fighting beauty
             An Interview with Nazanin Afshin-Jam

 

From flying planes to studying political science, and from the Miss World pageant to the global music charts, Nazanin Afshin-Jam finds creative ways to bring awareness to issues close to her heart. She is a human being who finds activism to be part of our individual responsibility. Born in Iran, and raised in Canada after the fiasco of the Iranian Revolution, Afshin-Jam juggles her two cultures in a perfect harmony. As a free citizen of Canada, she speaks on behalf of those who are silenced in the land of her birth. And as a Persian woman, she defies the stereotype of the Western eye. She beats each system in its own game.

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Afdhere Jama: So, you were actually born in Iran?

Nazanin Afshin-Jam: Yes, I was born in Iran in 1979.

So, tell me, how did you end up in Canada?

Well, that was during the time the revolution was taking place. And my father at the time was the manager of the Sheraton Hotel. And, of course, he was allowing for music to be played in the hotel and for alcohol to be served. Under the new Islamic rule, this was forbidden. So, my father was in trouble. He was imprisoned, and tortured. Anyway, we fled to Spain. And from Spain, a year later, we came to Canada. And I have been in mostly in Canada ever since.

So, obviously, you don't remember Iran yourself, but did you grow with stories of Iran?

Yes, I grew up with hearing stories and, of course, seeing my parents affected by what happened. My mother, even to this day, thinks back to what happened. She cries or, you know, she will get very emotional. And, my father, of course, carries physical and emotional reminders of that time. Obviously, that is why I turned out caring about human rights.

Is there a particular time in your childhood when you learned what had happened to your father, and your family in general?

I learned what happened to my father when I was about ten. At first, nobody would tell me what happened. I saw the scars on my father's back, but they always avoided answering my questions about it. I actually learned from the daughter of a family friend, who said to me, "Hey, I heard your father was imprisoned back in Iran." And then I went back to my parents, and asked them about it. And then they told me everything.

Your family was a working family in Iran-- I mean, your father was a working man, but were they well off, and did that change in Canada?

In Iran, my family led a comfortable life. They were middle class, you could say. But, when they came to Canada that definitely changed. They had to start from scratch. My father continued in the hotel business for a while. And then went into an electronic company, where he ended up in marketing management. My mother was an artist always, so she just continued to do her art. So, at first things were difficult in terms of getting back on our feet—in getting jobs or networking. But, eventually my family worked their way up. So, now we are what you would call a middle class family. We are not rich or anything like that but we are comfortable.

Growing up, were you influenced by the Iranian culture? I mean, were you guys part of the local Iranian community? Did your family have Iranian friends?

My parents had a lot of Persian friends and when there would be parties we would go their houses. Of course, then I would be friends with those children. There would be the Persian New Year, and we would celebrate that with them. And things like that. I wish I kept up more of my culture in the sense of taking more classes in writing Persian or things like that.

Do you speak Farsi?

In our house, we would speak a mixture of Persian and English. My sister and I would mix it up. My mother speaks to us in Persian, where my father speaks to us in Persian or English. So, I speak it but with an accent!

It sounds like you guys kept up with the culture.

In a way, yes. I mean, we still have those values. We have a very close-knit family, for example. We are always there for one another. We are definitely not the average Canadian family in that sense.

I read somewhere that you went to the military?

It is not exactly the military. It is called Royal Canada Air Cadet. It is funded by the Department of National Defense and private funders. It is more for the youth—to develop attributes of citizenship and leadership. You have a uniform, and we would do parades.

Like boy scouts and girl scouts?

Not exactly. It is not as cheesy as the boy scouts. I mean, it is not as juvenile. But it is not the army, either. We would go into the forest, and learn bush survival exercises and go camping. But we also had the opportunity to learn to fly. So, when I was 17 I got my private pilot license. So, it is a great program to be part of as a youth.

Interesting. Is it something you can carry on into adulthood, or?

