely well researched and nuanced. Im surprised at how he has analysed everything so well as someone who doesnt belong to the culture
I’m a huge fan of your well researched, well structured, well presented, easy to access, unbiased, and highly educational work. Thank you for what you do!
I can’t help but be reminded of Communist China. A thousands of years old Chinese civilization which adopted a foreign ideology wholly alien to its history and adapting Marxism Leninism to its specific Chinese characteristics. In a way in Iran, Islam is adopted with “Iranian characteristics” and brutally enforced upon the populace in the name of achieving stability just like in China with communism, given how both civilizations were victims of foreign intervention and internal turbulence. The question is, unlike China which is still heavily influenced by native ideologies such as Confucianism and has its own ethnic Han identity which is in such overwhelming numbers that it can form a homogeneous society by acculturating numerically inferior cultures around it, if you remove Islam as the dominant unifying ideology off of Iran, with what can you replace it with? Zoroastrianism doesn’t have the same hold in Iran as Confucianism still has, and Iran as an ethnic composition is much more diverse and multicultural than the numerically overwhelming Han. Heck, the supreme leader himself is part Azerbaijani and part Persian and possible inter-ethnic conflict forces the state to be in constant alert and hence adopt a heavy handed method of governance justified under a radical form of Shia Islam. It truly is fascinating to observe how civilizations with polar opposite ideological viewpoints nowadays have so much in common.
I think the IRGC would be a fully functional secular military dictatorship if the Guardian Council magically disappeared one day. They would have the same legitimacy issues as other military governments.
bingo, we have our own year zero and everything. history stops with the revolution and the days of confusion starts. history before that year is a myth for some a tail of darkness and Ahriman for others it sounds like golden ages of man in garden of eden, it's too far from our reality to be able to really consider it a history that really happened, something different, too different to be possible because change is unbelievable, at least it was like this when I was a kid.
Pluralistic constitutional democracy is what modern societies use to overcome the bigotries of homogeneity. The modern world will always seem confusing and destabilizing if we try and control individual morality at the granular level with the power of a state. The alternative to coexisting is not acceptable in the era of modern industrial powers and weapons of mass destruction. Cults of morality and cults of personality are existential dangers in the modern world.
One of the scariest thought of whats going on in Iran is that Christian nationalist would be perfectly fine with morality police in the US as long it wss christian law
As someone who was raised in the middle east, I can't help but to draw the lines between western Evangelicalism and islamists. It's so similar, it's scary. Protect your democracy and constitution before of the Taliban takes over. Trust me, they won't be easy to remove.
The slogan “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” (Women, Life, Freedom) originates from the Kurdish liberation movement, rooted in Jineology, a feminist ideology developed by Kurdish activists over 20 years ago. It reflects the Kurdish struggle for gender equality, freedom, and societal transformation, led largely by Kurdish women. In recent years, the slogan has been adopted by Persian movements, especially after Mahsa Jina Amini’s death, but media narratives often erase its Kurdish origins, portraying it as Persian. This misrepresentation marginalizes Kurdish contributions, ignores the feminist framework of Jineology, and reinforces patterns of Kurdish erasure in regional politics. Recognizing the slogan’s true origins is vital for honoring the Kurdish struggle and maintaining historical accuracy.
Oh wow, I frequented the r/NewIran subreddit during the peak of protests (which was filled with folks of various backgrounds from Iran) and unfortunately I never encountered this information, only of Mahsa Jina Amini’s Kurdish heritage that’s often glossed over Thank you so much for sharing this further crucial context Though I’m from nowhere near Iran, I’m rooting for Iranian/Persians’ wellbeing because the country I grew up in is also a Muslim majority that’s waning every decade or so into religious theocracy Something that I sometimes worry will mirror Iran’s political shift, with even lesser likelihood of any organic change of political oppression due to the simple reason that we’re way less educated than Iranians in general
@Shawalkordi thank you for this comment. In Düsseldorf Germany for example there are a lot of interconnected & funded groups creating a "persian nation narrative" hegemonie and systematicly erasing kurdish traces (mostly monarchists groups tend to do this activly; others also do it passivly a lot of times)
Unfortunately, feminists never stood with us. They were saying the Iranian regime helps Palestine, so Western feminists saw no point in supporting woman, life, freedom movement
@@Yazdegerdiranyar i can assure you that the only space i could collaborate with are exactly those "western woman" so i disagree completly with you on this part
@@YazdegerdiranyarEuropean left groups had sympathies for arab socialist groups of various sorts. I think Hamas, once they gained power, took part in clearing out secular groups.
Hey, I'm a Saudi Arabian with a Shia family that used to visit Iran every now and then (im no longer a muslim tho) I just want to say that this is an unbelievably excellent video, 10/10 no notes oh and your pronunciation of Arabic words is spot on.
@@okamiguyy Yeah, afterlife is not real, no disrespect to your religion just please leave me alone, I'm tired of religious people getting in my business, I want peace in my life and less people trying to convert me.
What I will never understand is why religious people, especially muslims, care so much about how other people choose to live! Like follow your religion, live as you wish and believe in what you wish but ffs LEAVE EVERYONE ELSE ALONE! Like what do you gain if you beat & torture someone into following your cult? If your life is so perfect and you're so loyal to your cult, why can't you just keep doing that instead of sticking your nose into others' business? I already know the official reasons for this bs "God says so", but I'm interested in such psychopaths' personal reasons. Like why can't y'all live and let others live too ffs?
Because they believe that all humans are Muslim, it's just that some don't realize they're Muslim. Can you believe the audacity? It's one of the most recent religions, and the chutzpah! That's why when someone converts to Islam, they call it "revert"
as a Black Christian woman in America, I sympathize with the Iranian people, especially the women. This video was so informative, I feel blessed to have learned so much.
@miso.1993 are you for real? C'mon, there has to be some common sense to stop yourself from self-victimization to the point of comparing yourself to iranian women.
The amount of effort that has been put in this video is remarkable. There is little to no opinion packed with facts. I never expected so much from UA-cam videos 👏🏼.
why did you remove my previous comment ? as an Iranian, Islam is the biggest threat to humans right now. it is every person's duty to shed light on this issue.
I did not delete your comment. I just checked and there have only been three comments held by UA-cam moderation so far. Two just said 'fuck Islam' and the third was just a long string of emojis. None of them were from you. Maybe you didn't post it or lost track of it?
@@realryanchapman thanks for clarifying 🙏 it was probably due to the the vpn since youtube is blocked here. Also, thanks for the detailed description of the events. You covered the topic just as an Iranian would.
