Widad Akreyi Quotes

“My heart aches for you… for them in you
For angels shaking in fright… on a dreadful night
For them on site… for flames leaping on every height
For blood rolling like thunder… o'er a fragile kite
For souls so bright… like remnants of light
For a desperate plight… for hands held tight
My love, in my world… where no hope is in sight
And no right is right… what words can I write?
Our song went lost… with main and might
I'll tell you tonight… in the hush of midnight
Stay here and fight… for a mournful rite”
― Widad Akreyi, Zoroastrians' Fight for Survival

“I wish we'd be able to deliver our message at the global level on the need to recognize the past genocides in order to prevent new ones. Our message of peace and justice will hopefully reach every corner of the world.”
― Widad Akreyi

“Let’s stand against the killing of innocent civilians. It is time to make the future better than today. Together we can bring peace and unity to our communities.”
― Widad Akreyi

“Languages connect us and break down barriers when we unite to nurture the best in us and help each other succeed. Happy International Mother Language Day!”
― Widad Akreyi

“It is time to recognize the past and ongoing genocides to prevent new ones. Together we can build a better world!”
― Widad Akreyi

“The horrors of wars have shadowed our path in life. The soil of our land is saturated and soaked with the blood of the victims of genocides.”
― Widad Akreyi

“It is only with the setting of the sun that one can judge how well the day had gone. Looking back through the vista of time, I can analyse and assess why I fought hard for my right to say no to joining the Baath Party, why I took that first step towards requesting respect for human rights. But it is important to stress this: Up against a task larger than oneself, one has to overcome one's fear.”
― Widad Akreyi, The Daughter Of Kurdland: A Life Dedicated to Humankind

“The powerlessness of people with pure intentions, in the long run, can sometimes be more powerful than power in the hands of those blinded or depraved by evil tempers.”
― Widad Akreyi, The Viking's Kurdish Love: A True Story of Zoroastrians' Fight for Survival

“I am afraid, my friends, that the ugly chapters of genocides and the deep-rooted history of persecution in the Middle East will last longer if we ignore the facts. If we keep silent, we will probably witness another genocide at a future date, and the price we may pay for neglecting our duty to act may prove to be too high.”
― Widad Akreyi

“It is time for the international community to work for the creation of an independent Kurdistan as they did once for the Jews after the Holocaust. The current war against ISIS, which is perceived by many as World War Three, can be compared to World War Two. After horrible wars, great changes can be brought about for those who have suffered extreme injustice.”
― Widad Akreyi

“I reiterate my dedication to advocating for effective preventive strategies to end gun violence once and for all. In the face of the rising tensions and the widespread proliferation of small arms and light weapons, we call on everyone to join us to build conditions that will make world peace more likely. We all know that the road to building peace goes through ending conflicts and silencing the guns.”
― Widad Akreyi

“His voice was reassuring and calm, his expression soft, his eyes brighter than ever. Oh Ahura Mazda, she’d never wanted any man so intently in all her life. She ached to have him touch her, kiss her, taste her. And Ivar did as she wished. He put her hand to his nose to smell her skin, kissed her inner wrist to taste her, his lips lingered over her racing pulse. Finally, it was confirmed in actions and direct words, spoken aloud and repeated seven times… She felt the rush of desire ripping through her body, an intense sensation of warmth upon her skin, the blissful waves of uneasiness swamped through her, tingling her nerves.”
― Widad Akreyi, The Viking's Kurdish Love: A True Story of Zoroastrians' Fight for Survival

“The more division the Iraqi authorities cultivated, the more we worked for inclusion. The more aggression they showed us, the more time we devoted to peace and reconciliation. The more civilians they tortured and slaughtered, the more my instinct guided me to reach out to all segments of society. The more they tried to erase the evidence, the more risks we took to document the atrocities and the harms inflected on humans and the environment.
Because one day, we thought, one day the world will wake up and realize the repercussions of overlooking our suffering, and on that day, the souls of victims will finally find peace.”
― Widad Akreyi

“Our lives and the lives of future generations do not only depend on the conflicts that take place, but also on the solutions we offer in response to them.”
― Widad Akreyi

“It is vital to acknowledge the new reality before taking any steps to change the existing policies. The world is not the same anymore. Tackling religion-based terrorism is perhaps one, if not the most serious threat the world face in the 21st century. Unfortunately, more terror attacks like the ones in San Bernardino, Brussels and Paris are expected to occur. While those attacks were a reminder of the challenges that lay ahead, they exposed the need to have an improved early warning system that may ultimately save civilian lives. Such a system should take into account the shortcomings of the current warning frameworks and evaluate the usefulness of warnings generated by improved models that would cover a broad range of attacks, larger geographic areas within the country in question and a wide range of potential attack scenarios. The system is likely to facilitate well informed decisions on the assessment of information gathered from different sources. In this vein, finding a balance between protecting human rights and ensuring national security is key.”
― Widad Akreyi

“A moment later, Vesta became aware that her life was passing her by in that busy city, where no man could capture her heart… What if she married someone, who wasn’t mentally prepared to keep his Zoroastrian identity intact? Or what if her future husband was forced to convert to Islam? What if he tried to force her to convert as well? What if he suddenly decided to become an extremist and called for Sharia Laws in Kurdland? She shivered at the thought.”
― Widad Akreyi, The Viking's Kurdish Love: A True Story of Zoroastrians' Fight for Survival

“On the 25th anniversary of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, let us remember that we have a chance to save lives! If we don't take it, we may regret it!”
― Widad Akreyi

“If we compare the 2014-genocide to the Armenian genocide and the Anfal genocide, we will find that, whether religious or secular, the perpetrators of the three genocides have used a specific religion to legalize their crimes. Not even children were spared.”
― Widad Akreyi

“Not even children were spared. To see history repeating itself, and the calamities of the past unfolding again, spelled out in the eyes of the victims and survivors, was unbearable. To witness rape and slavery practiced and legitimized, to witness it happen in the 21st century was hideous. Girls as young as 8-9 years old and women all ages were being brutally violated and sold, sometimes for $10. My heart sank with their screams, and we had to do something to help them.”
― Widad Akreyi

“It has been heart-warming, in the midst of all our sadness, to see a good mix of people from different backgrounds, different cultures, different religions or with no religion involved in demonstrations and urgent actions to support our calls for justice and peace. Those tireless supporters have tried to make a difference one act of kindness, one act of solidarity, one act of charity at a time. And they did so because they believe that all humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They believe in acting towards one another in a spirit of humanity because human rights are universal, and justice and peace are human rights.”
― Widad Akreyi

“Hope becomes an option only when we get involved. Empathy must influence the nature of our interactions. And we must remember that compassion is contagious. The more we spread it, the more the people around us are gonna feel it and cherish it. And the more we see it elsewhere, the more it becomes attainable where we are.”
― Widad Akreyi

“We have seen too many armed conflicts. We have witnessed far too many violations of human rights. The 2014 genocide wasn't the first genocide, and if history is any indication, it won't be the last if we don't do something now. We must ask ourselves what should we do to help prevent new genocides. It is time to embody justice in our intentions and actions.”
― Widad Akreyi

“We are not supposed to choose the easy solutions. We will no longer accept that our lives be blanketed with the doctrines of oppression and persecution. We say no to the growing sense of gloom floating in the air. Now is the time to hope for a beam of light on the horizon.

So, let's roll up our sleeves and rekindle our commitment to a peace built on justice and freedom.”
― Widad Akreyi