I think you retire at age 18, and then you can choose to go into the real military then or just follow another path of a career.

Did you want to become a pilot professionally?

No, it was more of a hobby. I went to the University of British Columbia, and I was interested in international relations so I studied Political Science. The first year, I got a chance to go to England for a year doing international studies. And it was a great place—a castle that they converted into a school. It was a hand-on studying. We went to different countries. The second year, I came back to Canada at UBC. My third year, I went to a political school in France. And my fourth year, I came back to UBC again.

Oh, that explains you speaking French. Did you study French in Canada or was that something you got interested in France?

No, in Canada I went to a French school. So, I was able to learn French really good.

Is that common in Canada—to go to a French school when you don’t live in Quebec?

Well, because French is official language you have the choice to go to a French or English school. Because in the streets you learn English anyway, a lot of parents will send their children to French school so that they have a second language.

Oh, that is really cool. You got to learn three languages! That opens up your world.

Yes, and I think that is why I was probably interested to study Political Science or got involved with a lot of human rights issues—you know, becoming aware of what was going on around the world.

I read that you started the “Stop Child Executions Campaign” because of a girl that shares your name.

Well, starting the campaign led directly from the success we have had with the Nazanin Fatehi case and knowing that something could be done. And it was also because of learning about other minors who were facing execution. We couldn’t just leave them behind.

Obviously you were interested in this line of work long before.

Yes, I was involved with a lot of human rights issues previous to that. For example, I was working with the Red Cross for a few years—working as a youth educator. I would go to schools and teach them about landmine crises, poverty disease cycle, or the children affected by war, and natural disasters. So when the Tsunami happened, went there to help the victims. I also went to Ethiopia to help raise aware of the cases of girls who have fistula. So, of course, I was always interested in human rights and helping people. Even in high school, I started a global issues club. I have always had a soft spot for people being abused.

Wow, that is really impressive. I know you told me you helped with the earthquake in Bam. Did your family ever go to back Iran after you guys left?

My father went back a few years ago because his mother was very sick. We were all, of course, scared to go back. My parents, whenever I would suggest to going back, would say ‘No, it is too dangerous’. And, especially now, it is really dangerous for me to go back unless things really change there.

Yeah, I can understand. Tell me, what are some of the day-to-day things you do with the campaign to stop child executions?

Well, we put up profiles of different minors who are facing execution. There are about 80 minors currently on death row in Iran. We also put information on the handful of other cases outside of Iran. We documented several cases in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and in Sudan. But, definitely, our major focus is on Iran because they are the worst offender. They are considered the only country that officially continues to execute minors.

I’m against the executions of minors. To play the devil’s advocate, however, I have to ask—is the Iranian law against executing minors?

This is really upsetting because Iran signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child under the UN, which state they are not allowed to execute minors under the age of 18. And they are also not allowed to give life imprisonment for people who committed crimes while they were minors. The problem is that they do continue to do this.

So, how is the government able to get away with this? I mean, even within Iran?

Well, under Sharia law, which is what Iran’s penal code is based on, a girl is an adult at the age of 9 and a boy at the age of 15. And this is lunar year, so it is even shorter—around 8 or 8 ½.

Why are the girls considered adults at age 9 when the boys wait until 15?

Well, under Sharia estimates, girls mature faster and therefore should be considered adults a lot sooner than boys. I think it might root back to the Hadith in which the Prophet took a nine-year-old wife. So, what they do is they say these children should be responsible for their criminal acts at those ages.

That is horrible.

Yes, and so to get away with this, they will say, ‘we are not going to execute a nine-year-old girl but we will wait until she is eighteen and then execute her.’ So, there are many cases where the children stay in prison until they are 18, and then get executed.

Yes, I know some of the cases—such as Makwan Moloudazdeh.

