Anxiety mixes with hope as Canadian Iranians watch uprising from afar

Sarah Shariati is staring at her phone screen, trying to connect to her grandfather in Iran. A University of Toronto student has been out of touch with a 95-year-old man for two weeks. When her phone didn’t go through, she texted and shook her head.

“They don’t even get their messages. Their internet is down.”

According to Statistics Canada, Shariati is one of about 90,000 Iranians who have settled in the Toronto metropolitan area. Only Los Angeles has a larger Iranian population outside of Iran.

For much of the wider Iranian diaspora, the past three months have seen an ongoing cycle of protests and violent crackdowns in Iran sparked by the custodial death of Mercer Amini on September 16. I was filled with worry, anger, and frustration.

A 22-year-old woman has died in Iran’s moral police custody after being detained for improperly wearing a headscarf, in violation of the strict dress code imposed on women in Iran. has sparked outrage inside and outside Iran.

“For years I had to worry if my shirt was too bright, if my toes were exposed because I was wearing open-toed shoes, if my hair was too exposed. “And now this generation is saying enough is enough.”

Shariati is proud of the position many in the country hold, but she is also concerned about the safety of her friends and family in Iran and feels guilty about her own relative safety in Canada. I feel

“Some of my friends have been arrested. No news. Some have been injured. College dorms are filled with tear gas,” she said.

“When I walk around campus, I keep thinking [here] “Oh my god, how safe I am and I’m living a normal life here,” she said.

Shariati is doing everything it can to draw attention to the protests in Canada and is pressuring the Canadian government to do more, including helping organize three protests. .

She also knows that her job of amplifying the voice of the rebellion in Iran has a target on her back.

“If I go to Iran, I will probably be arrested at the airport. I know it. My family knows it. But I keep thinking in my head. What have I done to deserve it?” she said.

‘Impossible’ to keep in touch with friends and family

Iranian human rights activists, a group monitoring the ongoing protests, estimate that at least 388 people have died and more than 16,000 have been arrested since they began about two months ago.

Few Iranians in Canada understand the costs of standing up to the Iranian regime and Azam Junglavi. In 2018, a young mother climbed onto a transformer box in Tehran, removed her headscarf and was summarily arrested.

Jangravi fled to Turkey with her daughter and now lives in Canada. When she saw the events happening in Iran, she was filled with her worries and hopes.

“As you know, I broke my silence. This is the key. Now all Iranians have broken their silence,” she said. “I think they are very brave. They know they might get killed, but they come back to the streets every day. ”

It was difficult to get a handle on what was really going on on the streets of the country. I know what’s going on because the information flows little by little in between the communication interruptions.

It also makes it nearly impossible to stay in touch with friends and family on a regular basis.

“When I call my family or friends and they don’t know what happened, it’s really frustrating. I cry with worry,” she said.

Even if you can communicate well with your loved ones in Iran, it may not always be safe to talk to them.

“In everyone’s heart” protest

At the persian Persian grocery store, Khorak Supermarket, Sam Fayaz wonders how his Iranian in-laws fear their phones will be monitored by the Islamic Republic of Iran when they talk to their wives. It explains how to be careful.

“It was a one-sided conversation and I asked the other person, ‘What’s going on over there?'” he said.

Fayaz said months of unrest and violence have chilled the entire Iranian community.

“Everyone is upset. Everyone is depressed,” Fayaz said, gesturing around the store. “It’s calmed down. I mean, it’s Monday. My shop should be a little busier than it is now, but it’s not.”

“It’s on everyone’s mind. Nobody wants to go out and party. Nobody wants to go to concerts. A lot of events have been canceled because people just… that’s on their mind.” said Fayaz.

Posters on the door read “Women, Life, Freedom” and “Be the Voice of the Iranian People.” Fayaz has not been shy about his own support for protesters, who he says tries to amplify their voices as much as possible.

“The more this is shared, the more likely external governments, such as the Canadian government and the U.S. government, will impose tougher sanctions on this regime in different parts of the world and bring about change,” Fayaz said. says. He said.

As snow falls from the gray Toronto sky, Shariati ponders what Canada and the world can do to help Iranian protesters.

“Canada has done a lot. It has done a lot more than many European countries. I think we can call for more action from other countries, it’s an international platform,” she said.

Canada has responded to what Global Affairs Canada called “ongoing gross and systemic human rights abuses and continued actions to destabilize peace and security.” issued five sets of sanctions. The sanctions list includes companies and leaders associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

“There could be more targeted sanctions against its leaders, and the IRGC could be recognized as a terrorist group,” she added.

She also wants UNICEF and the United Nations to step up their engagement.

“Statements don’t cut it. Stronger action is needed.”