“Six days of demonstrations have left at least 20 people dead — including nine on Tuesday — and appear driven by Iranian workers, who have clashed with security forces in locations around the country.”

–Erin Cunningham-The Washington Post

Can the recent public uprising in Iran against the Islamic government be regarded as a neo-Arab Spring as some scholars have argued that the revolutions do not occur overnight but develop slowly underneath the social grievances. The Arab Spring erupted after the self emulation of Muhammad Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor. Bouazizi was so disgruntled by the economic deprivations that he had no other option but to torch himself. In Iran where now at least twenty people have died in the riots, the uprising is not only against the economic deprivations but also against the long held strict Islamic rule. The grievances among the Iranian protestors and the protestors in the Arab Spring are common. The Iranian authorities have made the condition worse by not only arresting 450 individuals who will be charged with Moharebeh- an act of waging war against God- but also by killing twenty individuals, including an eleven-year-old kid. Iran should seek a peaceful solution to the problem, rather than adopting a hardline approach against the protestors.