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by Nizam Missaghi (Author), Rainn Wilson (Foreword by)
Born an American citizen but raised under Iran's theocracy, a teenage boy risks everything to escape religious persecution and reclaim the freedom--and responsibility--of choosing America.
When freedom is denied by governments, can it still be carried--hand to hand, heart to heart--by people? Nizam Missaghi was seven years old when he was expelled from school for the first time in Tehran--not for misbehavior or poor grades, but for belonging to a faith the Islamic Republic refused to recognize. In post-revolutionary Iran, being Baha'i meant fractured futures: no university, no profession, no way to support a family. Yet hidden in a dresser drawer was a golden ticket: a United States passport quietly renewed every five years in secret. Born in the United States and taken back to Iran as an infant, Nizam grew up free on paper and trapped in practice, watching his possibilities shrink with each passing year. As adolescence gave way to urgency, Nizam had to decide whether hope was worth the risk of escape. With surveillance closing in and many doors slammed shut, he faced an unthinkable choice: remain invisible or gamble everything on a document that could save or destroy him. Passport to Freedom is a gripping memoir of faith, identity, and the fragile line between belonging and exile--where freedom is never guaranteed, and survival depends on who dares to help you carry it. At a time when authoritarian regimes cloak oppression in the language of culture and faith, Nizam's unbelievable journey reminds us what is lost when conscience is outlawed--and why America remains a refuge worth choosing.Author Biography
Nizam Missaghi, M.D., is an Iranian-American physician. He left his native Iran after the completion of high school due to being deprived of access to higher education as a religious minority in the Islamic Republic.
He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia and pursued his medical education at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. After completion of his residency in anesthesiology, he moved to the Phoenix metro area, where he is a founding member of Grand Canyon Anesthesia and a clinical assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of Arizona School of Medicine and Midwestern University. He currently serves as the chairman of the board for Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, where human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic are investigated, verified, and documented. He is the author of multiple articles in Persian and English that focus on human rights and Iran-related matters. He has given multiple presentations about social psychology and human behavior. He is also the founder of The Simpatico Foundation, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Arizona that promotes diversity and the arts.
Number of Pages: 240
Dimensions: 0.7 x 8.1 x 5.5 IN
Publication Date: September 22, 2026
