24.01.2008

Human lessons

Tami Peterson reviews Zarah Ghahramani's 'My life as a traitor', Bloomsbury Publishing, pp256, £12.99. To be published on February 4

With the continuing beating of the war drums from London to Washington against Iran, it is important for all activists in the imperialist countries to be aware of the complex issues surrounding that war drive and our principled opposition to it.

Zarah Ghahramani’s brave tale of 29 days in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison is a timely reminder that one must not only be opposed to imperialist war against Iran, but also firmly against the oppressive theocratic regime which tortures, imprisons and murders our brothers and sisters in that country.

Ghahramani makes no claims to be a brilliant political activist, nor a theorist of any great import - and indeed the book can come across as apolitical in some parts, where it is more like a novel instead of a non-fiction account. However, what is clear is that she had the courage to become a student activist, inspired by the bits and pieces of rebellion scattered in the works of poets like Lorca and writers like Kafka, and took to the streets to defend basic freedoms and oppose the sacking of educators who dared to take on the regime.

Some on the left may be uneasy by her father’s former service for the Pahlavi regime and both of her parent’s fond recollections of the days of the shah. Having said that, Zarah takes this on and points out that, along with her opposition to the mullahs, she also discovers the crimes of the shah’s regime. It is clear that her undying love for her parents does not stop her from being the objective liberal that she claims to be.

There are many accounts of beatings and torture which go to the heart and the brain of any activist and ignite the flames of indignation against injustice that we all have within. One of the most endearing qualities of Ghahramani’s writing is her utter honesty about her lack of conviction in the face of the most vile torture. Yet for all of these accounts it is the humanity that comes through the pages which the reader will find most intriguing, not political dogma.

A fellow prisoner, Sohrab, who has been in Evin for 10 years or more, becomes a vital companion as the beatings and isolation begin to take their toll on Zarah. Whether it is her honesty about her relationship with her future husband, her tales of rebellion in the form of moving her hijab back to show her hair, or her questioning as a child of the supposed command of god that only white socks are worn, we see the human capacity for love, justice and reason triumph in the most oppressive of circumstances.

This reminder of our shared humanity is particularly salient given the drive to war and the attempt to create a divide between ‘us’ and ‘them’. It further highlights the necessity to stand with the people of Iran against both the imperialist war drive and the theocratic regime.