Camelia (34 page)

mujahed(in)
:
An individual (or individuals) engaged in a struggle, often armed, for the sake of Islam.

Mujahedin-e Khalgh:
A group that continues to oppose the current Iranian regime.

mullah:
A Shi'a cleric.

Mumtaz
:
Excellent.

munafiqin
:
Muslims who stir up trouble with other Muslims.

musala
:
Public prayer ground.

nazr
:
Votive offering.

noql
:
Sugar-coated almonds, a wedding candy thrown like rice.

Nouruz:
The Iranian New Year, March 21st on the western calendar.
Omid:
Hope.

Omur-e Tarbiyati:
A body charged with maintaining Islamic values in the school system.

Pasdaran:
Revolutionary guard.

Peykan:
An Iranian car model.

qama
:
Double-edged sword.

qand
:
Sugar cubes.

qibleh
:
The marking of the direction of Mecca, which muslims face in order to pray. In mosques, it is a special niche in the wall or corner, while in hotel rooms (or prison cells) it is usually an arrow painted on the ceiling.

Qur'an:
The holy text of Islam believed to have been a direct revelation to Mohammed from God delivered by the angel Gabriel.

Resalat
:
Prophetic Mission, the name of a newspaper.

rezai
:
Similar to a foster sibling, the relationship carries the privilege of a
mahram
.

Rial:
Iranian monetary unit.

rowzekhan
:
The singer of a
rowze
, laments that recount the martyrdom of various religious figures, including of Hussein at Karbala.

Ruba'yat
:
Quatrains.

saba
:
Zephyr or morning breeze. The name of a newsletter edited by Faezeh Hashemi.

salaam
:
Hello. Literally “peace.”

salaamu aleik(um)
:
Peace be upon you, the typical Islamic greeting.

salvat
:
Praise uttered to the line of Mohammed.

SAVAK:
Sazeman-e Etela'at va Amniyat-e Keshvar (National Security and Intelligence Organization).

SAVAKi:
Intelligence agent of the Shah.

Seda va Sima:
Sound and Vision. An Iranian television station.

Shah:
King.

shahanshahi:
Royal (of the Shah).

Shahnameh
:
Abu al-Qassem Ferdowsi's
The Epic of Kings
, an epic Persian poem from around the 10th century.

Shahbanu:
Queen, literally “Lady of the Shah.”

Shah-Dokht:
Princess.

Shahpur:
Prince.

Shahyad:
Shah's memory.

Shaqayeq:
Poppy.

Shemiran:
A neighborhood north of Tehran.

sher-e azad
:
Free poems.

sher-e nou
:
New poems.

Shir-e Pak:
Pure milk, the name of a factory that produces dairy products.

sigheh
:
A Shi'a contractual marriage, which may be specified to be valid for a limited time.

taghuti
:
From the Qur'anic
toghut
, used by Khomeini to refer to those who live well at the expense of others and therefore deserve to be destroyed.

tak madeh
:
A one-time-only allowance in school whereby a failing grade is disregarded.

tak nevesi
:
Short for Towbeh Kardeh Nevisi, a statement of repentance.

Takht-e Jamshid:
Persepolis, the ancient ceremonial capitol of the second Persian dynasty.

taqiah
:
Shi'a concept of concealing one's identity for pragmatic purposes that have religious validity.

taryaki
:
Opium addict.

Tasoa:
The ninth day of the lunar month of Moharrem when Shi'is commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. The eve of Ashura.

tasbih
:
Rosary.

tekiyehs
:
Ceremonial spaces specially built in the month of Moharam for the public mourning of Ashura and Tasoa.

timi
:
Literally “team,”
timi
describes homes occupied by groups of insurgents operating secretly in residential areas.

toman:
Iranian monetary unit equal to ten rials.

tudeh-i
:
Communist.

Vali-ye Ahd:
The Crown Prince.

Vali-ye Asr:
The Master of Time.

velayat-e faqih
:
Rule by Islamic jurisprudence.

velgard
:
A vagrant, a loitering good-for-nothing.

