Nearly 47 years ago, Iran became the Islamic Republic. I was in New York City when the shah’s reign collapsed, clearing the way for Ruhollah Khomeini to return from exile to dismantle the old world. My loved ones begged me not to go back to Iran. As Googoosh, a 28-year-old pop star, I was a walking symbol of everything the new regime despised. But I chose the risk of a quick death at home over fading away in a foreign land. I wasn’t killed. I was silenced.
After going back, I remained in Iran for 21 years, banished from the stage while sharia law reshaped our society and reduced women to half citizens. I watched my country bleed through eight years of war with Iraq. I finally left in 2000 to reclaim my voice, but my heart remained. For all these years, I have watched helplessly from thousands of miles away as those who claimed to speak for God slowly destroyed the country I love. Now, this regime seems to be gasping for its last breaths.
