Protester Deaths: Is It Islam, or the Iranian Regime?
What happens when a state stops seeing protesters as citizens and starts calling them rebels? Following the devastating mass-killings during the January 2026 uprisings in Iran, this video dives deep into the classical Islamic legal concept of Baghy (armed rebellion) to explore how ancient legal texts are weaponized by modern authoritarian governments.
From 11th-century Sunni and Shia jurists to the Islamic Penal Code of Iran, we examine what the law actually says about deposition, crowds, liability, and the brutal reality of who gets to decide who the "enemy of God" is.
💬 Join the Conversation
Chapters
- The January 2026 uprising
- Classical Islamic doctrine
- The definition of a rebel
- Defining Shawka
- Legal consequences and power
- Shia jurisprudence and Iran
- Penal code and modern crackdowns
- The 2026 crackdown in detail
- The judicial pipeline
- Regional authoritarian parallels
- The 2013 Egypt precedent
- Conclusion and reflection