Chilliwack resident and former refugee speaks out on the rights of women in Iran

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Nozamani will be sharing her story during an upcoming cultural music performance on Thursday, January 26 at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre. One of the two performers that night, Farhad Khosravi, hails from Iran and plays santur (Persian dulcimer).

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Image: Chilliwack Cultural Centre / Farhad Khosravi (right), formerly of Iran, and Daniel Stadnicki (left) will be performing on Thursday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre. Ghazaleh Nozamani, a native of Iran, will be sharing her story at the concert.

Back in Iran, the oppressive regime instituted a bloody crackdown on peaceful protests in the fall of 2022 that were triggered by the passing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was unlawfully detained by the morality police for violating a strictly enforced Islamic dress code.

Many refugees that immigrate to Canada carry the invisible scars from painful memories with them. For Nozamani, being detained and tortured only motivates her to speak louder and not be a bystander. She holds nothing back when it comes to the indefensible actions of authorities in Iran.

“There is no genuine practise of freedom and democracy in Iran, not for labourers, or anyone in a higher or lower position, of binary or non-binary gender, or age,” Nozamani said. “When they do, they face execution, jail, torture, and, at a minimum, losing their job and whatever they have. Thousands of women, children, and men were killed by the Islamic regime over the last 43 years. Could you imagine living in a country where someone is executed every morning? Could you feel the parents’ anguish as they see their three-year-old girl as a prisoner because the regime is torturing them through her?”

Image: Supplied / Ghazaleh Nozamani speaks at a B.C. FED convention defending an emergency resolution.

After being a refugee for more than eight years, Nozamani eventually settled in Chilliwack where she started a new life with her son. She has become the driving force behind a non-profit organization called Love Without Borders, where refugees are settled in tiny houses.

“I became a refugee for more than eight years, serving refugees through any platform I could find,” Nozamani said. “Finally, I ended up here in Chilliwack in the Fraser Valley, with this beautiful nature and community, thanks to the sponsorship program and the church that accepted us. During the last five and a half years, I worked hard to establish a reasonable life for my only son and myself. It has been good enough to start a tiny house project and register the non-profit organization, Love Without Borders.”

Nozamani says she hopes to sponsor refugees and settle them in tiny houses in Yarrow. It’s her way of paying it forward and reciprocating the acts of kindness she received.

“The first unit will be ready next March or April, and hopefully we will start welcoming the refugees shortly after,” she said. “All the people involved in building it are from different unions. This project is about God, the community, labour unions, and past and present stories. The homes will be located on my property in Yarrow.”

At the same time, she remains equally passionate about amplifying the plight of women and children in Iran who are voiceless.

“A group of people gave me this chance five and a half years ago, and now it is my turn to pay it back to someone else,” Nozamani said. “So, I would like to encourage you to stand with my people in solidarity and share as much as you can about the horrifying things happening in Iran. May our acts help save people’s lives. I believe what’s happening in Iran is a revolution, and this fight is not just for Iran and Iranian citizen but for the safety of the whole world.”