Our university will hold a culture day in the coming days. This time, unlike last year, someone from the student center asked me to prepare a booth for Iran to represent the strong ties between China and Iran. At first, I was hesitant to accept the offer due to the current situation in Iran. I wasn't sure whether I would have enough time and funding to paint a positive image of Iran, but in the end, I beat the odds and confirmed our presence, and that was the moment everything went downhill.
Assuming this is a "culture day", I had to pick a flag, which is the most complicated challenge I've faced in the last couple of years. For those who might have no idea about this matter, here is the context: Formally, our national flag at the moment is the one you perhaps are familiar with if you check the news of the world; green, white, and red bands, featuring an "Allah" centered on the white band, and 11 "takbir"s along the edges of the green and red bands. However, due to the recent circumstances and the overall opposition to symbols that remind Iranians of the regime that is controlling them, they began to use the flag from the monarchy era, which retains the same colors, but with a lion and sun in the center. This became an act of resistance from the Iranians who fight the regime, and at the same time, redefined the very basic symbols of a nation.
I had to choose one of these two options. My preference was obvious. Even though I'm not a pro-monarch, and I stand against the values that many fans of the exiled "prince/king" are pushing for, I still have fewer issues with that flag than the hideous flag that the regime uses. Regardless, that meant that I had to forget any funding from the embassy of Iran, and supposing I'm lowkey broke at the moment, doing everything out of my own pocket was the last solution. Eventually, I discussed the problem with another Iranian student, and likewise, he had a similar opinion. We even thought maybe we could ask other Iranians I know on our campus, but after more thinking, I wasn't sure if I wanted to share a booth for "Iran" with a pro-war and a separatist. Ultimately, the booth thing was cancelled.
The whole situation reminded me once again that what a tragically absurd situation we have in Iran, that even the most basic things somehow turn out to be a disaster in hindsight. Yet, I don't regret the final decision. I assume there are always other options to share your culture with people in a non-problematic way.