You may have noticed the sea of green avatars on Twitter and some other social applications recently. If you ask people why, they’ll tell you it’s in support of the protesters in Iran. But what exactly does that mean? What are they actually supporting? If you ask different people, you’ll probably get several different answers. These are my answers to why.

First, these are NOT the reasons I’m green:

• I am NOT green because I think that Mousavi should have won the election. Nor do I think Ahmadinejad is the right choice. I don’t know who should have rightfully won. They didn’t ask me to count all of the ballots.
• I am NOT green because I believe the US, UK and whoever else are evil. I don’t. I love my country and the freedom and rights I have.
• I am NOT green because I believe that Islam is the one right religion. I don’t believe that there is ONE ‘right’ religion. I believe there’s one religion that is right for you as an individual. I have my own set of beliefs that encompass many religions and am still searching for my ‘one’.

So, why AM I green?

• I AM green because I believe that we should all have the right to disagree with something or someone. If everyone agreed with each other, what would we talk about?
• I AM green because I think it is unfair to beat or murder someone because they think differently than you. People are different. I can’t think of one relative or friend who is exactly like me. Can you? It’d be a pretty lonely place if we killed all those different from us, wouldn’t it?
• I AM green because I believe peaceful protests should not be met with violence. I saw a video from Tehran on YouTube the other day of a man handcuffed with his shirt pulled off. He was not resisting, he was not fighting, yet, the cowards hiding behind ski masks beat him. I cried watching it and it brings tears to my eyes now just thinking about it. How can someone treat another human being like that?
• Finally, I AM green because I am a human being that doesn’t believe other human beings should be treated the way those protesting in Tehran are being treated.

Again, these are just my answers to ‘Why is your avatar green?’. You may agree, disagree, have answers of your own or just not care, which is fine because, well, that is your right.