@@realryanchapmanyeah, sometimes the vpns we use might cause this (most Iranians use free vpns because of the economy rn). I am from Iran. I think you could have also mentioned some of the inhumane methods used by the morality police to arrest the citizens, like using leashes designed to catch dangerous animals!! Or the frequent physical violence (you showed some footage of it). Either way, thank you
#RyanChapman -- I'm so glad to see you continue your educational videos. Thank you for informing the public, and doing so as impartially as you can. -- Sincerely.
As a comment to the opening, written statement, I have great faith in your work and honesty! You run one of my topmost channels on a range of topics that I understand is very well researched. I will read your pinned correction-comments, but I believe that most of the videos you post are quite well researched, and without much errors. I really apprised your work Ryan!
how much attention does anything get? thinking that there's some coverup of what's happening in Iran is pure stupidity. how much does a person in Vietnam know about Iran? is Vietnamese media in on this conspiracy too?
@ I live in a major western city and we have huge protests every single weekend in our central business district for the free Palestine movement. It seems that certain events absolutely receive a lot of attention. However, Iranian women being shot in the eyes doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s radar. No jews, no news I guess 🤷♂️
Bro your videos are so good! Thank you for all of your hard work and sharing this with the World. Excited to view your entire catalogue of videos past, present and future!
Kierkegaard spoke of faith beautifully where it is unconditional. You can take everything from me, do anything to me, but the one thing that you cannot take is the faith. It is not that I had a bad day and therefore do not believe or happened upon some luck that I do, it is unconditional. I think this is why many oppose faith as a concept as there is indeed a dangerous component underlying where there is no sense of compromise. Faith and politics should be separate and if anybody is of faith I don’t see why one would want to dirty such things with the messy world of politics. A person’s faith can lead to lots of pro-social actions, noble actions, selflessness, but place that faith element in a “sick” mind boy can it go wrong.
Faith and politics have never been separate. Any set of beliefs that tells you how one should/shouldn't live their lives has political implications. A country can avoid writing religious doctrine into law, but their politics will always be heavily influenced by the people of various religions. Many people believe religion should dominate politics exactly for the reason you said, it's cut throat and messy.
Then you need to protest against the people who want it to be mandatory for the 10 commandments in all schools cause that's just the beginning if you let them them get there way and erode the separation of church and state the us will decend into this kind of dictatorship
Love your videos and always look forward to them! I appreciate the time and effort it must take you to put together your videos including your sources. It's because of you my book list has increased tenfold🙂
No dictatorship more oppressive than a theocratic dictatorship. And when you're talking about Abrahamic religious government that's always gonna be horrible for women. This is fascinating. Free women everywhere ♀️🫶💪🤜
Excellent video Ryan, I am really glad you touched on this fascinating, yet not often talked about, topic. As a half-Iranian, thank you! PS: I noticed several times in the comments, that you did not want to elaborate on certain topics or issues, because of time constraints. Thats totally understandable, but perhaps you could make some supplementary videos or shorter context-adding videos for your UA-cam members, which would be supplementary to your main channel content:) Just a thought:)
Your videos are so fantastic, man! Incredibly informative, the info is very well presented, and the production quality is tremendous! Thanks so much for making these and keep up the amazing work!
56% of the worlds population adheres to an abrahamic religion and 84-85% of worlds population adhere to a religion overall…so no, clearly most people aren’t over the “my magic book is better” narrative
Compare that with magic books of pseudo-religions like marxism, national socialism, progressive liberalism and their dogmas. You will be happy to revert back to Abraham.
Oh please @@jirislavicek9954 I see what you're doing but it's not one or the other. Christianity , your chosen ideology, needed to be scrutinised and criticised just like any ideology. The best thing that happened to the Christian world was secularisation, now if only Iran can have it's own secular moment.
Its so beautiful how you always meets such amazing people every place you visit. Your experiences must be so much memorable, educational and meaningful because of that! Thank you for you channels its great!!!
The challenge in the modern world is freedom versus morality. Every culture and tradition has its version, but Western values make the same claims to the universality of both morality and freedom. The threat of nuclear weapons, economic sanctions, and global media influences is the means to making these false claims seem true to its vulnerable victims that seek an alternative to political and economic subjection by bullies .
Hmm… ‘freedom versus morality’ is the challenge ? Would it not be the highest expression of morality when the people can live free and without coercion and violence against each other? Would not a civil society in which people are the most free to make voluntary free choices about who to interact with, who to associate or not associate with, trade and exchange with, share and learn from, speak and listen to, hire and work for, … a society in which people live and let live, produce and let produce, thrive and let others thrive, prosper and let others prosper… all on a basis of people making free and voluntary choices amongst each other without coercion and force … would such a society not be a highest order of both freedom and morality ? Do freedom and morality not actually go together? So, I would not express the challenge today as one of freedom versus morality, but one of the reality of existence that there are the many humans who simply want to live and let live and get along versus the few human beings who have lust and urge to impose their own will and control and rule over others by force -
Apart from not pointing out the degree to which people in big cities have become secular and irreligious, a very unbiased and accurate synopsis of Iranian history 💯
i think this is as neutral a documentary on Iran can get. it was perfect. Thanks for sheding light on our problems and suffering, I myself as an Iranian living inside Iran have seen many documentaries and reports about Iran, I can strongly say that this was one of the best ones ever created.
Amazing video, but it's crazy that we just glossed over the other content shown on-screen at 45:49... specifically a back and forth regarding the execution of a pregnant woman.
Damn, Ryan. This was incredibly. I've seen a few other documentaries on the fall of the Shah and rise of the Islamic Republic, but none of them described with any detail what Islam is, its development and spread, etc. To be fair to those documentaries, that wasn't what their purpose was. Here I have such a delightful surprise, though. This video went far beyond my expectations of it. It was a complete surprise. I'd love to see something similar on Saudi Arabia, and. perhaps other countries of the region (Yemen in particular would be incredibly fascinating I think) if you are so inclined. Thanks again for providing such an informative, well researched documentary. Your work is valued and highly appreciated.
Ryan, foi maravilhoso encontrar hoje no UA-cam essa aula que eu tanto procurava, minuciosa e tão bem explicada com legenda em português. Com grande alegria, agradeço 😊
I've known many "devout" muslims in the US and witnessed even more in their own lands. Their piety is incredibly false. It is just a way to maintain power, much as racism is here in the US.
Now, Ryan Chapman, please do a video that examines Zionism and Christianity, religious and state control, Sincerely, The white privileged 1st world guy
Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed the video. It seems like most of the controversy so far has come from the first 10 minutes or so of the video, so I'll use this space to address that.
I just sent an email to a pastor who (gently and respectfully) took issue with my claiming Islam, Christianity and Judaism shared the same god, and also (even more gently and respectfully) took issue with my calling the Abrahamic story a myth. A lot of other people have said the same thing. I thought I'd post my response to the pastor here to address those issues:
I'm open to a dialogue showing that I'm wrong, but this is my view. I think what's happening is that the people making these claims are close to the subject, and when people are close to a subject they have a magnified view of small differences in beliefs between groups. So perhaps the best thing to do is zoom our perspective out by looking at a different god and different culture entirely for the sake of an example.
