Some reactions that have come out of protests both inside and outside Iran seem to be at complete odds with the spirit of freedom, dignity, and human rights preached by protesters. Videos circulating on social media show a number of Iranians knocking off scholars’ turbans on the streets, cursing at them, and even physically attacking them. One scholar was assassinated in Zahedan while on his way to a local mosque for prayer [28]. Many Iranians also stepped up to defend scholars and show respect for them in wake of these unprovoked attacks on religious entities.

While some argue that these reactions only showcase Iranians’ contempt for the “clerical establishment,” it cannot be reasoned that targeting and defaming scholars on the streets is an appropriate response. If anything, these hateful acts promote acts of violence toward innocent individuals who have done nothing to be punished for. If protests are meant to move societies toward greater dignity and respect for all walks of life, attacking scholars solely based on their religious attire in public is the polar opposite of that. Similar sentiments have been echoed in a number of Western nations, where the Iranian diaspora has equated its support for Iran’s protests with acts of hate toward religious centers and practicing Muslims.Several Islamic centers and places of worship have come under attack by radical Iranians who have lashed out on Muslims of various ethnicities.

Manchester City Islamic Centre also witnessed an act of vandalism after a group of ten people sprayed graffiti on the walls of the building [26]. The police found the incident to be politically motivated. A similar incident took place at the Imam Mahdi Islamic Centre in Ontario, Canada, where the building’s walls were vandalized twice in one week with political slogans against the Iranian government [104][105].

The Islamophobic sentiments are also clear in protests, which have directly targeted specific scholars in the West and depict them in offensive and derogatory ways, such as Charlie Hebdo’s latest competition to “produce the funniest and meanest caricature of Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Supreme Leader” [106].

Defaming scholars, vandalizing mosque properties, and physically assaulting worshippers is neither symbolic nor reflective of the human rights slogans that Iranians have been chanting throughout protests. If anything, such acts raise questions about the true nature of the diaspora’s demands for change in Iran. If the purpose of peaceful protesting is to promote constructive and positive change, the Iranian diaspora in the West has not been an accurate reflection or representation of that goal.