Pedram Moallemian

Pedram Moallemian (پدرام معلميان) is a prominent Iranian-Canadian activist, writer and blogger, currently based in Southern California.

Life

Born in Tehran in March 1967, Pedram Moallemian immigrated to Toronto in 1983 after several arrests as a student organizer and continued his political activities in Canada. In 1997, he was chosen by the members of Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) in the riding (area) of Scarborough—Rouge River, a Toronto suburb to represent them in the Canadian Parliament. He failed to defeat incumbent Member of Parliament Derek Lee, from Liberal Party.

Subsequently, Pedram served on various other campaigns, most notably as the North York Co-Chair of Barbara Hall's re-election bid as Mayor of Toronto and an organizer for President of Ontario's largest union (Canadian Union of Public Employees) Sid Ryan's first campaign for a provincial seat in Scarborough.

Pedram Moallemian also focused on community organizations, serving as President of Iranian Community Association of Ontario, founder of Canadian Iranian Centre for Liberty & Equality (CIRCLE) and the campaign to Stop Deportations to Iran. In NDP, he served as delegate to both Federal and Provincial councils and conventions regularly and was active as part of its Ethnic Liaison Committee as well as serving on multiple other committees, including the first annual J. S. Woodsworth Award for Anti-Racism Selection Committee.

In 2001, he immigrated to California and in 2003 established what soon became the most read Iranian Weblog in English, the eyeranian Pedram has written regularly for a number of electronic and print based publication and is currently in the process of finishing his first book, a memoir of his early adolescence in the midst of the upheaval that was the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

Trivia

Changes his facial hair regularly, often going back to a goatee.
Loves Peanuts and Butter, but can't stand Peanut Butter.
Once worked as a DJ as well as a Stand Up Comedian. Also washed dishes, sold cars, wore a 'security guard' uniform, managed several small and medium size businesses, owned a video post production firm and an import-export business. And that's just part of the list.