Ghazal Omid
| Ghazal Omid | |
|---|---|
 Ghazal Omid in October 2011 |
|
| Born | 1970 Abadan, Iran |
| Occupation | Author, Activist, Legal scholar |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Ethnicity | Persian |
| Citizenship |  Canada |
| Genres | Autobiography |
| Notable work(s) | Living In Hell |
|
www.ghazalomid.com |
|
Ghazal Omid is an Iranian-Canadian author. She wrote an autobiographical work entitled Living In Hell: A True Odyssey of a Woman's Struggle in Islamic Iran Against Personal and Political Forces. She is known in the United States as an advocate for human rights and women's rights and is also a Shi'a legal scholar.[1]
Contents |
Personal life
Omid was born in 1970 in Abadan, Iran.[2] Her father was a multi-millionaire that abandoned the family and sought refuge in the United States when she was a child.[3] She grew up in Isfahan and was 9 years old when the Shah of Iran was overthrown by the Ayatollah Khomeini.[4] Omid is a practicing Muslim and has made the religious pilgrimage to Mecca.[2] In 1995, she fled Iran and moved to Canada.[2]
Activism
Omid's autobiography, Living In Hell is critical of Iran and the human rights abuses there. Because of this, her book's website has been the focus of online abuse and threats from computer users in Iran, Turkey and Pakistan.[5] Omid has criticized Iran for using books to teach martyrdom to children.[6][7] She wants the books to be changed so that they don't refer to the United States as the "Great Satan".[6][8] Omid is concerned that the book may be turning children into "ticking bombs".[6][9]
Currently, Omid is the Executive Director for Iran & Its Future.org, a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on advocating for the improvement of life in Iran.[10]
Media appearances
In 2007, she appeared on Glenn Beck's TV show on CNN to talk about the treatment of women in Iran.[11] Since then, Omid has appeared in various television interviews on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, CNBC, CSPAN, and VOA, as well as a number of radio interviews.[12]
Publications
- Living In Hell: A True Odyssey of a Woman's Struggle in Islamic Iran Against Personal and Political Forces (2004) Park Avenue Publishers ISBN 978-0-9759683-0-7 OCLC 60764503
References
- ^ Trey, Popp (2006). "After the Genome". Science & Spirit (Dupont Circle Washington, D.C: Heldref Publications) 17 (5): 13–20. doi:10.3200/SSPT.17.5.13-20. OCLC 66569013. "Ghazal Omid, an Iranian human rights advocate and Shiite legal scholar who now lives in Canada"
- ^ a b c Heller, Aron (August 2, 2005). "Executions a sad reminder of home for Iranian author". Ottawa Citizen. AP (Ottawa, Canada: James Orban): p. A7. ISSN 0839-3222. OCLC 60621316.
- ^ "Ghazil Omid, who was abused as a child in Iran A regime of oppression But speaker says Iranian people are kindhearted". The Beacon (Acton, MA: Beacon Communications Corp.). October 19, 2006. ISSN 0744-7930. OCLC 8560666.
- ^ Wigod, Rebecca (August 6, 2005). "Life in Iran was life in hell, says local author". The Vancouver Sun (Vancouver, British Columbia: Kevin D. Bent). ISSN 0832-1299. OCLC 51786825.
- ^ Bunt, Gary R. (2009). iMuslims: rewiring the house of Islam (illustrated ed.). UNC Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-8078-5966-7. OCLC 245536728. http://books.google.com/books?id=H1xbP14NXyYC&pg=PA74&dq=%22Ghazal+Omid%22&ei=MPWuTJ3-LIq0sAObl7D8Cw. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^ a b c Wagner, Thomas (February 8, 2007). "Study says Iran textbooks urge martyrdom". The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts: Christopher M. Mayer). ISSN 0743-1791. OCLC 1536853. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8N5NB0G0&show_article=1. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^ "Iranian Books Tell Students To Be 'martyrs,' Study Says". The Island Packet. AP (Bluffton, South Carolina: Sara Johnson Borton): p. 8. February 9, 2007. ISSN 0746-4886. OCLC 10076001. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CSYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dq0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3251,1743919&dq=ghazal-omid. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^ "Monday Briefing". Amarillo Globe-News. AP (Amarillo, Texas: Les Simpson). February 12, 2007. OCLC 46838358. Archived from the original on 2011-02-15. http://amarillo.com/stories/021207/opi_6776842.shtml. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^ "Study says Iran's texts breed hate toward West". Houston Chronicle. AP (Houston, Texas: Jack Sweeney). February 9, 2007. ISSN 1074-7109. OCLC 1607806.
- ^ "Iran & Its Future.org home page". Iran & Its Future.org. http://www.iranfuture.org/. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "What are Iran`s Real Plans?". Glenn Beck. CNN. CNN, Atlanta, Georgia. 3 April 2007. Transcript. Archived 15 February 2011 at WebCite
- ^ Omid, Ghazal. "Tours". The Islam 101. http://www.theislam101.com/content.php?topicId=13. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