That is a very good example. He was 13 when he committed the alleged crime of raping another boy. They waited until he was over the age of 18, and executed him at age 21. What is specifically horrible about this case is that the Head of the Judiciary Ayatollah Shahroudi, under international pressure, said out loud, ‘don’t execute him, we will reopen his case to investigate further’. And then the lower judges didn’t listen, and they carried out the execution. This is against even the Iranian law. No one is supposed to execute anyone until the Head of the Judiciary signs off on it.

So, it was even against its own laws.

Yes, and what is even more horrible is that the so-called original victims all recounted their confession because it was never a rape. It was consensual sex between two boys. And Makwan was paraded through his town—his head shaven, and on a donkey. People shouted horrible things to him, and threw things at him. It was really, really sad.

Do you hear from adults in Iran, who are looking for help?

Yes, actually, I’m currently helping a couple in Turkey who left Iran because they converted to Christianity and were facing persecution. They tried to get to Greece, but they were returned to Turkey. So, finally, they are just getting their refugee status by the UNHCR in Turkey after spending nine months in Turkish prison. Finland said they would take them. But then Finland retracted saying they couldn’t accommodate any more people. So, they are living in this small Turkish town for over a year and are being harassed by Muslims in that city because that is a very Islamic town.

My God, that is just awful.

It really is. They have no money, nothing. They are stuck there. One of the fathers lives in Greece, which is why they were trying to get there. He just called me a few days ago saying he didn’t know what to do. And I have been trying to get Canada to take them, but it is so difficult.

You know, what really upsets me is that if that couple could get to Canada, Canada would accept them and not return them to Iran. This is a problem in Europe, where people make it there and they are returned.

Yes. Have you heard of the case of the couple who were stuck at one of the airports for over a year?

No. How?

They lived in the hallway. They were involved with political stuff back in Iran. So, they were scared that if they were to be deported they would be killed. So they were basically living in the hallway for over a year, without anything. It was really bad.

That is awful. Do you really think international pressure helps thwart these countries abusing the rights of their citizens?

Yes, I do. It makes such a huge difference. There are cases all the time helped by international pressure. For example, I was just reading about a woman who got pardoned in Saudi Arabia. She was gang raped, and they wanted to give her 200 lashes. Well, after a huge pressure from a lot of different groups, the King of Saudi Arabia said he pardoned her for the sake of the Saudi people. Of course, they don’t care about the people. They are doing it because of international pressure.

Have you guys had successes with the Stop Child Executions Campaign? I mean, in terms of international pressure?

Yes, definitely. We noticed that the cases we were able to get people and the media involved, or where we could get diplomats to speak up, these are the cases where they don’t execute. But it is the unknown cases, or quiet cases that they quickly carry out.

Lighter things: tell me about your music. I listened to couple of your songs—pretty good.

Thank You. Thank you very much.

Was it something you were always interested in?

I got to be very appreciative of music through listening to the world music my mother would play as a child. However, it was never something I considered as a career until just a few years ago when I felt I needed to reach more people—get my message to more people, getting awareness out there of different issues. So, I decided to use music as my next vehicle. That is how it really kind of started.

Interesting, indeed. And you are signed on with a record label, which people work years and years to get!

Yes, I am! It is a cool label. Actually, Bodog is an entertainment company and they wanted to expand into music and television. There are some very interesting artists on the label beside me. I’m very proud to be part of it.

Where is your music being marketed?

We have been focusing more in Europe and in the U.S., and are also starting to go into the Canadian market now. My single ‘Someday’ actually reached #12 on the charts in the U.S., which is amazing.

Wow! That is really cool. How is it doing in Europe?

It is doing well in certain cities like Berlin, London and Paris. These are cities where the singles were being promoted. I have been interviewed on a lot of different television stations. I’m getting feedback, too.

That is very neat. Is your exposure as a musician helping your causes?

Oh, yeah. It is bringing in different audiences to different issues I’m involved with. It is a fun medium. I’m sticking with it as long as it brings supporters to the causes.

