A Free Iran The Only Path to Global Security
By Rev. Majed El Shafie
We need to face a hard truth: as long as the people of Iran are repressed and live under the tyranny of the Islamic theocrats, there will be no peace in the Middle East, no end to terrorism, and no real security for the world.
“The 12 Day War” between Israel and Iran over the past few weeks has seriously set back the Iranian regime’s nuclear program. While intelligence agencies try to determine the damage, this is undeniable good news for global security.
The Government of Canada must take action on Iran.
Rev. Majed El Shafie signed the Allies for a Strong Canada letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney.
You can read it here.
One Free World International has been monitoring developments and while the focus has been on negotiating with the regime, the people of Iran are left struggling to survive under a repressive dictatorship without human rights.
The people of Iran must be empowered to voice their democratic will and their human rights defended. While some will call it idealistic in the current rough-and-tumble world of global politics, it is the only way to end the decades-long security threat the Islamic Iranian regime has posed to global security.
The people of Iran have risen and taken to the streets en masse many times over the past fifteen years. The 2009 Green Movement. The uprisings in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The women-led revolution after Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody in 2022.
Again and again, they’ve risen up to fight for human rights. And again and again, the regime has met them with bullets, torture, and death. And what did they get from the so-called leaders of the free world? Words. Just words.
While western countries have ignored the plea of the Iranian people for human rights, the Iranian regime has armed Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and whoever else is willing to light the world on fire. It uses terror the way some countries use diplomacy.
When you hear about rockets falling on Israel or oil tankers being seized in the Gulf, make no mistake: Tehran is pulling the strings.
Any political agreement for Iran’s future without human rights will not solve the problem. As the world sees more and more, tyrants work with tyrants. A new dictator may be better than the last, but history shows that challenges will inevitably follow.
It is critical they never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, but more must be done to help the people of Iran. Without respect for human rights and a new government, the Iranian regime will continue to find ways to spread violence and undermine global security.
As Canadians gather next week to celebrate Canada Day and Americans to celebrate Independence Day, in celebration of our freedoms and how rare they are in the world, war in the Middle East may seem like a far off problem. History has shown that war far away often has big impacts here closer to home.
There are people on the streets of Canadian and American cities defending these tyrants. They are often the same people who are driving the spike in antisemitism in our communities.
If we truly believe in democracy, human rights, and the values we celebrate each July 1st and July 4th, then we must act like it. The most effective way to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat and bring lasting peace to the Middle East is to stand with the Iranian people in their fight for freedom. It’s time we matched their courage with our conviction.
Rev. Majed El Shafie is the President & Founder of One Free World International (ofwi.org). The persecution he suffered after converting from Islam to Christianity in his native Egypt inspired its founding nearly 20 years ago.