Hossein Shamaghdari

Born in Jerusalem

Hossein Shamaghdari

My name is "Mohammad". I grew up in a practicing Iranian muslim family. As a child, Israel was introduced to me as a great enemy and evil in the world. Every year my family and I would participate in anti-Israel demonstrations. the enmity between Iran and Israel has been gone so far as to forbid Iranians' travel to the "occupied land of Palestine", as clearly printed on the last page of my passport. All of these restrictions in regards to Israel only made me more curious and uncertain of my childhood teachings. I decided that I needed to face the zionists who I always chanted slogans of "down with you" against, and that the closest I could get to Israel would be Europe.