Iranian-Canadians bear a heavy burden

Iranians living in Canada, either permanently or as migrants, have been deeply affected by the events taking place in Iran. Protests in downtown Toronto have drawn huge crowds, striving to give a voice to Iranians who have lived under severe internet restrictions since January 8. These protests clamour for world leaders to bring about regime change.

Hope and fear are tied closely together. As one Iranian living in Canada told me by email, “At times I cry; at other times I try to piece myself back together and, with hope, think toward a better tomorrow. We have no choice but to continue.”

Close to home

My family attends a church on the edge of Little Iran: a stretch of Yonge Street just south of Toronto’s city limit. Many Iranian migrants live in this area, or in York region to the north. Thanks to the ministry of our pastors, the congregation has attracted a sizable number of Farsi members. The life and dynamism they bring to the church have been a great blessing, even as the integration across cultures has been a learning process.

Some of my fellow congregants, as well as one non-Christian friend, graciously shared their stories and perspectives with me. The uncertainties and fears they hold are tremendous, both at the political and the personal level. Reports of mind-numbing cruelty keep coming in and the trauma is only unfolding.

Hani* has been going through video footage of dead bodies to see if she recognizes anyone close to her. An experienced protester who was deeply involved in the Mahsa Amini protest, Hani spoke with a smile on her face, while acknowledging the depth of emotions she feels; others found it easier to put things in writing. As the Farsi ministry pastor explained to me, “People have lived for years and years under an oppressive regime, hence they have learned to repress their emotions.”

According to police, the protests in downtown Toronto on February 1 drew 150,000 people. Mehrab* and Saeed* told me that they would have gone to the protest, but needed to work. Toronto life is quite precarious for new migrants, and few of them work at a level approaching their qualifications. Mehrab cannot easily miss a shift at the supermarket. Even at work, though, the protest was palpable: he says he must have sold four hundred flags with the Lion and Sun – Iranian symbols that predate the Islamic Republic.

An old acquaintance told me over email, “The situation is truly devastating. Many of our friends and family members have been arrested, imprisoned, injured or killed. Others are living in constant fear – waiting for news, hoping their loved ones are still alive. It is a collective trauma, and it is ongoing.”

Premeditated brutality

Many Iranians died on January 8 and 9, in the aftermath of a demonstration called for by the former crown prince, Reza Pahlavi. This demonstration marked a change in the protests, which were at first directed against the economic crisis and mass inflation that make normal life impossible for ordinary Iranians. Exactly how many Iranians have been killed is hard to ascertain, but it’s estimated in the tens of thousands.

A hallmark of the reports is the excessive cruelty and the callous indifference to human life and dignity. Though safe themselves, Iranians in Canada have had to live with these realities. My friend shared that a young Iranian-Canadian man told him, “If there was a way I could take up arms and fight this regime, I’d sign up.” The ruthlessness on the part of the regime has shaken many to the core.

As Hani reasoned, “They [the Iranian government] knew a day like this would come, and that their own military might refuse to do it. So they brought in their allies from Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. They planned for this. You do not have 40,000 body bags at hand just like that, without planning.”

These atrocities are committed in the name of Islam: Rihan* explained that those arrested may face the death penalty for crimes of “heresy” or “rebellion against God.” Hani said that the regime will televise trials and convictions of those begging for mercy, even the young, hoping it will act as a deterrent.

That may not work for much longer though, since it seems clear that whatever support the Islamic Republic had beyond its political elite, its doctrinaire clergy and fundamentalist militias, is now gone. As Kajal* wrote to me, “There is nothing left to sustain the Islamic Republic. Its totalitarian and malevolent rulers have no path forward except collapse. The ruthless killing of people has sealed their disgraceful record.”

Where is God?

Will this shock mean a religious change? Hani told me that her mother, who wears the hijab and remains a committed Muslim, was quite supportive of her daughter converting to Christianity, saying, “If that works for you, you should do it.” One online video particularly moved Hani, of a mother with two young children sitting with the body of her dead husband, exclaiming, “God, I hate you!”

“I am one of many Iranians who came to the painful realization that the version of Islam enforced by this state no longer resembled the faith we were taught growing up,” Rihan told me over email. She believes this regime has “deeply alienated an entire generation from Islam.”

‘There is nothing left to sustain the Islamic Republic.’

“Years ago, after reflection and study, I chose to leave Islam. This decision did not come from hostility toward spirituality, but from witnessing how religion was used to justify violence against my own people. My story is not unique.”

“Young people in Iran did not turn away from religion because of Western influence or moral decline. They turned away because they watched friends killed, families destroyed, women beaten and protesters executed – all while officials claimed divine authority and cited scripture.”

This, Rihan says, has created a “profound rupture”: “The faith that was once passed from parent to child has, for many families, stopped entirely. The regime has not preserved Islam; it has weaponized it – and in doing so, it has driven millions away from it.”

What is next?

The Farsi ministry pastors at my church do not presume to know or intend to change people’s hearts as they join the church. They hope to plant a seed of the love and peace of Jesus, which the Holy Spirit will nourish as people journey through their conversion. One of the Farsi pastors explained that this is a unique situation in ministry; it is challenging to write plans for the next five years, however modest. “The Lord will guide us through the next steps.”

Other Canadians, too, fear rising authoritarianism and feel despair over politics. One might say that this is where the hope and freedom of the children of God come in, and I would definitely agree, but where does that lead us?

What is happening in Iran bears the hallmarks of a revolution. It may be repressed, but there can be no doubt about its historic significance. All those I spoke with agreed that the removal of the Iranian regime should be everybody’s first priority. A secular state should come in its place. Beyond that, opinions diverge. “Anything would be better than the present misery,” say Mehrab and Saeed; “anything else is a dangerous distraction.”

Past protests in Iran, such as the Green Wave in 2009 and the Women Life Freedom marches in 2022, achieved little political change. Although the regime seems genuinely anxious, will this time around, in the age of Trump and Netanyahu, be any different?

As an observer anxiously hoping for a positive outcome, I believe that it is naive to think that foreign powers have Iranians’ best interests at heart. The risk of a repeat of the delusions of 1979 is too great to ignore.

Khomeinism is a failed ideology and a perversion of spirituality, in a way that may not actually be that different from the distortions of Christianity currently produced by far-right Americans and Russians. Some Iranians will recognize this and want to remain Muslims, which makes them a vulnerable group no matter if the regime stays or goes, at risk of hostile attitudes or even violence both from its defenders and from secularists. Detailed transition plans and guarantees will be needed. Something genuinely new needs to be hammered out, and only Iranians can do it. They will need, and deserve, all the help they can get.

*All first names have been changed.