Mardjan Seighali

Last updated

Mardjan Seighali
Mardjan Seighali 6.png
Seighali in 2019
Born
Mardjan Seighali

1964
Rasht, Iran
Education Social work at Hogeschool van Amsterdam
Occupation(s)Director of Stichting voor Vluchteling Studenten UAF, President of Humanistisch Verbond
Children2

Mardjan Seighali (born 1964) is an Iranian-born Dutch human rights activist, refugee worker and non-profit director. In 2013 Seighali became director of the Stichting voor Vluchteling Studenten UAF (Refugee Students Foundation). She serves on the Advisory Board of the College voor de Rechten van de Mens, and a member of the Supervisory Board of Het Loo Palace.

Contents

Biography

Youth

Mardjan Seighali was born in 1964 [1] in the northern Iranian city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea. [2] Until the outbreak of the Iranian Revolution in 1978, Seighali had a protected family life, but the fall of the Shah inspired her to take an interest in politics. [3]

Adult life in Iran

After the Revolution was hijacked by Islamists in 1979, Seighali joined a progressive party to fight for freedom and equal opportunities. [4] She distributed pamphlets and attended meetings where she participated in discussions. [3] Because of these oppositional political activities, she had to go in hiding for a few months at her aunt's home in Tehran when she was 17 years old; however, there was little she could do in daily life because she had to remain out of sight. [3] Eventually she was able to persuade her father to let her celebrate Nowruz together in her parental home, but on the day of her arrival in 1982 she was arrested in her sleep, after which she was imprisoned for 1.5 years. [2] [3] She has said she experienced extreme fear every day, she was tortured, and several women with whom she was imprisoned were executed. [2] [3] Despite all the torture, she managed to not let her will be broken. [4] [3]

Seighali was eventually released after her parents made a deal with the regime, in which they paid a heavy ransom, she was forced to marry and was henceforth banned from studying and working. [2] [3] Seighali was furious that she had had no say in this decision, and that she now had to live a life dedicated to making other people happy; she herself was (initially) not happy at all. [2] [3] Her parents refused to discuss the deal with her, and she was not allowed to tell them about what she had been through in prison; it was painful for everyone involved. [3] After some resistance, on 8 December 1983 she eventually married Rasul, a friend of hers of several years, even though she was not ready for marriage at all yet. [3] It took several years before they developed true love for each other, and eventually had two sons. [3]

Flight to the Netherlands

Freedom Interview with Seighali for Liberation Day 2019

In 1989, Rasul as cameraman secretly filmed an execution with the intention of smuggling the footage out of the country, but he was caught, had to immediately flee abroad, and ended up in the Netherlands. [3] The regime soon confiscated their house, and Seighali and her children had to move back with her parents. She was then arrested several times and released again shortly after as an act of intimidation. [3] Seighali made several failed attempts and fleeing the country. [2] After 21 June 1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquake hit Rasht, Rasul restored contact with Seighali via her aunt, revealed to her with a subtle hint that he was in the Netherlands, and gave her his phone number. [3] Shortly thereafter, with the help of a migrant smuggler, she succeeded in fleeing to the Netherlands with her children on an aeroplane. [2] [3] After arriving in Breda, she applied for asylum, and first ended up in refugee camp AZC Blitterwijck near Venray; later she moved to Brummen and finally Almere. [3] [5]

Life in the Netherlands

Having arrived in the Netherlands, Seighali first learnt Dutch all by herself, and then began studying, which she had been barred from doing in Iran. [2] [3] She eventually became very happy with her new life in the Netherlands, [2] where she feels at home, a free and strong woman. [3] She overcame her homesickness, but she remained in correspondence with her family in Iran. [3]

In 1997 she completed her social work and services studies at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, and subsequently followed several post-bachelor courses. [1] From 1996 to 2013 Seighali worked in youth services as a manager, in rehabilitation and at heritage foundation Erfgoed Nederland. [1]

