memes

Iran is still a largely right-wing theocracy, but most of the assumptions westerners hold true about it are honestly laughable. Iranians are highly literate and university-educated. Iranian officials are PHD educated and far more educated than American politicians.

Despite mandatory religious schooling, they simultaneously teach evolution with greater detail and accuracy than in the US. And I definitely don't think religion belongs in schools, but at least Iran teaches kids deep abstract literary skills needed to understand symbolism & poetry in the Quran. Compare that to US Christian schools that focus on surface-level interpretation from more easily understandable parts of the Bible, rarely pushing complex analysis of metaphors, rhythm, layered meaning, etc.

Most Americans also seem to assume Iran has the same stance as the Taliban on women's education. Meanwhile women are highly encouraged into education, with Iranian universities having the highest female-to-male ratio in the world, and 70% of STEM graduates being women. Ofc there's still egregious patriarchy in many other ways (e.g. compulsory hijab and remnants of male guardianship "for protection"), but the lies and hyperbole at most levels is frankly just racist