Gender Liberation, Homeland, and Iran

Originally from Tehran, Iran, Nadia Shahram immigrated to Canada as a teen to attend high school in Toronto. She longed to return to Iran after finishing high school, but the Iranian Revolution spoiled her plans. So instead, she moved to America to attend the University of Buffalo and was accompanied by her five sisters. 

Shahram aspired to become a broadcast journalist like Barbara Walters; she dreamed of being able to travel the world and have her mind nourished by stories. However, there was a lack of foreign representation on TV at the time. Due to her heavy accent, she was laughed at and told she’d never be able to accomplish her dream. 

After facing this devastating reality, she was forced to consider a different career. That didn’t stop her from attempting to find her purpose, though. She considered going to medical school to please her parents but soon realized it wasn’t the right path for her. Eventually, her passion for helping people guided her to become a lawyer. 

Shahram is dedicated to changing her community and the world for the better. After law school, she joined a remediation law firm that helps refugee families pro bono.

She became an activist in fighting the injustice in Iran, especially that which pertained to women. Shahram and some of her students created the “Declaration of Equalities for Muslim Women” which is displayed at the Seneca Falls Convention Museum. 

She visited Iran in 2004 and was shocked by how different it was compared to her childhood. This inspired her to write a book titled “Marriage on the Street Corners of Tehran.” She knew she was taking a risk by speaking out against the Iranian government, but her determination to achieve justice triumphed over her fear. 

When she came home, she tried to get her passport renewed, but the Iranian embassy kept her passport. Speaking out against injustice doesn’t always come without consequences. The Iranian government was displeased with her trying to expose their corruption, so she will never be able to return. 

Now, the mother of two daughters, she is focused on exposing what is currently happening in Iran. She is a very outspoken activist and wants to change the way women are currently treated in Iran. 

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Nadia Shahram is an Iranian lawyer, published author, and mother of two, who works tirelessly for the cause of female liberation and awareness in Iran.