'We had to leave'

The Feridooni family: Tiam, Nahid, Amir and Hirad. (Photo credits here)

The grainy cell phone videos of citizens crowding the streets are one of the only sources of information coming from Iran right now. Government crackdowns on protestors contesting the recent election results has been swift and deadly, and with restrictions on what journalists are allowed to report, it’s hard to know the extent of the political turmoil that grips the country. For Iranians living abroad, it can be especially difficult to watch from a far.

Amir Feridooni, his wife Nahid and two sons, Hirad and Tiam, are originally from Iran, but moved to Canada 10 years ago as political refugees. Mr. and Mrs. Feridooni were advocates for political change in their country, speaking out against the ruling system’s limitations on the freedom and rights of the Iranian people – and it cost them their country and nearly their freedom.

“It got to a point where we no longer had a choice,” explains Mr. Feridooni a technical support specialist for Dalhousie. “We knew we were in danger and we had two small children. We had to leave.”

The family ended up in a refugee camp, living in poor conditions with no money and little hope. They knew coming to Canada would allow them to start over, but it wasn’t easy.

“When we arrived we had $20 American,” Mr. Feridooni remembers. “We did whatever we needed to survive. I delivered flyers, my wife cleaned hotel rooms. We were determined to make a better life for us and our children.”

The Feridoonis knew the only way they could succeed was through education, and after completing English as a second language classes, they set their sights on higher education.

Mr. Feridooni started with a Bachelor of Computer Science, and after being hired to work at the Learning Commons of Dal’s Killam Library, went on to complete a Master’s degree in Health Informatics.

This year’s convocation saw the couple both receive degrees, with Mr. Feridooni completing his second Master’s degree in Library Information Study and Mrs. Feridooni receiving a Bachelor of Nursing. For Mrs. Feridooni, her accomplishment was the fulfillment of a dream she had before coming to Canada. 

“I remember a woman went into labour while we were living in the refugee camp in Turkey. As soon as the baby was born she was sent back into the camp. None of us knew what to do for her. I remember feeling hopeless and knowing that some day I wanted to make a difference in peoples lives,” she explains.

Their family has come a long way in 10 years, and although they feel like Canada is now home, they can’t help but think about the friends and family they had to leave behind.

“All of our family is still there,” says Mr. Feridooni. “The recent events in Iran show the people united, looking for a change, a change that people have been fighting towards for nearly 30 years. The youth who are passionately fighting against the regime today face bullets, tear gas, water cannons and batons. They are the offspring of the people who courageously brought down the Shah regime in 1979.” 

Mr. and Mrs. Feridooni’s sons don’t remember much of their time in Iran and Turkey, but are thankful to be in Canada and proud their parents have been able to accomplish so much. With one son, Tiam, in his third year of biomedical engineering at Dal and Hirad starting science in the fall, the Feridoonis are happy their sons are safe from the violence in their native country.

The family is hopeful regime change is possible and that justice will be served for protestors like Neda, a young woman shot and killed during protests on Saturday.

“From our point of view, one thing is clear. This regime is going down,” says Mr. Feridooni. “We are asking for the freedom of political prisoners. We are asking for freedom of speech, freedom to think, freedom of information. We are asking for canceling the mandatory hijab and equality between men and women rights. We are asking for justice.”