From: s335025@emu.insted.unimelb.edu.au
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian
Subject: Re: some REAL discussions, please
Date: 5 Oct 92 15:40:21 GMT

In article <1992Sep30.150521.9337@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, behrooz@egr.msu.edu writes:
> In article <28600019@hplred.HP.COM> moussavi@hplred.HP.COM (Farshid Moussavi) writes:
>>
>>2) Remember Betty Mahmoudy, the now famous author of "Not without My
>>Daughter"?  Well, I was browsing through the bookstore the other day,
>>and I noticed her new book "For the Sake of a Child".  I started 
>>reading through it, and it was talking about the rest of her story,
>>her adjustment to America, other cases like hers, the making of her book/
>>movie, etc.  She said in it that she never expected this book to do so well,
>>and the French translation sold more copies than any book in the history of
>>the French language!  I view her ordeal as one of courage in the face
>>of fundamentalist madness, and her husband as a real jerk who is a disgrace
>>to his country and his religion.  At the same time, I think it is unfair
>>to associate this story with Iranians in general, and there was not enough
>>emphasis on this important point, be it from the book itself or from the
>>audience.  Any additional info/opinions/insights??  I appreciate it.
>>
>>BA sepAs-e-farAvAn,
>>
>>
>>Agha Javad
>>
> 
>  Last year on Iranian TV there was a show called "dar entezar-e MahtAb"
>  In this show they showed portions of the movie, quoted some parts of
>  the book and interviewed Betty's husband.  It was a one hour program
>  but aparantly a lot of people requested to see it again, so they showed
>  it twice. 
>  They showed the scene of the school where Betty was beaten by her
>  husband and the teachers simply watched.  Following the script they
>  interviewed Mr. Mahmoudy and the teachers at MahtAb's school.  They all
>  denied that something like that had happened. In the show the husband
>  said that he thought Betty was converted to Islam and was happy living
>  in Iran. He claimed that Betty kidnapped his daughter and left so she
>  could have both MahtAb and their house in the U.S.
> 
>  Basically the program portrayed Mr. Mahmoudy as the victim of some sort
>  of conspiracy.  The program concluded that the whole thing was planned
>  against Islamic Republic.  
> 
>  Mr. Mahmoudy has works as a doctor in Tehran and occasionally has some
>  interviews with magazines in Iran.
Agha Javad:
I read the book "Not Without My Daughter" and also watched the movie, which
I thought was poor compared to the book.I agree in the sense that it definitely
does portray the Islamic society as one of male dominance and aggression - but, 
isn't that what it is really like?Being born in Iran, raised in the Islamic 
faith for most of my life really made me realize that it is not a fair and 
desirable religion for me.Betty Mahmoudy went through a very common ordeal that
many wives of typical, Iranian males go through.I think that the interview that
was presented in Iran was his way of attacking his ex-wife and winning back the
love and honour that he lost through his trepidation.I think he should not be
seen as the typical,Iranian male, yet it is true that most Middle-Eastern men
do adopt that mode of authoritarianship over their families and unfortunately
it carries through, no matter how much they deny it.I'm glad to see that an
Iranian born male is able to comprehend the ordeal that Betty Mahmoudy went
through and maybe this will be a lesson to those who think they know their
spouses......

Sue (nee Arezoo)