Marina nemat, a former political prisoner and author of the bestselling memoir prisoner of tehran, encouraged this lesson during a lecture at the acton institute on november 19. One night when ali and marina are leaving evin to visit alis parents the guards at the prison gate, to marinas shock, greet marina as well as ali, this time, after wishing ali a good night, the guard in charge nodded in my direction and said, good night, mrs. She grew up in a seemingly cosmopolitan and multifaith iran where, as a young christian girl, she fell in love with a muslim boy. Just minutes from execution, her life was spared by a man who forced. Ali moosavi saves her life, using his connections to spare marina from execution. Nemat was released two years after her arrest thanks to the muslim family of her torturer husband. Marina nemat was brought up as a russian eastern orthodox christian in tehran. He is currently licensed to practice medicine in california. Ali moosavi associate professor department of mechanical engineering, sharif university of technology, azadi avenue, po box 1659567 tehran, iran.
Apr 21, 2007 marina nemat is strikingly matteroffact about the horrific events of 25 years ago. At the last minute before the execution a guard that had arrested nemat the previous night, ali moosavi, drove up with in a car. His family is descended from imam musa al kadhim, the seventh imam of the shiites. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading prisoner of tehran. Two years ago, a sunday star story about marina nemat launched the. Marina nemat knows that questions are powerful things. Survival at a price in an iranian prison at age 16, marina nemat was imprisoned for speaking out against irans brutal regime. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected.
Easily share your publications and get them in front of issuus. But for a political prisoner in evin nothing was free. Moosavimovahedi is currently professor of biophysical chemistry in ibb, university of tehran. That was in the early 1970s, when nemat lived with her parents and grandmother over a restaurant in tehran. Marina nemat, an iranianborn canadian refugee from irans 1979 islamic revolution, and author of the memoirs prisoner of tehran 2007. Marina nemat character analysis by evan cole on prezi. May 03, 2018 marina nemat, author of prisoner of tehran, responds to accusations made about her memoir on cbcs battle of the books. But once she started writing, she found she couldnt stop. She kept hold of hope because, as she explained, christ was in that cell with me. Her father worked as a dance teacher, her mother as a hairdresser.
Join facebook to connect with ali moosavi and others you may know. In january 1982, marina nemat, then just sixteen years old, was arrested, tortured, and. Marina nemat is strikingly matteroffact about the horrific events of 25 years ago. In 2005, marina nemat worked at the local swiss chalet, a short drive from her aurora home. Marina nemats memoir tells of her years as a political prisoner in tehran. Marjan moosavi is an iraniancanadian phd candidate at the university of torontos centre for drama, theatre, and performance studies. Having no idea what was going to happen to her next, nemat was more terrified than ever. Apr 21, 2009 at the last minute before the execution a guard that had arrested nemat the previous night, ali moosavi, drove up with in a car. Ali r moosvi, md is a doctor primarily located in brick, nj. Til death do us part snap judgment, high crimes and misdemenors by snap judgment published on 20160108t19. Ali nematbakhsh nemat, md is a physiatrist in long beach, california. After watching a man being shot and killed by an islamic revolutionary guard at a rally marina runs home with thoughts of overdosing on sleeping pills and killing herself. With her story available for everyone to read, nemat found that some people were sympathetic and others accused her of treachery and lies. To ali, torturing and executing the enemies of the revolution was an act of justice and goodness.
It took two decades for marina nemat to begin to contemplate, and write down, her memories of two years of imprisonment and torture in the notorious evin prison in tehran. Pennsylvania hospital university of pennsylvania health system internship. Nemat, 200 this shows that marina is no longer just. Ali r moosvi has the following 2 specialties internal medicine an internist is a physician who focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that affect the adult populationboth acute and chronic. Just minutes from execution, her life was spared by a. Prisoner of tehran author marina nemat says iraniancanadians. Theinterrogator ali moosavi is a fascinating for more 5 star. May 01, 2007 what would you give up to protect your loved ones. His name was ali moosavi, a powerfully built 27yearold with short. In some ways he is one of the most sinister characters but deep down he has numerous good qualities. She shared, theres never been a revolution in the history of mankind where people get on the street. Father, please take her to her family, were the last words ali moosavi spoke as he grasped his wifes hand. Intelligent throughout her memoir marina consistently demonstrates extremely clear and logical thinking.
He whispered orders to the commanding officer in charge of the execution, untied nemat and threw her in to the back of his car. In january 1982, marina nemat, then just sixteen years old,was arrested, tortured. It was ali moosavi, one of her interrogators, bringing an order from the ayatollah khomeini himself to spare nemat s life. Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Dec 10, 2015 nemat trusted that her persecution would not be in vain. She was a high school student when the secularizing monarchy of mohammad reza pahlavi was overthrown by ayatollah khomeinis islamic revolution. Nemat, 178 one of the reasons why it is hard for marina to accept her marriage to ali is because marina loves and always will love andre. Moosavi, alis father, who by using his connections with khomeini was finally able to gain nemats release from prison and even to save her from being rearrested when she later denounced her.
