[LINK] "Jian Ghomeshi allegations leave Iranian-Canadians feeling sad and betrayed"

[rfmcdonald]

The Toronto Star's David Cooper describes the sense of betrayal felt by many Iranian-Canadians at the Jian Ghomeshi scandal, as a celebrity who once seemed to disprove stereotypes is now not capable of serving that position at all.

“He was an icon for so many of us in the Iranian community, particularly those of us who have any interest in media,” said Sima Sahar Zerehi, a journalist, teacher and human rights activist.

“We wanted his success to be our success. Every time he threw in a badly pronounced Farsi word on air on Q was like a coup. Every time he had [Iranian-American] comedian Maz Jobrani on the show, it was a celebration for our community.”

But Ghomeshi also offered something else — a modern, progressive Iranian-Canadian man who discussed women’s issues and sounded like a feminist.

“In a landscape littered with images of Iranian men as being sexist, misogynists, wife beaters, religious fundamentalist goons that throw acid at women’s faces and oppress them with a veil and want to deny them education and legal rights, he was a symbol of a different version of what it meant to be an Iranian man,” Zerehi said.

“So many of us wanted to believe in that. It just feels like such a betrayal.”