Episode 50: 40 Years to Freedom (Part 1)
Amin has been climbing for over 23 years, starting in Shiraz, a historical city in Iran. In 2017, he moved to the U.S. to work as a head routesetter, and was shot in a senseless act of violence that critically injured him and shook friends and family to their core. The irony of growing up in the Islamic Republic of Iran and never being afraid of guns until he moved to America is...sobering.
Today, Amin remains deeply engaged in advocacy for Iranian people, especially women. He believes the revolution is coming and is inspired by those who have put their lives on the line for change.
This is part one of a two-part story.
Visit GoFundMe.com/myshare4freedom to support those who have been directly affected during the Woman Life Freedom movement.
Find Amin on Instagram at @amminabbasi for updates and more. Contact him if you’re willing and able to further amplify the voice of the Woman Life Freedom movement.
For the Love of Climbing is presented by Patagonia. Additional support is from deuter USA, Allez Outdoor, and Ocún.
Music is licensed by Music Bed. Additional music is licensed by Blue Dot Sessions.
Photo courtesy of YASIN AKGUL/Getty Images.
Catch up on podcast (pod-Kath?) updates and general life things: @inheadlights
This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Because therapy is for everyone.
FLC is public media which means we’re supported by listeners like you. Donate or become a patron.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
(KATHY KARLO): This podcast is presented by Patagonia. Not bound by convention, Patagonia’s in business to save our home planet.
- It’s 2023, and modern climbers are more accomplished than ever, and we don’t just mean on the wall. Patagonia has always seen the value in being bold, whether it means pushing highpoints or having the audacity to demand more for our planet.
So, what’s it mean to be a “strong climber”? Full commitment to the sport and to our communities. It means not just working towards futuristic first ascents but also, a better future. And we aren’t going to get there alone.
For Patagonia’s 50th year, we’re looking forward, not back and together, we can prioritize purpose over profit to protect this planet. Get involved, read stories to get you out there, and join a community that values what we do off the wall as much as we do on. Because we’re Bolder Together. Find out more at patagonia.com/climbing.
- We get support from deuter, one of the leading backpack brands that will help you hit the trails with confidence and comfort, but most importantly—your snacks. Founded in 1898, deuter believes in fit, comfort, and working in the long term to offset CO2 emissions by teaming up with Climate Partner to invest in social and climate offset projects worldwide for select product—including their Guide and Vertrail climbing packs.
deuter packs are PFC-free—meaning no forever chemicals and they honor their Promise Lifetime Warranty since their packs were meant to be on your back, and not in landfills. So, you can focus on way cooler things like puppies, pocket bacon, and gettin’ sendy—whether at the crag or in the alpine.
(FEMALE VOICE): Today we’re going to talk about “allez”. “Allez” means “come on!” in a way, or to encourage. Ok! We are done with the simple and normal uses of “allez”, now let’s cut to the chase:
(KK): Allez Outdoor Personal Care products are made by climbers for those who love the outdoors. Their rich and repairing ingredients for their skincare collection are inspired by desert landscapes, and their simple and recyclable packaging makes them eco-sustainable. Allez commits to protecting the open spaces that we love by partnering with the Access Fund and 1% for the Planet. That’s Allez Outdoor: “A-L-L-E-Z”). Allez Outdoor—made by climbers, for those who love the outdoors.
- Who is Ocún? More than prolific crack climbing gloves, Ocún has been making innovative gear engineered for climbing to improve your performance since 1998. Their climbing shoe designs are all original, developed and manufactured in Czech Republic and completely, one hundred percent gender neutral. Beyond their sticky rubber, Ocún is renowned for their hardware, harnesses, and the biggest lightest crash pad on the market. Find your new favorite climbing shoes and accessories at Backcountry, Moosejaw, CampSaver, and Amazon.
(AMIN ABBASSI): From the day that I started climbing, my life totally changed. There is no way that I can’t. Nobody knows about the future, but right now, I don’t think anything can keep me away from climbing. Sport, speed, bouldering—I don’t have a preference at all. I cannot pick any [one] discipline.
Climbing is a part of me. Since the day that I started climbing, I felt that I was a part of that sport. If I need to heal, if I have some illness, if I have something that I need to figure it out—I need to go climbing. And that’s the healing part.
