READER'S ROCK LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE VOL 2 ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER 2014 Vol. 1 Issue 5 November 2013 | Page 37

It had been almost a year since I
returned from Iran without my
husband. Although I will never
forget 9/11, November was a more
memorable month for me in terms
of nightmares, confusion, and the
guilt! I had been living in Iran,
working and existing as a member
of Persian society for almost 4
years.... When I had heard on the
news that all those rumors I had
been hearing about the USA being
potentially bombed came true. It
was 9/11 and I had tried to call
home since the 9th of September
to tell my family to take caution
just in case the rumors turned out
to be fact. But my effort was
futile, the operator told me no
international calls being placed at
that time. On September 12, 2001,
I became all too familiar with my
own 9/11, only it was not in the
USA this time it was in a POW
camp in the middle of somewhere,
Iran! Mohammad told me we had
to get out of Iran due to possible

repercussions from the US on the
middle east, I had no idea but I
didn't care I was going home!!
Five-ten minutes after getting to
the bus station to leave a convoy
type trucks pulled up, grabbed me
and had taken my husband one
way and I another and pushed me
blindfolded into the back of
convoy style trucks, who "they"
were anybody's guess but I sure
did not have a clue. 30-40 days
later after escaping the camp and
riding a llama for 1-2 days over
mountainous terrain, I arrived at
the Iran Immigration center. I only
weighed in at about 70 pounds
then, had injuries, been starved
and raped for the past month and
wanted to get home to my family
in the USA. However, was unsure
that the govt. of Iran would allow
me to. I was American but was
married to an Iranian, which made
me an Iranian citizen who needed
my husband's permission to exit
the country. Although the
authorities claimed to have had his
permission before flying me to the
USA embassy in Dubai, I knew
they did not! This only increased

my suspicion of the govt. being all
too involved in my apprehension
or kidnaping on Sept 12. I had
been with Mohammad for 9 years
and thought I could trust him, but
despite the love that I thought we
had, his personality and behavior
did a 360 degree turn upon
entering Iran in 1998. The events
told here are true, and I've only
shared what I know to be true or
suspect at best. What I do know is
that it was no coincidence that I an
all-out American citizen had been
placed into a POW type camp
right after the tragedy of 9/11 in
America. Moreover, I suggest to
all, to thoroughly research any
country and culture before
relocating to one headfirst.
Even/especially if your spouse is a
native from that nation. I hope this
will help all understand the view
of an American woman in a
Middle Eastern country, who not
only lived there but became
ingrained into the culture but in
the end only became another
statistic of the IRI. (I.e.Islamic
Republic of Iran).