Once upon a time, Tehran’s sky was blue. Once upon a time, prison was a place for ‎criminals and political dissidents were tried in military tribunals. Comprised of educated ‎judges, the country’s judicial system would not allow for the unjust trial of dissidents in ‎the civilian court system. ‎

Once upon a time, average people despised and dreaded prison. Going to prison was ‎socially undesirable. Prison was a place for criminals, thieves, smugglers and thugs. If a ‎family’s young child ended up in prison, the entire family would have fallen apart. ‎Sometimes, the entire family would pack and leave the neighborhood because of the ‎shame associated with their young one's imprisonment. Only 28 years have passed since ‎those days, but society's values have changed drastically. ‎

Now, following a revolution that promised to turn Iran into heaven, we sarcastically call ‎any young boy or girl who has not experienced prison “sissy.” In our family gatherings, ‎we measure the worth of our youth with the number of times they have ended up in a ‎police station or the number of lashes they have received. Who is responsible for this ‎social disturbance?‎

Undoubtedly, the enemies. But who are the enemies? We have to ponder. We can easily ‎find them. They are not far away. They are nearby. ‎

We have to look for those who have placed the country's security and national interests in ‎danger through their violent and systematic treatment of the nation's youth. The enemy is ‎comprised of institutions that refuse to prosecute large drug smuggling cartels. The ‎enemy is comprised of institutions that imprisons the youth for enjoying music and ‎dance. The enemy is comprised of institutions that bicker over women's clothing and ‎would have started the third world war over Hejab if they could. The enemy is ‎comprised of institutions that do not look after or care for poor, unemployed, drug ‎abusing youth, but rather place the drug user in prison. The enemy is comprised of ‎institutions that have pushed the nation's youth to a place where they voluntarily commit ‎crimes so that they can go to prison and sell their drugs. The enemy is comprised of ‎institutions that fire prominent university professors and suppress freedom of speech in ‎the academic arena. ‎

The country's elders always speak of the enemy in Friday prayer speeches, but they have ‎chosen not to see the enemy that toys with the country's national security behind their ‎cover. They claim that Delaram Ali, Maryam Hosseinkhah, Jelveh Javaheri and other ‎activists are manipulated by foreigners to demand equal rights. ‎

The country's young population, male or female, sees the enemy from under its ‎blindfolds, and is certain that the enemy is domestic. If not controlled, it will shut all ‎doors to progress. ‎