A crowd at Kerry Park, Oct. 1, to rally for Iran human rights.
(CARLI BERRY / iNFOnews.ca)
October 01, 2022 - 6:07 PM
A passionate teacher wants to show his daughters that he stood up for their rights.
UBC Okanagan engineering professor Ray Taheri was one of roughly 200 people who attended a rally in Kelowna’s Kerry Park, Oct. 1, as part of international protests to improve human rights in Iran.
The protests were sparked after a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, was detained by Iran’s morality police and killed for not covering her hair.
“It’s about the freedom of choice. It’s about the fact that in this global village, women and men can decide what to wear and how to wear it,” Taheri, who is originally from Iran, said to the crowd. “It should be up to even Muslim communities to stand by and Iranians and defeat this sad face they are presenting.”
Mahsa Amini will remain in the hearts of the people, including his two daughters, he said.
READ MORE: Kelowna rally part of worldwide protests after death of Mahsa Amini
“They are too young to understand the meaning of freedom but in 15, 20 years, they are half Iranian, if they ask ‘dad, what did you do for Mahsa?’ I don’t want to be ashamed. I want to be a proud father,” he said.
The Kelowna rally was held from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Ogopogo Statue at Mill Street and Bernard Avenue. This will be the second time a rally for human rights in Iran has been held in the city since Amini's death.
Across the country, women have been cutting their hair to draw attention to human rights abuses in the Middle Eastern country.
READ MORE: 'Every one of us was a Mahsa': Iranians in Canada cut hair at women's rights rallies
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