''Not Without My Husband'' (German title: ''Nicht ohne meinen Mann'') is a book written by Justine Harun-Mahdavi. The book is the

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...

of Justine and her life as a German woman with her Persian (Iranian) husband, Masoud Harun-Mahdavi, in Iran before and after the 1979

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

. It responds to the negative account of Iran in

Betty Mahmoody Betty Mahmoody (née Lover; born June 9, 1945, in Alma, Michigan) is an American author and public speaker best known for her book, '' Not Without My Daughter'', which was subsequently made into a film of the same name. She is the President and ...

's bestselling 1987 memoir, '' Not Without My Daughter''.

About the author

Justine Harun-Mahdavi (Haas, born 11 June 1945 in

Morbach Morbach is a municipality that belongs to no ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also a state-recognized climatic resort (''Luftkurort''). G ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) is a German woman who lived in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

between 1968 and 1979, and is the writer of the ''Not Without My Husband''. ''Not Without My Husband'' is a

which describes her life with her Persian (Iranian) husband Massoud Harun-Mahdavi and two children in Iran. The book offers a direct view of the Iranian society as seen by a Westerner. Justine moved to Iran 1968 and lived with her husband Massoud Harun-Mahdavi and two children in different cities (mainly in

Kerman Kerman ( fa, كرمان, Kermân ; also romanization of Persian, romanized as Kermun and Karmana), known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 821,394, in ...

Mashhad Mashhad ( fa, مشهد, Mašhad ), also spelled Mashad, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. It serves as the capital of R ...

and

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

) for more than 11 years. Her husband Masoud was in different political positions. He was twice the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the holy city of Mashhad. He also was once mayor of the capital city, Tehran. Due to his popularity among the people, he was even a member of the new government during the first months of the

Islamic Republic The term Islamic republic has been used in different ways. Some Muslim religious leaders have used it as the name for a theoretical form of Islamic theocratic government enforcing sharia, or laws compatible with sharia. The term has also been u ...

. But he soon understood that the

theocratic Theocracy is a form of government in which one or more deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries who manage the government's daily affairs. Etymology The word theocracy originates fro ...

regime was not on path to bring

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...

and freedom to the Iranian people. So Justine and her family left Iran in September 1979. Her husband is an active and well known member of the democratic Iranian opposition called Jebhe Melli. She visited Iran together with her daughter and son again in 2000. Justine today lives in a town close to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

in Germany. In ''Not Without My Husband'', Justine pleads for freedom and democracy in Iran and for tolerance towards all nations, religions and cultures in the world.

References

External links

Not Without My Husband
(

Deutsche Welle Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...

: in Persian)
Nicht ohne meinen Mann. Zeitgeschichte auf PersischNicht ohne meinen Mann. Erinnerungen einer deutschen Frau an ihre Zeit im Iran
Feminist books {{fem-book-stub

About the author

See also

References

External links