Hey, if the boat is sailing, right? Tell me about the Miss World gig. How did that come about?

While I was working with the Red Cross, I was teaching classes to about thirty people or so here and there. And I needed something to reach out to more people. And that is when I learned about the Miss World organization. And their motto was ‘Beauty with Purpose.’ Their aim, at the time, was to raise money for children across the world. So, it was perfect. I won the Miss Canada portion, and went onto the international competition. I came first runner up there.

Did that help change your situation?

Yes. It really gave me a platform to speak on issues. All of the sudden the media was more interested in what I had to say about some of these touchy issues. So, I’m really happy I did it.

It is sad but it is true that the world today, especially the West, is so celebrity-obsessed.

I agree, and that is why I really did that. It was a systematic way to beat the system itself. It makes me upset, at the same time, that it would take that—to hear issues that are important. A really good example is the Nazanin Fatehi story. No one was talking about it in the media until I got involved and all of the sudden they had the ‘former Miss Canada is saving a live’ angle. It should have been a story in itself. It should have been on every news.

That really is sad. So, what is your next plan of action? What will Nazanin do next to get the world to pay attention? What are you doing in the next few months?

I’m really just getting myself out there. I’m getting invited to a lot of places—to speak on issues relating to women and politics in Iran, et cetera; the European Union, the United Nations, the Canadian Parliament. I’m also invited to speak at a event in Taiwan where a large number of world leaders are gathering before the Beijing Olympics, to pressure the Chinese government to improve its human rights. I’m also speaking on Darfur here in Canada, where a group invited me in Montreal. So, I’m just going to continue doing what I’m doing. I’m still very much involved with the Stop Child Executions Campaign.

I also heard you are doing a documentary.

Yes, we are working on a documentary on Nazanin—to sort of expose what is happening to other minors in the hope that something can be done.

Did you ever have the chance to talk to her directly?

Yeah. When she was freed, about three hours after she was freed I spoke to her for the first time. This was back in January 2007. So, since then we have been speaking on a monthly basis. I’m still trying to get her here somehow.

How is she doing?

Well, she is very happy to be free, of course. But, she still has a lot of psychological scars from being in prison for so long. And, of course, she tried to commit suicide when she was in prison. She was in prison for almost three years, and they tortured her. They would put electrical chains on her feet. It was horrible.

So glad she is out of there. People don’t understand how horrible a prison can be in Iran. I mean, sure prison is horrible anywhere. But I visited a prison in Iran and it was really bad. Is she adjusting to life now?

Well, she still has nightmares of people following her or being tortured. But, yes, she is doing better. She is happy to be back with her family. And she is now starting to go to school.

Yeah. That is good. So, what would you say to anyone or any government that is returning asylum seekers back to Iran?

I would plead with them to just hear one of these stories. I would ask them to meet one of them face to face, and really listen to them—and hear their stories. I think if they meet face to face, and see another human being who has suffered under such atrocious conditions, I don’t think they could have the heart to send them back. When you don’t see someone or don’t know him or her, it is just a case.

I agree. Ok, last question. I always ask this; if you had the power to change something about yourself, what would it be and why?

That is a tough question! I think I would be less sensitive. I know it sounds cheesy but sometimes I’m so emotionally taken by something that I become paralyzed in some ways. I would be crying all the time. And, of course, that doesn’t help the situation. So, at times I wish I could be stronger so that I could be stronger for those around me.

But that is what makes you human, no?

Yes, but there are times when I just really want to have fun. I go to a party or somewhere fun, and I just want to relax and not think about all the horrible things that happen in the world. But my mind always wanders back to the children in Iran, or the women who face abuse, or the animals or whatever.

Well, Nazanin, thank you so much for doing this with me!

Thank you! And I hope your readers go on the website and sign the petitions.

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To learn more about the Stop Child Executions Campaign, visit The Official Website

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