Shabnam Assadollahi
Canadian Iranian: “I feel betrayed”; waves of migrants endanger Western societies
“The
decision to allow immigration apart from integration should be
carefully weighed and decided by us all living within the boundaries
that our Constitutions represent.”
The following is my interview that to the Italian newspaper Il Foglio.
How do you explain this Western multiculturalism?
Thirty-seven years ago, before the invasion of Iran by Islamic Sharia law, and before Khomeinest regime exported their political Islam to the world, Americans and Europeans embraced multiculturalism inclusively as diverse society. But, after, they allowed excessive immigration without stipulating enough integration into their societies, which undermined the national identity by creating a mismatch of ideologies, breaking down social cohesion. In turn, this has caused a degrading of public trust, and any criticism about it now is labelled racism.
Today’s multiculturalism reflected in the growing number of immigrants coming from the most troubled and controversial part of the world has led some Western politicians to publicly denounce multiculturalism without integration and speak out about its dangers. In my opinion, multiculturalism’s real identity and name has failed the West and has become a proxy for other social and political issues, such as encouraging migrants who insist they shouldn’t have to integrate into Western societies; granting them the ability to live separately and follow their own cultural values which clash with Western values such as equality between men and women, human rights issues, and laws.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has warned that multiculturalism is fostering extremist ideology and is directly contributing to homegrown Islamic terrorism. Extremest Islamists’ multiculturalism is an attack on Western and Christian values, and is the foot at the door to an attack on democracy and western values.
Under Islamic law, in some countries, thieves face the punishment of having their hand and leg severed, females who commit ‘adultery’ face death by stoning, beheading, or hanging. In some countries, homosexuality is a crime punishable by death. Are these cultural values morally equivalent to Western values? In Islamic countries ruled by Sharia Law, they limit equality on women, such as prohibitions on driving, employment and education. Is this morally equivalent cultural value to Western values? Is forcible female genital mutilation practiced in nearly 30 sub-Saharan African and Middle Eastern countries, a morally equivalent cultural value? Are different cultural values morally equivalent? In my opinion Multiculturalism/equality in cultures has failed in West.
How and why Islamic veil submits women and creates a culture of resentment?
In my response to this question, I mostly concentrated on Iran and violations against women there.
Over the last 37 years, women in Iran have been demanding changes to the laws. Changes that would allow a compensation increase for female victims of crimes. This means if a woman and a man get into a traffic accident, the compensation given to the woman is half the compensation of a man’s.
The condition is particularly repressive for women because The Islamic Republic of Iran has targeted women since its inception. The early signs of repression and subjugation of women began with statements like, “female hair has evil energy which drives men to violate the sanctity of women.” This particular statement was made by a member of the High Council of the Revolution who became the first President of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). Driven by this fallacy, the Regime began forcing the veil on women in Iran.
From the beginning, women of Iran resisted the Islamic Regime’s introduction of Sharia Law: a medieval and barbaric legal framework that is incompatible with modern values and basic human rights.
Iranian women are demanding changes to the laws that set the legal age [of maturity] for girls at 13 years old and 15 years for boys. This means that 13 year old little girls can be married off to men a number of decades their senior, with merely the consent of her male guardian, as provided by Article 1041 of the Islamic Republic of Iran Civil Code. Islamic Republic of Iran’s laws allow a girl to only receive half of the inheritance a boy receives, and the inheritance [that a wife] receives from her husband is even less than [half]. Such laws cannot be condoned by women who, by official counts, occupy 70% of the university seats in Iran.
A 16 year-old girl was hanged for having had sexual relations with a 50 year-old married taxi-driver.
Under Islamic law in Iran, the cheating husband would be executed by the reprehensibly act of stoning; however, he was not punished. The 16 year old Atefeh Sahaaleh, however, was executed in the early hours of the morning. The abused victim, Atefah, was murdered by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Boroumand Foundation documented the case of a young prisoner by the name of Sara. Despite being tortured and raped repeatedly over forty times, Sara never did confess to the whereabouts of her brother, but she was left with the memories of what was done to her. In Iranian prisons, it is common for young girls and virgins to be raped. Even, as a final indignity, right before being executed. This is the horrible reality that many women, including many young women, live with every single day in the prisons of Iran.
According to the findings in UN Special Rapporteur Coomaraswamy (U.N. DocE/CN.4/2002/83), the IRI criminal justice system discriminates reprehensibly against women: If a man found his wife being unfaithful, he would be permitted to execute her; however, the same legal system will execute a woman who murders her husband if she found him cheating on her.
