More Than Skin Deep: Nazanin

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IT'S EASY TO get lost in Nazanin Afshin-Jam's gorgeous looks. After all, the Iranian-Canadian singer-songwriter was once the first runner-up in the Miss World pageant. But listen to her lyrics and you'll discover something other than a beauty queen: She's a political firebrand who's concerned with women's rights and children's welfare in the homeland she had to leave as an infant because of the 1978 Islamic Revolution.

Nazanin, who just goes by her first name, can add recording artist to her already impressive resume, which also includes graduating from the University of British Columbia with a degree in international relations and political science. She also speaks three languages (Persian, English, French) and dabbles in another (Spanish). And she can fly a plane, too. Nazanin earned her pilot's license while achieving the highest rank in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets.

The 28-year-old multi-talent will appear at Borders (18th and L streets NW) on Friday at 12:30 p.m. as part of a nationwide tour in the bookstore chain to discuss her human rights work and to support her debut CD, "Someday" (Bodog Music). While the album features plenty of club-friendly techno-pop and adult-oriented rock, the title track is a moody power ballad that boldly calls for "progressive revolution" in Iran.

» EXPRESS: Why did you record a version of the single "Someday" in Persian?
» NAZANIN: It was particularly important for me to reach the Iranian diaspora because I wrote the song about my family's escape from Iran when the Revolution happened and I am sure thousands of other Iranians could relate. I want for Iranians living in Iran who have been oppressed under the current regime to know that there is hope and that "someday we will find a way."

For that matter, I wish that all those who have experienced hardships in their life due to political persecution, or even in relationships, to know that change is possible. I have since recorded "Someday" in French and I wish I could sing it in several languages in order to reach more people with my messages of hope and freedom.

» EXPRESS: Why were your parents persecuted in Iran? Were they political?
» NAZANIN: My parents have never been political. At the start of the Revolution my father was working as the general manager of the Sheraton and was allowing for music to be played and alcohol to be served which were forbidden under the new Islamist rule. The Revolutionary Guard imprisoned him, shaved his head, tortured him and was going to execute him. Through distant contacts and luck he was temporarily released until he could have a proper trial. As soon as his wounds healed enough for him to be able to sit down in an airplane, he caught the first available flight to Spain. The rest of the family joined him soon thereafter. The following year we immigrated to Vancouver, Canada, which has been my home since.

» EXPRESS: What do you remember of living in Iran and the tribulations your family faced?
» NAZANIN: I was only a year old when we fled Iran so I do not have any direct memories, only pictures, stories, and reminders like the scars on my fathers back from the lashes and the tears in my mothers eyes when she listens to traditional Persian songs and remembers the past.

» EXPRESS: Have you visited Iran since you left?
» NAZANIN: Ironically, I have traveled the world yet I have not been able to visit the country of my birth. Being so outspoken on women's rights in that region and being frank about the human rights abuses under the current regime, it is too dangerous for me to go back. My Web sites [nazanin.ca, stopchildexecutions.com] have been banned in Iran and I have received rather threatening emails. But I am quite hopeful that in my lifetime, I will be able to return, and visit the land where the very first charter on human rights was drafted under Cyrus the Great.

» EXPRESS: Do you think your beauty queen background is a help — because it opens doors — or a hindrance — because pretty women often aren't taken seriously by piggy men — in your political and social works?
» NAZANIN: I entered the Miss World competition in order to gain a platform to speak on global issues close to my heart and it certainly helped me gain a stronger voice on the International scene. Those that are not aware that the motto of Miss World is "beauty with a purpose," and that their aim is to raise money for children's charities around the world, tend to think of stereotypes they have seen in movies. Once these same people hear my words and feel my passion to serve humanity on some level, they are the first to apologize for their ignorance. Having the "miss" title has helped me mobilize different groups and individuals from across the map and garner media attention on pertinent issues that need to be exposed.

» EXPRESS: We hear about honor killings and the general oppression of women in some Islamic countries. But what led you to focus on stopping the execution of children in Iran?
» NAZANIN: I am against all barbaric acts of violence against women and whenever there is an opportunity I speak out, like the recent case of a teenage girl named Du'a who was kicked, beaten and stoned to death by several men, including family members in the Kurdish area of Northern Iraq, for allegedly having "relations" with a Sunni boy. I spoke at Rutgers University and the Institute of Public Affairs of Montreal about the discriminatory laws of Sharia and how in Iran women are legally considered half the worth of a man. Women cannot travel without permission from their husbands or fathers; they do not have the same rights to inheritance or custody rights of their children in divorce cases.