Ya Sar-e Allah
:
A religious expression meaning “Oh Movement of God.”

yallah
:
Expression of impatience or incitement to proceed, similar to “let's go!”

yeh
:
The letter “z.”

Zan
:
Woman, the name of a newspaper.
Zanan
is the plural form, also the name of a publication.

Zanbaq:
Iris.

Zan-e Ruz
:
Woman of the Day, the name of a weekly magazine.

zan-e sigheh
:
The brides of temporary marriages.

Zeinab
:
The daughter of the first Shi'a imam and the sister of the imam Hussein. The Sisters of Zeinab were female Revolutionary Guards.

Zoroastrianism:
A pre-Islamic religion in Iran still practiced by a small minority. The faith espouses a dualistic view of the world, where creation is divided into good and evil.

CAMELIA ENTEKHABIFARD was born in Tehran in 1973. In Iran she was a reporter for the leading reformist daily,
Zan
, among other papers. In 1999 she was arrested for her journalistic activities and spent three months in prison. She has been a contributor to
O, The Oprah Magazine
, and reported on Iranian and Afghan affairs for AP, Reuters, Eurasia Net,
The Village Voice
, and
Mother Jones
. She holds an MA in journalism from New York University and an MIA in international and public affairs from Columbia University. She lives in New York.

 

GEORGE MÜRER is a graduate from the Bard College film department and has spent time in Iran as a student of Persian literature and music. He is currently conducting documentary research on the music of the Persian-and Kurdish-speaking worlds.

Copyright © 2007 by Camelia Entekhabifard

Translation copyright © 2007 by George Mürer

 

First trade paperback edition June 2008.

 

Selections from this book have appeared, in different form, in the following publications: the
Village Voice
(“Unveiled Threats,” March 28, 2001), and
Mother Jones
(“Behind the Veil,” May/June 2001).

 

Lines from Ahmad Shamlu's poem “
Paria
” (Fairies) are from his collection
Havaye Taze
(Fresh Air), translation © 2007 by George Mürer. Lines by Hafez are from
The Divan of Hafez
, translation © 2007 by George Mürer. Lines by Sadegh Ahangran are from his song “
Ay Leskar-e Saheb-e Zaman, Amadeh Bash, Amedeh Bash
” (Oh Army of the Master of Time, Get Ready, Get Ready), translation © 2007 by George Mürer. Lines from “Camelia in Chains” by Mandana Sadeqi and excerpts from her unpublished letters are used with permission of the author, translations © 2007 by George Mürer. Lines from Forugh Farrokhzad's poem “Another Birth” are from
Another Birth: Selected Poems of Forugh Farrokhzad
, translation © 1981 by Hasan Javadi and Susan Sallée.

 

Some names have been changed to protect individual identities.

 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including mechanical, electric, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

 

Seven Stories Press, 140 Watts Street. New York, NY 10013

 

In Canada: Publishers Group Canada, 559 College Street, Suite 402, Toronto, ON M6G 1A9

In the UK: Turnaround Publisher Services Ltd., Unit 3, Olympia Trading Estate, Coburg Road, Wood Green, London N22 6TZ

 

In Australia: Palgrave Macmillan, 15-19 Claremont Street, South Yarra, VIC 3141

 

College professors may order examination copies of Seven Stories Press titles for a free six-month trial period. To order, visit
http://www.sevenstories.com/textbook
or send a fax on school letterhead to (212) 226-1411.

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Entekhabifard, Camelia, 1973-

Camelia, save yourself by telling the truth : a memoir of Iran / by Camelia Entekhabifard ; translated from the Persian by George Murer.

p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-609-80024-6

1. Entekhabifard, Camelia, 1973- 2.

Women journalists--Iran--Biography. 3. Journalists--Iran--Biography. 4. Iran--Politics and government-- 1979-1997. 5. Iran--Politics and government--1997-I. Murer, George. II. Title.

PN5449.168Z735 2007

070.92--dc22

[B]

2005028529