May 29, 2015
Addressed to:
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
The Honourable Thomas Mulcair, the Leader of NDP, the Official Opposition
Justin Trudeau, The leader of the Liberal Party
Elizabeth May, The leader of the Green Party of Canada
RE: 26th Anniversary of Imam Khomeini: An Awakening Against Global Injustice
To the Honourable Minister Blaney, Minister of Public Safety Canada
We, the undersigned, are a group of responsible members of Canada’s sizeable Iranian-Canadian community. We are writing to express our outrage and revulsion with the Islamic Society of York Region’s decision to hold a celebration on May 31, 2015 in honour of Ayatollah Khomeini.
Ayatollah Khomeini’s heinous historical record is well known. As documented by countless United Nations condemnations, Amnesty International reports and many other independent investigations, he was responsible for the execution, torture, disappearance, rape, and imprisonment of tens of thousands of Iranians– whose only crime was the peaceful exercise of their political and religious rights. Ayatollah Khomeini, then the supreme leader of Iran, was directly responsible for numerous violent acts including:
The execution of thousands of political prisoners in the summer of 1988. Canada’s Parliament courageously adopted a unanimous consent motion recognizing the massacre of political prisoners in Iran in 1988 as crimes against humanity under international law. Canada as such became the first country in the world to officially recognize these crimes.
The systematic torture, imprisonment and execution of thousands of political dissidents throughout the 1980s. In 1985, Iran became “the fourth country ever in the history of the United Nations” to be placed on the agenda of the General Assembly because of “the severity and the extent of this human rights record.”
Furthermore, Ayatollah Khomeini was directly responsible for the implementation of policies which can easily be categorized as religious and gender apartheid. In its judgment –at the end of a three-day session in The Hague in 2012– the Iran Tribunal found that the Islamic regime had committed “gross human rights abuses” including torture, sexual violence, extra-judicial executions and unjust imprisonment throughout its existence.
On the international stage, Ayatollah Khomeini was responsible for numerous assassinations of Iranian activists on foreign soil. In addition, he issued the “Death Fatwa” against Salman Rushdie, the author of The Satanic Verses.
In numerous speeches addressed to the people, Ayatollah Khomeini declared all who opposed or criticized the Islamic government “Enemies of God” and assured their elimination. As Iranian-Canadian citizens–many of us whom witnessed and experienced first-hand these atrocities–we request a strong condemnation of the Islamic Society of York, whom have the audacity to organize this event.
In the past, the government of Canada has shown leadership in condemning the Islamic republic of Iran and other nations for their flagrant violations of human rights. This is a historic moment for Canada, with its long peace-loving tradition, to seize this opportunity to refuse to endorse any form of celebration that glorifies the founder of the Islamic Regime. Any such event would be an insult to humanity and the families of the victims.
Sincerely
| Farrokh Zandi, (PhD)Professor, York University | ||||||||||||
| Mehrdad Hariri, (PhD) Science Policy Consultant……… | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay, Human Rights Activist | ||||||||||||
| Dr. Siavash Assadpour, Community Health and community activist | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Shahla Ghafouri, Community activist | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Ali Vakili, Community activist | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Mehdi Kouhestaninejad, Community activist | ||||||||||||
| Mr. David Mousavi, Lawyer and community activist | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Reza Banai, Community activist | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Afshin Afshin-Jam, | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Mohammad khodakhah | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Sohaila Khodakhah | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Sarah Takhsha | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Fereshteh Abedi | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Kaveh Shahrooz, Lawyer | ||||||||||||
| Dr. Kaveh Rod | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Maryam NayebYazdi, Human rights activist | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Giti Sanoughi | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Karim Amjadi | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Arman Amjadi | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Azar Mousavi | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Babak Mousavi | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Salman Sima, Community activist | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Ali Gheshmi | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Shahin Gheshmi | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Ahmad Mashoud, Human Rights Activist | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Azam Sahel gozin | ||||||||||||
| Dr. Fatemeh Mansourifar | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Parvaneh Moradi | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Sima Dini | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Parvin Jahanshahi | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Sevil Sahel gozin | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Bijan Yahyapour | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Rayen Aria | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Sam Aria | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Nahid Sahel gozin | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Farideh Sahel gozin | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Hushang Firousi | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Fereshteh Bagheri | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Afshin Firouzi | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Shahram Namvar Azad | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Sophie Namvar Azad | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Saeed Chooback | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Lisa Lo | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Mike Arya | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Arash Tavakoli | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Negin Shams | ||||||||||||
| Dr. Mehdi Shams | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Batool Momen | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Nazanin Shams | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Shakour Ghafouri | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Nasrin Soofi | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Karamali Mansourifar | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Fereydoon Rahmani (PhD) | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Taha Hassaniani | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Sharmin Hassaniani | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Mehdi Amin | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Saeid Aghaei | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Zarrin Moheyddin | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Hossein Afsahi | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Faramrz Shiravand, Journalist | ||||||||||||
| Dr. Avideh Motmaen- Far, Osteopath D.O., M.P. | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Arsalan Kahnemuyipour,(PhD) Assistant Professor of Linguistics, University of Toronto | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Nima Machouf, PhD, Clinique médicale l’Actuel, Montréal, Quebec | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Mitra Saffari, Engineer, Political, Social and Peace activist | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Kamnoosh Shahabi, Research Support Specialist, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Ata Hoodashtian, Ph.D. Management Institute of Canada, Professor of Political Science | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Shahnaz Baserinia | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Shahriar Moussavi | ||||||||||||
| Dr. Mohsen Kermanshahi | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Siavash Safavi | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Elahe Shoikraei , Women’s Rights Activist | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Hossein Torkpour, Social worker | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Caspian Makan | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Arshak Shojaie | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Nastaran Aliee | ||||||||||||
| Dr. Razieh Razavynia, ACDQ. member of the board of directors, Iranian Literature Society of | ||||||||||||
| Dr. Razieh Razavynia, ACDQ. member of the board of directors, Iranian Literature Society of | ||||||||||||
| Montreal | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Shahrzad Ashadi/Multidisciplinary Artist | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Nasrin Almasi, Journalist, Managing Editor , Shahrvand Publication | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Hassan Zerehi, Publisher and Chief Editor, Shahrvand Publication | ||||||||||||
| Dr. Shahram Tabe-Mohammad, Environmental Scientist &Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Michael Parsa | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Lily Pourzand: Gender Equality and Diversity Adviser | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Khosro Berahmandi, General Manager and Artistic Director Festival Accès Asie | ||||||||||||
| Ms. Shahnaz Rash | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Aram Hasan | ||||||||||||
| Mr. Mehdi Torabi Poor | ||||||||||||
| Dr. Reza Moridi, MPP, Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges & Universities and Minister of Research and InnovationMs. Sahar Azadi | ||||||||||||
