18 - End Conclusion

Hi there! So today I’m just blogging about the conclusion of Prisoner of Tehran, my thoughts on the book, and questions I got to ask Marina Nemat (Yes I met her in person!) 

about the book and her experiences. 

So throughout chapters 18 to the end of the book, Marina tells us how she lived with Ali in her new home, though she hated him she could not escape. He would rape her, though it was legalized rape because she was married to him. Part of Marina’s frustration and hatred to Ali was his occupation of being a torturer. Ali was in Evin for 3 years and tortured (lash marks on his back) for revolting again the Shah. The vicious cycle of violence turned and Ali became a torturer. Ali told Marina that he was going to resign from his job.  “Assadollah and I have been friends for years.” He said. “He was also a prisoner in Evin during the time of the Shah. But he’s gone too far. I’ve tried to change things in Evin, and I haven’t been able to. He wouldn’t listen.”  (Page 225) Ali told Marina that I would only be 3 weeks until the papers would be sorted and they could have some-what a normal life together. Marina became pregnant with Ali’s child, though one night after visiting Ali’s parents house (2 weeks after he put in his resignation) they were coming out onto the street when Ali was shot; he landed on Marina to protect her from also being shot. Once again he had saved Marina. Ali died and so did their unborn baby. Ali’s wished was for Marina to be free. “Father, take her to her family” (page 227). Ali’s father, Mr. Moosavi used all his connection and convinced the Imam to let her free. Marina was reunited with her family and Andre on the 26^th March 1984. She was told not to attract any attention to her, though she didn’t listen and married Andre and moved out of Tehran north to Zahedan. Missile never touched Zahedan as it was far away from the Iraq-Iran boarder. Marina’s parents home got destroyed. The war ended in August 1988 and Marina was 4 months pregnant. She had her first child on December 31^st 1988, and Ayatollah Khomeini died of cancer on June 3^rd, 1989. On August 28^th 1991 Marina, Andre and their child spent 8 days in Madrid, and 10 months in Budapest sorting paper work and they finally moved to Canada.

Meeting with Marina Nemat was a very exciting experience, there were so many questions to be asked about Aram (Arash’s brother), If ever she was thankful for Ali saving her twice, and what happened to other characters in the book that were not longer mentioned. Marina told me that she still keeps in contact with Aram, though they haven’t met up in 10 years because of all the emotionally baggage attached. She finds its hard to describe the feelings toward Ali. To put it in a easier way to understand her and Ali’s relationship : Imagine that you are at your car in the middle of the night and a man comes up to you and holds a gun to your head, though another man comes along, shoots the man who was trying to kill you, though rapes you and walks away, are you thankful to that man? Lastly she has writing another book called After Tehran which is a follow up on all the other characters in the book, and who she has found and who has passed.

A main message of the book is that this can happen to anyone, Iran was a normal place during the Shah time just like Toronto or any other major city in the world. Woman walked around in mini skirts and tank tops, they could be judges and vote. Though everything suddenly changed. A undertone message of the book is to tell the story that other cannot tell as it is important to inform the world with what torturous, unfair, inhuman, brutal behavior that is still happening.