not even an organized following. Nothing at all. The
Umayyads occupy every base of society. The power of
the tyrant, enforced with the sword or with money or
with deception, brings a pall of stiɻed silence over
everyone. All power is in the hand of the oppressive
ruler. Values are determined solely by the regime. Ideas
and thoughts are controlled by agents of the regime.
Brains are washed, ɹlled, and poisoned with falsehood
presented in the name of religion, and if none of this
works, faith is cut oʃ with the sword. It is this power
which Hussein must now face.
“This is the man who embodies all the values that
have been destroyed, the symbol of all the ideals that
have been abandoned. He appears with empty hands. He
has nothing. The Imam Hussein now stands between
two inabilities. He cannot remain silent, but neither can
he ɹght. He has only one weapon, and that is death. If
he cannot defeat the enemy, he can at least disgrace
them with his own death. If he cannot conquer the
ruling power, he can at least condemn it. For him,
martyrdom is not a loss, but a choice. He will sacriɹce
himself on the threshold of the temple of freedom, and be
victorious.”
As Shariati spoke, shahadat became not just an act of
witnessing but an act of revelation, exposing repression
and oppression, corruption and tyranny. Hussein’s
martyrdom was no longer an end but a beginning. It was
a call to action in the here and now.