A disturbing finding of a U.N. Report of the Economic and Social Council, 6 Nov. 1990 (Doc.A/45/697), was that virgin women condemned to death were forcibly married to officials on the eve of their execution. These officials would then rape these women so that they would not be virgins when they die, sending them to hell.
In developed countries, such as Canada and the UK, women are still denied entitlement to the same salaries as men for the very same jobs. The U.S. has still failed to bind itself by a key women’s rights international law—the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Eliminating this type of injustice will only happen if we exert inescapable pressure on local, national, and international governments and organizations. Rights and freedoms are never given, they are taken. Although these rights are inherent, they are not freely honored, and so strife and relentless effort is the only way to emerge victorious from the ashes of defeat. With the love, dedication and help of people—not men, not women, but human beings—gender equality will be the prevalent principle abided by all living people.
Is it not the height of arrogance and hypocrisy for this Islamic governments with Sharia law constitutions to want to stand in judgment of the way other nations of the world treat their women while blatantly disregarding its own cruel and repressive policies towards women in their countries?
West MUST stand for the voiceless ones, women whose fundamental human rights are persistently taken away from them, who are treated as objects. The West must stand for those whose blood is crying out for justice from their graves, the women and young girls who are tortured, raped, and executed. Let us send a clear message to repressive regimes, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran that continues to violate women’s rights. This must stop, and it is our duty as human beings to stop it.
Do you feel betrayed?
Yes, we do feel betrayed. By our governments as they are not acting prudently for the good of all tax paying citizens within their borders.
Democracy is the first layer of brick upon the foundation of truth that preserves government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Our rights are God inherited and our Western Constitutions are carefully designed to uphold the natural born right of the individual granted by our Creator. Therefore, the decision to allow immigration apart from integration should be carefully weighed and decided by us all living within the boundaries that our Constitutions represent.
Public welfare and safety is of utmost importance; the desire to preserve freedom of thought, expression and speech, religion and worship, and rational law and governance on our streets, in our neighborhoods, cities, counties, states, nations. No matter what our religion or belief, whether Secularism, Atheism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and so on, it is necessary to establish proper law and order for ourselves and our posterity. However, it appears that a few intellectual politicians have really decided for us to unleash immigration without our consideration and we are witnessing the fruit of this error.
In Europe alone, not to mention Australia, Canada, and America, immigration without an emphasis on integration is birthing disaster, Crime is skyrocketing like never before. The incidents of rape, murder, theft, bullying are increasing daily. The people are speaking out, but are being gagged for the agenda of a few. This is not decent, ethical, thoughtful, or moral in any way. Governments and the elite politicians that have the privilege to represent the people must listen to the free expression of the people for the common good of all. This careless trend of elite politician decision making apart from the people, history tells us, is very dangerous and must be stopped.
The exercise of our individual consciences, the safety of our citizens must be preserved once again. We the people must hold our authorities accountable, and those authorities should be submitted to us. It is good to encourage immigration with integration as we have always done, but carefully, with proper discernment and prudence. And, this goodness should spread throughout every nation on the face of this beautiful planet earth. Then, and only then, will we not feel betrayed. May it be so.
Shabnam Assadollahi is a multi-award-wining Canadian human rights activist and freelance writer/journalist of Iranian origin who was locked up at age 16 for 18 months in Iran’s most notorious prison, Evin. She has a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology. Shabnam has worked extensively helping newcomers and refugees resettle in Canada and has distinguished herself as a broadcaster, writer and public speaker. Shabnam’s primary and heartfelt interest is to focus on the Iranian community and world events effecting women and minority communities.
Shabnam Assadollahi’s recent awards and recognition:
Shabnam has been selected among 1000 Most Important Women of the Middle East and the Arab World http://timessquarepress.com/book.htm
Was a recipient of Leading Women/Leading Girls Building Communities award in Ontario
http://pantone201.ca/OnMpp/NaqviY/DocumentEN.aspx?id=401
Was a recipient of The Ontario TESL Award (Teaching English as a Second Language)
http://www.teslontario.net/shabnam-assadollahi
Was honoured by MP Ottawa-Orléans Royal Galipeau and Orléans Ward Councillor Bob Monette for her work as a human rights advocate and for extensively helping newcomers and refugees resettle in Canada. http://www.orleansstar.ca/News/Local/2012-05-03/article-2969101/A-courageous-crusade/1
Was recognized by Member of Parliament in the Parliament of Canada on Women’s Day
https://openparliament.ca/debates/2012/3/9/royal-galipeau-1/only/
Was the recipient of the Hero Award which was presented to her by Rep. Carolyn Maloney in NYC
http://www.algemeiner.com/2011/06/13/government-community-forces-stand-in-unity-against-iran/
The following is my interview that to the Italian newspaper Il Foglio.
