Wearing Hijab in Iran

* In “Unveiling the Book Behind the Cover” (Voices, Oct. 4), a young woman talked about how wearing hijab made her a new person with a new character. She wrote about how happy she was since she decided to wear the veil. As I was reading, I remembered my friend’s back, cut open in 50 parts. She was given 50 lashes for not having the proper hijab. She was 16 years old.

I remembered my neighbor begging the government police to not take her 14-year-old. The girl’s hair was out of veil. This is sad and maybe unbelievable, but I know so many teenagers who spent five years in jail. They weren’t criminals. They weren’t murderers, they simply did not like to wear hijab.

I am a 28-year-old Iranian woman. I had to wear hijab for 10 years just to survive. Hijab didn’t give me good character, it didn’t make me think well about myself. Instead it took my pride, my dignity and my best friends. In fact hijab made me a person with no home. I lost my country over Islam. They took my country in the name of God.

Maybe she can go around with her veil and talk about it happily. On the other hand, I have nothing to be happy about. My precise homeland, my country, my past, my only heritage have been taken away from me. I am a woman with no identity in the eyes of Islam. The reason is so simple. I am free and I am fighting for freedom for my country.

MARYAM SEYED HOSSEINI

Tarzana