Those in the west who dismiss the repressiveness of laws against women in countries like Iran, no matter how benign their intentions, present a condescending view not just of the religion but also of women living in Muslim majority countries, as if the desire for choice and happiness is the monopoly of women in the west.

A bad author can take the most moral issue and make you want to just never, ever think about that moral issue.

When I was teaching at the University of Tehran we were struggling against the implementation of the revolution rules.

I would like to say how much I resent people who say of the Islamic Republic that this is our culture - as if women like to be stoned to death, or as if they like to be married at the age of nine.

If I turned towards books, it was because they were the only sanctuary I knew, one I needed in order to survive, to protect some aspect of myself that was now in constant retreat.

those who judge must take all aspects of an individual's personality into account.

I'm a perfectly equipped failure.