For me, myself, as a climber and as a resident of Iran—a citizen of Iran—I fight like the people in the street. So, I already put some posts on social media that make me part of this revolution [that means] that I cannot go back home anymore. Since [the Islamic Republic] are ruling the government, I know that they’re looking for me, but I don’t feel any fear. [I’m not scared.]
Being their voice is a big part. So, I fight and I do social media. I connected with the families back in Iran—I try to be their voice and connected with lots of Iranian news. And their voice is already out, but it needs to be much louder.
So, what I’d really, really like from you guys—everybody here [listening to this podcast] is to go do a small thing like share one post, re-share them, re-share a story. Just say something. Just like a post. Anything you can do to be their voice, because climbers in Iran—they’re in danger.
(ALEX HONNOLD) (to himself): Ok, I’m Alex Honnold. You’re listening to the love of climbing podcast. It’s a funny, sad, somewhat uncomfortable podcast—
(louder)
I was like, “Wow, this is the opposite of my podcast. But, you know, here we go!”
(laughs)
(upbeat music)
“I’m Alex Honnold and you’re listening to For the Love of Climbing—”
—is it “to the”? Or “to—“ Do you say “to For the Love of Climbing Podcast”?
“I’m Alex Honnold and you’re listening to For the Love of Climbing Podcast.”
Yeah. Yeah, I see it.
“You’re listening to For the Love of Climbing Podcast. This is not a climbing podcast. Well, sorta. It’s a funny, sad, and somewhat uncomfortable podcast about choosing vulnerability. Here’s the show.”
Easy cheesy!
(KK): Hey, a quick heads up. This episode briefly mentions sexual violence, violence, and abuse as it delves into some of the current news happening in Iran through the lens of Amin Abbasi, climber and IFCS routesetter based here in the United States.
This podcast supports the Iranian people’s struggle for human rights since the introduction of Islam as a form of governance in 1979, and acknowledges the fact that the regime’s greatest victims are the Iranian people.
There’s a lot to say about what’s happening in this particular corner of the world, and we proudly share Amin’s story with the hope to spread knowledge, foster compassion and instill hope. Additional source and resource links can be found in the episode transcript online.
This episode was recorded in December of 2022.
(AA): My name is Amin Abbasi and I was born and grew up in Iran back in 1983. So, I immigrated to the U.S. in 2017 to be with my wife and my family here. I started working with Momentum Climbing Gym in Houston, Texas back in 2017 and I worked for them for five years and I moved to Austin in February 2022 to start working with Mesa Rim as a head routesetter in their new location.
I’m pretty active and I’m a good dad, I believe.
(laughs)
And fun to work with, I believe.
(KK): What do you think someone would say your best qualities are?
(AA): I don’t know! You should ask them first!
(KK): Yeah!
(both laugh)
(AA): But it might be…
(pauses)
—hard to say! I don’t know. Always laughing. I try to see the good direction of life and ignore the bad things and the negative [things].
I was born in Shiraz, south of Iran—one of the big cities of Iran. It’s about three and a half million population and the city is very nice and is surrounded by mountains. There are climbing areas everywhere. The ocean is about three hours away. It’s a very, very cute city.
So, I grew up in—I can say very—
(laughs)
—very busy family. I have six siblings. So, I grew up in a very busy house—so, I never had my own room. And my parents were always open to helping us, to share whatever they have. And I started climbing when I was fourteen.
(laughs)
[It was] a very, very small wall. Twelve by twelve feet. That’s it. Straight, nothing on it—some holds. And that was the climbing gym twenty-five years ago.
So, I got really involved and picked up for the Regional division and I got to the Nationals pretty quickly, after a year. Being able to travel and get away from siblings and be myself and visit different cities, different communities, different climbing gyms—I loved it.
And I got my podium in the Asian Championship after two years I started climbing. So, I kept going. I tried to stay and I love climbing.
(KK): Amin started climbing in 1997. Lynn Hill had just freed The Nose on El Cap four years prior, and legends like Katie Brown and Chris Sharma rose to fame in ’95. Climbing was taking off in the 90s, and news spread around the world from Yosemite Valley to Fontainebleau to the Great Trango Towers—but little was known about the climbing in Iran.
This sport has deep roots and a storied history across the globe, originating in the early days of mountaineering, before it began focusing more on technical difficulty.
In the 1950s, American climbers became known for establishing first ascents in Yosemite which marked a huge turning point as free climbing became more and more common. By the 60s, ascents in the Alps and Himalayas were making the headlines and this was considered the dawn of rock climbing as a global sport.