Let's say we're talking about ancient Greece, and I said various groups around ancient Greece believed in the same god: Zeus. We might all accept that, but different groups around Greece might say 'no our Zeus is different because we believe Zeus had a daughter and appeared on Earth at X time, etc' while another group might have different beliefs about Zeus and say something similar. But looked at broadly they all do believe in the same god: Zeus. It's just that different groups have different beliefs about the same god. They may conceive of him differently, worship him differently, but it's just different interpretations of the same god. That's what I think is happening with Jews, Christians, and Muslims. They all share the same god: the one who they believe spoke to Abraham, but have differing beliefs about how to conceive and worship that god, and different beliefs about what that god did or didn't do.
With the word 'myth,' my usage has no necessary bearing on whether or not it's true. It's the traditional meaning of a myth, meaning a story that holds foundational value in a culture which is held above question. I used the word because I considered it the most accurate word in English for what I was describing.
I hope that cleared things up.
Judging from the comments, it seems like the other most controversial claim in the video is also from that section, which said that 'the Quran is full of contradictions, making it difficult to discern its precise divine intent.' That offends a lot of Muslims, and they will readily tell you that most Muslim scholars say that there are no contradictions in the Quran. But most Muslim scholars are themselves Muslim, and Muslims don't typically come from a tradition of attempting to present subjects neutrally, as I try to do here.
When I said there are many contradictions in the Quran, I'm talking about just the plain words themselves. To claim there are no contradictions requires interpretation. One must say 'this statement here was in X context, so it should be understood with its significance windowed down to Y, so it therefore does not contradict Z' and so on and so forth throughout the Quran. Whether or not that interpretation convinces you is up to the listener. I wasn't referring to the interpreted Quran, just the Quran itself.
It's probably also important to mention that the speaker in the Quran actively argues that the speaker is in fact God (the one who spoke to Abraham and the rest of the Judeo-Christian prophets). One argument the speaker makes is that the Quran has no contradictions, and the lack of contradictions proves it is the work of God. So it's important to Muslims to demonstrate that there are no contradictions, because according to the logic of the Quran itself if there were contradictions then it is not the word of God. That also means it would be considered heretical for a Muslim (scholar or not) to say there was a contradiction in the Quran, since it's a universal tenet of Islam to believe that the Quran is God's speech. If you followed all that, it means that according to their religious principles, Muslims (at least in their current popular forms, including Iranian Shias) cannot acknowledge or believe that there are contradictions in the Quran.
This isn't to weigh in on whether or not there are contradictions if it's interpreted 'correctly,' but only to defend that if you look at the plain words there are clearly many. I highlighted one in the section of the video that spoke about it.
In other news, if you want a glimpse into what's coming up, I'm going to stick with the Middle East for a bit before moving elsewhere. I'm working on Zionism as the subject for the next main channel video, and making a private members/Patreon video in the coming weeks on Islam and Khomeini.
- Ryan
Perfectly acceptable explanation. I'm a part of the Christian tradition and have never heard anything different than the Abrahamic religions interpreting the same historical event, ergo worship the same God. However true or not true theologically that statement is, it is certainly true as a sociohistorical statement. And have no issue with the more technical usage of myth.
Thank you for not folding to the hyper religious people who don’t accept facts about their religion.
One people's religion is another's myth. Since people are literally killing each other because they are sure that theirs is "true," I think it's best - and closest to "true" - to call them all myths.
If Christians consider that they believe in the same god that Jews believe in, then it is not up to Jews to decide that the Christian god is a different god.
Your definition of 'myth' is abusive and misleading to the definition itself. 'Myth' implies unverifiable or untrue stories. Your particular definition, which can be applicable in some circumstances, does not apply in your own context. It is the equivalent of "the myth of racial superiority", "the myth of science", or "the myth of Shakespeare". In modern English, the use of the word "myth" affords no value to a sentence unless there is verifiable and provable evidence that said myth is actually false. The proper word would have been something that does not carry such heavy bias. The word "story" would have been much more appropriate, and a more accurate portrayal, of Abraham. While I myself might not say it, calling your entire video "a 100% regurgitation of one myth after another, with not a single statement being anything other than pure myth". It would be true, using your own strict, and accurate, definition of the one subset of the definition of myth, but it would also be damnable and inflammatory to anyone that cares. I used "regurgitation", above, in the same abusive manner. It technically is true, that you stated nothing that hasnt been said by many, a thousand times before, but the word suggests derogatory accusation to the fundamental assertions of your argument, when there is no justification for such claim.
for westerners who don't know, nowadays here in Tehran there's a lot of women that just don't wear Hejab at all(and some barely wear it with half their hair out)and I'm proud of these girls because they're taking risks, this is some serious ballsy feminism
A small fraction. Won’t change Iran. If they want to be westerners move there.
@@mr.x817 it's not a western thing to not wear hejab, in fact in pretty much all countries everywhere people don't wear hejab, maybe go read a book and educate yourself instead of talking out of your ass
Feminism is when hijab
@@mr.x817 That's not how countries work, or how political change works.
👏 gotta start somewhere 💚
The Islamic Republic of Iran is on the brink of collapse-it's only a matter of time. This regime is deeply unpopular, both domestically and internationally, with the vast majority of Iranians opposing it. Islam itself is losing its influence in the country, largely due to the atrocities committed by the Islamic Republic since its rise to power. I'm writing this from Tehran, Iran, and I can see public sentiment is shifting toward a regime change.
Wish you all the best brother. Stay safe.
Good luck brother. May you guys finally achieve peace and freedom from this tyrannical regime.
Islam is incompatible with Persian culture
Stay safe.
Be safe🙌
As an Iranian, I'm so happy this topic keeps getting more attention. DOWN WITH THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC
You're not Iranian, no Iranian outwardly wants their government to fall right now given Israel wants to see Iran plunge into civil war. No Iranian, inside of Iran, wants foreign interference or war. Do not comment again.
@ciaronsmith4995 I am a holder of an islamic republic passport and am from Iran. I also did not mention, that i want foreign interference and war, although no change will come without them and that's just the truth. The regime is too oppressive to be changed with peaceful protest. And thirdly i will comment as much as i want and you can respectfully stick your opinion up your rectum.
@@ciaronsmith4995bruh where did he mention foreign interference, your bias is showing
@@hellrayzerr Don't comment again. The only people that post those slogans are people who advocate for war against Iran. Nobody in Iran wants unrest right now.
Then what? I invite you to come to San Francisco and have a look at what’s going on here and then we’ll talk again.
