Sit-In (Tahasson)

The word “sit-in” (tahasson in Persian) means “to be in a safe environment” but today it is not used in this sense and has become a political term. Today, a “sit-in” is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to move unless their demands are met. The often clearly visible demonstrations are intended to spread awareness among the public or disrupt the goings-on of the protested organization.

Formerly, it was referred to as a “to take a sanctuary” (bast neshini) sit-in that manifested itself in many ways. For example, Sayyed Jamaloddin Asadabadi’s seven-month “taking a sanctuary” against Naser al-Din Shah in Shah Abdul-Adhim had the same meaning as the modern English term “sit-in.” During this time, he was making his political demands and enlightening the people. The sit-ins were mostly for asylum, seclusion, delaying punishment, evading punishment, proving innocence and so on.

During the height of the Islamic Revolution, especially in 1978, sit-ins were repeatedly used to protest the Shah’s rule, the most famous was a 25-day sit-in of seventy professors at the University of Tehran. They began a sit-in in protest of the “university shutdown” on December 20 and continued until January 14.

Another case was the clerics’ sit-in at the University of Tehran Mosque, which began on January 28, 1977. They rallied to protest the closure of Mehrabad Airport by then Prime Minister Shapur Bakhtiar to prevent Ayatollah Khomeini from entering Iran at The University of Tehran Mosque, saying they would keep on their sit-in until Khomeini’s return. Spreading the news of these two sit-ins in society, sparked widespread protests against the regime and spurred the movement to triumph.