‘They’re absolutely a fringe’: Iranian-Canadians versus the Iranian Canadian Congress

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Lascaris attended Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral last February and rejects labeling Lebanese militia as a terror entity.

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The ICC’s apparent embrace of the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy, and its projection of military power across the region have put off many in Canada. The ICC remains opposed to listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a military organization in Iran, as a terror entity in Canada.

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“What actually brought them to the spotlight was (that) they opposed the Canadian government’s decision to designate the IRGC a terrorist entity,” Farzad Hassani, an Iranian-Canadian dentist in Toronto and ICC critic, told the Post.

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“I guess 50,000 people went to Richmond Hill,” Hassani continued, referring to a rally held in a Toronto suburb known for its large Iranian-Canadian community, in late February. “So 50,000 said, ‘We are against (the) IRGC,’ and these guys (the ICC) stand their ground. Obviously, you’re not a representative: at least for that 50,000.”

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The sentiment extends across the country. Maryam Malekpour in Vancouver, B.C., knows well about the horrors of the IRGC.

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In 2008, her brother, Saeed, an Iranian-Canadian from Victoria, B.C., was arrested by IRGC members for engaging in “un-Islamic” online activity while visiting their father in Iran. Saeed was jailed for over a decade in Evin prison, a facility with a notorious reputation for torture and the disappearance of political prisoners. Maryam advocated for her brother’s release throughout the ensuing years, even after Saeed received a death sentence. He eventually escaped back to Canada during a brief prison furlough in 2019.

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“Many Iranian Canadians have direct personal experience with political repression, imprisonment, torture, discrimination, forced displacement, the execution of loved ones, or the loss of family members due to the actions of the regime,” Malekpour told the Post in a statement.

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“As a result, many prioritize accountability, human rights, justice for victims, and support for democratic change,” she continued. “In my experience, the ICC has often appeared more focused on engagement and normalization than on accountability and justice. This has created a significant disconnect between the organization and many members of the community who have been directly affected by the regime’s actions.”

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In its statement, the ICC described itself as a “strictly democratic organization” that builds policies based on members’ input.

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“Central to the ICC’s core mission is an unwavering commitment to peace, diplomacy, and anti-war advocacy. Guided by the democratic mandate of our members, the ICC firmly opposes foreign military aggression, external interference, economic coercion, and unilateral sanctions,” the organization told the Post.

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“We wish for Canadians to better understand the diverse perspectives within the diaspora and to recognize the importance of amplifying voices that advocate for peace, dialogue, and humanitarian protection over pro-war rhetoric.”

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There remains a growing hunger among many Iranian-Canadians to build new, alternate institutions that they say would better resemble the community.

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“The ICC has not meaningfully evolved to reflect the community,” Hudson Mahboubi, an Iranian-Canadian in Toronto, wrote the Post.

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(Maryam Malekpour and Mahboubi were both involved in distributing the Metropolis Institute survey to gauge the views of Iranian-Canadians.)