WLU Middle Eastern Association

What is Chaharshanbe Suri?

Chaharshanbe Suri is an ancient Iranian fire festival celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year. It is the beginning of the Nowruz celebrations.

By tradition, people generally set 3, 5, or 7 bonfires and jump over them 3 times at dusk. As you jump over the flames you are to say "sorkhi-ye to az man, zardi-ye man az to". Translated to "[let] your redness [be] mine, my paleness yours". We are asking the fire to take away our sickness & weakness and asking for good health & happiness.

Happy Chaharshanbe Suri to everyone! May the fire represent our ongoing fight for liberation and freedom. Jin, Jiyan, Azadi. To women, life, freedom. ❤️

Tonight is Shabe Yaldā, Shabe Chelleh, Sewi Yelda and Seva Zistane also known as the Winter Solstice celebrating the longest night of the year.

This tradition has been celebrated for thousands of years by many distinct indigenous cultures from the SouthWest and Central Asia region.

We’re sending love and solidarity to all of our communities grieving the ongoing atrocities of the Islamic Republic. May we continue fighting for liberation for our Kurdish, Baloch, Iranian and other kin. For women, life, freedom — Jin, Jiyan, Azadi.

We’re excited to announce an in-person tote bag painting workshop!

Participants will have the opportunity to paint a canvas tote bag while enjoying space amongst community.

The event will be on Friday December 23rd from 7-8:30 pm on the WLU Brantford campus.

Please DM or email [email protected] to register or for more information.

We hope to see you there! 🎨🖌️

The MEA presents: A healing and support space for those impacted by the uprisings in Iran

Event will run via Zoom on December 2nd from 7-8:30 pm

This space will be run by Forouz Salari (she/her), MA, MSW, RSW and will consist of body-based and soothing grounding exercises, a brief guided meditation around radical self-compassion, information around burnout, emotional exhaustion and fostering resilience, as well as a guided discussion to support participants in expressing their thoughts and feelings.

This space will centre the experiences of Iranian, Kurdish, Baloch, and other marginalized groups closely impacted. Others in the SWANA (SouthWest Asia North Africa) region are welcome to join the space in solidarity and are urged to be cognizant of the space they hold. This event is open to SWANA Laurier students, staff, faculty and alumni.

To register please direct message us or email [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.

About Forouz: She is a white-passing, Iranian, bis*xual, cis-gender, neurotypical woman and a first-generation immigrant and settler (who came to Canada as a refugee, during childhood). She is a registered social worker, psychotherapist and clinical consultant based in Toronto. She works virtually with individuals, couples, and organizations across Ontario. She specializes in working with women (ages 18-55), including gender-diverse, q***r and trans folks (2SLGBTQIA+), people of colour (BIPOC), first & second generation immigrants, neurodivergent folks (particularly folks with ADHD), students, professionals and entrepreneurs. Her passion is to support people who are committed to self-exploration and healing, as part of their ongoing personal and professional growth. Her approach is trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, abolitionist, intersectional feminist, harm-reduction and strengths-based, combining therapeutic elements from mindfulness, somatic attachment therapy (SAT), s*x therapy, internal family systems (IFS) / parts-work, narrative therapy, and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT).

ForouzSalariTherapy.ca

The MEA presents: A healing and support space for those impacted by the uprisings in Iran

This space will run via Zoom by Forouz Salari (she/her), MA, MSW, RSW and will consist of body-based and soothing grounding exercises, a brief guided meditation around radical self-compassion, information around burnout, emotional exhaustion and fostering resilience, as well as a guided discussion to support participants in expressing their thoughts and feelings.

This space will centre the experiences of Iranian, Kurdish, Baloch, and other marginalized groups closely impacted. Others in the SWANA (SouthWest Asia North Africa) region are welcome to join the space in solidarity and are urged to be cognizant of the space they hold. This event is open to SWANA Laurier students, staff, faculty and alumni.

To register please direct message us or email [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.

About Forouz: She is a white-passing, Iranian, bis*xual, cis-gender, neurotypical woman and a first-generation immigrant and settler (who came to Canada as a refugee, during childhood). She is a registered social worker, psychotherapist and clinical consultant based in Toronto. She works virtually with individuals, couples, and organizations across Ontario. She specializes in working with women (ages 18-55), including gender-diverse, q***r and trans folks (2SLGBTQIA+), people of colour (BIPOC), first & second generation immigrants, neurodivergent folks (particularly folks with ADHD), students, professionals and entrepreneurs. Her passion is to support people who are committed to self-exploration and healing, as part of their ongoing personal and professional growth. Her approach is trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, abolitionist, intersectional feminist, harm-reduction and strengths-based, combining therapeutic elements from mindfulness, somatic attachment therapy (SAT), s*x therapy, internal family systems (IFS) / parts-work, narrative therapy, and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT).

ForouzSalariTherapy.ca

Repost from:

CW: death, settler-colonial violence, religious trauma, familial rejection and cultural isolation

This post outlines various q***r and trans experiences in the Southwest Asia North Africa (SWANA) region found on q***ringthemap.com

We hope q***r and trans SWANA folks around the world find community, safety, and joy. May we imagine a liberatory society for us all

has many great resources and spaces for q***r and trans SWANA peoples

Repost from ***rsphere

This Pride Month and Indigenous History Month we ask folks to reflect on what it means to decolonize Pride.

This post shares just a few examples for what beginning to decolonize Pride can look like. Decolonization is not a metaphor, but a call to action 🌈

The MEA Executive Team Application has been extended until July 22nd 2022 at 11:59 pm.

Please submit applications via the Google Form linked in our bio or found at https://bit.ly/3y4onUR

Position details are outlined in the Google Form.

Please dm or email us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

The MEA Executive Team Application is now open! We are hiring for all positions.

Please submit applications via the Google Form linked in our bio or found at https://bit.ly/3y4onUR

Position details are outlined in the Google Form.

Applications due by Friday May 27th at 11:59 pm. Please dm or email us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Today is Sizdah Bedar! 🌱

Please enjoy this repost from last year!

We hope all those who celebrate can safely spend time with friends and family.

With love, the WLU Middle Eastern Association 🤍🌷

Happy year 1401! 🧿🤍

Nowruz/Nauruz (common Farsi/ Dari spelling)

Newroz (common Kurdish spelling)

Navroz (common Hindi spelling)

These are just three of the many ways to say Happy New Year/ Spring Equinox! The different spellings of “Nowruz” often translate to the term “New Day.” And “Pirouz” translates to “prosperous.” We wish you a prosperous new year filled with success! 🌷

Today, many groups among West, Central, and South Asia have rung in the new year. 🌱