"so what do you think about Iran's morality police?"
Ryan: so, after the big bang happened...
Bro that is so funny
@@realryanchapmanwhy did you lie that Qur'an refers to men as "You" and women as "they" , when Qur'an talks to women its says "you" to them as well
I'll consider that for my next one: 'What are traffic stops?'
@@realryanchapmanThe video was actually about the history of Iran. Which wasn't wrong, but it was half the truth. The same repetitive words, but in reality, the analysis of Iran's internal conditions is much more complicated than these words.
@@realryanchapmanFor example, if you go to this same UA-cam, you will see that currently there is practically no compulsory hijab in Iran. Although some strictness is still applied, especially in big cities. But practically there is nothing special.
The Islamic republic imposes morality where it's never needed. Picture this: How do I, as an Iranian woman, harm anyone by having no hijab? How does morality play into this? They merely propagate religion by calling it "morality" to indicate superiority. Iranian women have bravely fought against the enforcement by refusing to wear hijab in everyday life but since it is punishable by law, they are traumatized daily by the hijab police. Just look up "Iranian women punished by hijab law" to see how it can escalate to receiving a death penalty by the Islamic court for it.
Thank you so much for this video. It was incredibly well-researched. I’m happy people like you take the time to spread information about parts of the world that are culturally isolated from the west.
You equating liberation to taking off clothes will always be funny, modesty is an outdated trait. You’ve been brainwashed
@@crasherbasher8067 Someone having the freedom to show their hair and neck sounds pretty reasonable. You should be liberated from life.
@@crasherbasher8067 🐷🤡
@@crasherbasher8067 Nowhere in the comment did it state that liberation=taking off clothes. That's your narrow mind being unable to comprehend that something exists between being fully covered and totally nude. You're the only brainwashed one here.
@@crasherbasher8067 no you're the one who is brainwashed. When did she speak about TAKING CLOTHES OF?
This is EXACTLY what happens when a state allows a religion to violate or straight up erase women's basic human rights.
There is no such thing as objective human rights.
@@Brooks.was.here9024yes there is, аbdооI
@@Brooks.was.here9024 why there is no such thing as objetive human rights when it comes to women's basic human rights?
@@silentwatchingvideos why is there no lobster when I order lobster from the abandoned, dilapidated building that years ago housed a Foot Locker and Adult Video Store?
Really?.
Women in islam were given their rights way before the west.
The right to-
. Divorce
. Inheritance
. Halal work
. Halal education
. Marry who they want
. Own property
. A mother comes before a father in islam for her role as a mother. And a daughter is considered a blessing.
Islam does not prevent women getting rights.
Rather people like you asociating islam to that is wrong.
As for women not wearing the hijab in a country which has strict law punishing it. It is stupid. It may be wrong or right. But they could have prevented it from happening. And no I dont support women being abused for not wearing it.
as a guy living in iran watching this was HARD just imagine this shit show being you everyday life
Same
Don't worry, life is rubbish everywhere in the world.
@@grahamt5924 not even close
I am from Turkey, though not ad close to your situation, we have similar stuff here too. I feel you bro
@@bordedup546 Is there somewhere that is good?
People go insane when you criticise religion. They don't see the insanity with playing pretend and it affecting real lives, costing real lives. How can something argued, not real, tangible, affects so much, especially if others don't believe it? If someone killed someone because they didn't believe in something they said, it would be a crime. Yet here we are.
Of course it’s real. And it affects everything.
@@robertortiz-wilson1588, how real a human created concept is? Yes, nationalism and communism are too human concepts, but affected millions. Religions affect billions, did so for millennia, and will continue to do so.
Because Religion has more than just deities, theres still values and philosophy inside of it as well. From what I know of when Friedrich Nietzsche said "God is dead, we killed him." it was not something stated to glorify, it was a warning to people that because a lot of values was based on it, less people will believe in whats culturally seen as right.
A lot of whats right or wrong stems from belief as well, it does not have to stem from an deity or afterlife.
this is the first time i have actually learned about muslims and how their society is structured and came to be. really insightful and easy to understand. thanks a lot. we should all work to understand each other
15:03 - "Islam quickly became the predominant religion in Iran." Maybe you're just referring to the leadership, but I want to point out that the Iranian population did not become majority Muslim until probably the 10th century. Up to that point there were multiple movements from Zoroastrians against Islam and Islamic leadership, such as the Khurramites and the Ziyarid Dynasty.
It became the predominant religion quickly in the sense that it broke Zoroastrian's power base and never gave it back. It was the religion of people in power, even though it did take some centuries to convert the majority of Iranians. Iran was more than half nomadic I believe all the way up until the Qajar period, when that started to change. So the nomads were probably hard to convert, but also were probably relatively irrelevant to the religious conversations Muslims were having. I was painting history in quite broad brushes in that section, basically in 1000 year blocks, and couldn't go into details like that. Perhaps I could have worded it better though. I'll think about writing a correction.
@@realryanchapman That makes sense, I appreciate the reply
While it’s true that Islam didn’t become the majority religion in Iran until the 10th century, I think your characterisation of the process and the movements you cited oversimplifies the historical context. From what I’ve seen, evidence suggests that Islam wasn’t imposed on Persia in a systematic way, and while forced conversions may have occurred, they were likely rare. Instead, Islam grew organically through cultural integration, economic incentives, and the contributions of Persian scholars who played a key role in shaping Islamic civilisation.
As for the Khurramites and the Ziyarid Dynasty, they weren’t necessarily Zoroastrian movements against Islam and Islamic leadership. The Khurramites, for example, were more of a socio-political rebellion against Abbasid rule, incorporating elements of Zoroastrianism, Islam, and other local traditions. Similarly, the Ziyarid Dynasty wasn’t a Zoroastrian uprising but a local Iranian dynasty that coexisted with Islamic practices, rather a reflection of Persian autonomy within the broader Islamic world. These movements were more about resisting Arab political domination and injustices than outright rejecting Islam as a religion.
@@zaidahmedkhan4103 Its almost necessary for some persian pre-Islamic fantasiser to gloat about Islam as some form of takeover. Truth is Persian Sunni Islam was so culturally rich and engraved in the society, it lead to its own persian golden age.
Islam is not Christianity ppl were not forced into it , islam is the religion of the state and it has laws in it , and all other religions don't have state laws , and don't confuse the western colonialism with our history, and why we are low now and Muslims run away from their countries ?
Because imperialism didn't leave
When the borders between these manufactured states disappear then you can talk about our situation
Excited to watch this... thanks Ryan!
ikr bro always delivers
who gives a fuck on what cloths women wear or whats iranian culture,,,,,,,,,,the only matter is western satanic are bent on killing millions on all over the world.......have u seeen gaza ,,,,,,,,,the face of west
Could you do a vid about Iran?
