2021 - Emails

004

Shodja Eddin Ziaian <shodjaeddin@gmail.com>

To:Iranian Canadian Congress,ICC President,ICC Secretary,Vice-President,Mehrnoush Ahmadiand 3 more...

Cc:Soushiant Zanganehpour,Medi Shams,Soudeh Gh,Soudeh Gh,Shodja Eddin Ziaian

Tue., Jan. 19 at 3:26 p.m. 

ICC Board

To Whom It May Concern 

Dear friends, ICC Board members, 

Hope you are doing well and started 2021 positively, healthily, and happily, despite the pandemic.   

First of all, let me offer you my congratulations to all 9 members elected/re-elected to the ICC Board, and to wish you well in serving our community. Congratulations also to  President Soudeh Ghassemi who worked hard and with the discipline to the last day to make this transition. She was a great lovely President, regardless of disagreements. 

The competition between two groups of candidates under the watch of two outside monitors made this last election very special. Over three thousand people registered as members and many participated as electors. Both you, the elected candidates, and the non-elected candidates, and many other activists have played a decisive role in the success of this passionate and civilized electoral campaign and process, particularly the four ICC members who persevered in the defense of ethics and equal rights of all members against the tyranny of one or two members of the Board. Thanks to their courage and perseverance these elections legally monitored were a perfect success. Whichever side, we should all be proud of what was achieved. 

Keep in mind that the Board has now the responsibility and honor of representing three thousand members and not just half of them.  Keep also in mind that your actions or non-actions in keeping high Iran's name and Iranians' dignity will also affect the other 300 thousand Iranians in Canada. 

In my humble opinion, your first priority as ICC Board members must be to strengthening solidarity within our community, and not only respecting its diversity but celebrating. Invite the other set of unelected candidates who received almost half the votes, and the many other activists, to work with you and to take specific responsibilities! Being able to work all together, will be a real test of Iranians becoming great again!  

Iranians in our motherland will also be looking at your actions and be affected by them, you, their daughters and sons, brothers and sisters abroad.  

Use your freedom here (free from oppressive religious pressures), to invite scholars for free civilized debates on heated topics hard to be held in Iran, and prove Iranians can conduct real heated debate in serenity.  Debates such as how to bring peace in Iran and in Western and Central Asia. How we can create a Western and Central Asian Union, in the form of the EU.

Both the Iranian civil society and the Islamic Republic establishment whose hands are tied due to the backward Islamic laws of the land would applaud your action of managing to achieve and launch such civilized debates. 

Instead of focusing on US sanctions (which is kind of insulting, because it means that our great 80 millions-strong Iranian nation is in need of help like a poor nation), we should instead all proud and strong be demanding the US-UK-Nato troops (including Canada) out of the Iranian plateau they have been occupying now for close to two decades (Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Persian Gulf). Our demand should be addressed based on international laws (Dr Payam Akhavan, International Law specialist could assist us on that) both to the US administration and the government of Canada and as importantly to the UN Security Council and the US Secretary-General. Simultaneously, and as importantly and only then, we could securely engage in talk within Iran for a change of Constitutional laws through a peaceful referendum (there is a committee officially working on constitutional change in Iran).  

We can not have peace in Iran as long as foreign troops are threatening Iran and occupying Afghanistan and Iran. On the other hand, it should be obvious that 1400 years old Sharia laws cannot respond to the needs of a progressive and proud society, to a post-modern Iran leading for World Peace.. Mr. Ruhollah Khomeini "imposed" the Islamic regime on Iran through a so-called referendum that was in fact a plebiscite. It is long overdue time to move forward and to stop pedaling backward on the Sharia rule. We can not have peace in Iran as long as the establishment following the legacy of Khomeini, continues to repeat chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel". 

If we are all looking for peace and prosperity, grandeur and dignity, justice and solidarity, honesty and friendship, as long as they are lacking in Iran, we Iranians abroad cannot be happy either. I am addressing Mr. Zangiabadi in charge of the Research Committee to take initiative in creating panels and debates (under the theme and title of "Solidarity Debates" - to make sure what the aims of these debates are). And to publish the outcomes within Canada and beyond.  

Secondly, I am hereby requesting ICC's list of members for purposes connected with ICC only, including but not limited to consultation and proposals regarding ICC's by-laws. I will provide the Board with details of my plans in this regard.

 A sworn affidavit is attached.  

Wishing you all the best in serving the Iranian-Canadian community,

Keep safe, 

Dr. Shodja Eddin Ziaian

www.hambastegi.ca  647-838-0968   facebook/hambastegi.hemayat       Let's talk ICC   
   www.kikist.ca       No Deportations To Iran       www.fordemocracy.ca       @ facebook/fordemocracycanada