Common Dreams | Jake Johnson: "Fastest way to unify Iranians of all walks of life against you is to threaten to destroy their cultural heritage."

Ordinary Iranians on Saturday responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's monstrous threat to strike sites "important to Iran and the Iranian culture" with an outpouring of photos highlighting their favorite mosques, museums, monuments, and other stunning architecture.
"Iranian cultural sites aren't only aesthetically awe-inspiring or visually pleasing, these sites are home to thought, dialogue, and life."
—Neda Monem


"Fastest way to unify all political factions in Iran against you is to assassinate the general who led Iran's fight against ISIS," tweeted Independent correspondent Negar Mortazavi. "Fastest way to unify Iranians of all walks of life against you is to threaten to destroy their cultural heritage. Trump did both this week."

Using the hashtag #IranianCulturalSites, Iranians flooded Twitter with hundreds of photos of locations and structures imbued with personal and historical significance:

"Iranian cultural sites aren't only aesthetically awe-inspiring or visually pleasing, these sites are home to thought, dialogue, and life," said writer Neda Monem. "Precisely why a strike on a cultural site goes far beyond, and does not merely translate into, the demolition of a man-made structure."