Betty Mahmoody
Encyclopedia
Betty Mahmoody 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 co-founder of One World: For Children, an organization that promotes understanding between cultures and strives to offer security and protection to children of bi-cultural marriages.
to go to Iran with her husband and daughter for what she was promised would be a short visit. Once there, she and her daughter were held against their wills.
According to the book, she and her husband, Sayed Bozorg Mahmoody,
and daughter, Mahtob, traveled to Iran
in August 1984 for what her husband said would to be a two-week visit with his family in Tehran
. Once the two weeks were over, however, he refused to allow his wife and child to leave. Mahmoody became trapped in a culture hostile to Americans, a family hostile to her, and an abusive husband. According to the book, Mahmoody's husband separated her from her daughter for weeks on end. He also beat her and threatened to kill her if she tried to leave.
She eventually fled with her daughter. The book details her 500-mile escape to Turkey and the help she received from many Iranians.
collaborated with Mahmoody's ex-husband to create a documentary, Without My Daughter
, to counter the claims in Betty's book.
On August 23, 2009, Bozorg Mahmoody died in Tehran
, Iran, aged 70. The state news agency IRNA quoted his nephew, Majid Ghodsi, as reporting that he died in a hospital from kidney problems and other complications.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and public speaker best known for her book, Not Without My Daughter
Not Without My Daughter
Not Without My Daughter is a film released in 1991 depicting the escape of American citizen Betty Mahmoody and her daughter from her husband in Iran. The film was shot in the United States and Israel, and the main characters are played by Sally Field and Alfred Molina...
, which was subsequently made into a film of the same name
Not Without My Daughter
Not Without My Daughter is a film released in 1991 depicting the escape of American citizen Betty Mahmoody and her daughter from her husband in Iran. The film was shot in the United States and Israel, and the main characters are played by Sally Field and Alfred Molina...
. She is the President and co-founder of One World: For Children, an organization that promotes understanding between cultures and strives to offer security and protection to children of bi-cultural marriages.
Not Without My Daughter
Her book, Not Without My Daughter, is an account of her experiences in 1984-86, when she left Alpena, MichiganAlpena, Michigan
Alpena is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Alpena County. It is considered to be part of Northern Michigan. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is located in the city. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census...
to go to Iran with her husband and daughter for what she was promised would be a short visit. Once there, she and her daughter were held against their wills.
According to the book, she and her husband, Sayed Bozorg Mahmoody,
and daughter, Mahtob, traveled to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
in August 1984 for what her husband said would to be a two-week visit with his family in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. Once the two weeks were over, however, he refused to allow his wife and child to leave. Mahmoody became trapped in a culture hostile to Americans, a family hostile to her, and an abusive husband. According to the book, Mahmoody's husband separated her from her daughter for weeks on end. He also beat her and threatened to kill her if she tried to leave.
She eventually fled with her daughter. The book details her 500-mile escape to Turkey and the help she received from many Iranians.
Other books
Betty Mahmoody compiled stories of other parents whose foreign spouses estranged them from their children in the book For the Love of a Child.Bozorg Mahmoody
Alexis KourosAlexis Kouros
Alexis Kouros is a Iranian-Finnish writer, documentary-maker, director and producer.His first book, Gondwana's Children, won the Finlandia Junior award in 1997...
collaborated with Mahmoody's ex-husband to create a documentary, Without My Daughter
Without My Daughter
Without My Daughter is a 90-minute documentary directed by Kari Tervo and Alexis Kouros.In 1989, a book titled Not Without My Daughter was published, based on the story of an American woman, Betty Mahmoody...
, to counter the claims in Betty's book.
On August 23, 2009, Bozorg Mahmoody died in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran, aged 70. The state news agency IRNA quoted his nephew, Majid Ghodsi, as reporting that he died in a hospital from kidney problems and other complications.
See also
- Aurora NilssonAurora NilssonAurora Nilsson, also known as Rora Asim Khan , was a Swedish writer who became known for her autobiographical novel about her experiences in Afghanistan during her marriage to an Afghan diplomat, Asim Khan, in the 1920s. A novel is based upon her story...
- Debbie RodriguezDebbie RodriguezDebbie Rodriguez is an American author and hairdresser, who wrote a best-selling book regarding her experience in Afghanistan managing the Kabul Beauty School.-Biography:...