Saturday, October 10 from 2-4 PM
Pars Place
8150 Leesburg Pike, Suite 210
Vienna, VA 22182
Registration is free but required for attendance. REGISTER FOR THE EVENT HERE: https://iacommunitycenter.networkforgood.com/events/105107-conversation-book-talk-with-maryam-shojaei
You're invited to a book event for Azadi Means Freedom: Fighting For Gender Equity Through The World's Most Popular Game, an inspiring page-turner written by Maryam Shojaei and published by Seven Stories Press.
As memories of the World Cup 2026 persist—and amid ongoing war and repression in Iran—Maryam’s story stands out. Maryam took on Iran's government and FIFA to challenge a decades-long ban keeping women out of soccer stadiums. As the sister of national team captain Masoud Shojaei, she was denied the simple right to watch her own brother play. Her fight grew into a global campaign for women's rights—marked by courage, danger, and international impact.
Maryam is an Iranian-Canadian activist whose story has been covered by international media, including The New York Times: Iranian activist Maryam Shojaei on women’s stadium ban protests and arrest by morality police, a radio interview with the CBC and Women's enews.
The book was recently short-listed for the 2026 Vaclav Havel Peace Award for courageously defending human rights and democracy. She has also been recognized with an ESPN Sports Humanitarian Award for advancing women's rights and social justice through sport.
Maryam holds a Master's degree in Peace Operations from George Mason University. She continues her advocacy with a focus on education for women and children.
PRAISE FOR AZADI MEANS FREEDOM:
“A moving tale about the importance of one’s voice to make a change. Maryam’s story is an inspirational reminder of the power of perseverance. This story and its message will stay with me.” —Aisha Saeed, New York Times bestselling author of Amal Unbound
"Maryam book Azadi Means Freedom.., is a truly passionate and informative account of her activism and perseverance in the fight to lift the Iranian Stadium ban on Women. But Maryam’s story is not just about a stadium ban, it is about love of family, about the power of sports as a tool for diplomacy." —Kely Nascimento, co-founder of HADAF Global and daughter of soccer legend Pelé
"A riveting account showing that change can begin with a dream."
—Kirkus Reviews
"In vivid prose, Shojaei focuses on a right as basic as being able to participate in and watch sports, to tell the larger story of how unelected men have denied human rights to Iranian women and girls. The irony that Tehran's main stadium is called Azadi, which means freedom, is not lost."
—Salil Tripathi, Board member, PEN International, and author of The Colonel Who Would Not Repent