View from Iran

Amsterdam, June 13, 2003
I am almost hourly following the student demonstrations in Iran, but this first.

Today I went to Iranian embassy in The Hague to pick up T’s travel document. I got T an Iranian Shenasname. It was the best way to travel to Iran since getting a visa for Americans seems much harder then couple of months ago. It was 2 PM when I got to the embassy. I am still very uncomfortable to go to the embassy. This time because I thought that there was no one in embassy at that time that they may plan this to hold me there. I asked T to call me on my mobile if I did not call her in one hour. I was afraid that they would hold me and check my bags and find the book I had in my bag. This lovely and very sad book is the story of an Iranian writer and artist named Marjane Satrapi. I heard of her first in an article in the New York Times that my friend in NY sent me. I finished her book right before I got out of the tram, and I know if I wasn’t in the tram I would have had to cry. Everybody should read this book. It is about a Marjane as a young girl growing up in the first couple years of the Islamic regime of Iran. Most of my friends have similar stories to tell. But what I love about her book is not only the quality of the writing, which I really like, but also the beautiful drawings. The book title is
"Persepolis," and you should be able to find it in a lot of bookstores.


Today I also got a free place in heaven because I married a non-Muslim. I heard in Islam if you marry a non-Muslim woman and turn her to Muslim, you get a FREE place in heaven. Since I was born Muslim and had to get officially married by a Mullah in the Netherlands in order to travel to Iran with T, then my place in heaven is guaranteed. T is saying, “I am not muslim.” I do not want to be Muslim, and I am happy T feels the same. I can’t not belive you have to go through so much to get to you birth place with a non-Iranian wife. This may be my punishment for not marring an Iranan woman. Who knows?

So far T’s parents have not called to say that they are worried about us going to Iran. It may be because the have not heard the news of the student demonstrations in the last couple of nights. I am sure they heard all the news. I know this is making my family nervous. My sister asked if we have a B-plan. I have to think of a B-plan in case there are some difficulties. I know I can panic very fast. So I need to make sure everything is planned well.

I will not leave Iran without my wife. yes.

BBC is reporting two seconds ago about continuing clashes between students and police in Tehran. Is this beginning of something big? I truly hope so.