At the age of 16, I realized that my life was not fully mine to plan. As a member of a Baha’i family under the Islamic Republic in Iran, our beliefs made us targets. We are the country’s largest non-Muslim minority, yet we are barred from universities, many jobs, and burying our dead peacefully. The government has executed or killed hundreds of Baha’is since 1979.
I witnessed loved ones lose their livelihoods and freedom. At 11, I was expelled from sixth grade when school officials intended to have students harm me. Ultimately, my family hired a smuggler to take me across the border into Pakistan.
These events are not merely historical; they are present-day occurrences. Reports indicate an increased crackdown on Baha’is as Iran’s confrontations with the U.S. and Israel continue. The community remains a scapegoat as tensions rise. Another generation faces the struggles I experienced.
Persecution from the inside involves parents unable to protect their children, faith becoming a public liability, and leaving everything behind. Despite these hardships, my faith in service and humanity’s unity became my guiding principles.
My values transcended borders, forming the foundation for my new life in the U.S.
Arriving as a refugee in California, I pursued education at the University of California-Davis. Lacking a network, capital, or specific plans, I found the Bay Area’s openness to unfamiliar backgrounds invaluable. It was a place focused on potential rather than origins.
The U.S.’s tolerance created opportunities for me, enabling me to co-found AutoWeb in 1999 and later establish One Planet Group. My journey reflects the promise of mutual benefit where America offered asylum, and I contributed by building businesses and creating jobs.
Iran’s government remains dangerous, driven by ideology rather than pragmatism. This narrative extends beyond its borders, affecting regions through proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Such actions serve to maintain power domestically.
This government sacrifices innocent people for its interests, obstructing rational negotiations. It treats its citizens as enemies, invalidating trust in any agreements. Until there’s global acknowledgment and action supporting the Iranian people, the regime’s power will persist.
I think of Iran’s youth and the detained Baha’is. Half a century has passed while their struggles were overlooked. Current turmoil may escalate persecution. I have no solutions for Iran’s politics but understand the feeling of abandonment by the world.
Fortune led me to a nation willing to invest in my future.
Seeking freedom, not war, for Iranians remains my hope.
Payam Zamani, founder and CEO of One Planet Group, shares insights from his journey.
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