My name’s Azam Fatemi. I come from Saveh, a beautiful city in Iran’s Central Province.
These days remind me of the throbbing days of summer 1981. They also take me back to the post-Revolution days of 1979.
Those days, I was a high school student. I loved studying and I spent most of my time studying and reading books. Rug-weaving used to be very common in our family and among neighbors, and a large number of girls my age were involved in rug-weaving. But I was never satisfied with such works.
A voice from within told me to get up and go look for the things I did not know, to learn new things, to have new experiences and to gain social knowledge.
When I was 13, a number of my friends were arrested by the Shah’s SAVAK. Everybody knew those girls because they were so different. Their looks, their attitudes and what they did, all seemed so interesting to me. They were not like other girls living an ordinary life. They tried to have a say in political developments, at school and university. They looked for equality and freedom in society. I could see my own ideals and my own future in them.
Finally, by following their model, I, too, started my own journey.
Along with my sister who was only two years younger than me, we read books with our friends and we spoke about future and what it should have been. We spoke about our goals, ambitions and ideals. I was so happy, particularly because two of my brothers who were older than me, were of the same mind as me and followed the same ideals.
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After the 1979 Revolution, I got acquainted with the opposition MEK/PMOI through my brothers and by reading their newspaper. Gradually, I started to have some peaceful activities, distributing MEK flyers and leaflets. However, as social freedoms were gradually restricted, it became more and more difficult for people like me to have freedom of activity…
Then came June 21, 1981. I was arrested in the course of a demonstration in our city, Saveh. I was imprisoned for nearly one year until my mother managed to deposit our house’s ownership documents and borrow money from the bank to pay as bail bond and secure my release from prison.
http://women.ncr-iran.org/women-of-iranian-resistance/4085-azam-fatemi-those-who-seek-will-find
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