Activist weds Defence Minister
Former St. Anthony's parishioner advocates for children on death row
By Laureen McMahon
Canadian Defence Minister Peter McKay married former St. Anthony's, West Vancouver, parishioner Nazanin Afshin-Jam in Mexico Jan. 4 in a small ceremony attended by "family and loved ones."
Canadian MP Peter McKay and his bride Nazanin Afshin-Jam. The couple married in Mexico just after New Year's. Afshin-Jam escaped from Iran with her family just after the start of the revolution. Peter McKay / Facebook
The couple, who first met when Afshin-Jam went to Ottawa to plead for the government's help to save children on death row in Middle Eastern countries, have been dating for at least a year, according to a story from McKay's office.
His new wife, said McKay, has visited his Central Nova riding in Nova Scotia several times. They look forward, he told constituents, "to spending more time at home ... and sharing our happiness with all of you."
The B.C. Catholic has profiled Afshin-Jam in the past for her efforts to save children under threat of execution.
At an ecumenical leadership prayer breakfast in April 2009, she described how she parlayed her good looks into political activism, founding the Stop Child Executions organization and saving Kurdish teenager Nazanin Fatehi, convicted for killing her attempted rapist.
"She was going to be hanged, although the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child forbids execution of those convicted of offences before the age of 18," said Afshin-Jam.
Afshin-Jam's own story began with her father being tortured by Iranian soldiers because he managed a Sheraton Hotel which served alcohol and allowed music for dancing. The family fled to Spain and then entered Canada as refugees. They settled in West Vancouver, and Afshin-Jam was baptized at St. Anthony's at the age of 8.
She adopted Blessed Teresa of Kolkata as her childhood hero after visiting a soup kitchen in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside with her parish religious education class. "I saw such downtrodden people. On the ride home we passed beautiful homes, and I wondered why some people had so much while others had nothing."
Afshin-Jam considered religious life but decided to study political science at UBC because political discussions were encouraged by her parents. Working with the Red Cross, she wondered how she could access a bigger platform to promote human rights. It bothered her, she said, that sports stars and celebrities had more "clout" than politicians when it came to supporting causes.
Blessed with extraordinary good looks and singing talent, she thought the Miss Canada competition might open some doors. "The pageant's motto, 'Beauty with a Purpose,' appealed to me. I had done some acting and modelling, so I gave it a try."
She won and then was runner up in the Miss World finals. Afshin-Jam finally had her platform.
"I spent a year travelling to promote humanitarian issues and then recorded an album of songs about freedom from oppression. That's when I learned of Nazanin's plight."
Afshin-Jam gathered 350,000 names on a petition which she took to MPs in Ottawa. With the government on board, she met with the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. Pressure mounted on the head of the judiciary in Iran. Finally Fatehi was granted a new trial, exonerated, and released.
People began to deluge Afshin-Jam with requests for help, and today Stop Child Executions is a leader in saving lives.
"We are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world," said Afshin-Jam in her concluding remarks at the prayer breakfast.
"God wants us to use our blessings to help advance humanity which, in turn, gives glory to our Father in heaven. When God is behind you and you have faith, what you can achieve is unimaginable."
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