Lila Azam Zanganeh > Quotes

“We do not read in order to turn great works of fiction into simplistic replicas of our own realities, we read for the pure, sensual, and unadulterated pleasure of reading.”
― Lila Azam Zanganeh, My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes: Uncensored Iranian Voices

“There are those who believe, at times too hastily, that Iran is at core a Western-loving nation that can hardly wait for America to save it from its own bloodthirsty leaders. And there are those who are convinced that Iran, by and large, is a nation of Allah-worshipping, gun-toting terrorists. In truth, Iranians themselves live in a far more complex and schizophrenic reality, at a surreal crossroads between political Islam and satellite television, massive national oil revenues and searing social inequalities.”
― Lila Azam Zanganeh, My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes: Uncensored Iranian Voices

“From the very start, when the Islamists attempted to impose their laws against women, there were massive demonstrations, with hundreds of thousands of women pouring into the streets of Tehran protesting against the new laws. When Khomeini announced the imposition of the veil, there were protests in which women took to the streets with the slogans: “Freedom is neither Eastern nor Western; it is global” and “Down with the reactionaries! Tyranny in any form is condemned!” Soon the protests spread, leading to a memorable demonstration in front of the Ministry of Justice, in which an eight-point manifesto was issued. Among other things, the manifesto called for gender equality in all domains of public and private life as well as for the guarantee of fundamental freedoms for both men and women. It also demanded that “the decision over women’s clothing, which is determined by custom and the exigencies of geographical location, be left to women.” Women”
― Lila Azam Zanganeh, My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes: Uncensored Iranian Voices

“Whenever I had to fill out a form describing my children’s race, I wavered in the grip of deep uncertainty. Depending on the status of my inner dialogue, I might describe my children as “Caucasian” or as “Other.” The fact that they belonged in none of the usual categories: black, Hispanic, or Native American, surely supported my notion that Iranians’ racial status was TBA. Eventually, it dawned on me that the people fixating on my race don’t really care whether I’m black, brown, or purple. What matters to them is that I am not white.”
― Lila Azam Zanganeh, My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes: Uncensored Iranian Voices

“At present, the most powerful forces for change in Iran’s social landscape are emanating from women as well as from the younger generation of Iranians, the very children who, the Islamists had hoped, would in time rekindle their parents’ long-lost political fervor.”
― Lila Azam Zanganeh, My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes: Uncensored Iranian Voices