This is the true account of an Iranian Calvin student who just seven weeks ago came to the United States as a refugee to escape political and religious persecution. Because of family members still in Iran, she requests that her name be kept confidential for security reasons, so the alias “Azadeh” will be used.

At age 16, Azadeh’s two best friends were executed because they did not agree with the government. Although Azadeh did nothing illegal — she was guilty by association — she was taken out of school, away from her family, and put into prison. While in prison, she learned Morse code to communicate with people behind the walls during her three-month solitary confinement. She was tortured by having her bare feet whipped with a cable in hope that she would give the government information. These beatings were “heaven compared to what others received,”she said. Other prisoners had their heads beaten severely and were burned with cigarettes. After three years in prison, she was released at age 19. Her friends who had not been executed had graduated, and she had to makeup her schooling on her own at home. After high school, she wanted to go to a university, but the Iranian government would not let her, so she went to school in Romania for two years. Her father, a professor, had been supporting her, but unfortunately passed away, and so she was forced to go home again. Back in Iran in 1995, she was thrilled when she was accepted at a university there. Life was going better and her hopes were high until she was called into an office at school. She was asked to spy for the government to inform them which students supported the government and which students did not. When Azadeh declined, her identification card was taken away and she was unable to attend the university anymore. When two of her friends had the same confrontation with authorities, they were kidnapped. Azadeh realized that she must leave Iran immediately. Azadeh is angry because she was not a political person at all — she just wanted to continue her education and was punished for it. But though it was never her fault she still feels that the government is extremely sensitive to young people, especially those in universities. The government just wants the Iranian people to do what they say.

An Indian man offered to take her to Canada for the sum of $2,600-enough money to take care of her paperwork and her plane tickets. After flying out of Iran to Nepal, she realized that she had been cheated. Many others had sold their property to give her money. So Azadeh headed to India to find the man, but her search was futile.

“If you do not have money, it does not matter if you are innocent. Those with money will win, even though they are guilty,”she said. Azadeh was unable to work in India, because of India’s high unemployment rate. She communicated with her family every six months by phone, but the Iranian government confiscated some of the letters she sent home. While attending church in India, Azadeh became a Christian, living as a refugee in a missionary’s house. While at the house, she met a couple of Americans who opened their home to her, where she still lives. After two years and nine months of waiting, the U.S. Embassy has finally granted her refugee status in the United States.

Leaving behind her family in Iran, she moved to Grand Rapids. Currently, she is taking a class at Calvin and would like to be a dentist. “My aim is education. I want to work for the Red Cross, because I once was a refugee and I want to help those in refugee situations. You can’t give up hope. I am going to become a U.S. citizen, but I need to get a scholarship in order to get money for school. What happens is in God’s hands,” she said.

Azadeh is concerned with Iran’s current government. Although President Mohammad Khatami appears better to other countries than previous leaders, “It is just a show,”Azadeh said. Things have not changed, Azadeh says; people are still persecuted for their beliefs and there is no real freedom. There is currently a 30 percent unemployment rate in Iran (according to infoplease.com/ipa). The government, according to Azadeh, keeps all the “good” jobs for its political supporters. There are many doctors, dentists and other educated professionals who are unemployed in Iran.

Azadeh claims that the new president has the same aims as previous, more conservative presidents — just a different way of getting to the goal: protecting the Islamic government. “There will not be a revolution because Iranians are tired. They don’t like Islam, but they value their lives,” she said.

Azadeh does not see herself ever going back to Iran, unless its government changes. She feels blessed to be openly be a Christian, because in Iran a Christian might be executed. Azadeh is now able to freely speak her opinion about the government without fear of punishment.

She is, however, surprised by the materialism in the United States — that cars, houses and clothing are so important. In Iran, life and food are central. Adazeh wants others to know that, “If anything is going to happen to them, not to give up hope, because there is some reason for God to let it happen, and He is in control over everything.”

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