Imagine living miles away from your home country, safe and sound, yet your mind is constantly gripped by its turmoil. This is the harrowing reality for Azadeh and Dr. Peyman Mirarabshahi, Iranian migrants in Australia, who find themselves caught in an unbearable emotional vortex as events unfold back home.
Azadeh, who moved to Australia for freedom in 2009, is barely sleeping. The news from Iran, coupled with desperate attempts to reach family, has left her needing anti-anxiety medication. “I can’t manage my stress,” she confesses, her mind blocked from daily tasks. She and her husband left Iran specifically to raise children outside the regime, a decision echoing a deep-seated desire for a better future.
Dr. Mirarabshahi, a GP who migrated in 2008, shares her anguish. Days of “anger, anxiety, stress, and sadness” have given way to a complex mix of emotions as military campaigns escalate. He recalls wishing for regime change even before he left Iran, a sentiment shared by many who are “just tired of this situation.”
For these individuals, living in a peaceful democracy like Australia is a constant contrast. Their bodies are safe, but their minds are “in the fight zone.” It’s an overwhelming struggle to balance work, family, and the profound worry for their loved ones. They feel a responsibility to be a voice for those silenced.
Both Azadeh and Dr. Mirarabshahi emphasize that outsiders can’t truly grasp the depth of the political complexities or the historical longing for freedom. They remember a different Iran, a “glory” that their parents passed down. Their fight, they say, is to return to that past, to a free Iran. It’s a journey filled with fear, hope, and an enduring resilience.