How do you explain this Western multiculturalism?
Thirty-seven years ago, before the invasion of Iran by Islamic Sharia law, and before Khomeinest regime exported their political Islam to the world, Americans and Europeans embraced multiculturalism inclusively as diverse society. But, after, they allowed excessive immigration without stipulating enough integration into their societies, which undermined the national identity by creating a mismatch of ideologies, breaking down social cohesion. In turn, this has caused a degrading of public trust, and any criticism about it now is labelled racism.
Today’s multiculturalism reflected in the growing number of immigrants coming from the most troubled and controversial part of the world has led some Western politicians to publicly denounce multiculturalism without integration and speak out about its dangers. In my opinion, multiculturalism’s real identity and name has failed the West and has become a proxy for other social and political issues, such as encouraging migrants who insist they shouldn’t have to integrate into Western societies; granting them the ability to live separately and follow their own cultural values which clash with Western values such as equality between men and women, human rights issues, and laws.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has warned that multiculturalism is fostering extremist ideology and is directly contributing to homegrown Islamic terrorism. Extremest Islamists’ multiculturalism is an attack on Western and Christian values, and is the foot at the door to an attack on democracy and western values.
Under Islamic law, in some countries, thieves face the punishment of having their hand and leg severed, females who commit ‘adultery’ face death by stoning, beheading, or hanging. In some countries, homosexuality is a crime punishable by death. Are these cultural values morally equivalent to Western values? In Islamic countries ruled by Sharia Law, they limit equality on women, such as prohibitions on driving, employment and education. Is this morally equivalent cultural value to Western values? Is forcible female genital mutilation practiced in nearly 30 sub-Saharan African and Middle Eastern countries, a morally equivalent cultural value? Are different cultural values morally equivalent? In my opinion Multiculturalism/equality in cultures has failed in West.
How and why Islamic veil submits women and creates a culture of resentment?
In my response to this question, I mostly concentrated on Iran and violations against women there.
Over the last 37 years, women in Iran have been demanding changes to the laws. Changes that would allow a compensation increase for female victims of crimes. This means if a woman and a man get into a traffic accident, the compensation given to the woman is half the compensation of a man’s.
The condition is particularly repressive for women because The Islamic Republic of Iran has targeted women since its inception. The early signs of repression and subjugation of women began with statements like, “female hair has evil energy which drives men to violate the sanctity of women.” This particular statement was made by a member of the High Council of the Revolution who became the first President of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). Driven by this fallacy, the Regime began forcing the veil on women in Iran.
From the beginning, women of Iran resisted the Islamic Regime’s introduction of Sharia Law: a medieval and barbaric legal framework that is incompatible with modern values and basic human rights.
Iranian women are demanding changes to the laws that set the legal age [of maturity] for girls at 13 years old and 15 years for boys. This means that 13 year old little girls can be married off to men a number of decades their senior, with merely the consent of her male guardian, as provided by Article 1041 of the Islamic Republic of Iran Civil Code. Islamic Republic of Iran’s laws allow a girl to only receive half of the inheritance a boy receives, and the inheritance [that a wife] receives from her husband is even less than [half]. Such laws cannot be condoned by women who, by official counts, occupy 70% of the university seats in Iran.
A 16 year-old girl was hanged for having had sexual relations with a 50 year-old married taxi-driver.
Under Islamic law in Iran, the cheating husband would be executed by the reprehensibly act of stoning; however, he was not punished. The 16 year old Atefeh Sahaaleh, however, was executed in the early hours of the morning. The abused victim, Atefah, was murdered by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Boroumand Foundation documented the case of a young prisoner by the name of Sara. Despite being tortured and raped repeatedly over forty times, Sara never did confess to the whereabouts of her brother, but she was left with the memories of what was done to her. In Iranian prisons, it is common for young girls and virgins to be raped. Even, as a final indignity, right before being executed. This is the horrible reality that many women, including many young women, live with every single day in the prisons of Iran.
According to the findings in UN Special Rapporteur Coomaraswamy (U.N. DocE/CN.4/2002/83), the IRI criminal justice system discriminates reprehensibly against women: If a man found his wife being unfaithful, he would be permitted to execute her; however, the same legal system will execute a woman who murders her husband if she found him cheating on her.
A disturbing finding of a U.N. Report of the Economic and Social Council, 6 Nov. 1990 (Doc.A/45/697), was that virgin women condemned to death were forcibly married to officials on the eve of their execution. These officials would then rape these women so that they would not be virgins when they die, sending them to hell.