Marina nemat, author of prisoner of tehran, responds to accusations made about her memoir on cbcs battle of the books. But if this young woman has found the strength to revisit the tragedy of her teenage years and is. Torture survivor turned author voices fears over bill c51. When marina nemat was a little girl growing up in iran, she was afraid of the dark. Torture survivor turned author voices fears over bill c51 national.
Ali was a devout follower of ayatollah khomeini, whom the vast majority. In her heartbreaking, triumphant, and elegantly written memoir, prisoner of tehran, marina nemat tells the heartpounding story of her life as a young girl in iran during the early days of ayatollah khomeinis brutal islamic revolution. In 1982, as a 16yearold student tired of hearing propaganda about ayatollah khomeini from members of the revolutionary guard who had replaced the teachers in her tehran. These doctors are often who adults see as their primary physicians because they treat a broad range of illnesses that do not require. In 1977, a 21yearold political prisoner, ali moosavi, was tortured in evin prison in tehran, iran, by savak, the shahs secret police. Moosavi movahedi is currently professor of biophysical chemistry in ibb, university of tehran. Prisoner of tehran one womans story of survival in a sad but riveti. Protesting the ayatollah khomeinis new regime she led a school walkout after.
Nemat was forced to marry moosavi and spent a total of two years, two months, and 12 days as a prisoner. I was arrested at 10 oclock at night on january 15, 1982, she explains in her heavily accented english. It was ali moosavi, one of her interrogators, bringing an order from the ayatollah khomeini himself to spare nemats life. Their specialties include cardiovascular disease and internal medicine. After the islamic revolution of 1979, she was arrested at the age of sixteen and spent more than two years in evin, a political prison in tehran, where she was tortured and came very close to execution. In 2005, marina nemat worked at the local swiss chalet, a short drive from her aurora home, cared for her two boys, and had a hot meal on the. Til death do us part snap judgment, high crimes and. The many faces of evil in 1977, a 21yearold political prisoner, ali moosavi, was tortured in evin prison in tehran, iran, by savak, the shahs secret police.
Prisoner of tehran is not an easy book to read because of the frankness with which nemat describes the utter brutality of an iranian prison system that is in the hands of religious fanatics who truly believe that they are doing the work of god. Prisoner of tehran author marina nemat says iranian. But some people experience oppression that most couldnt begin to fathom. The interrogator ali moosavi is a fascinating character in the book. Marina nemat in a photograph in iran at her 19th birthday with her. Join facebook to connect with marina nemat and others you may know. May 05, 2007 survival at a price in an iranian prison at age 16, marina nemat was imprisoned for speaking out against irans brutal regime. Arretee pour avoir manifeste contre layatollah khomeiny, elle est aussitot condamnee a mort. In chapters 14 to 16 of prisoner of tehran marina gets a chance to briefly see and talk to andre where he tells her that, ill wait for you, he said.
May 19, 2007 ali shoved marina to the ground and threw himself on top of her as they were fired on. Nemats story is a complex mix of light and darkness, love and violence of human paradoxes that defy simplistic labels of good and evil. Like nemats adult life, the memoir is split in two halves before prisoner of tehran, and after, once she has entered the media spotlight. A story of iran, written in canada quill and quire. In 2007s prisoner of tehran, marina nemat told the harrowing story of her youth. Dec 12, 2010 one night when ali and marina are leaving evin to visit alis parents the guards at the prison gate, to marinas shock, greet marina as well as ali, this time, after wishing ali a good night, the guard in charge nodded in my direction and said, good night, mrs. Marina confesses that she very understandably still doesnt know how to feel for. In iran, she won irans national fadjr theatre festival special acting award 1989 and iranian womens theatre festival award for her research on gender dynamics in plays by iranian women playwrights 2009. Marina nemat is strikingly matteroffact about the horrific events of 25. Oct 21, 2010 when marina nemat was a little girl growing up in iran, she was afraid of the dark. Father, please take her to her family, were the last words.
It was ali moosavi, one of her interrogators, bringing an order from the. This paper examines marina nemats memories of her birthland in her memoir, prisoner of tehran. Born in shiraz, iran, in 1953, graduated from national university of iran nui with a bsc in chemistry, 1975, from eastern michigan university emu, usa, with a msc in chemistry bioanalytical chemistry, 1979 and from university of manchester, uk, with a phd in biophysical chemistry, 1986. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Ali shoved marina to the ground and threw himself on top of her as they were fired on. Marina nemat, author of the memoir prisoner of tehran, knows what it feels like to be persecuted for. Arrested at age 16, she was held with other teenage girls in irans infamous evin prison for over two years. Marina confesses that she very understandably still doesnt know how to feel for this man who combined ruthlessness with idealism.
299 525 1185 232 56 1267 615 428 691 1639 127 589 355 282 571 729 1109 461 1235 60 392 96 1325 571 1335 780 165 1487 1162 1036 512