THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, U.S.A.
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume V, Issue # 169, June 30, 2003
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN -- A MEMOIR IN BOOKS
By Dr. Azar Nafisi
Iran has received considerable attention in the news lately, so I hope my book can provide answers to the pressing questions
concerning developments within Iranian society and politics. Indeed, Reading Lolita seeks to clarify the larger challenges of
human rights, Islamic fundamentalism, and especially the status of women in a the- ocracy by connecting these critical issues to
important literary themes.
The Crisis of Islam & the Iranian Revolution:
At the core of Islamic fundamentalism is a repressive totalitarian ideology. This ideology is the manifestation of a great faith in crisis,
where fanatics have perverted religion into vicious doctrines of intolerance, control, and hatred. Examining the ide- ological nature of
the Iranian revolution is, therefore, vital to understanding Iran, for it was the first state captured by the forces of militant Islam in the
twentieth century. In 1979, an astonished world watched as the ayatollahs merged the machinery of a state with a fundamentalist
ideology. Radical clergymen turned their cruel fantasies into the law of the land. Their fundamentalist vision transformed the country
of my childhood, known simply as Iran, into the brutal Islamic Republic of Iran.
In one respect, the struggle against the Iranian regime goes far beyond the narrow realm of politics. Ayatollah Khomeini and his
followers targeted basic human rights, including cultural rights, women's rights, and the rights of minorities. Under the guise of
instituting cultural purity,
Iranian women were made to suffer indignities. The age of marriage for women was reduced from 18 to 9. Adultery was made a crime
(punishable by stoning). And the veil became mandatory in every sphere of public life.
Anyone who stood against the one-sided beliefs of the new regime was labeled an agent of imperialism or someone seduced by
"Westernization" or "decadence." Modern clothing even became synonymous with heresy, and many more previously acceptable
activities became harshly punishable offenses. Writers, authors, poets, artists, women, and anyone else unwilling to accept the
regime's black and white views of right and wrong fought--and still fight--to maintain intellectual relevance in the face of murderous
repression.
Failure & Change:
Today, Iran is still held under the strict control of the Islamic fundamentalist regime, but, in the war of ideas, the regime's bankrupt vision has
failed. Contrary to the views advanced by so many Middle East studies specialists at American universities, the rhetoric of the Iranian
government is hollow, as the revolution has not achieved a single objective. Aside from occasional calls for reform, many Iranians, for
almost twenty-five years, have only known individual and collective misery and unrest. Across the republic, regular people, not the
elites or the so-called "reformers," are restive in their demand for change. The same students who took hostages during the 1970's and
1980's are now thoroughly disillusioned and find what modernity has to offer appealing. As was the case in the past, young Iranians are
spearheading an ideological transformation, as they are increasingly drawn to the language of secular classical liberalism and its
architects--Alexis de Tocqueville, Hannah Arendt, et al. Once strictly forbidden authors and literary masterpieces are beginning to see
the light of day and are consequently growing in popularity. Activists, questioning the very pillars of the revolution, are also pressuring
the regime to hold a referendum on the constitution.
Why Lolita? Why Literary Characters?
Nabokov once said, "Readers are born free and they ought to remain free." Grasp- ing this simple yet profound statement is essential to
understanding why I chose Lolita and why my book is both a celebration of reading, as well as a window into a stark world offering few
choices. Contrasting sharply with daily Iranian life, Lolita stands tall as a literary figure symbolizing personal choice and the freedom of
thought–precisely what Iranians are denied.
The revolution didn't just seize Iranians' political rights and the right to own private property. It also stole from millions of Iranian
readers a fundamental freedom to imagine and think for oneself.
The Iranian readers' plight is akin to the plight of those who suffered under Commun- ism and Fascism, where the regimes' conception
of the world, imposed on an entire nation, eradicated any contradictory voices.
In Iran, the morality police still raid homes, and national censors strive to maintain the most stringent conformity through every facet
of an individual's public and private life. Iran's totalitarian regime not only deserves condemnation for establish- ing torture chambers
and using police state tactics, but we must also hold them in contempt for suppressing the Iranians' sense of self-worth and individual
aspirations.
The other chapters in my book, Reading Lolita, contain similar connections to the realities of the struggle taking place within
Iran. The chapter titled "Gatsby" is an account of my personal experiences while teaching at the University of Tehran shortly after
the revolution. Many of my more radical students, at that point in time, became increasingly intolerant of some of the finest 20th.-century
novels. For exam- ple, many of my students denounced Gatsby as "decadent" and all that was wrong with the West. They, like many
adherents of militant Islam, seemed unable to dif- ferentiate between the fictitious world of the novel and real life. I even suggested and
participated in a class exercise where my pupils put Gatsby on trial.
In the pages of "Austin," I draw upon the strong experiences of a brave woman who said no to her family, society, and all who stood
against her choices. Such boldness does exist among Iranian women. There have been instances in which Iranian women have refused
to accept forced marriages, or rebuffed wearing the veil, or rejected the Iranian regime's self-appointed moral guardians and their
assumption of the right to dictate the shape of women's future lives. These women are true heroines, risking expulsion, isolation, and
persecution to preserve their sense of identity.
Conclusion:
Reading Lolita may be read a number of ways. Some consider the book an expres- sion of dissent against a repressive regime,
whereas others simply gain pleasure from reading a poignant, albeit painful, memoir. Whatever one takes from it, my sincere wish is that
readers understand that what is happening in Iran isn't a cultural phenomenon, but is instead a grotesque distortion of culture and history
implemented to suit the political ambitions of powerful religious fanatics. This is a battle against militant Islam's ideology; a battle which the
Iranian people are courageously fight- ing--and will continue to fight, until they regain greater freedom for themselves and their country.
The foregoing paragraphs constitute a summary account written by Gil Marder & Zachary Constantino, research assistants at the
Middle East Forum.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
More on the Middle East & the Problem of Iran
Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
War & Peace in the Real World
Page Two
Page One
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Azar Nafisi is Visiting Professor of Literature at Johns Hopkins University, specializing in the study of Iran, Middle East culture, and
human rights. She was formerly a professor at Tehran and Allemeh Tabataba'i Universities in Iran. Ms. Nafisi received her Ph.D. in
English and American literature from Oklahoma University. Her latest book is READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN: A MEMOIR IN BOOKS
(Random House, 2003). She spoke to the Middle East Forum in Philadelphia on June 6, 2003.
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