In 2013 Seighali became director of the Stichting voor Vluchteling Studenten UAF (Refugee Students Foundation). [4] In June 2016 she entered the Advisory Board of the College voor de Rechten van de Mens, an independent supervisor for human rights issues in the Netherlands. [1] She is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Het Loo Palace. [6] In 2019 Seighali won the Comeniusprijs, an award for "eye-catching commitment to the interests of training, education, science and culture for the development of international society". [1] According to the jury, she was an "enthusiastic inspirator in society who knows how to connect and support people so that they can push their own boundaries in society". [3] On 21 November 2020 Seighali became president of the Humanistisch Verbond (Dutch Humanist Association). [6] In the period from January 1st to September 1st, 2023, she served as the head of the Natuurstad Rotterdam Foundation.

Awards

Works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voorpost</span>

Voorpost is an ethno-nationalist (volksnationalist) group founded in Flanders, Belgium, by Karel Dillen in 1976 as a splinter from the Volksunie. Voorpost pursues the irredentist ideal of a Greater Netherlands, a nation state that would unite all Dutch-speaking territories in Europe. It is active in Belgium, the Netherlands and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty Brard</span> Musical artist

Patty Brard is a Dutch entertainer and entrepreneur of Indo (Dutch-Indonesian) descent. She is a TV personality and a singer notable as a former member of the girl group Luv'. For four decades, she has often hit the headlines of the tabloid press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boris van der Ham</span> Dutch politician and actor

Boris van der Ham is a Dutch writer, humanist, former politician, and actor. On 23 May 2002, he became a member of the House of Representatives for the Democrats 66 (D66), a social liberal party. From 24 November 2012 to 21 November 2020, he was the president of the Humanistisch Verbond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nationale Postcode Loterij</span> Lottery in the Netherlands

The Nationale Postcode Loterij is the biggest charity lottery in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1989 by Novamedia, a marketing agency that sets up and runs charity lotteries. Forty percent of the proceeds of this lottery are donated amongst 81 charities, which, in 2010 amounted to over 270 million euros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halleh Ghorashi</span> Anthropologist

Halleh Ghorashi is an Iranian-born anthropologist who lives in the Netherlands. From 2005 to 2012, she held the PaVEM chair in Management of Diversity and Integration in the Department of Organization Sciences at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. She won the 2008 Triumph Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer</span> Major Dutch Jew rescuer and resistance fighter

Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer was a Dutch resistance fighter who brought Jewish children and adults into safety before and during the Second World War. Together with other people involved in the pre-war Kindertransport, she saved the lives of more than 10,000 Jewish children, fleeing anti-Semitism. She was honored as Righteous among the Nations by Yad Vashem. After the war she served on the Amsterdam city council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Nanninga</span> Dutch skeptic (1955–2014)

Roelof Hendrik "Rob" Nanninga was a Dutch skeptic, writer, board member of Stichting Skepsis and editor of its magazine Skepter. He became known for his critical writings about sects, alternative healers and therapists, paranormal claims and pseudoscientific trainings and courses.

Vrijdenkersvereniging De Vrije Gedachte (DVG) (English: Freethinkers association The Free Thought), is a Dutch atheist–humanist association of freethinkers. It was founded in 1856 and known by the name De Dageraad ("The Dawn") before assuming its present name in 1957. De Vrije Gedachte strives to use reason, natural science and logic to liberate humanity from prejudices, clerical paternalism, dogmas and false truths.

Humanist Counseling in the Dutch Armed Forces is a task in the Armed forces of the Netherlands. Humanist counsellors, sometimes called humanist chaplain, contribute to the (mental) well-being of military personnel, those related to them, and veterans. They do this through visible presence at the workplace, personal contact and guidance. They hold conversations, give advice and offer support. Issues concerning meaning and ethics are central to their work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Cliteur</span> Dutch politician

Paul Bernard Cliteur is a Dutch professor of jurisprudence at Leiden University, as well as a politician, philosopher, writer, publicist and columnist. He is known for his conservative perspective, his atheism, his republicanism, and his dislike of Islam. He is a member of De Vrije Gedachte. Since 2015, Cliteur is a member of the Dutch political party Forum voor Democratie, where he is chairman of the advisory board and the party's official think tank. In 2019 he was elected to be parliamentary group leader for Forum voor Democratie in the Dutch Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanistisch Verbond</span>

