09/11/2026
On September 11, the day of the terrorist attack, I was in the IRGC's solitary confinement in Iran, detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), when planes struck the Twin Towers in New York.
I learned about the tragedy in an interrogation room. My interrogator placed a newspaper in front of me and said, “Look.” The front page reported the towers’ destruction, alongside a photograph of them burning.
I was horrified, but I did not believe it. “This newspaper isn’t real,” I said. My interrogators used deception and psychological pressure to break me and force me to cooperate. I thought this was another attempt.
But he replied: “No, it’s real. God has taken our revenge on America. America got what it deserved.”
Still in shock, I said: “Innocent people have been killed in a terrorist attack, and you call that revenge?”
His words revealed an extremist mindset that celebrates the deaths of innocent people. In that moment, amid the isolation and pressure of imprisonment, my conviction deepened: human life and dignity must never be sacrificed to hatred, ideology, or revenge.
For the past 20 years, protecting lives and public safety has been central to my human rights advocacy. Through campaigns and engagement with officials at different levels of government, I have worked to oppose violence, terrorism and foreign interference.
Today, public safety remains my foremost concern and a central reason I am running for Toronto City Council. Everyone deserves to feel safe at home, in their neighbourhood, at work, and on public transit. No one should face threats or violence because of their faith, background, or beliefs. Protecting public safety and defending our rights and freedoms are inseparable responsibilities, and both demand meaningful action and accountability.
Today, I honour the victims of September 11 and stand with their families and survivors. May such a tragedy never happen again, anywhere.
