EBOOK
About
"Daylight forever" is my story. It is a story of a young Iranian Baha'i who escapes persecution and war to immigrate to the United states.
I was 6 years old when the Iranian revolution of 1979 threw my normal way of life off balance. In this book, I describe my life before the revolution from the perspective of a young child's memory of peaceful family life (road trips, stable home, swim lessons and normal interaction with neighbors). This peaceful life was soon disturbed by the Islamic revolution of 1979 and the enormous change in the political climate creating stress and uncertainty for my family because of our spiritual beliefs.
I remember the chaos and violence in the streets of Tehran, as I occasionally rode the bus with my parents into the city center. I remember the establishment of the Islamic Republic by the Supreme religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini, which led to the complete loss of basic human rights for the members of Baha'i community within Iran. This translated to their loss of jobs and pensions, the expelling of students from schools and universities, the government's refusal to recognize Baha'i marriage, and a ban on holding any religious gatherings, children's classes or otherwise practicing the Baha'i faith. The Islamic Revolution resulted in the imprisonment and persecution of hundreds of members of the Baha'i community. The government seized their properties, froze their bank accounts and prevented them from holding government jobs, all while preventing them from legally leaving the country.
As Baha'is, my family tried to adjust to a new way of life, to live in a community but to minimize daily interactions with members of the Islamic majority for safety and not draw attention to ourselves.
To make matters worse in 1980 we found ourselves in the midst of the Iran-Iraq war and suffered through eight years of Iraq's bombing of civilian areas multiple times day and night for months at a time. I am still haunted by horrific nightmares and trauma despite many years of healing and counseling to deal with the PTSD from years of paralyzing fear that no child should ever experience.
The title of the book "Daylight forever" references my secret wish as a child as I laid on my thin mattress on the floor at nights, drenched in cold sweat as bombs dropped from the dark skies of Tehran and my yearning for the relative peace during daytime in Iran. As tears rolled down my face in spooky silent nights, I dreamed about climbing into a space craft and fly across the world where it was day light, only to come back in the morning to make it back to school on time.
Those experiences led to my decision to embark on yet the scariest experience of my young life, to escape Iran. I was allowed to pack a school-size backpack with only very basic necessities like a toothbrush, comb and underwear. I said goodbye to my parents at the age of 15 and put my life and my trust in the hands of God and a group of men smugglers whom I had never known before and haven't seen since. I took the unknown path to my destiny...
This book then follows my two-week journey to Pakistan, hidden in the back of trucks and in safe houses with strangers. My year-long struggles in Pakistan and then in Vienna to obtain refugee status eventually leads to my reunion with family in the United States.
My book brings together stories of revolution, war, religious persecution, women's oppression, the denial of education and basic human rights and the only possible option for a frightened teenager who seeks safety, hope, freedom, education and a place to call home.
I feel that sharing my story has special significance given the current debates over immigration, especially child immigration and the disturbing refugee crisis at our southern borders. My hope for the book is to touch the hearts of public to encourage compassion, tolerance and acceptance.
I was 6 years old when the Iranian revolution of 1979 threw my normal way of life off balance. In this book, I describe my life before the revolution from the perspective of a young child's memory of peaceful family life (road trips, stable home, swim lessons and normal interaction with neighbors). This peaceful life was soon disturbed by the Islamic revolution of 1979 and the enormous change in the political climate creating stress and uncertainty for my family because of our spiritual beliefs.
I remember the chaos and violence in the streets of Tehran, as I occasionally rode the bus with my parents into the city center. I remember the establishment of the Islamic Republic by the Supreme religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini, which led to the complete loss of basic human rights for the members of Baha'i community within Iran. This translated to their loss of jobs and pensions, the expelling of students from schools and universities, the government's refusal to recognize Baha'i marriage, and a ban on holding any religious gatherings, children's classes or otherwise practicing the Baha'i faith. The Islamic Revolution resulted in the imprisonment and persecution of hundreds of members of the Baha'i community. The government seized their properties, froze their bank accounts and prevented them from holding government jobs, all while preventing them from legally leaving the country.
As Baha'is, my family tried to adjust to a new way of life, to live in a community but to minimize daily interactions with members of the Islamic majority for safety and not draw attention to ourselves.
To make matters worse in 1980 we found ourselves in the midst of the Iran-Iraq war and suffered through eight years of Iraq's bombing of civilian areas multiple times day and night for months at a time. I am still haunted by horrific nightmares and trauma despite many years of healing and counseling to deal with the PTSD from years of paralyzing fear that no child should ever experience.
The title of the book "Daylight forever" references my secret wish as a child as I laid on my thin mattress on the floor at nights, drenched in cold sweat as bombs dropped from the dark skies of Tehran and my yearning for the relative peace during daytime in Iran. As tears rolled down my face in spooky silent nights, I dreamed about climbing into a space craft and fly across the world where it was day light, only to come back in the morning to make it back to school on time.
Those experiences led to my decision to embark on yet the scariest experience of my young life, to escape Iran. I was allowed to pack a school-size backpack with only very basic necessities like a toothbrush, comb and underwear. I said goodbye to my parents at the age of 15 and put my life and my trust in the hands of God and a group of men smugglers whom I had never known before and haven't seen since. I took the unknown path to my destiny...
This book then follows my two-week journey to Pakistan, hidden in the back of trucks and in safe houses with strangers. My year-long struggles in Pakistan and then in Vienna to obtain refugee status eventually leads to my reunion with family in the United States.
My book brings together stories of revolution, war, religious persecution, women's oppression, the denial of education and basic human rights and the only possible option for a frightened teenager who seeks safety, hope, freedom, education and a place to call home.
I feel that sharing my story has special significance given the current debates over immigration, especially child immigration and the disturbing refugee crisis at our southern borders. My hope for the book is to touch the hearts of public to encourage compassion, tolerance and acceptance.