The Humanistisch Verbond is a Dutch association based on secular humanist principles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BIJ1</span> Dutch political party

BIJ1, formerly known as Article 1, is a political party in the Netherlands. It was founded in Amsterdam in 2016 by Sylvana Simons, a television personality who was formerly connected to another party, Denk. BIJ1 aligns itself as an anti-capitalist, progressive left-wing party, advocating economic justice and opposing racism and discrimination in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margriet Heymans</span> Dutch writer and illustrator of childrens literature (1932–2023)

Margaretha Henrica Gerardus Maria Heijmans was a Dutch writer and illustrator of children's literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marit Törnqvist</span>

Marit Törnqvist is a Swedish-Dutch author, artist and illustrator. She was best known for her illustrations in the books of Astrid Lindgren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Vloek</span> Former squatted social centre in the Netherlands

De Vloek was a squatted, self-managed social centre in The Hague, the Netherlands, between 2002 and 2015. Located on Hellingweg 127 in Scheveningen, beside the North Sea, the squat hosted workplaces, living spaces, a venue, and a vegan restaurant. The local council tolerated the occupation until 2014, when it decided to sell the building. A political struggle over the eviction began; some political parties supported the squatters and the Scheveningen Pier was briefly occupied as a protest action. A deal was made for the squatters to move to a former school building and the Vloek was eventually evicted in September 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa van Ginneken</span> Member of the Dutch House of Representatives

Lisa Mianti van Ginneken is a Dutch politician of the social liberal party Democrats 66 (D66). She worked as a software developer and later gave organizational trainings. She started serving as chair of the organization Transvisie in 2017 and became a member of parliament after the 2021 general election. Van Ginneken is the first transgender person to be elected into the Dutch House of Representatives, where she is her party's spokesperson for IT, privacy, family law, and mobility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatrice de Graaf</span> Dutch historian

Beatrice A. de Graaf is a Dutch history professor at the Faculty of Humanities at Utrecht University. Her areas of expertise are terrorism, international relations & security and the modern history of Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wieke Paulusma</span> Dutch politician

Wieke Paulusma is a Dutch health professional and politician for the social liberal party Democrats 66 (D66), who has been serving as a member of the House of Representatives since the 2021 general election. She started her career as a nurse and also worked as a health care manager. Besides, Paulusma served on the Groningen municipal council between 2014 and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Lorsheyd</span> Dutch footballer

Barbara Lorsheyd, also spelled Barbara Lorsheijd, is a Dutch footballer who plays as goalkeeper for Eredivisie club ADO Den Haag and the Netherlands national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne-Marijke Podt</span> Dutch politician (born 1975)

Anne-Marijke Podt is a Dutch politician of the social liberal party Democrats 66 (D66), who has been serving as a member of the House of Representatives since September 2021. She had previously been a member of the Utrecht municipal council starting in 2014, and she has worked as an aid worker and as an independent adviser for municipalities.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Jasper Vink (1 April 2019). "Comeniusprijs 2019 naar UAF-directeur Mardjan Seighali". Stichting voor Vluchteling Studenten UAF. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Elisabeth van Leeuwen (2017). "Mardjan Seighali: From client to director of UAF". Opnieuw beginnen. NTR. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Nicole Lucas (30 March 2019). "Mardjan Seighali: Het is ze in die Iraanse gevangenis niet gelukt mijn wil te breken". Trouw. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Mardjan Seighali weigert een slachtoffer te zijn". Jacobine op 2. KRO-NCRV. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Mardjan Seighali (12 November 2019). "Op bezoek bij de koning… ja, dat kan in Nederland". Stichting voor Vluchteling Studenten UAF. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Mardjan Seighali nieuwe voorzitter Humanistisch Verbond". Humanistisch Verbond. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.