Nestled in the Middle East somewhere, Iran was no exception to the climbing boom. At the height of summer, you can hit the alpine of Tochal Mountain, located to the north of Tehran. And during the winter months, it’s ski and ice climbing season.
Iran’s outdoor recreation and climbing scene, while hidden underneath a heavy veil of politics, has always thrived. And everything from bouldering to big walls to even ski mountaineering exist in this out-of-the-limelight location.
(AA): Climbing in Iran is very different than any other country, I can say because Iran is under sanction because of the government. And if you come to Iran and visit a climbing gym, you’re gonna be surprised because everything is different. The walls, holds, volumes, the layout—the climbing gym itself. They’re all local.
And the quality, since there’s a sanction, right? So, the quality’s very, very low. I’ve worked for a couple of gyms and I know they store lots of old holds and volumes—those are the best quality that you can find in Iran.
How I learned to climb and how I think I’m good at climbing is because of outdoor climbing. So, we have lots of outdoor climbing in the city—it’s like fifteen minutes by bike. You don’t need to drive. You can get your bike and go wherever you want.
Three miles of walls in the alley, right in the middle of the city. And that’s how I learned to climb and how I can see different dimensions and all different angles. And so, since I’m an IFSC routesetter, I used to travel a lot in Asia to see lots of gyms.
But still, it’s very different in the U.S. The industry here is more like the entertainment industry [rather than the sport industry]. Like martial arts, right? You need to be passionate about martial arts to learn or like basketball or volleyball. But climbing these days, especially in the U.S., is for everyone.
On the weekend, you wanna go somewhere with your family, and it’s easy to find a bowling place or a jumping place—or go to a climbing gym. So, it’s for everyone. You can do yoga, you can do fitness, and you can find climbing for all different ages. And it’s blown my mind!
So, I immigrated here, and seeing the gyms in the U.S. surprised me a lot. I said, “Wow!” every time I walked into the gym back in 2017. It’s like, “Wow. How is it possible—how much we’re behind, and how we can get to this point?”
So, I traveled back to Iran a couple of times and I tried to adopt some of it since I still have a connection back there. But it’s very hard to ship something back to Iran and find good material to build volumes, to build holds, and build walls. It’s still very hard; it’s getting worse and worse.
It’s the government. It’s the government. I don’t know if you want me to go into politics, [but I am happy to go there].
So, the politics in Iran are in religion. Right? So, it’s a religious country powered by Islam. And Islam is from 1,400 years ago and they still try to adopt those rules from 1,400 years ago—today. So, it doesn’t work. But they’re very strict about that and they said, “This is what the book said. This is what the holy book said, and we have to follow that.”
And I don’t know if you follow the news these days. So, people are in the street and they’re fighting all the time. They’re—
(pauses)
—getting murdered, but I don’t think they’re gonna step back. I’m on the side of the people and I’m gonna fight and fight and get the country back, hopefully. That’s the goal, and I believe that we can reach that goal—sooner than later.
(KK): An unprecedented protest against the Islamic Republic system rocked the country—and world. Protests began in the Kurdish areas, and spread quickly to other cities globally. Demonstrators took to the streets and have called for the end of women’s subjugation, as well as the end of the regime.
Leading scholar Dr. Tamar Eilam Gindin asks that we: “Make no mistake! The current protests are not about the hijab, but because of an event related to [the hijab], many of which have since been removed and burned in protest.”
“Protesters aren’t just demanding freedom to dress as they wish. They’re demanding complete liberation from the oppressive yoke of the Islamic Republic.”
Video recordings showing violent arrests promoted Iranian government to cut off mobile internet, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
A reformist pundit once likened social media to an underprivileged province, stating that: “Social media in Iran is like a province with a population of 50 million people,” —people whose trust in the government wanes every day. As that trust corrodes, anger rises.
(AA): That’s the crux. That’s why we’re gonna end up with a revolution.
These days, it’s my job and it’s my focus to be their voice because every day, every news is killing us. This morning, I woke up at three a.m. today. My routine is: every night, I wake up a couple of times to check my kids and Iranian news, social media. I found out that they executed the second person from the protests this morning, which is night in Iran.
And even after an execution, it’s hard to get the body from the government. They don’t want to show the body. They’re going to bury that body and make sure there’s no picture. And these things are not getting people scared, these days. They give them more courage.
