CBSA dodges questions on mullah entry, targets Iranian refugee instead

When Iranian refugee Bahar Bahari raised concerns about clerics arriving in Toronto, officials focused on publicly cautioning her instead of answering—while the estimated 700 IRGC agents in Canada remain unaddressed.

Scarlett Grace
  |   March 23, 2026   |   News Analysis   |   1 Comment

Calgary resident Bahar Bahari, an Iranian political refugee, shared a widely circulated screenshot of a man dressed as a mullah arriving at Toronto Pearson Airport the night before the Al-Quds Day march in Toronto. In her post, she tagged Prime Minister Mark Carney and IRCC, asking how regime-linked clerics can enter Canada so easily when countless educated Iranians and ordinary families are repeatedly denied even tourist visas.

Instead of providing answers or investigating the valid concern, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) chose to publicly reply. Their official account publicly warned Bahar that “taking photos of people in public and falsely claiming they are someone else is dangerous” and could lead to “severe legal and personal consequences.”

Bahar was stunned. “When I saw that tweet, I was shocked. Because, you know, this is a government account, and I was not expecting that." To be clear, Bahar didn’t take the photo. She didn’t name the man though many other accounts claimed to know his identity. She just asked what kind of visa lets these people in.

CBSA followed up with multiple additional replies. Yet they still refuse to address the core issue: under what visa categories are Islamic clerics, symbols of the very ideology Bahar fled, being admitted, while regime opponents and their families face rejection after rejection?

Bahar left Iran after representing the pre-revolutionary flag and Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi in international beauty pageants—acts the regime punished with fake charges, Interpol red notices, deportation attempts in the Philippines, attacks in Turkey, and relentless pursuit. She endured 29 days in transit detention fighting deportation before finally reaching Canada as a political refugee. Now a citizen and new mother, she says the sight of mullahs on Canadian soil reopens old wounds.

“When I came to Canada, I was thinking, like, this is a good country, I can make my own family, this is a safe country" she said. “I came to Canada to be away from them. To feel safe from them."

She isn’t alone in her alarm. Iranian dissidents across Canada report ongoing threats from regime sympathizers. Bahar has faced ongoing threats at rallies, including sexual harassment that police dismissed because “nothing still happened to me.” Meanwhile, 700 IRGC agents remain active in the country despite official designation as a terrorist group.

Bahar refuses to be silenced. “I will continue my fight against these mullahs, because I love Canada,” she said. “I don't want Canada to end up like Iran… I don't want this beautiful country to end up like Iran… it is my duty to protect Canada.”

Her warning is clear: Canada must answer who is entering and why, before the patterns she escaped take root here. The visa question stands unanswered. Warnings from Iranians continue while the mullahs keep arriving.

Please sign the petition to show that Canadians stand with the Iranian people!

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The Iranian people are fighting a tyrannical Islamic regime that arrests women, crushes dissent, and kills protestors demanding freedom. Canada’s leaders need to stop tiptoeing around the dictators in Tehran and stand with those risking their lives for democracy and human rights. Add your name — tell Canada to stand with the Iranian people and against the regime oppressing them.

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Scarlett Grace

Anti-Discrimination Reporter

Scarlett Grace is a Canadian journalist and musician from Peterborough, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Trent University and has spent over a decade performing live and releasing original music.

In 2022, her involvement in Canada’s freedom movement marked a turning point in her career and public voice. She later joined Rebel News, where she works as an anti-discrimination journalist, reporting extensively on the rise of antisemitism in Canada and the Iranian uprising.

https://twitter.com/ScarlettGrace92

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2026-03-23 19:48:42 -0400
    This shows how our government favours wicked regimes. CSIS should swiftly investigate this. What a butt-backward society we live in.