Iranian American Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib Gives Up Political Power to Join the Jesuits

Apr 23, 2020

Politics , Culture , Iranians in Diaspora , Kodoom Official Blog

Politics News Blog, Iranians in Diaspora:
Cyrus Habib, the highest-ranking Iranian-American elected official has announced that he will not be running for re-election as Washington State’s lieutenant governor and instead decided to join the Jesuits: "I was elected as state representative in 2012, state senator in 2014 and lieutenant governor in 2016. My reasons for running for those positions and my priorities in office were firmly rooted in Catholic social teaching, which places the poor, the sick, the disabled, the immigrant, the prisoner and all who are marginalized at the center of our social and political agenda. I knew from childhood what it was like to be excluded for being a blind kid from an Iranian family, and I have tried to use the power I have been given by the voters to ensure that we move urgently toward that day when no one will feel left behind or left out in our society...But over the past couple of years, I have felt called to a different vocation, albeit one that is also oriented around service and social justice. I have felt a calling to dedicate my life in a more direct and personal way to serving the marginalized, empowering the vulnerable, healing those who suffer from spiritual wounds and accompanying those discerning their own futures..I have also come to believe that, while we certainly continue to need people of good will to serve in elected office, meeting the challenges our country faces will require more than just policy-making."

Habib was born in Baltimore County, Maryland, to parents who had previously immigrated to the U.S. from Iran. In 2016, Cyrus Habib became the highest-ranking Iranian-American elected official by winning the State of Washington lieutenant governor’s office with 56% of the vote, defeating Republican Marty McClendon, a talk-show host and conservative pastor from Gig Harbor. Habib grew up in Bellevue, Washington, and is a product of its public schools.

Cyrus has spoken against detention of Iranian Americans on US-Canada border:

Habib helped Governor Inslee push some of the most progressive environmental laws in the United States. In 2019, Habib declined to preside at Governor Jay Inslee's State of the State speech, saying he was concerned people might bring concealed weapons to the joint session of the Legislature.

Having lost his eyesight at age 8 to a rare form of childhood cancer, he learned early the importance of equal opportunity, hard work, and a quality education. After winning a Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford, Habib attended Yale Law School, where he served as editor of the law review. He returned to Washington following his graduation, and worked at the Seattle-based law firm of Perkins Coie before being elected to state legislature in 2012.

In his message about change of career, Habib also writes: "People are in dire need of spiritual support and companionship. From our throwaway culture that treats workers and our environment as disposable to a new generation of young people eager to change the world but struggling with unprecedented anxiety, alienation and other mental health challenges to the fear and isolation we are all experiencing as a result of the coronavirus, this is a time when we need to ground ourselves in the wisdom of those who came before and cultivate new forms of wisdom forged in the fires of our present moment.... The Catholic Church has wrestled with difficult social and moral questions for 2,000 years, and while I can be as impatient as anyone when it moves too slowly, I know from personal experience how much we can all benefit from a moral vocabulary that insists on the dignity of each and every person. And I also know that, in this time of consumerism, distrust and polarization, many Americans are longing for an encounter with the transcendent, the joyful, the loving.... Jesuits are known for their dedication to education, particularly higher education, for their philosophy of finding God in all people, cultures and things, for their advocacy for a more inclusive church and world and for serving as spiritual directors rooted in the contemplative practices of Ignatian spirituality."

Related to Iranian Americans:

Iranian Americans

Nearby Events or Businesses

Advertise with us

Lower cost than Facebook, TV, Paper or Radio Ads: Show your ad to Geo-targeted users next to other top news and popular events for only $10-$50 per thousand viewers. Check out our advertisement packages.

Iranian Events Around the World

We process 500-1000 new events every month using data robots and user/advertiser submissions, and then list them on local maps in bilingual user-friendly Geo-targeted searchable formats. Try adding your event via our online form.