Nazanin Afshin-Jam was born in Iran during the 1979 revolution and fled with her family to Canada. A former Miss Canada and Miss World first runner-up, she successfully campaigned to spare the life of 17-year-old Nazanin Fatehi, sentenced to death in Iran for stabbing a man who tried to rape her. Afshin-Jam’s album Someday is out now. Visit

You say you hope your pop career raises the profile of your causes. What are they?

The main one is Stop Child Executions. We’ve put up the profiles of 80 minors who are facing the death penalty in Iran for homosexuality, adultery or drug-trafficking. Last year I campaigned for Nazanin Fatehi to be spared the death penalty and now we’re trying to remind Iran of its commitments, under international treaties, not to execute people under the age of 18.

Did you meet the girl you saved from the death penalty?

No, but I talk to her regularly on the phone and she can’t thank the international community enough for acting on her behalf. She still has psychological scars from the ordeal. She was abused in prison and was kept in solitary confinement. She has nightmares every night.

Would you be killed if you returned to Iran?

It would be extremely dangerous; both my websites are banned. I get sent death threats. There have been Canadian and American scholars who have gone to Iran and been put in jail for allegedly being Zionist spies for the US government. They don’t even need an excuse to put you into prison.

Did Islamic extremists condemn you for competing in beauty contests?

When I entered the Miss Canada competition I got hate mail from Islamic fundamentalists who said they’d slash me across the face and end my career. Now that I’ve spoken out against the regime in Iran and for Iranian women’s rights, they are bothered even more.

Do you feel threatened?

My eyes are always open when I’m out in public and sometimes I even take a bodyguard with me to events. Iranians are silenced by their government; I live in Canada – a democracy that believes in free speech – and I won’t be silenced from the other side of the ocean.

Most models aren’t too politically aware, are they?

No, most aren’t. When I graduated from university I realised that a regular person won’t necessarily know the name of the UN secretarygeneral but will know Paris Hilton’s dog’s name. I realised I had to get into the public eye for people to listen. You have to take part in the system to beat the system in the end.

How’s it working out?

The Miss Canada title opened doors. When I worked on the Fatehi campaign I noticed no one had picked up on the story – they said it was too commonplace. But the angle of a former Miss Canada trying to save a life did have appeal. I’m going to use anything I can to bring attention to these cases. That’s where fame and beauty can help bring attention.

Who are your favourite bands?

I’m listening to the new Carla Bruni album and I still like Cat Stevens, Carole King and Arabic-Spanish fusion music.

You’ve got a pilot’s licence. Does that ever come in handy?

It’s more of a hobby. When I have the time and resources I go flying, but it’s quite expensive.

You’ve also trained in bush survival skills.

That was when I was in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and it was part of the training. We had to learn how to make a shelter and a fire and feed ourselves.

Can you cook a hedgehog?

They taught us how to catch and eat squirrels and rabbits but I didn’t have the heart to do it. I just had to look for plants to eat. I’d rather not eat than have to kill a rabbit.

Did you have to do any bizarre things in the beauty contests?

Film crews followed us around during Miss World. At one point they asked us who should win and told us to point at ourselves and say ‘me me me’. I refused to do it. I don’t think the organisers liked it but I thought it was ridiculous. To point to yourself and say ‘me’ seemed very juvenile.