True, but only half the truth. The reality is that analyzing Iran's internal conditions is more complicated than these words.
Cringe countryballs youtuber
Trying to comprehend this culture seems daunting at first, but with your methodical and educated approach, it’s very clear, Ryan.
He got so much shit wrong my guy
Its because you're clueless about us that this video seems methodical
@@siavoushavesta5324what did he get wrong?
@@siavoushavesta5324then correct.
@@9000Hillsnothing he is just mad
@@9000Hills He criticised the culture. That’s what he got wrong. They don’t like that
Always excited to watch a new Ryan Chapman video!
who cares ......the world got bigger prob,,,,,,,,,ohhhh iranian wear cloths
I’d like to know the background music used in this wonderful video. Really caught my attention
Wow man. as an Iranian, this is the most accurate and unbiased history that I heard from a foreigner. It is odd that you can comprehend the history of Iran but many Iranians can't figure it out. I hope you make more videos like this. We need unbiased information more than anything. Good lock and thank you a lot 🌺🌺🌺
I really appreciated your thoughtful commentary and tone throughout this video. It comes across as genuine and informative without any bias. I appreciate the topics you have previously covered and look forward to seeing more content you post in the future. Cheers 🍻.
I agree 100%
I‘m glad you‘re dropping again, just make sure to take a break when needed, it seems that there‘s a lot going on in your life and even tho i‘m really thankful for all your inputs your health and well being is the most important thing. (Greetings from Switzerland)
Thank you! I will try to balance everything as best I can.
@@realryanchapman Wish you all the best!
Kan ada real GK, daddy
Mim hates fat girl
Ffrr too
So i become a b*"""""
Lololol
Apalah aku hanya batu tak guna
Appreciate the research and effort for the video as well as addressing some of the aggressive comments.
Thank you! For the donation and the decidedly unaggressive comment.
What a masterpiece of a video, learned more history here than all these years studying in Iran's schools. Great work!
Religion, in today’s day and age is an extremely flawed concept.
It is controversial to say this, however, people of current times should not base their laws, styles of governance, and societal construct on literature created hundreds if not thousands of years ago.
Not only are they outmoded, but these values indicate little on how a modern country should run.
In addition idealizing a certain figure, so much so that his word becomes gospel, is not healthy for any society and individual for that matter too.
I think that is more of a problem with religious fundamentalism than religion in general.
that is the most lukewarm reddit take ever not thing controversial about it
It really depends what one considers religion, I guess. Certain “religions” teach some really good things: like Taoism. However considering current mainstream religions, their flaws must be taken into account.
Thank you lol, I was speaking mostly about Islam though. Some people hold very strongly onto their belief system though, therefore certain people might not understand or disagree with the view.
People will always find differences to fight over. Racism and "Race superiority" being just one. It's stupid to think religion is what causes chaos. People are inherently evil
As an Iranian, I want to begin by appreciating your attention to our country and the challenges we face under Islamic totalitarianism. However, I’d like to point out aspects of your otherwise excellent video that I believe need revision. Interestingly, both of these points contributed to the main factors that shaped the Islamic regime after the revolution.
The first is regarding the nationalization of oil under Mosaddegh. While it is true that Iran’s share was only 16%, it should also be noted that all the efforts to extract, process, and export the oil were carried out by British oil companies. Mosaddegh, as a highly populist figure, completely ignored this fact, and the sudden nationalization at that time led to terrible inflation and economic hardship for Iranians. Also, the Ajax project and the coup d'état that followed, though they were planned, were not the reason for his fall from power. According to the latest evidence, before the coup d'état, the Shah ordered Mossadegh's dismissal and Mossadegh himself actually signed the dismissal letter he received, the day before 28 Mordad (that is known as the day coup d'état happened).
The second point concerns the role of leftists and the alliance between leftists and Islamists that ultimately led to the 1979 revolution. Many anti-Western sentiments within the political thought of Islamic factions in Iran were directly shaped by the dominance of Marxist ideology among intellectuals at the time. Additionally, there was a branch of influential intellectuals, such as Jalal Al-Ahmad, Shariati, and Golsorkhi, who combined elements of both ideologies-Shi'ism and Marxism.
The last thing I want to mention is that, during one of the hardest times in Iran’s history, not only my generation but also later ones look back at the Pahlavi dynasty as the golden age of Iran-a period that could have led the country to the greatness it deserves. In the 10 to 20 years before the revolution, Iran was on the path I am describing, and the scale of the downfall we have experienced since then is unimaginable.
You did an amazing job with this comment. Thanks
@@hamidmoradi1340 I'm glad you thought it was a good representation, Hamid Jan.
I love the respect you approached this with and the quality of your thoughts. Thank you for sharing them.
Hi, thanks for the comment. Your notes strike me more as elaborations than revisions, but they do add helpful context to the video, and for the most part my research aligns with yours. I tried to heavily imply some of that (like talking about the rise of the Tudeh Party and showing all the leftist groups that were part of the revolution), but time constraints kept me from going into any of that. I originally planned on briefly explaining the rise of Marxist influence in Shia thought (which would have brought in Shariati) but thought it was too much in an already quite dense video.
The only point I wasn't aligned on is the evidence regarding the dismissal letter. That would have been great to include, and I would have had I known. I'll look into it. Regarding the coup, is controversial how much the Americans/British actually did to make the coup happen, or how necessary the coup actually was, but the fact was they did orchestrate the coup and they bragged about it afterwords. That made Iranians widely hate them (namely Americans) and blame them for the autocracy that followed, which was the point I needed for the purposes of this video.
@@realryanchapman Hi Ryan, I’m happy to see your reply and also glad your research aligns with the points I raised in my comment. As you mentioned, the relationship between Islamism and Marxism, along with some of their significant similarities, definitely warrants extensive exploration. As you probably already know, the contemporary history of Iran provides one of the best cases for delving deeply into this subject. I hope you plan to create more content on this in the future.
The story of Mossadegh, the oil nationalization, and especially the coup d’état, along with their implications for Iran’s political atmosphere, is one of the most intricate topics in contemporary Iranian history. Unfortunately, the version of this story familiar to most academics and politicians-even in Western academia-aligns with the accounts of Marxist historians like Yervand Abrahamian, whose books, as you might expect, are riddled with biases.
In contrast, historians and researchers such as Mohammad Ali Movahed and Ali Mirfetros have produced far more detailed and less biased works. However, their research has not yet been translated into English, and only the Persian versions are available.
The prevailing narrative surrounding Mossadegh often relies on simplistic theories, such as the idea that the coup d’état created a deadlock for democratization in Iran. This view overlooks the fact that many of Mossadegh’s actions, as well as those of his close associates, were far from democratic. At the end of those turbulences, the Shah's autocracy became unavoidable due to the Cold War climate and the growing strength of the Tudeh Party, which was aligned with the Soviets. It is also important to note that both acts of terror and attempted assassinations were common among factions such as the Tudeh Party and the Fadayan-e Islam in those times.
