There is no honour in honour killings

First Article (please click to see link)

Second Article (please click to see link)

I have two daughters.  It is my duty as a father to secure the personal security and human rights of my daughters.

The recent “honour killings” of innocent young women in Iran under the regime of the mullahs have horrified and terrified me. 

An “honour killing” is a murder. Plain and simple.  It is the opposite of honour.

In the past few months, there have been several heartbreaking and gruesome “honour killings” in Iran publicized in the media. 

While there is no official data on “honour killings” in Iran, internal news agency ISNA estimates that an average of 375 to 450 honor killings occur in the Islamic Republic of Iran every year.  It has been reported that twenty percent of murders in Iran are “honour killings”

This statistic is shocking.  One “honour killing” is one too many. Several hundred “honour killings” are a plague on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Iranian authorities have the blood of these victims on their hands.  The Islamic Republic of Iran has created and enforced laws that discriminate against females and make them second class citizens in both society and the law.  These discriminatory laws give the green light to those who seek to commit violence against women and girls in Iran. 

At the same time, the conservative Islamic legal system has shamefully failed to protect innocent and vulnerable women and girls from societal and family violence.  

It would be irresponsible for me as a father to return with my wife and two daughters to a country which treats women and girls as second-class citizens and fails to protect them from gender violence.  

Canada is a country where the lives of women and girls are valued the same as the lives of men and boys. Canada is a country where women and girls enjoy equality and protection in the law.  This helps me sleep at night as a father. 

                                                           #Stop_Executions_in_Iran

George Floyd

Watching the tragic and horrible killing of George Floyd, a black man who literally begged the police for his life, fills my heart with pain and sorrow.

George Floyd has become a martyr for Black Lives Matter, but no human being should have to die for meaningful change to happen. Every life is precious regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or political opinion. No matter where you live in the world, we have a moral obligation to speak out and take action against all human rights abuses.

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the state-sponsored suppression of human rights and social change has sadly become normalized. The Revolutionary Guards and other agents of the government serve and protect only the regime. We, the Iranian people, are trying to breathe with a knee on our necks.

I was inspired by the thousands and thousands of peaceful protestors in the United States and in many other countries around the world marching on the streets to demand justice for black lives. Human rights do not recognize borders and are a global issue that concern all human beings. We cannot stay silent.

It is unlawful for any government to respond to peaceful protests with tear gas, beatings, bullets, and imprisonment whether in Iran or the United States. A government that relies on force for its survival lacks legitimate authority to govern and will eventually fall, but until that happens, we must never stop demanding justice and positive change.

I urge all Iranians, especially those who have taken refuge in Canada from the oppression of the Islamic regime, to demand human rights and positive change in Iran. It is our responsibility to be the voices for Iranians inside Iran who are being silenced by this unlawful regime.

In memory of blue girl

Toronto Candle light vigil for blue girl 

Today I remember Sahar Khodayari (Blue Girl) who died last year after setting herself on fire. Her “crime” was that she disguised herself as a man to sneak into a soccer stadium to watch her favourite soccer team Esteghlal of Tehran which wears the colour blue. Sahar was arrested and detained for several days before she was released on bail. She was charged with committing a sinful act by appearing in public without a hijab. Sahar later set herself on fire in front of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran in protest of a possible sentence of six months.

Sahar’s tragic death is a horrible reminder that women and girls in Iran face gender discrimination and abuse in so many ways. 

I cannot tell my own daughters the story of the Blue Girl because it is too frightening. Fortunately, my daughters are now living in Canada which protects women’s human rights and freedoms. They have a promising future and equal opportunities in Canada.

I attended a memorial for Sahar in Canada because Sahar is a freedom fighter and a hero for all those who want equality and human rights in Iran.  I really hope that her tragic death will not be in vain.

Candlelight vigil in memory those who were murdered by the rulers of the Islamic regime of Iran

The Iranian Leadership is also a Deadly Virus

The Iranian Leadership is also a Deadly Virus

Like the coronavirus, the Iranian government is an enemy of the people.  

The Iranian government terrorizes and kills its own people.  

Here are three recent examples.

First, in November 2019, the Iranian security forces, with encouragement from the leadership in Iran, killed more than fifteen hundred innocent protestors including men, women and children. Thousands more were arrested, detained and tortured.

Second, on January 8, 2020, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards shot down a Ukraine's airliner, killing 176 more innocent people. Many of the dead were Canadian-Iranians including my close friend Dr. Farhad Niknam. The Iranian government initially tried to cover up their crime but were soon exposed as the perpetrators.

Third, the Iranian government failed miserably in its response to the coronavirus. The dishonesty of the Iranian regime in dealing with this health crisis is responsible for countless preventable deaths in Iran and in other parts of the world from COVID-19.   

This evil authoritarian regime cares more about its own hold on power than the human rights and safety and security of its people.

Fortunately for me, I can safely post my thoughts because I live in a democratic and free country which respects and protects human rights.  Every time I observe my wife and two daughters enjoying their freedoms and human rights as females in Canada, I am filled with happiness.  However, when I think of my fellow Iranians who are still trapped in Iran by a ruthless regime, a wave of sadness washes over me.

My prayers are with the Iranian people at this most difficult time.

رهبری ایران نیز یک ویروس مرگبار است

رهبری ایران نیز یک ویروس مرگبار است

مانند کورناویروس، دولت ایران نیز دشمن مردم است.  دولت ایران ارعاب وحشت ایجاد میکند و مردم خود را میکشد. 

 سه نمونه از رخدادهای اخیر

اول ، در نوامبر ۲۰۱۹ ، نیروهای امنیتی ایران ، با تشویق رهبری در ایران ، بیش از ۱۵۰۰ تظاهرکنندگان بی گناه از جمله مردان ، زنان و کودکان را کشتند. هزاران نفر دیگر دستگیر ، بازداشت و شکنجه شدند.

دوم ، در 8 ژانویه ۲۰۲۰ ، سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی ایران ، به هواپیمای اوکراینی شلیک کرد و  ۱۷۶ نفر از مردم بی گناه را به قتل رساند.  بسیاری از کشته شدگان ایرانی-کانادایی بودند از جمله دوست نزدیک من دکتر فرهاد نیکنام. دولت ایران در ابتدا سعی کرد بر جرم خود سرپوش بگذارد ، اما  خیلی زود به عنوان عامل آن معرفی شد.

سوم ، دولت ایران متاسفانه در پاسخ به کورونا ویروس  شکست خورد. بی توجهی رژیم ایران در برخورد با این بحران سلامت ، مسئولیت مرگ و میر قابل پیشگیری در ایران و سایر نقاط جهان از را بر اثر  COVID-19 بر عهده دارد.   این رژیم استبدادی شیطانی بیشتر به  قدرت خود اهمیت میدهد تا به حقوق بشر و ایمنی و امنیت مردمش.

خوشبختانه ، من  با خیال راحت میتوانم افکار  خودم را بنویسم چون من در یک کشور دموکراتیک و آزاد که از حقوق بشر محافظت میکند و  احترام میگذارد  زندگی میکنم .  هر بار که من به همسر و دو دخترم نگاه می کنم که در کانادا  از آزادی ها ی زنان و حقوق بشر  بهره میبرند  سرشار از شادی میشوم  با این حال ، زمانی که من به هموطنانم فکر می کنم که هنوز توسط یک رژیم بی رحمانه در ایران به دام افتاده اند ، موجی از غم و اندوه مرا دربر میگیرد. دعای من با مردم ایران در این زمان سخت است.