16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 10-16, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com War from Within Missiles and headlines come and go. But Iran’s repressive regime continues to endure. By Ava Homa FORUM As missiles lit up the skies between Tel Aviv and Tehran this June, the world turned its attention to the specter of another Middle Eastern war. Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” struck deep inside Iran, killing top commanders and damaging nuclear sites. Iran retaliated with dozens of missiles. The headlines surged. Then, predictably, they moved on. But for Iran’s 91 million civilians, especially women and ethnic minorities, the war is not over. It never was. In the days since the strikes began, the Islamic Republic has escalated its internal war on dissent. The regime has intensified crackdowns, particularly in Kurdish regions, with reports of mass arrests and executions. More than 700 people have been detained. At least three Kurds were executed in Urmia. The international community looks outward, to missiles and diplomacy. But within Iran, the real violence is quieter: mass surveillance, midnight raids, silenced journalists and grieving families. Whenever we speak of Iran, we must ask a simple but urgent question: Are we referring to the Islamic Republic, or to the civilians forced to live under its rule? Without that distinction, public discourse becomes muddled, and those most impacted—especially women and minorities—are erased. I was born in Iranian Kurdistan. I taught literature at Azad University. Today, I teach in exile. From this dual vantage point, I have seen how the regime survives not through strength but through fracture, pitting Persians against Kurds, men against women, rich against poor. Each uprising, from the student movement of 1999 to the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests of 2022, has been violently crushed, but not erased. Courage has outlived repression. In 2022, when Kurds marched despite bullets and ambulances being blocked from reaching the wounded, a new kind of solidarity was born. Still, the price was high: blinded protesters, jailed artists, broken families. Iran’s future will not be secured by replacing one strongman with another. True change requires dismantling the roots of injustice, patriarchy, ethnic supremacy and systemic inequality. That work must come from within. But it cannot happen if the world keeps mistaking ruin for rebirth, bombs for liberation. Silence is not neutrality. When the spotlight dims, solidarity matters more, not in hashtags, but in asylum policies, media attention and moral clarity. People are not nuclear enrichment. They are not threats or headlines. They are teachers, artists, mothers and sons, trying, against all odds, to live with dignity. What Iran’s civilians need is not Western saviors, but space to breathe, organize and survive. They need protection for hospitals, refuge for those being hunted, and the world’s refusal to legitimize a regime that burns its own children. Solidarity does not mean picking sides in a geopolitical game. It means standing with the people who have no weapons but truth. Ava Homa is the award-winning author of Daughters of Smoke and Fire and a lecturer at CSU Monterey Bay. OPINION “The war is not over. It never was.” I TRADED MY QUIET RETIREMENT IN CARMEL FOR A VIBRANT SOCIAL LIFE IN A 55+ RESORT COMMUNITY THIS IS AN ADVERTORIAL BASED ON ACTUAL CUSTOMER FEEDBACK FOR TRILOGY SAN JUAN OAKS After owning a thriving scrapbook store and scrapbook retreat company, I sold the business and retired in 2023. I had been living in Carmel for years, and after retiring, I knew I wanted a more active lifestyle. Carmel is beautiful, but it’s a little quieter than what I was looking for. When I first visited a Shea Homes Trilogy community in La Quinta, where my daughter lives, I loved the whole vibe and what they offered. The facilities were beautiful, and everything was maintained so well. It was clear the people who lived there had a zest for life and wanted to get out, do things, and have fun— which is easy because at Trilogy communities, they bring the entertainment to you! So, after retiring, I was sitting in my condo in Carmel, and I thought; let me see what Shea Homes is doing around here. When I discovered Trilogy San Juan Oaks, I knew it was where I needed to be. I moved into my new home in December 2024, and I am loving life. I’m less than an hour from the ocean, and it’s easy to visit and see my friends there. But I’ve met so many new friends here too. And now I’m bringing so many people out to look at the community, to hopefully join me out here! I’ve truly found a community of people with a zest for life, in a similar age group (I’m 61). Last year Shea did a welcome dinner for a group of us who bought the first 24 homes. I first met other homeowners here at a dinner for new members, and found we had similar interests, and were at similar stages in our lives. Several of us stayed in touch through the whole build process. We would meet for dinner, and some even invited me and the construction crew for dinner. It was great going through the process together. Everyone is super friendly. I recently saw a new neighbor and pulled over to introduce myself out the car window, because I know what it’s like to be a new homeowner! Life here is only going to get better. My home is important, but to me, my life outside the home is even more important. I encourage anyone—singles, couples, those looking for a rich and full life in their retired years to check out Shea Homes Trilogy communities. And if you end up at Trilogy San Juan Oaks, I look forward to welcoming you! To learn more about this community visit Trilogy55Monterey.com or call 831-784-8872. Sales: Shea Homes Marketing Company (CalDRE #01378646); Construction: SHALC GC, INC. (CSLB #1062050). Homes at Trilogy® San Juan Oaks are intended for occupancy by at least one person 55 years of age or older, with certain exceptions for younger persons as provided by law and the governing covenants, conditions and restrictions. This is not an offer of real estate for sale, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy, to residents of any state or province in which registration and other legal requirements have not been fulfilled. Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Equal Housing Opportunity.
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