A bomb threat exposes the dark reach of authoritarian regimes

Growing up under the Islamic Republic of Iran, I know firsthand how authoritarian regimes target those who are fortunate enough to flee their tyranny, and that is precisely what happened at the Kennedy Center last week.

For decades, authoritarian regimes have deployed tactics of intimidation to silence voices of resistance and reshape societies in their own image. The recent bomb threat at the Kennedy Center is not simply an isolated attack on a Shen Yun performance; it is a deliberate assault on the very fabric of American identity and a clear message to those, like myself, who have taken refuge here.

I witnessed firsthand how state-sponsored violence is wielded to suppress freedom and control populations.

Our nation’s cultural institutions are not just

Continue reading