Get QuoteDark Inspirational Quotes App

" When President Hassan Rouhani was elected in Iran in 2013, he welcomed back the far-flung children of Iran. But one by one, they have been arrested and imprisoned upon their return, a fate that has made me increasingly reluctant to risk going back to a homeland I've not seen since 1992. "

Nazanin Boniadi

Risk

Fate

Going

Related Quotes:

" In a lot of ways, I think television is better for women than film. "

" Although each human rights victory energizes us to continue our work, there remains a deep sorrow for those prisoners still wrongfully languishing in jail. "

" For me, the struggle for women's human rights began the moment I was born in Tehran at the height of the Iranian Revolution, a time when the status of women was quickly deteriorating. "

Nazanin Boniadi

Born

Time

" I was shocked when I heard that Farghadani had been sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison on spurious charges, as Amnesty International notes, of 'spreading propaganda against the system,' 'insulting members of the parliament through paintings' and 'insulting the Supreme Leader' with her cartoon. "

" I was always fascinated with science, and being Persian, it's instilled in us at a young age to follow something very academic in our career. "

Nazanin Boniadi

Science

Young

" To have art suppressed is very dangerous to society. "

" The idea that an actress - mostly lauded for her performances in more than a dozen films - somehow represents a threat to Iran's national security is laughable at best. But in Ahangarani's case, far from anything humorous, the allegations have actually resulted in the sober prospect of real prison time. "

" The people of Iran have had to endure repressive laws that have stifled their freedom of speech and religion for too long. "

" I feel really connected to antiquity for some reason. "

" Our rights are interconnected and inseparable. When freedom of expression is threatened, the rights to freedom of association and assembly, of thought, conscience and religion, are also compromised. "

" The entertainment industry isn't a line of work encouraged in the Persian culture. When I called my dad to say I wanted to quit medicine, there was about three minutes of silence. I'm not sure he knew what to do with himself! "

" I think a culture can really be elevated through the arts, and it's always a dream come true when I come across roles that enable me to fuse my love of storytelling with my passion for activism and raising social awareness. "

" It's tougher for women than men in Hollywood, period, if you ask me. As with most professions, women have generally not found equality with men when it comes to income and influence. There aren't as many female directors, producers, and writers, which translates to fewer complex roles for women. "

" Violence against women and girls touches every corner of the globe and is one of the world's most pervasive human rights violations. "

" How often do we see a Muslim woman who is intelligent and independent, and has a voice of her own and is career-driven, on American TV? "

" I was born in Iran, which has a predominantly Muslim population, and I have relatives who are devout Muslims, so I know what it means to be judged based on your appearance and what you're wearing. But your ethnicity and your clothing do not define who you are. "

" The thing that I love about 'Scandal' is every character, it's not clear if they're good or bad. Everyone is both good and bad. "

" We all know in our hearts that forgiveness is the right thing; it's just a matter of being inspired to reach that place. "

" Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was not engaged in subversive work; she was an apolitical project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the Reuters news agency. "

" Despite the fact that Rouhani has been a long-time insider in a government that has committed countless human rights violations, and that he himself called for the execution of peaceful activists in 1999, many people inside and outside Iran are optimistic that he might indeed favor greater respect for the rights of the Iranian people. "

" For me personally, I'm an activist, so I see a lot of turmoil and heartache in the world and tragedy. "

Nazanin Boniadi

I See

World

" My human rights activism has been widely met with encouragement and support. Ahangarani should earn plaudits, not only for her cinematic achievements, but also for her humanitarian deeds and her commitment to increased rights and freedoms for all. "

" Old-school Dire Straits songs are on heavy rotation: 'So Far Away,' 'Romeo and Juliet' and of course 'Sultans of Swing.' "

" History's lesson, of course, is that attempts to suppress free expression have merely confirmed the caricaturists' original critique of heavy-handed and objectionable actions of overreaching governments. "

" Medicine, anything academic, is a very Persian Iranian route to take in life, in one's career. "

" While awareness-building is a crucial first step, cohesive efforts are needed to translate this into real-world change. "

" I retweet Amnesty International tweets a lot. It isn't just, 'This person is incarcerated unjustly.' It's also, 'This person was just released.' Those are the victories we work toward, so if we don't inform people of the victories, it does become doom and gloom. "

" It's nice to see different dimensions of a character. A love interest and family life are always, I think, important in creating layers and textures. "

" Artists often become vocal advocates of freedom of expression because we depend on it so heavily in our work. But it is an inalienable right that belongs to everyone on an equal basis. "

" As far as the 2009 elections go, there has been a serious crackdown on human rights in Iran, a clampdown on the media and the wrongful imprisonment of journalists. So it seems what's happening is the government is going after people who have a voice, people who change society or public opinion. "