My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes

by Zanganeh, Lila Azam

• ISBN13: 9780807004630
• ISBN10: 0807004634
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2006-04-01
• Publisher: Beacon Press

Summary

In the first anthology of its kind, Lila Azam Zanganeh argues that although Iran looms large in the American imagination, it is grossly misunderstood-seen either as the third pillar of Bush"s infamous "axis of evil" or as a nation teeming with youths clamoring for revolution. This collection showcases the real scope and complexity of Iran through the work of a stellar group of contributors-including Azar Nafisi and with original art by Marjane Satrapi. Their collective goal is to counter the many existing cultural and political cliches about Iran. Some of the pieces concern feminism, sexuality, or eroticism under the Islamic Republic; others are unorthodox political testimonies or about race and religion. Almost all these contributors have broken artistic and cultural taboos in their work. Journalist Reza Aslan, author of No God But God, explains why Iran is not a theocracy but, rather, a "mullahcracy." Mehrangiz Kar, a lawyer and human rights activist who was jailed in Iran and is currently a fellow at Harvard"s Kennedy School of Government, argues that the Iranian Revolution actually engendered the birth of feminism in Iran. Journalist Azadeh Moaveni reveals the underground parties and sex culture in Tehran, while Gelareh Asayesh, author of Saffron Sky, writes poignantly on why Iranians are not considered white in America, even though they think they are. Poet and writer Naghmeh Zarbafian expounds on the surreal experience of reading censored books in Iran, while Roya Hakakian, author of Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran, recalls the happy days of Iranian Jews. With a sharp, incisive introduction by Lila Azam Zanganeh, this diverse collection will alter what you thought you knew about Iran.

Author Biography

Reza Aslan, author of No god but God

Lila Azam Zanganeh graduated from the Sorbonne in Paris, France, and has a master's in international affairs from Columbia University. She has taught at Harvard University and has worked for NBC News as a Middle East specialist. Azam Zanganeh has also written for the New York Times; she lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xi
The Stuff That Dreams Are Made of	1	(11)
Azar Nafisi
I Grew Up Thinking I Was White	12	(8)
Gelareh Asayesh
How Can One Be Persian?	20	(4)
Marjane Satrapi
From Here to Mullahcracy	24	(6)
Reza Aslan
Death of a Mannequin	30	(8)
Mehrangiz Kar
The Last Chapter in the Book of Exodus	38	(6)
Roya Hakakian
Women Without Men	44	(11)
Shirin Neshat
Sex in the Time of Mullahs	55	(7)
Azadeh Moaveni
Misreading Kundera in Tehran	62	(12)
Naghmeh Zarbatian
Receding Worlds	74	(7)
Daryush Shayegan
A Taste of My Cinema	81	(15)
Abbas Kiarostami
An Alley Greener Than the Dream of God	96	(8)
Babak Ebrahimian
Don't Cry for Me, America	104	(8)
Negar Azimi
Why Acting Set Me Free	112	(7)
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Tehran Underground	119	(8)
Salar Abdoh
Contributors' Biographies	127	(2)
Acknowledgments	129	(2)
Credits	131