(KK): These things that Amin is talking about? They’re scary, fucked up things. And they’re also very real. One of the scariest parts is to know that an entire country and its people are being silenced.
Social media has been beneficial in spreading news and keeping friends and family informed. It’s helped keep Amin in the loop and plays a crucial role in news consumption—but there’s a need to practice caution within that, as well.
(AA): So, another thing that’s very important is we don’t want war. So, we don’t want another Iraq or another Lebanon or another Afghanistan to happen in Iran.
So, one thing people can be aware of if they hear or share some news, even in the New York Times, they need to go through that and make sure that it’s true. So, I read the article in the New York Times about ‘morality police in Iran got canceled’, which is not real at all.
It’s just some rumors. So, don’t trust [them]. Any statement that they make, they’re not trustworthy. They’re killers. They kill people with no documentation. They don’t let the United Nations to come into Iran and review and see and watch the people because they know that they’re doing the wrong thing.
Because of the sanction these days, it’s hard to send anything to Iran, but there are people looking for money. There are people looking for drugs. There are people looking for clothes. They have some connection to send them. So, there are some ways.
And if you’re willing to help, even making a small post, like those famous athletes [who have lots of followers]. That’s super helpful and that I’m looking for and trying to connect with because most of my friends—they’re all athletes. They’re highliners. They’re climbers, bikers (bike riders), and very professional athletes that got arrested and they need immediate help.
(KK): Is there a direct impact if like, a lot of posts get shared—
(AA): Exactly.
(KK): —like, with Elnaz?
(AA): So, I’m in contact with Elnaz—somehow. And it helped her a lot and that saved her life and her family. She’s safe back home and she’s staying there but I know that she’s struggling a lot emotionally, and I know she’s still in trouble.
(KK): So, she’s not using social media at all.
(AA): She’s not using social media. You’ll find her and you’ll see, she’s not around because she’s under a lot of pressure and she wants to do something, but she cannot.
I know this stuff by talking to my resources back to Iran—pretty close to Elnaz. Maybe Elnaz herself, but I don’t want to say that. But that social media post and the people who made it to the airport to support Elnaz that exact day saved her life. So, they couldn’t even touch her.
And, the same thing with the other athletes. So, if we make that voice louder, they cannot touch them.
(KK): People show up.
(AA): Yeah, people show up.
(MALE NEWSCAST): Six months ago today, twenty-two-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iran’s feared morality police. Her alleged crime? Violating the country’s strict dress code. She died days later in the hospital. Her family say she had been beaten—police have denied this.
(crowd yelling)
But for many Iranians, especially young women, this was a tipping point. Amini’s death set into motion a chain of extraordinary events that have rocked the Islamic Republic to its core.
Following Amin’s funeral, Iranian women began to show their solidarity by ripping off their headscarves in protest. Within a week, it became clear that this was the most serious challenge to face the Islamic Republic since its inception in 1979.
(cars honking in the street)
For four decades, the theocratic regime has ruthlessly enforced strict rules on Iran’s population, with the hijab mandatory for Iranian women, becoming a cornerstone of the regime’s hold over the people.
(crowd cheering)
Making scenes like this one all the more astonishing. Women, defiantly setting their headscarves on fire and cutting their hair in public—
(crowd yelling)
—as crowds chant, “Woman, life, freedom.” Crowds of young men and even school children have taken part. An unprecedented display of unity. The government’s reaction was nothing short of brutal. Security forces have fired live rounds at unarmed protestors. Skirmishes became daily events across Iran.
At least 522 people have been killed, according to the U.S.-based human rights group, HRANA, including 17 minors. More than 20,000 arrests have been made—hundreds of those on charges that could lead to a death sentence. At least four have been executed so far.
These tactics have, in some way, paid off—for now. The protests have largely subsided, but already it’s clear that there’s been a fundamental cultural shift in Iran. Many women across the country refuse to wear their hijab, something that would have been unthinkable only seven months ago.
Most recently, a crisis after thousands of school girls reported symptoms of being poisoned across Iran, sparking further unease and anger amongst an already exhausted population.
(man speaking in foreign language)
The authorities in Iran are trying to restore a semblance of normality, but for most Iranians, their country has turned into a dystopia.
Just to give you an idea of just how they wrapped up a lot of these protests, Amnesty International published a report today after they’ve spoken to many, many witnesses in Iran and they’ve detailed horrific acts of violence and torture against children using beating, sexual assault, rape, electrocution against minors as young as twelve years old.
