Iran is here

Mya Guarnieri Jaradat By Mya Guarnieri Jaradat December 8, 2011 | Edit

I’ve heard a few Jewish Israelis say “Iran zeh can” (Iran is here) in the past, particularly those who grew up in Jerusalem. But this is the first time I’ve seen the sentiment expressed in street art.

Iran is here
Iran zeh can "Iran is here" (photo: Mya Guarnieri)

I took this photo today in central Jerusalem. The Islamophobia it reflects is troublesome. But there’s more than that going on here–this image also reveals concerns about growing restrictions on women’s rights, the growing influence of the religious right, and fears about the anti-democratic trends that some Israeli academics have called proto-fascist. In yesterday’s edition of Haaretz, Zvi Barel did a nice job of summing up the increasing similarities between Iran and Israel.

Mya Guarnieri Jaradat

Mya Guarnieri Jaradat is a writer and independent journalist based in South Florida after almost a decade in Israel/Palestine. Her book, The Unchosen: The Lives of Israel's New Others (Pluto Press) was shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize. Her reportage and commentary has been published in The Nation, The NY Times, Haaretz, Le Monde Diplomatique, Al Jazeera English, The Guardian and many other outlets. Her essays and fiction have appeared in Slate, Guernica, the Jewish Quarterly, Narrative, and The Kenyon Review. She is currently working on a memoir.