In developed countries, such as Canada and the UK, women are still denied entitlement to the same salaries as men for the very same jobs. The U.S. has still failed to bind itself by a key women’s rights international law—the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Eliminating this type of injustice will only happen if we exert inescapable pressure on local, national, and international governments and organizations. Rights and freedoms are never given, they are taken. Although these rights are inherent, they are not freely honored, and so strife and relentless effort is the only way to emerge victorious from the ashes of defeat. With the love, dedication and help of people—not men, not women, but human beings—gender equality will be the prevalent principle abided by all living people.
Is it not the height of arrogance and hypocrisy for this Islamic governments with Sharia law constitutions to want to stand in judgment of the way other nations of the world treat their women while blatantly disregarding its own cruel and repressive policies towards women in their countries?
West MUST stand for the voiceless ones, women whose fundamental human rights are persistently taken away from them, who are treated as objects. The West must stand for those whose blood is crying out for justice from their graves, the women and young girls who are tortured, raped, and executed. Let us send a clear message to repressive regimes, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran that continues to violate women’s rights. This must stop, and it is our duty as human beings to stop it.
Do you feel betrayed?
Yes, we do feel betrayed. By our governments as they are not acting prudently for the good of all tax paying citizens within their borders.
Democracy is the first layer of brick upon the foundation of truth that preserves government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Our rights are God inherited and our Western Constitutions are carefully designed to uphold the natural born right of the individual granted by our Creator. Therefore, the decision to allow immigration apart from integration should be carefully weighed and decided by us all living within the boundaries that our Constitutions represent.
Public welfare and safety is of utmost importance; the desire to preserve freedom of thought, expression and speech, religion and worship, and rational law and governance on our streets, in our neighborhoods, cities, counties, states, nations. No matter what our religion or belief, whether Secularism, Atheism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and so on, it is necessary to establish proper law and order for ourselves and our posterity. However, it appears that a few intellectual politicians have really decided for us to unleash immigration without our consideration and we are witnessing the fruit of this error.
In Europe alone, not to mention Australia, Canada, and America, immigration without an emphasis on integration is birthing disaster, Crime is skyrocketing like never before. The incidents of rape, murder, theft, bullying are increasing daily. The people are speaking out, but are being gagged for the agenda of a few. This is not decent, ethical, thoughtful, or moral in any way. Governments and the elite politicians that have the privilege to represent the people must listen to the free expression of the people for the common good of all. This careless trend of elite politician decision making apart from the people, history tells us, is very dangerous and must be stopped.
The exercise of our individual consciences, the safety of our citizens must be preserved once again. We the people must hold our authorities accountable, and those authorities should be submitted to us. It is good to encourage immigration with integration as we have always done, but carefully, with proper discernment and prudence. And, this goodness should spread throughout every nation on the face of this beautiful planet earth. Then, and only then, will we not feel betrayed. May it be so.
Shabnam Assadollahi is a multi-award-wining Canadian human rights activist and freelance writer/journalist of Iranian origin who was locked up at age 16 for 18 months in Iran’s most notorious prison, Evin. She has a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology. Shabnam has worked extensively helping newcomers and refugees resettle in Canada and has distinguished herself as a broadcaster, writer and public speaker. Shabnam’s primary and heartfelt interest is to focus on the Iranian community and world events effecting women and minority communities.
Shabnam Assadollahi’s recent awards and recognition:
Shabnam has been selected among 1000 Most Important Women of the Middle East and the Arab World http://timessquarepress.com/book.htm
Was a recipient of Leading Women/Leading Girls Building Communities award in Ontario
http://pantone201.ca/OnMpp/NaqviY/DocumentEN.aspx?id=401
Was a recipient of The Ontario TESL Award (Teaching English as a Second Language)
http://www.teslontario.net/shabnam-assadollahi
Was honoured by MP Ottawa-Orléans Royal Galipeau and Orléans Ward Councillor Bob Monette for her work as a human rights advocate and for extensively helping newcomers and refugees resettle in Canada. http://www.orleansstar.ca/News/Local/2012-05-03/article-2969101/A-courageous-crusade/1
Was recognized by Member of Parliament in the Parliament of Canada on Women’s Day
https://openparliament.ca/debates/2012/3/9/royal-galipeau-1/only/
Was the recipient of the Hero Award which was presented to her by Rep. Carolyn Maloney in NYC
http://www.algemeiner.com/2011/06/13/government-community-forces-stand-in-unity-against-iran/
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