In Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, a Persian instructor teaches Filipinos how to dive — to explore and appreciate the beauty of the Philippines from above ground to underwater.

The dive instructor — who withheld her name for security reasons — said that passions like these — diving — can never be done by a woman like her in her home country, Iran.

While fearing for the lives and security of her family left in Iran, which is now at war in the Middle East, according to the dive instructor, for her and her family left in Iran, having no country is better than having no freedom.

Eating anything. Talking about anything under the sun. Wearing sleeveless because it’s hot especially during summer. Things like these that women from a democratic country like the Philippines usually take for granted, are not only illegal but could even figuratively and literally make a woman lose her head in Iran under the current regime.

“I think, when talking about challenges here (in the Philippines) and in Iran, it’s like 360 degrees different, so it’s like probably we’re going to need another like chapter and another show just talking about the women in Iran under the regime right now that is a brutal regime that is hurting not just the people of Iran and women to begin with, so it’s totally a different challenge,” Filipino-Persian dentist, Dr. Shideh L. Nikbin, told DAILY TRIBUNE in a recent guesting for the media company’s lifestyle show, Pairfect.

“Like a lot of things that we face in the Philippines... most of the things that is normal here is illegal in Iran. So that is the first thing, the first reason that why I choose to come here in the Philippines, even is how hard is it to be away from my family,” she professed.

“Like as a woman in the Philippines, imagine me dressing up just like this and coming here and this is my choice of what I wear. You don’t ask me what religion I’m practicing, what did I eat, who I have a relationship with… so all of these are questions that they ask if you are a woman in Iran. So women in Iran under the regime right now that they have, there’s a lot of issues and problems that people are having for 47 years… That is why they are changing, they want the regime changed because… they are oppressing and being brutal and violating as simple as basic human rights to the women.”

According to her, what she did — be a guest in a broadcast and bravely talking about women empowerment — is outlawed in Iran.

“Imagine me being here just like this. I can just be on a broadcast and we can just talk about everything normal here, but if I was in Iran, under this regime, I was probably already in jail just because I didn’t follow the dress code or just because I didn’t follow what religion they want me to do… sadly, no one totally understands it, especially those who are not Iranian. They don’t understand it, and they always say that… it’s just Iran is a Muslim country, of course, they have to do this and that, but it’s not true because Iranian people and Iran, it was not a Muslim country. It was actually the regime 47 years ago, in 1979 they came in Islamic regime. They occupied Iran.

“So when they occupied Iran, they told you have to wear this. This is the religion you have to do. This is who you should marry, the relationship you’re supposed to have, so they like embody every religion into your life, into your values, into your spirituality and everything. So it’s like you are out of choice. Whatever the regime is telling, I have to do that and if you don’t follow, you’re going to get arrested, you’re going to get jailed, you’re going to get murdered, your voice is shut out…”

So, despite not having capital and connections, Dr. Nikbin left Iran when she was 22 and decided to become a dentist like her Persian dad, and be called a “doctor” like her obstetrician and gynecologist Filipina mom.

“When you talk about women in Philippines and women in Iran… I cannot say enough how blessed are the women in the Philippines because they are under secular democracy and when you have a government run by secular democracy, you live like this, like freely, you know, your voice is not out when you feel pain or when you don’t like anything about or there’s something about your government, you protest, you go and talk about it, but in Iran and just on January, what happened was when the people protested, more than 33,000 people were killed, whether children, elderly, everyone, they were killed and the government, the regime, shut down the internet just like now that the internet is shut down and even the landline, so you cannot communicate with your family to know how they are, what they’re doing, and also people don’t know what is happening inside so they can spread propaganda that, you know, this is terrorism that is happening and there’s a terrorist that is doing this to the people of Iran, which is not. It’s the regime killing the people so that they cannot change.

“So they, of course, if you’re unarmed and the regime is with military and armed and they don’t care about your life and they’re just going to kill you, how can you stop the regime? That’s why the people of Iran always ask for help so that this regime will stop and go, not just for people of Iran, because this regime is so brutal and it’s a dictator and so brutal that it is also harmful for around the region, even for other countries.”

Even fixing a person’s smile so she would look like a beauty queen is not possible in Iran, where even beauty contests are illegal.

“So it’s like if you are a beauty queen and you want to have your smile like a wider smile, it’s different because like in the Philippines, we have beauty queens here that they want to have that smile, but in Iran there is no such thing,” she shared.

But facing problems themselves does not stop Dr. Nikbin from helping others.

At Fashion Smile at 108 Valero in Makati City, dentists Dr. Shideh and Dr. Farzaneh J. Shamsi have a mission that goes beyond eliminating cavities and fixing teeth. “It really depends on why you want your smile to or what is the reason that you want your smile to be changed, and based on that we will fix that,” she assured. “I didn’t see this as a business to begin with. I always see it as something that enables me to give care to the patient and change their life. And so for me, it was more than expanding and expanding my career and my profession, but in a way, how can I be of more help and more care for people around me.”

So, for those who also have mountains to scale before they get into their dream, Dr. Nikbin shared some advice. “If ever you want to also start, what is also important is to write down what are your obstacles. And what are the challenges, then write down 1,000 solutions that you can have. Because for every one obstacle, we can make 10 solutions out of that obstacle and when we have the solution, we can just move forward.”

Besides being a dentist and entrepreneur, Dr. Nikbin is also a popular content creator with over 20,000 followers on Facebook alone. Following her success also on Instagram and TikTok, she is set to launch her podcast soon.

“In your life, whatever career you have or whatever you want to start, first of all, do not compare yourself with anyone else,” she recommended. “Second is, before starting any journey in any career or starting anything, reflect and see that if that is what you really want, not because you’re doing this because of society, not because of fame, not because of your parents want you to do this, but do this for you and yourself alone and focus on your vision and even though it’s going to be difficult, there will be difficulty and challenges, just have faith and hope and push through with it.”