So, they used absolutely brutal tactics to bring those protests to an end but it’s left deep, emotional and physical scars on much of the population and many people are wondering when this will flare up again.
(AA): It’s a war between the people and the government. And I know the government. They’re not gonna step back because of the holy book based on their own philosophy. And I know more people are gonna die because that government, they’re not a part of the community. They’re not a part of the people.
They’re a small amount of people that make the rules and they don’t care if they put a machine gun in the street and they kill people easily. They don’t care at all. So, that’s what I know is going to happen and it’s going to be more and more, but the people are not gonna step back.
So, these days, people are getting stronger and stronger, and they try to change their fear into courage. Now, everything is getting super close and you can feel [that energy]. You can feel that with every person that you talk to, every person in the street—you see that courage getting spread out.
(KK): We’re gonna take a short break. We’ll be back.
- Patagonia makes high-performance gear for climbing, from cragging essentials like the Caliza and Venga Rock Pants to the redesigned Nano-Air Light Hybrid Hoody that keeps you comfortable when you’re working hard in cold conditions.
All of Patagonia's technical climbing products are designed and tested in partnership with their ambassador team. They’re made to move, built to endure, and designed to have the lightest footprint possible. And like everything Patagonia makes, they’re backed by a lifetime Ironclad Guarantee. Visit patagonia.com/climbing to see the latest.
- We get support from Better Help to connect you to licensed therapists. They’ll match you with the perfect therapist for a fraction of the cost of traditional therapy. You know who goes to therapy? Prince Harry. Emma Stone. Jenny Slate. Kesha. Therapy is beautiful—everyone should go to therapy. Go to betterhelp.com/climbing to sign up and receive 10% off your first month. It helps support this show, and it helps support you.
(AA): The difference between this revolution from all other revolutions happening in the world is that it’s ruled by women, and the full hashtag is “woman, life, freedom”.
So, women are not a full person in Iran. They’re a half-person. That’s so crazy, right? It’s 2022. So, in any kind of law or anything within Islam, women are considered half. If you want to get your share from your parents, you’re gonna get half and your brother is going to get his full share. If you want to divorce your husband, you cannot do that. That’s their rule—that’s man’s rule.
The last forty years, the people in Iran, especially the women, were so patient. And they got pressured and pushed, and there was quiet and silence. [They thought,] “It’s gonna get better next year.” But it’s the opposite, every year. Every year, everything got worse and worse. And now, economic-wise, culture-wise, anything you can imagine—we’re so behind. So, that’s what happened in Iran in the last forty years.
Iran is a very, very rich country. I believe it’s the second country in oil and gas and they have lots of resources, but people are suffering. I can say that one or two [percent] of the full eighty or ninety million people in Iran are ok. But the rest are suffering because all of that money goes to the government to spread Islam in different countries—not in their own country. They feed different people, but they don’t care about their own children.
And, at this point, which is the last seventy or eighty days, everyone is protesting. But it’s not one city anymore. It’s not one age. And now, it’s every community. Every person, and not just the women. Everyone in the country—small, short. Elementary school kids! They’re taking off their hijab.
You can’t imagine your seven-year-old kid—your seven-year-old girl—and sending them to school and they have to wear a hijab and they don’t let them shine.
For the last forty years, they tried so hard, but it didn’t work. Now, they’re all in the street. They’re so brave and strong and they take off their hijabs and they open their hands in the middle of the school and in the middle of the street—right in front of the army guard: “Hit me.”
I don’t know, dude. It’s so encouraging! I don’t know how they are so strong. They’re my hero. They’re my biggest hero. They’re so strong, these people right now, in the street.
Like I said, it’s three a.m. in the morning and you go open your cell phone and see another person who got executed. It’s like, “God. What are they doing.” But you know, it’s like, I’m not sad at all. I’m more angry, like most people in Iran. I don’t wanna sit down and cry and fear them.
If I didn’t have my two kids, a hundred percent, I would travel back to Iran to stand with my people in the middle of the street. Still, I’m here. I do my best right here to be their voice.
And like you said, Elnaz Rekabi—what happened to Elnaz. But it’s not enough. That’s what we need to happen to all people in Iran.
(pauses)
“Woman, life, freedom.” That’s what people want in Iran.
**Producer’s notes:
Amin started climbing in 1998.
Additional Resources
Amin Abbasi: @amminabbasi