Also While I don't agree with the idea that Mossadegh was the primary cause of anti-American sentiment in Iran, he undoubtedly contributed to the intensification of such sentiments. These sentiments became one of the strongest tools for both Islamists and Marxists in their anti-imperialism efforts.
One of the clearest examples of how his ominous legacy continue to influence the Islamic Republic’s approach to governance, is the Islamic Republic’s efforts to nationalize various industrial sectors. Among these efforts, the push for the nationalization of nuclear power also stands out as another well-known example.
Fantastic. My brain thrives on videos made like this, and I understand the time and effort it takes to make them. Thank you. 💚
One of the best documentaries I have watched. It gives nuance to such a misunderstood situation in a way that is so captivating. Love the background music too, if anyone knows the name of the bgm do share thanks!
I would also like the bgm
as of this week the islamic republic passed new laws that would lock up women who don't wear hijab up to 20 years, such a great religion we have lol
Then why do I see them not wearing it and not getting arrested?
@@gilianrampart8514 Why do I see them not wearing it and getting arrested?
This might be among the top 5 youtube videos i have ever seen among the tens of thousands i have watched over the years. Truly incredible research and work, and you are one of a very small number of people courageous enough to speak up on the issues of islam in this day and age. Thank you!
Im a muslim from the neighbouring state of Pakistan where the situation is similar. This is extremely well researched and nuanced. Im surprised at how he has analysed everything so well as someone who doesnt belong to the culture
I’m a huge fan of your well researched, well structured, well presented, easy to access, unbiased, and highly educational work. Thank you for what you do!
I can’t help but be reminded of Communist China. A thousands of years old Chinese civilization which adopted a foreign ideology wholly alien to its history and adapting Marxism Leninism to its specific Chinese characteristics. In a way in Iran, Islam is adopted with “Iranian characteristics” and brutally enforced upon the populace in the name of achieving stability just like in China with communism, given how both civilizations were victims of foreign intervention and internal turbulence. The question is, unlike China which is still heavily influenced by native ideologies such as Confucianism and has its own ethnic Han identity which is in such overwhelming numbers that it can form a homogeneous society by acculturating numerically inferior cultures around it, if you remove Islam as the dominant unifying ideology off of Iran, with what can you replace it with? Zoroastrianism doesn’t have the same hold in Iran as Confucianism still has, and Iran as an ethnic composition is much more diverse and multicultural than the numerically overwhelming Han. Heck, the supreme leader himself is part Azerbaijani and part Persian and possible inter-ethnic conflict forces the state to be in constant alert and hence adopt a heavy handed method of governance justified under a radical form of Shia Islam. It truly is fascinating to observe how civilizations with polar opposite ideological viewpoints nowadays have so much in common.
I think the IRGC would be a fully functional secular military dictatorship if the Guardian Council magically disappeared one day. They would have the same legitimacy issues as other military governments.
Exactly unlike capitalism a foreign ideology in America that only gave the native Americans hugs and kisses and definitely did G-side them.
bingo, we have our own year zero and everything. history stops with the revolution and the days of confusion starts. history before that year is a myth for some a tail of darkness and Ahriman for others it sounds like golden ages of man in garden of eden, it's too far from our reality to be able to really consider it a history that really happened, something different, too different to be possible because change is unbelievable, at least it was like this when I was a kid.
Pluralistic constitutional democracy is what modern societies use to overcome the bigotries of homogeneity. The modern world will always seem confusing and destabilizing if we try and control individual morality at the granular level with the power of a state. The alternative to coexisting is not acceptable in the era of modern industrial powers and weapons of mass destruction. Cults of morality and cults of personality are existential dangers in the modern world.
Exactly! No wonder Iran has latched on to China while severing diplomatic relations with the west. Birds of a feather and all.
One of the scariest thought of whats going on in Iran is that Christian nationalist would be perfectly fine with morality police in the US as long it wss christian law
You are correct
IMO all religious extremists are the same. They want to impose their beliefs by force to others "for their own good".
In your dreams lol
As someone who was raised in the middle east, I can't help but to draw the lines between western Evangelicalism and islamists. It's so similar, it's scary. Protect your democracy and constitution before of the Taliban takes over. Trust me, they won't be easy to remove.
Amazing video man. I'm looking forward to going through your previous catalog
The slogan “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” (Women, Life, Freedom) originates from the Kurdish liberation movement, rooted in Jineology, a feminist ideology developed by Kurdish activists over 20 years ago. It reflects the Kurdish struggle for gender equality, freedom, and societal transformation, led largely by Kurdish women.
In recent years, the slogan has been adopted by Persian movements, especially after Mahsa Jina Amini’s death, but media narratives often erase its Kurdish origins, portraying it as Persian. This misrepresentation marginalizes Kurdish contributions, ignores the feminist framework of Jineology, and reinforces patterns of Kurdish erasure in regional politics. Recognizing the slogan’s true origins is vital for honoring the Kurdish struggle and maintaining historical accuracy.
Oh wow, I frequented the r/NewIran subreddit during the peak of protests (which was filled with folks of various backgrounds from Iran) and unfortunately I never encountered this information, only of Mahsa Jina Amini’s Kurdish heritage that’s often glossed over
Thank you so much for sharing this further crucial context
Though I’m from nowhere near Iran, I’m rooting for Iranian/Persians’ wellbeing because the country I grew up in is also a Muslim majority that’s waning every decade or so into religious theocracy
Something that I sometimes worry will mirror Iran’s political shift, with even lesser likelihood of any organic change of political oppression due to the simple reason that we’re way less educated than Iranians in general
@Shawalkordi thank you for this comment. In Düsseldorf Germany for example there are a lot of interconnected & funded groups creating a "persian nation narrative" hegemonie and systematicly erasing kurdish traces (mostly monarchists groups tend to do this activly; others also do it passivly a lot of times)
Unfortunately, feminists never stood with us. They were saying the Iranian regime helps Palestine, so Western feminists saw no point in supporting woman, life, freedom movement
@@Yazdegerdiranyar i can assure you that the only space i could collaborate with are exactly those "western woman" so i disagree completly with you on this part
@@YazdegerdiranyarEuropean left groups had sympathies for arab socialist groups of various sorts.
I think Hamas, once they gained power, took part in clearing out secular groups.
Hey, I'm a Saudi Arabian with a Shia family that used to visit Iran every now and then (im no longer a muslim tho) I just want to say that this is an unbelievably excellent video, 10/10 no notes
oh and your pronunciation of Arabic words is spot on.
No such thing as Shia or Atheist Saudi. Also it’s not Saudi arabian it’s just Saudi.
