h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"During the reign of the Ayatollahs in Iran an Iranian lady sent her educated daughter to live with a family of trusted Jewish friends in Australia (mine). Her last words to her daughter were 'This is not Islam', as she sadly pulled her veil over her face..."

That sounds like the beginning of a really interesting story. What did she think of Judaism? How did she adapt to Western culture? What happened next? And what did the mother mean?

It is a long story which I need to condense, otherwise you'll fall asleep. Be back ASAP.

Alien Tourist.

This, briefly, is Farah's story. My writing skills leave a lot to be desired, but I hope that, in some part, it addresses your questions.

The daughter's name was Farah. She was educated at the Tehran University, and spent some time studying at the Sorbonne. Her father was an academic and her mother a teacher, at a mixed school for girls and boys. This all changed under the Ayatollahs.

Although not pro-actively politically aligned, her father and brothers had came to the attention of the SAVAK. ( I can only quote Farah's scant knowledge of this situation.) As a consequence her mother sent her into the care of my family in Australia, with whom she had long standing familial connections.

The laws of Islam and Judaism are not so very different, especially between people who live a secular rather than orthodox life. English or French were the languages we had in common. After her parents died Farah became very close to my mother. She found work in the same insurance firm as my mother, and her curiosity about other people and their cultures made her feel less alien. (No pun intended) Australian culture is very similar to European in some respects, however the translation of Australian vernacular into Farsi and then back into English resulted in some spectacular ROFLing.

Her mother's parting words "This is not Islam" was a reference to the less than liberal changes occurring in Iran but particularly to the enforced wearing of the veil. The veil is essentially a woman's choice and is adopted by Muslim women sometimes for religious reasons, and sometimes as a statement akin to "look first at my mind, not at my body". It is a custom that existed in many countries before the advent of Islam, and for widely differing cultural reasons. Neither of these women had ever followed the practice of wearing hajib/burkha/chador. Yet they considered themselves good practicing Muslims.

In the late 1980's Farah traveled back to Iran and was successful in reuniting with her remaining brother. They fled Iran, and Farah now lives in France with her husband and family. Her brother is an engineer in Canada.

Thanks. Its a good story and a good example of how complex religious and cultural issues are.