Recently I addressed the issue of "forced hijab" on CNN and Fox News where I discussed the recent crackdown and brutal attacks on Iranian women who are not properly veiling themselves. At the conference on "Traditional Harmful Practices" at the European Union we covered the issue of stonings that are taking place for "crimes" of adultery. And at my recent address before the Subcommittee on Human Rights at the Canadian Parliament I gave and overall account of the persecution faced by political prisons, religious and ethnic minorities and the severe human rights abuses that take place on a daily level.

I have concentrated much of my attention on children's rights in Iran. Last year I initiated a campaign to save the life of a 17-year-old girl on death row named Nazanin Fatehi. She was in a park with her 15-year-old niece when three men attempted to rape them. Out of self-defense she stabbed one of her attackers who later died in hospital. She was charged with murder and was sentenced to death by hanging.

Through an on-line petition and the help of the media I was able to collect 350,000 signatures on a petition. With the weight of the petition, along with Mina Ahadi, I was then able to lobby international bodies like the Canadian Parliament, the EU, the UN, gain support from various human rights groups around the world and secure great lawyers for Fatehi. With all this pressure from the International community we were able to enact pressure on the Iranian Judiciary to grant a stay of execution and order a new trial for Fatehi. In January 2007, she was exonerated from all murder charges and was released from prison.

With the success of this campaign we learned of 70-plus other minors on death row which lead to the larger Stop Child Executions Campaign.

Since Iran has signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Charter of the Rights of the Child they are obliged not to execute anyone who has committed an offense before the age of 18 and yet they continue to do so. Someone needs to be a voice for these children. If we are successful in this next campaign we will be able to inspire more people that a difference can be made and we can focus on even larger issues.

» EXPRESS: Do you fear any reprisals for taking on the Iranian authorities? Even something as extreme as a fatwa?
» NAZANIN: The fear is there, however I cannot allow it to distract me and my mission. If these fundamentalists are able to silence me from across the ocean, what hope do the people have from within? The women living in Iran are so courageous and strong that despite the threat of torture and execution they still rise and demand their rights. The least I can do living in a country that embraces freedom of expression, is to voice the concerns of those that do not have one.

» EXPRESS: Do you think much will change in Iran with the current leadership and Sharia law fully in place? Or will it take another revolution — a "progressive revolution," as you say in "Someday" — and a huge cultural shift for women to get their civil rights?
» NAZANIN: I think that with the current regime in power, change will be difficult to achieve, but I truly believe that it is not only possible but also probable. I think it is only a matter of time.

I say this because the public will is there. Seventy percent of the population is below the age of 30 and the youth want nothing more than freedom, democracy, separation of religion and the state, the rule of law and human rights. There are about 70,000 Persian blogs — which is the second highest after English — which shows how thirsty they are to connect with the west and have their stories heard. They want to be seen as separate from those that are in power who do not represent their opinions and desires. In other words, the people of Iran do not need to be "convinced" that change is required.

That said, the Iranian people will need support from the International community through track II diplomacy. NGOs from the outside need to link with NGO's from within the country with special attention on the women's rights groups, the youth movement and labor unions. These are the powerhouses of the nation, and with enough support and media announcements that can be fed in the country via satellite I believe there is huge potential for change toward a new democratic Iran. Freedom of the Iranian people and inevitably more stability in the Middle East region is all possible without the fatal mistake of the Bush administration to allow for military intervention on Iran.

Nazanin's Jukebox:
» Leonard Cohen, "Everybody Knows"
» Alabina, "Yalla Bina Yalla"
» Manu Chao, "Clandestino"
» Pat Benatar
» Fleetwood Mac
» Cat Stevens, "Peace Train"
» Carla Bruni, "Quelqu'un m'a dit"

Nazanin's Bookshelf:
» Marina Nemat, "Prisoner of Tehran"
» Mehrangiz Kar, "Crossing the Red Line"
» Shirin Ebadi, "Iran Awakening"
» Marjane Satrapi, "Persepolis"

» Borders, 18th & L streets NW; Fri., 12:30 p.m., free; 202-466-4999. (Faragut West)

Photos courtesy Big Machine Media