@@Hello-uk5xp What are you talking about? I'm real lmao
so what do you believe in? Are you an atheist who doesn't believe in the afterlife and we are all came from monkeys?
@@okamiguyy Yeah, afterlife is not real, no disrespect to your religion just please leave me alone, I'm tired of religious people getting in my business, I want peace in my life and less people trying to convert me.
@@Ali-hasToRun Nothing like everyone trying to gatekeep your experience lol... it's almost like your very existence summons the state propaganda 🤣
I really appreciate your depth and ease with which you board complex topics, thank you very much for the work you do
The best chanel for political/histprical comentary. It shows that you make an effort to be unbiased and your videos always have interesting insights
What I will never understand is why religious people, especially muslims, care so much about how other people choose to live! Like follow your religion, live as you wish and believe in what you wish but ffs LEAVE EVERYONE ELSE ALONE! Like what do you gain if you beat & torture someone into following your cult? If your life is so perfect and you're so loyal to your cult, why can't you just keep doing that instead of sticking your nose into others' business? I already know the official reasons for this bs "God says so", but I'm interested in such psychopaths' personal reasons. Like why can't y'all live and let others live too ffs?
"proud misandrist"
Live and yet live, was it
@@Brooks.was.here9024ironic really, they made a good point but being a proud "-phobic" or sexist is pretty rubbish
Because they believe that all humans are Muslim, it's just that some don't realize they're Muslim. Can you believe the audacity? It's one of the most recent religions, and the chutzpah! That's why when someone converts to Islam, they call it "revert"
@@Brooks.was.here9024 Sure you are free to hate just not allowed to take that out on other people.
as a Black Christian woman in America, I sympathize with the Iranian people, especially the women. This video was so informative, I feel blessed to have learned so much.
How are you, a Christian woman in America, facing and sharing the same/similar issues as the wwoman in Iran? Unless you meant you sympathize?
@spicylemons8557 oh yes i meant sympathize let me change that.
I think a woman in America should take this a big wake up call😢
@@donnasloan894yes, the ones who riot & scream for Hamas should take note.
@miso.1993 are you for real? C'mon, there has to be some common sense to stop yourself from self-victimization to the point of comparing yourself to iranian women.
The amount of effort that has been put in this video is remarkable. There is little to no opinion packed with facts. I never expected so much from UA-cam videos 👏🏼.
Great video as always! One of the most interesting yt channels
Keep up the amazing work, your videos are just so mind blowing. A big hug from Mexico 🇲🇽!
This is unrelated to the vid. But I love Mexico I want to go one day lol. Hugs from the US 🇺🇸💪🏾
why did you remove my previous comment ?
as an Iranian, Islam is the biggest threat to humans right now. it is every person's duty to shed light on this issue.
Unless you said something truely extreme i highly doubt mr chapmaan himself removed it. Moat likely youtube bots flagged it for one reason or another
I did not delete your comment. I just checked and there have only been three comments held by UA-cam moderation so far. Two just said 'fuck Islam' and the third was just a long string of emojis. None of them were from you. Maybe you didn't post it or lost track of it?
@@realryanchapman thanks for clarifying 🙏 it was probably due to the the vpn since youtube is blocked here. Also, thanks for the detailed description of the events. You covered the topic just as an Iranian would.
@@realryanchapmanyeah, sometimes the vpns we use might cause this (most Iranians use free vpns because of the economy rn). I am from Iran. I think you could have also mentioned some of the inhumane methods used by the morality police to arrest the citizens, like using leashes designed to catch dangerous animals!! Or the frequent physical violence (you showed some footage of it). Either way, thank you
Remarkable and much needed work! Excellent production quality and an extremely balanced representation. THANK YOU!!!
#RyanChapman -- I'm so glad to see you continue your educational videos. Thank you for informing the public, and doing so as impartially as you can. -- Sincerely.
As a comment to the opening, written statement, I have great faith in your work and honesty! You run one of my topmost channels on a range of topics that I understand is very well researched.
I will read your pinned correction-comments, but I believe that most of the videos you post are quite well researched, and without much errors. I really apprised your work Ryan!
As an 33 Year old iranian ! i Approve your video to be more accurate than most ! well done ryan
Once again, thank you Ryan. I don't think there is any UA-cam channel with the same level of consistency in quality.
Crazy how little attention the struggle of the Iranian people receives in western media. It’s almost as if there’s a cover up.
how much attention does anything get? thinking that there's some coverup of what's happening in Iran is pure stupidity. how much does a person in Vietnam know about Iran? is Vietnamese media in on this conspiracy too?
@ I live in a major western city and we have huge protests every single weekend in our central business district for the free Palestine movement. It seems that certain events absolutely receive a lot of attention. However, Iranian women being shot in the eyes doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s radar. No jews, no news I guess 🤷♂️
Does your BIG WESTERN CITY support iran or financialy aid it NO but you know who is iZreal so of course there's a protest and boycotts
@@KING-bt1tmwell… one is a genocide that your government specifically supports and supplies. The other is another North Korea, china, Russia.
@@dragonmaster3207 Because Gaza is such a liberal and innocent place.
Bro your videos are so good! Thank you for all of your hard work and sharing this with the World. Excited to view your entire catalogue of videos past, present and future!
Ryan with another high-effort and elucidating banger. Well done friend.
Dude, you did a great job! Seriously, excellent, excellent, lecture. I specially liked when you showed quoted text.
Kierkegaard spoke of faith beautifully where it is unconditional. You can take everything from me, do anything to me, but the one thing that you cannot take is the faith. It is not that I had a bad day and therefore do not believe or happened upon some luck that I do, it is unconditional.
I think this is why many oppose faith as a concept as there is indeed a dangerous component underlying where there is no sense of compromise. Faith and politics should be separate and if anybody is of faith I don’t see why one would want to dirty such things with the messy world of politics. A person’s faith can lead to lots of pro-social actions, noble actions, selflessness, but place that faith element in a “sick” mind boy can it go wrong.
Faith and politics have never been separate. Any set of beliefs that tells you how one should/shouldn't live their lives has political implications. A country can avoid writing religious doctrine into law, but their politics will always be heavily influenced by the people of various religions. Many people believe religion should dominate politics exactly for the reason you said, it's cut throat and messy.
Your videos are of high quality so absolutely worth the wait
May those immoral morality police stay far away from us.
Then you need to protest against the people who want it to be mandatory for the 10 commandments in all schools cause that's just the beginning if you let them them get there way and erode the separation of church and state the us will decend into this kind of dictatorship
Expect us Zio. Iran is coming.
This propaganda changes nothing.
