From persecution to possibility: a citizen’s journey to the stars
When Sepideh Behameen boarded the plane from Turkey to Australia, fleeing religious persecution in Iran, she felt like she was literally flying. As the aircraft took off, it wasn’t just wheels leaving the ground – it was the weight of years of oppression lifting from her shoulders and fading into the distance.
“Australia became my launchpad,” she said.
The relief and calm that overcame Sepideh when she realised she was moving to a country of freedom was an experience like no other.
From the day she stepped on Australian soil, she has always felt she was meant to be in this country.
“I always felt that I belonged here and always felt respected,” she explained.
In Iran, due to her religious faith, she was unable to attend university. A common experience among other followers of Baha’i faith.
In a bid to ensure she could follow her dreams, she left for Turkey under a refugee status, before becoming eligible for a humanitarian visa in Australia.
Sepideh arrived in Perth in 2019 with her mother and was able to settle into Australia. Eventually, she moved to Adelaide to reach for the stars – quite literally – as she followed her passion for cosmology.
She is in her final year of university, studying a Bachelor of Science (Space Science and Astrophysics).
Mayor Melissa Jones conferred citizenship on Sepideh at a March ceremony during Harmony Week.
Sepideh gave a moving speech at the ceremony, detailing how Australia had given her back her dreams.
The overarching message Sepideh spoke of was hope, especially during the current global uncertainty.
However, Sepideh believes hope isn’t just about wishful thinking, “It’s an active process that makes you become an active agent to work toward a change that you feel is needed. And for me, hope comes from serving others and striving for justice, unity and progress”.
Sepideh couldn’t be more grateful and proud to be an Australian citizen in a country that showed her such kindness.
“I always had the sense of commitment that this country accepted me with open arms and I need to give back to our country!” she said.
Sepideh's passage from the March citizenship ceremony:
Tonight, I stand before you not just as a new citizen, but as someone who has journeyed from oppression to opportunity, guided by hope.
I was born in Iran, where followers of the Bahá’í Faith have long faced systemic persecution—denied education, stripped of property, and imprisoned and even execution for their beliefs. As the third generation of my family to endure this, I grew up knowing my dreams would be buried by injustice—yet my passion for the cosmos gave me the courage to chase the unknown and to persevere.
Australia became my launchpad. Through the gift of a Humanitarian Visa, I found the freedom to grow. In a few months, I will graduate with a degree in Astrophysics and Space Science—an achievement made possible by both resilience and the support of this country. Where one government tried to collapse my potential into nothingness, Australia gave me the space to expand, to shine, and to contribute.
At this special time of Nawruz—the Bahá’í New Year, symbolizing renewal and hope—I reflect with deep gratitude.
As Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, said: "Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship.… So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth… This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the monarch of all aspirations."
Australia has embodied this truth, and I carry it with me always.
To the Government of Australia—thank you! You may never fully see the impact of your kindness, but for those of us who have received it, it is the force that reignites our hope and gives us a chance to give back.
Citizenship is more than a privilege—it is a responsibility. No matter how small my actions may seem in the vast universe, I feel the duty to give back, to serve, and to contribute in whatever way I can.
Even the faintest star can play its part in brightening the night and adding a little twinkle.