Message to Trudeau From Iran | With Masih Alinejad

We need your action. We have a common enemy: a common virus, the Islamic Republic. We can cure the person. We want Canada to understand that they have to ask for the release of all those women who protested peacefully against compulsory hijab as soon as possible because they want to be heard. So this is our demand, and this is the 21st century. Do not call compulsory hijab a part of our culture, because calling it this community a law part of our culture is an insult to a nation. Do not say that that causes Islamophobia. We don't want to touch the issue because the law which lashes us, which arrests us, which kicks us from our own country, that causes Islamophobia, not the women who are fighting against oppressive and discriminatory laws.

Do not say that this is an internal matter; we don't want to get involved. Well, what would you like more in more detail? What would you like Western leaders to do in relationship to the ongoing events in Iran? What do you think would be most helpful as far as you're concerned?

So, if I could sit down and talk to my Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which has about as much chance of happening as a snowball lasting on the Sun, by the way, what do you think it is that he should be doing that would actually be helpful to the women and men in Iran who are trying to fight against this fundamentalist tyranny? Simple demand: I call on Justin Trudeau to put the Revolutionary Guards on the terrorist list.

Look, three years ago I was in Canadian Parliament. I was actually begging the policymakers to put Revolutionary Guards on the terrorist list, to sanction Revolutionary Guards and to sanction all the oppressors. Three years ago, what happened? I was ignored. I was actually under attack by some of the Islamic Republic apologists in Canada, and they called themselves activists—human rights activists—but they were echoing the voice of the Iranian regime and attacking me, bullying me. Why? Because I asked Justin Trudeau to actually sanction Revolutionary Guards.

What happened? By ignoring our demand, the same Revolutionary Guard shot down the Ukrainian airplane and killed 176 innocent Iranian and Canadian people. So, our Prime Minister is hypothetically a progressive sort of person and is hypothetically on the side of women. How do you account for the fact that despite your attendance at the Canadian Parliament and your request for support, that you never got it? How do you explain that?

It breaks my heart. It breaks my heart, but as you actually got to know me during this interview, I'm not that kind of person to give up my fight. I'm not that kind of person to give up having hope to convince the leaders of democratic countries that this is your turn now. You have to recognize Iran's Revolution and call your allies, get united, kick out the Islamic Republic diplomats, recall the Islamic ambassadors from Iran, and publicly announce that the nuclear deal is dead. It is dead because you cannot condemn the killers, the murderers, but at the same time try to negotiate with them, sending billions of dollars to the same murderers.

Yes, can we talk a little bit about the nuclear deal? Is that a reasonable place to go? I think there's nothing else to add. The nuclear deal is already dead, but what we want is for the U.S. government and its allies to clearly and publicly announce that. Because this is the only thing that can help the Islamic Republic to survive. You know, the Islamic Republic always puts the blame on us, saying that this revolution, the new revolution, is being supported by Western governments. But believe me, for its own survival, the Islamic Republic is begging for support to get support from the Western countries.

We don't actually ask for much help from the leaders of democratic countries. What we want is just we want them to stick with their own values, that's all. And not save the Islamic Republic while the Iranian people manage to shake this regime. Don't go and shake hands with the same regime, that's all we want. Because we believe that the Islamic Republic is a threat for the region and for the democratic countries as well. If the Western countries are looking for stability in the region, they cannot go and negotiate with one of the most dishonorable regimes. They have to recognize civil society; they have to recognize this modern progressive revolution, and they have to stick with the people of Iran. We are better allies than the Islamic Republic for the Western countries.

Right, right, right. So do you believe that the revolutionary spirit that's now manifesting itself in Iran is growing, or are the mullahs successfully repressing it? Because it looks like a pretty—it doesn't look to me like it's spreading exponentially. You know, I can't tell, and that's part of the reason why I wanted to talk to you today. I mean, the mullahs have a lot of control, and they have a lot of power and authority on their side. So what's the situation on the ground in Iran? How widespread are the protests? What percentage of the population is taking part?

I mean, the Chinese have successfully clamped down on their people time and time again and maintain their terrible totalitarian regime. So what I don't understand is the balance of power in Iran at the moment. Do you think that the protesters have any chance here, or are they just going to get shut down?

I strongly believe that this time the protesters are going to win the battle because, look, first of all, the level of brutality is very high. I mean, people are facing executions, but still, every single person that gets killed, people go back to the street and turn his or her funeral into a massive protest against the same regime. But don't forget that they have money, and they can actually buy some of the people to shut down the protest and oppress the protesters. But at the same time, the more that the Iranian regime kills, the more that the Iranian people get determined to overthrow this barbaric regime.

For me and millions of other people, this time is different. This time is different because this time maybe it's like not the 2009 demonstrations—in 2009 it was mostly about elections—it's not like the 2019 demonstrations because it was mostly about economic issues. This time is mixed. People who believe that this regime is against every minority, it's against men, women, the LGBT community, the environment—it's against Baha'is, Jewish people, Kurds, Turks, Baluch—all got united.

But for years, the Iranian regime was so successful in executing Kurds that people were like, "Okay, we are not Kurds; we are not going to get involved." Right? They were successfully executing Jewish people, Baha'i minorities, Arabs, Turks, but now, immediately when they killed Mahsa Amini, people were like, "We’re all Mahsa! We’re all united!" People didn't say that we are not women, so we’re not gonna get involved with that.

So this time is different because we see a sense of unity among Iranians inside and outside. This time is unique because we see a sense of unity among Iranians and non-Iranians outside Iran. You see that finally people, supposed celebrities, are echoing the voice of the Iranian people. This is the first time in our history that we see Iranian well-known athletes quitting their jobs and supporting the Iranian uprising. This is the first time that we see Iranian well-known actresses saying that we don't want to be part of the propaganda tool. They're removing their hijab and they're saying we want to be part of this uprising. So that makes it different.

Right, so you're making the case that this series of protests, this revolutionary movement, in some sense is more fundamental and also more united. It's not about economics only; it's not about the political situation and corruption. It's about the fundamentally totalitarian nature of the state and the fact that it's oppressing people so broadly that everyone can be united in their opposition to that oppression.

Exactly! So you see it as striking at the heart of the totalitarian state. Exactly! And as I told you, this is the first time in history that people are united in a beautiful way. It actually empowered many people in autocracy, like the Chinese, when they took to the streets—they were actually showing their support for Iranian people using the same slogan: "Woman, Life, Freedom." People in Afghanistan got empowered by the slogan of the Iranian people. So clearly this uprising is encouraging everyone to be part of it. You know, it's beautiful; it's very progressive. It's very beautiful that you see mothers and fathers, immediately when they lose their beloved ones, take to the street and say that this revolution needs blood. And our beloved one, you know, I mean, I get goosebumps! It's not easy for parents to say that. It is not easy.

I'm a mother; I cannot even imagine losing my son. When I see those brave mothers for justice in Iran, immediately when they lose their son, they take a picture of their beloved one and they write, "Leading the Revolution," and say that this revolution needs blood, and my beloved one sacrificed his or her life to free Iran. This is a revolution! The revolution happened inside the heart of the Iranian people. You know, it's very, very powerful that you see people know that this is not free, but they are ready to pay the price.

These are like, you know, to me it's like I'm walking in history. You know, in history you read about heroes, but now we actually see the real heroes in the streets of Iran, saying that freedom is not free, but we are ready to pay the price to get rid of the Islamic Republic.