Mojdeh Fard, "A Voice for the Voiceless."

 

 The temperature in Toronto on Sunday was a frigid 15 degrees below zero, unfit for any normal human to be outside in, but that's not stopping Mojdeh Fard. Today, she is joining more than 150,000 brave "Torontians" in a massive rally calling for an end to the terrorist Islamic regime in Iran. Her fingers are burning with pain in the frigid cold as she grips a sign that says, "Iran is bleeding: Stop the genocide." Her toes are literally frozen, but that doesn't stop Mojdeh, She thinks about her people in Iran and the incredible slaughter of more than 40,000 Iranians. The frigid cold weather doesn't compare to the horrific genocide of her people. A few hours in the cold is no comparison.

                                                                    

  Gazing at the incredible sight of  150,000 brave "Torontians" holding up the original flag of Persia and shouting "Freedom for Iran" brings back precious memories to Mojdeh. Her mind flashes back to the 2009 Presidential protests in Tehran when Iranian took to the streets in anger, believing the election had been stolen. She remembers that at the time, she wasn't in a good place mentally. After months of research, Mojdeh had turned her back on Islam when she discovered the truth about her religion. Her anger and disappointment made her question the existence of God, and for four years, she retreated into a prison of depression.

But Mojdeh also remembers in 2009 that while watching a Christian program on satellite TV in her home, the light came back on again. When she heard the words, "God is Love," being preached by the pastor, she was able to climb out of her pit of darkness and discover a life-transforming relationship with Jesus. Her hunger and thirst for truth ignited a passion in her heart to read the Bible, but the cost of becoming a Christian was very high. Facing imprisonment and desperate for a new life, Mojdeh, her brother and sister fled Iran and, after six grueling years, they finally found hope and freedom in Canada.

 Gazing at the massive crowd this morning in Toronto, Mojdeh also realized the incredible privilege of gathering in the streets to protest and raise their voices in opposition. She understood that protesting in Iran would come with a very high cost, either death or imprisonment. The images of her people being killed in the streets tormented her mind, but this morning, she lifted her sign high in the air, honoring the brave Iranians back home who had given their lives for freedom. 

 Today, Mojdeh, walked in extremely cold and unbearable weather, chanted, and sang, telling the world  that "Iranian lives matter." She realized that living in freedom carried a very deep and moral responsibility to be a voice for the voiceless. Downtown Toronto was a beautiful sight today. Thousands of people gathered in frigid weather to raise their voices in support of Iranians. 

 Not only does Mojdeh take to the streets to support her people, but she also uses her voice in another creative way. She loves writing Persian poems and has been busy producing songs on Spotify in both Farsi and English to honor Iranians and raise awareness of their plight for freedom. After the dramatic rally in Toronto on Sunday, Mojdeh ended the day with a passionate post on Facebook about the genocide happening to her people in Iran:

"We hear stories and see things that stretch the limits of human endurance.

A couple saw protesters being shot on their street and ran outside to help. They were both killed.

Their three-day-old baby was left alone at home and died from hunger and thirst.

43,000 is not a statistic. It is 43,000 stolen lives, 43,000 human stories taken by the Islamic regime.

And yet Western countries still seek negotiations with terrorist murderers.

How many lives must be sacrificed before it is enough?

How much brutality will the world tolerate?

Do all lives matter or only some?"

Today had been an incredible day for Mojdeh and the people of Toronto. Together, they had braved the arctic weather and shouted freedom for all Iranians, calling for an end to this oppressive and murderous regime. It had been enough for one day. Now it was time for some much-needed rest and relaxation. Time to thaw out and get warm after a frigid cold day. Yet, Mojdeh will never stop being a voice for the voiceless. She never forgets where she came from and how she gave up everything to follow Jesus.