IRAN: My Story of Being born in a country where women are not allowed to sing
I never thought I would have to share all of this with you, but seeing the riots in Iran these days brings up so many stories that I have never shared with the world up until now. In order for me to step into my most authentic self - as a person and as an artist - I need to tell you about my past and what struggles I have gone through in order to be where I am today as a musician. Where I was born, women are not allowed to sing or dance and any attempt to release your own music can result in your arrest or possibly have a high cost like death. I did not know what I was born into when I was a little girl. However, I knew I was passionate for life. I wanted to dance, sing, grow my hair, dress pretty and feel this life fully while embodying my femininity. But soon I came to realize that anything that I was interested in was not allowed for me. Singing, dancing, swimming at the beach, playing sports outside, wearing dresses or letting the wind through my hair….all the fun things were not allowed!
So let me give you a backstory of what happened to Iran itself: In 1979, a group of extremist Mullahs took power in Iran (hijacking an already happening revolution) and became the rulers of the country. They enforced their ideologies into the society and brutally murdered anyone opposing or questioning the way things were done. Overtime, people became more trapped and depressed and the situation worsened for over 40 years. Anytime riots happened, the regime would violently shut them down by arrests or murders. But this time what is happening in 2022 is a fire that will not be put out since they were sparked at the death of Mahsa Amini, a young girl who was beaten by the morality police of Iran for not properly wearing her Hijab. Since this incident, the Iranians have been trying non stop to raise their voice about the injustice and misogyny happening in Iran. This is also why I decided to stand up and share my vulnerable story with the world, hoping that more people would be inspired to share themselves as a result, so together we will come up with effective solutions.
When I realized as a teenager that I wanted to become a singer, I faced many closed doors. Singing is banned for women in Iran to this day. As a female, I would only be allowed to be a back vocal singer. Hijab is mandatory and if I ever attempt to dance/sing/play music out in the public, or even publish my content online, I would be arrested. I had to keep my singing lessons and career secret and work with underground bands when I started out. All while knowing I am never able to perform in my home country. As I faced more injustice in the Islamic Republic of Iran, I realized that keeping music alive and pursuing my music bliss is the best rebel against a Regime that wants to wipe out beauty, art and divine femininity. I grew resilient in the way of pursuing my dreams until I came to Canada and started to write and publish my own songs. Now I am trying to be a voice for the ones I left behind. Many freedom fighters are living behind bars of prisons for simple acts of rebellion such as not wearing a head scarf or attending peaceful protests.
We are collectively going through massive shifts right now and as we shed old paradigms, we reveal anything that is not the truth to come up to the surface. Iranian people are no longer tolerating the abusive occupation of the Islamic Regime. Women and young girls have come out to the streets in peaceful protests to claim their freedom and femininity back. The hard working class is out on the streets demanding a better way of living. One could say these are strong forces of nature bursting out to find their way to light and abundance, as it is accessible to anyone at any moment. Although it is beautiful to witness the rise of humanity and the unity of so many souls in honor of the truth, it is still devastating to see so many casualties, arrests, murders and pain. Even though the truth always wins, we must help minimize the suffering happening on Earth. If you can think of any ways to help, please suggest them. No one really knows the perfect solution to these kinds of struggles, but creativity is our nature. Thank you for reading this far, it shows that you care!
Let me know your thoughts on this issue. Do you have any suggestions? Are there any solutions that come to your mind and seem obvious to you? I think we need to have more dialogue on this issue in order to pass from it gracefully.
Have a great week!
-Sadie Aliza
