Shahroze Rauf | News Editor
Featured Image: Iran admitted on January 11 to “unintentionally” shooting down Ukraine Airlines flight PS752. | Courtesy of Jordan Chu, Photo/Video Editor
On January 15, York joined other universities across Canada for a moment of silence at 1:00 p.m. in Vari Hall to honour the victims of the tragic Ukraine Airlines crash. York also held a vigil on January 10, 2020, announcing the names of students who lost their lives.
The three York students were: 27-year-old second-year human resource management student Sadaf Hajiaghavand; 20-year-old first-year biology student Pegan Safar Poor Kaloor; and 31-year-old Massoud Shaterpour Khiaban, who was to begin his post-graduate certificate in business administration this winter.
“At the end of a week that has been marked by tension, conflict and, ultimately, tragedy, let us recommit ourselves to making a better world using the strength of our minds and our hearts,” said Provost and Vice-President Academic Lisa Phillips at the previous vigil.
According to The Star, York student Naz Moayed said that her and Hajiaghavand became friends over the commonality that the two arrived in Canada around the same time in 2016. Moayed described her as “kind and into fashion” as Hajiaghavand worked two jobs, one of them as a consultant in a cosmetic store while modelling on the side.
“I can’t believe she’s not here,” said Moayed. “I just spoke with her two days ago.”
York professor Khatereh Sheibani from the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, spoke to mourners and community members at the vigil. She says she was shocked when she heard news of the tragedy.
I could relate with all these people who decided to migrate to Canada to have a peaceful life, to pursue their careers, and to contribute to their society,” says Sheibani. “They had dreams and aspirations that are now shattered. Families are destroyed.”
Another student at Seneca College, who wishes to remain anonymous out of fear of the Iranian government, expresses their reactions when the tragedy unfolded.
“I knew some of the people that died in the plane crash. A young girl around my age who used to be very outgoing and energetic. If you look at the pictures of all the victims, you can see they are all young students and families. When I was looking at them, it felt like I was looking at myself, or my family members.”
They add that the people who were victims of the plane crash left their families behind in Iran in hopes for a better future in Canada. The way that this tragedy ended all that adversity so abruptly, they say, is devastating.
“Me, my family, my Iranian friends, and the Iranian community in general are never going to be the same after this tragedy. It could have been any of us on that plane,” they say.
In regards to clarification of the specifics of the crash, Canadian investigators are in Iran where authorities seem to be cooperating, according to a report by CBC.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says investigators were given access to black box records from the downed plane of Ukraine Airlines flight PS752.
“Yes, Iran admitted to shooting down this airplane but we want to know exactly what happened on the airplane in the last seconds,” said Transport Minister Marc Garneau to CBC’s Power & Politics.
Garneau adds that after the plane was struck, it went into a turning pattern. Investigators are still unsure what exactly was happening on board during the crash.
As an Iranian-Canadian, the anonymous Seneca student adds that in such a time, solidarity and clarification are of utmost importance to the Iranian community during this investigation.
We are trying our best to raise awareness and spread the news as much as possible, because we know that the Iranian government is trying to make everyone forget and move on. They try to hide the fact that people are against them and pretend that everything is okay in the media. We need everybody to stand with us and spread the news,” they say.
During such a time, Sheibani also stresses unity and embracing diversity within Canadian communities, especially after this tragedy. She says the Iranians who lost their lives may have had strong ties to Iran, but had a huge impact on Canada through their public service.
“The impact of lives lost in Canada went beyond the Iranian Canadian community,” says Sheibani. “It affected a nation. The concept of a well-demarcated ‘us’ and ‘them’ in a multicultural and diverse society such as Canada does not work. More than ever, all of us who come from different backgrounds to live in Canada are dependent on one another.”
