My mind is in a few different places at once now. I can’t decide whether to stay up tonight on Twitter following the protest scheduled in Iran or get some sleep so I can be up on time to go to the protest in Westwood.

The last couple of days have been quite difficult for me. Difficult in the sense that it was very hard to concentrate on anything but Iran - everything else, work, life, even food just seemed secondary. Everytime I complained about something, like the fact that my car had a malfunction, followed by a towing, I regretted it. My concerns, my pet peeves or insignificant struggles could not and can not compare in any way, shape or form to those in my hometown.

At times, I can’t believe this is all happening, unfolding in front of the world’s eyes - I keep imagining how those who voted for change feel, how upset and angry and passionate they must have been to say, “you know what - NO, I will not stand up for this, I will stand up for what I believe in.” That takes real courage, courage that many of us have never known in our lives.

Every day, while I read the tweets, listen to the news and watch the videos, I am reminded of the situations my parents and entire extended family must have been in during the 1979 Revolution. I cannot even begin to fathom what life was like, it many ways it wasn’t a life at all, but then in other ways, it was like they were REALLY living. I’m not sure how to fully explain what I mean by that last sentence. I mean, it’s as if everything in life that didn’t matter just melted away and the important things hung around. The ones you love, the fight for social justice, morality and human rights - that’s what took over.

For example, this is a personal blog and although I can post whatever I choose at this very moment, I cannot bring myself to do it. Something is getting in the way. Something is telling me, “No, it’s not appropriate. There are bigger things in play. There are lives at stake.”

Things worth mentioning in regards to the Iran Election 2009:

1. The outpour of support from around the world, especially the U.S is just amazing to me. It is so touching and amazing - everywhere you look in Twitter, you see a green tinted icon and messages offering all in Iran their support.

2. Social media - All hail the power of social media. I hope Maureen Dowd realizes how wrong she has been about Twitter.

3. Journalism - You can stop buying newspapers, pay us close to nothing, but let’s face it- you still need us. We’re important. When the times are really tough, we are the most important profession on the face of the planet. And it’s amazing.

My mind is racing. I just read that someone received a “goodbye” email from Iran. My mom told me earlier she had heard that many people decided to write their wills and send out their goodbyes, because they knew if they went into the rally, they wouldn’t come out alive. This entire thing is weighing heavily for me and I’m hoping for the best, and fearing the worst. My thoughts and prayers are with all with enough courage to stand up for what they believe in, even though it might mean death.

Esha Momeni, the California State University Northridge journalism graduate student, who was arrested and jailed in Iran’s Evin prison while in the country to work on her thesis, has been finally released. The release comes 25 days after Momeni’s initial capture, which I wrote about here.

Below is the message released on the official Facebook group, “Free Esha.”

Hello Everyone!!

ESHA HAS BEEN RELEASED!!!

We got the news this morning. We have no other details but are happy that she’s safe and back home with her parents.

We would like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for all the support, work and prayers. Every bit of your efforts made this happen.

The official blog for Momeni includes a list of 90 professors, educators and chairs of departments who have signed to expedite her release.

I will follow with more details once they come in…

If you watch or read the news, you know by now that there are many countries around the world to this day that do not honor the notion of freedom of speech. It is a routine occurrence for journalists to be arrested, kidnapped, jailed and tortured while doing their jobs. Unfortunately, even though we are living in modern times, not all countries have adapted to the notion of the freedom of press.

Last week, I came upon some very disturbing and disheartening news. Esha Momeni, a graduate student who was doing research for her thesis on the Iranian women’s movement was arrested and jailed in the Evin prison run by the Ministry of Intelligence in Iran. Esha was enrolled in the School of Communication, Media and Arts, from my alma mater, California State University, Northridge.

Perhaps if she had attended any other school, or if she was arrested in any other country, it wouldn’t have compelled me to write a blog entry. But this wasn’t the case. She very well could have been me. Many of her professors were my professors, most of her interests are probably my interests and her country of origin and arrest is where I was born.

On Oct. 15, Esha was stopped on suspicion of a traffic offense. The people who stopped her identified themselves as undercover police officers. She was taken to her parents’ home, where they seized her laptop and footage of interviews she had conducted. She was then arrested and taken to prison.

Evin prison, where she is being held, is known for its political prisoners wing. It’s also known for executions and torture. In 2003, Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi was arrested for taking photographs in front of the prison. She was held there until she died, which the Iranian government claimed happened because of a stroke she suffered. However, doctors who examined her body found evidence of rape, torture and skull fracture.

Esha was researching the “Change for Equality” campaign, which was launched by Iranian women activists in September 2006. Her graduate professor Melissa Wall, whom I met once, has posted information about Esha on her blog. Her friends have also set up a site for her here. If you have a moment, please sign the petition demanding her release.

Esha’s goal was to help the United States and Iran understand each other better, and I’m sure that before she even ventured back to her country, she knew the risk involved. But she did it anyway, because that’s what journalists do. I hope she gets back home safe.

Here is an excerpt of her writing, which was translated from Farsi, from the “Change for Equality website:

I am dressed in white, head to toe. I am aware that the serenity and peacefulness of white does not represent my city, but when I am dressed in white I feel like a dove that is free, one that has not been earmarked and was never kept captive. As I stroll along the streets of my city, I feel like a bride, a bride that is walking towards a new promise, the dream of equality.

Iran and all that makes it unique - steep streets, narrow alleys and unmarked homes - is still the land of promise that we hold dear to our hearts. The women of this land are peacefully writing a glorious end to the bitter long story of inequality and injustice. Iran is still the covenant to those hands that would like to wash the mud of distress from the yarns of this land in the stream of peace and unity. Only then we can resurrect equality and knit white wings for the dove that represents unity. Meanwhile, behind every closed door, a young girl dressed in white is making history so that she can embrace the future with pride and honor.

My grandmother everyday practices her signature, as evidence of her existence and her uniqueness. Here in Iran, I, you, and our mothers are all brides dressed all in white, and with our peaceful approach we dance in the alleys from house to house so that our promise of equality and unity transforms the sounds of the chains on our feet to the melodies of an anklet.