My name is Dr. Ehsan Sharif. I am a faculty member at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran, as well as at King’s College London. I have been in the UK since I was four years old and lived there for about 23 years, mostly in Manchester and later in London. I came back to Iran about 11 or 12 years ago. This dual life gave me the opportunity to closely observe the deep differences between what is said about Iran in the West and what really happens in Iran. What follows is my personal account of two overlooked truths about Iran: religious coexistence and the Leader’s call for the intellectual awakening of the youth both standing in contrast to the distorted image that Western media has created of Iran.
In Iran, followers of different faiths live side by side in peace. Near my own house, there is a Christian church and, on the same street, a Jewish synagogue. According to the Iranian Constitution, each of these religious communities Christians, Zoroastrians, and Jews—is entitled to a representative in Parliament so that any law that might violate their religious rights can be challenged, and the rights of these groups can be protected. This clearly shows that, contrary to Western media propaganda, Iran respects religious minorities. We have ancient Jewish communities that have lived in Iran for over a thousand years and continue to practice their religion freely. This is a reality that the mainstream media, controlled by America and certain entities, tries to hide. They portray Iran as anti‑Jewish, while in reality, Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians live peacefully alongside Muslims in Iran. This coexistence is a practical example of the New Islamic Civilization that Seyyed Ali Khamenei spoke of. The New Islamic Civilization does not seek to impose Islam; rather, it seeks tolerance, coexistence, and justice. If Iran intended to impose Islam, it would not allow a church and a synagogue to exist on the same street as a mosque. But in Iran, different religions live together, and this shows that the image presented by Western media is distorted.
Seyyed Ali Khamenei introduced the concept of the “New Islamic Civilization” about 15 or 20 years ago. When he wrote his letters to the European and Western youth, he urged them to read the Quran directly and not to rely on interpretations from mainstream media, which he believed is largely controlled by American and Western powers. He pointed out that these media outlets have their own agendas and propaganda regarding Islam, the Quran, and Islamic teachings, and that they also hold a hostile stance toward the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly toward the Leader himself. In his letters, he told the youth: “Go and read the Holy Quran yourselves. Reflect on it, and compare the judgments made by the mainstream media with what you read directly.” He wanted them to judge for themselves. This was an invitation to “enlighten the mind” and “escape intellectual darkness.” As someone who has lived most of my life in the UK, I can say that the greatest oppression in the West is the suppression of intellect—the effort to shut down critical thinking, to prevent people from asking deep questions about their purpose and direction. In the West, people are turned into mere tools for accumulating wealth. When power and wealth become the ultimate goals without ethics, we see tragedies like the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which America justified with its own twisted ethics—the same ethics that allow killing over 70,000 residents, or one‑third to half of Tehran’s population, and even 20,000 to 30,000 innocent children. For them, this is acceptable because it serves their objectives. Today, we see more people awakening for example, protests in European ports against ships carrying weapons to the Zionist regime. This is part of the awakening that Seyyed Ali Khamenei spoke of about five years ago, when he predicted a power shift from the West to the East. He did not merely favor the East for the sake of power; he pointed out that the East was historically wealthier, but over the past two centuries, Western countries first European nations, then America came to the region, looted its wealth, and made themselves powerful. Now, the world is changing, and power is returning to where it rightfully belongs, because God placed these resources in this region. The Leader’s letters to the youth have opened the door to intellectual freedom. He repeatedly emphasized that young people should not allow Western media to shut down their minds. Instead, they should investigate for themselves, think for themselves, and judge for themselves. This is exactly what he pursued in his letters to the youth of Europe and the West. He wanted to awaken them from their slumber and show them that true Islam is not what Western media portrays.
What has been expressed in this personal account presents two different faces of Iran: the real face of coexistence, tolerance, and justice, and the distorted face created by Western media. Religious coexistence in Iran is not a slogan, but an everyday reality seen on the streets of Tehran and alongside one another. At the same time, the Leader’s letters to Western youth demonstrate a wise approach to confronting intellectual darkness and awakening dormant consciences. Together, these two narratives offer a picture of an independent, resilient, and at the same time tolerant Iran far removed from what is reflected in Western media.