An hour long Ryan Chapman video!! Absolutely love it.
as an irainian and exmuslim thx for this
I LOVE THIS VIDEO STYLE!!! dunno how this doesn’t have millions of views
Iran is a fascinating country with a long history. Even the Islamic Revolution is both, fascinating and scary.
As always, magnificent work
Really fascinating video, enjoyed the deep dive on Iranian history, Islamic history and Iran being brought into modernity. Great video!
Love your videos and always look forward to them! I appreciate the time and effort it must take you to put together your videos including your sources. It's because of you my book list has increased tenfold🙂
No dictatorship more oppressive than a theocratic dictatorship. And when you're talking about Abrahamic religious government that's always gonna be horrible for women. This is fascinating. Free women everywhere ♀️🫶💪🤜
Women were free in Soviet Union.
@@kairysisKrantasyou’re certainly against women being free
@@antonugnivenko5521 why so?
@@antonugnivenko5521 we don't want to be free from god
@@kairysisKrantas nobody was free in the Soviet Union
Excellent video Ryan, I am really glad you touched on this fascinating, yet not often talked about, topic. As a half-Iranian, thank you!
PS: I noticed several times in the comments, that you did not want to elaborate on certain topics or issues, because of time constraints. Thats totally understandable, but perhaps you could make some supplementary videos or shorter context-adding videos for your UA-cam members, which would be supplementary to your main channel content:)
Just a thought:)
Phenomenal piece of work I’ve ever seen 💯💯
You’re so good at this dude!!
Your videos are so fantastic, man! Incredibly informative, the info is very well presented, and the production quality is tremendous! Thanks so much for making these and keep up the amazing work!
Freakin love you Ryan! Keep doing what you are doing.
this was really well made, i can't imagine the patience this took to write. thanks for making it so accessible
All Abrahamic monotheistic religions belong in the annals of a museum.... Most people are so over the " my magic book is better than your magic book "
Not just Abrahamic all religions
56% of the worlds population adheres to an abrahamic religion and 84-85% of worlds population adhere to a religion overall…so no, clearly most people aren’t over the “my magic book is better” narrative
Compare that with magic books of pseudo-religions like marxism, national socialism, progressive liberalism and their dogmas.
You will be happy to revert back to Abraham.
Oh please @@jirislavicek9954
I see what you're doing but it's not one or the other. Christianity , your chosen ideology, needed to be scrutinised and criticised just like any ideology.
The best thing that happened to the Christian world was secularisation, now if only Iran can have it's own secular moment.
Excellent explanation and very valuable aid to deeper understanding. Thank you
Its so beautiful how you always meets such amazing people every place you visit. Your experiences must be so much memorable, educational and meaningful because of that! Thank you for you channels its great!!!
Awesome content as always
This was an incredibly well researched documentary. Thank you for providing the insights .
Interesting on how upset this video makes people. Was an interesting one, thank you for making it!
Great video, man. I really appreciate your clinical, unbiased explanation.
Thanks for covering this
Wow thank you for putting this together. Never learned about Iran in this sense and it has changed my perspective
The challenge in the modern world is freedom versus morality. Every culture and tradition has its version, but Western values make the same claims to the universality of both morality and freedom. The threat of nuclear weapons, economic sanctions, and global media influences is the means to making these false claims seem true to its vulnerable victims that seek an alternative to political and economic subjection by bullies .
Hmm… ‘freedom versus morality’ is the challenge ? Would it not be the highest expression of morality when the people can live free and without coercion and violence against each other? Would not a civil society in which people are the most free to make voluntary free choices about who to interact with, who to associate or not associate with, trade and exchange with, share and learn from, speak and listen to, hire and work for, … a society in which people live and let live, produce and let produce, thrive and let others thrive, prosper and let others prosper… all on a basis of people making free and voluntary choices amongst each other without coercion and force … would such a society not be a highest order of both freedom and morality ? Do freedom and morality not actually go together? So, I would not express the challenge today as one of freedom versus morality, but one of the reality of existence that there are the many humans who simply want to live and let live and get along versus the few human beings who have lust and urge to impose their own will and control and rule over others by force -
I don't usually comment but this video is really well-made. Thank you
Apart from not pointing out the degree to which people in big cities have become secular and irreligious, a very unbiased and accurate synopsis of Iranian history 💯
Amazing video 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼. Hadn't learned this much in a single hour for a while
Finally a video about Iran without the usual Western moral lenses most commentators have. Great job Ryan!
i think this is as neutral a documentary on Iran can get. it was perfect. Thanks for sheding light on our problems and suffering, I myself as an Iranian living inside Iran have seen many documentaries and reports about Iran, I can strongly say that this was one of the best ones ever created.
so many "Iranians living in Iran" in this comment section that speak perfect English😂
Amazing video, but it's crazy that we just glossed over the other content shown on-screen at 45:49... specifically a back and forth regarding the execution of a pregnant woman.
Thanks Ryan for fulfilling my request, ❤
I'm so happy that most of the Iranians still in Iran and the Iranian diaspora that fled in 1979 are calling for the return of the Shah! Javid Shah!
Excellent even-handed historical summary.
Love your content mate thanks for your hard work
Damn, Ryan. This was incredibly. I've seen a few other documentaries on the fall of the Shah and rise of the Islamic Republic, but none of them described with any detail what Islam is, its development and spread, etc. To be fair to those documentaries, that wasn't what their purpose was. Here I have such a delightful surprise, though. This video went far beyond my expectations of it. It was a complete surprise. I'd love to see something similar on Saudi Arabia, and. perhaps other countries of the region (Yemen in particular would be incredibly fascinating I think) if you are so inclined. Thanks again for providing such an informative, well researched documentary. Your work is valued and highly appreciated.
Looking forward to this, downloading now. Merci 🙏🏼
Ryan, foi maravilhoso encontrar hoje no UA-cam essa aula que eu tanto procurava, minuciosa e tão bem explicada com legenda em português. Com grande alegria, agradeço 😊
I've known many "devout" muslims in the US and witnessed even more in their own lands.
Their piety is incredibly false. It is just a way to maintain power, much as racism is here in the US.
Wtf
@@fatimaabdulkadir9291
Well argued 🙄
Just so you don't feel too bad,
Islam is racist/tribalist too.
It has all the same trappings of any other religion, but it's not inherently any worse than any other religion
@@CalamityJay-ez2mq oh, didn't mean to imply worse. This is a video on Islam, so that's what I commented on.
Iran is quite advanced.
Im happy to see that somebody is talking about us finally
FINALLY a new upload.
Actualy a good account and presentation of the issue.
Ryan as persian we love you.
Thank you for the video
Thanks!
Great report Ryan! ❤
Thanks!
Now, Ryan Chapman, please do a video that examines Zionism and Christianity, religious and state control,
Sincerely,
The white privileged 1st world guy
This is great work. Great job!
Thanks Ryan!!!! A gift