Colin Boyd Shafer

She is Marzieh, one of the strongest women I have ever met. I took this photo a while ago, in Iran and today, after having her consent, I decided to post it. M...arzieh was driving in Isfahan, Iran, six years ago, when two men on a motorcycle came close to her car. One of them threw acid on her face and then they ran away. Police never caught them, although the street was surveyed by video cameras. There were a few other similar cases in Isfahan, in the same year, and the perpetrators have never been caught. All these horrible acts were directed towards women who were not wearing conservative outfits. Many Iranians believe that these attacks were made in complicity with different authorities to discourage women from adopting a more liberal way of dressing. But both national and local authorities denied any involvement. Today Marzieh is trying to raise awareness about these terrible attacks and advocates for the ban of acid sales. Although she started to cry when she remembered that horrible day, she wanted to tell me the whole story. Then she smiled again. It was the smile of a powerful woman, who found the strength and courage to overcome the suffering and to fight for her cause every single day, so this would not happen again to other women. Dear Marzieh, incredible women like you are the reason I’m doing this project. Thank you so much for showing me the purest form of beauty.

A project I’m working on for Environmental Defence Canada is in the news.

EXCELLENT photo essay by Chloë Ellingson about the Tshiuetin railway.