{"id":252391,"date":"2026-07-13T02:02:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/azadi-means-freedom-maryam-shojae\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T02:02:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:02:52","slug":"azadi-means-freedom-maryam-shojae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/azadi-means-freedom-maryam-shojae\/","title":{"rendered":"Azadi Means Freedom – Maryam Shojae"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As I started to explain, he cut me off. \u201cNo, thank you,\u201d he said, firmly. I opened my mouth to ask why. What was it about supporting Iranian women in their fight for the right to watch men\u2019s soccer in Iran that seemed unworthy to him? Was it the mere mention of Iran that made him turn away? Many people only knew frightening headlines about my country\u2014 was he one of them? Or did he assume I was asking for donations?<\/p>\n

I would never know. But he wasn\u2019t the only one who refused a bottle that day. Despite receiving plenty of support, those rejections lingered in my mind. I wanted to blame Westerners for their lack of interest in international human rights. Or maybe, on game day, people simply didn\u2019t want to be reminded of social justice issues. When I returned to where my friends were holding the banner, I saw them talking to a small group\u2014one man and two women.<\/p>\n

They wore suits and had ID badges hanging around their necks. They looked like officials, and I immediately thought they were there to make us leave. As I got closer, I saw Mahsa smiling and pointing at me. \u201cShe\u2019s here!\u201d she said. One of the women turned to look at me, and I couldn\u2019t believe my eyes \u2014it was Moya Dodd, the woman I had met in Australia. She laughed as we hugged. \u201cI knew it was you,\u201d Moya said in her charming Australian accent. \u201cAre you standing in front of every stadium in the world with your banner?\u201d<\/p>\n

she teased. \u201cNo, just my second time,\u201d I said, grinning. \u201cBut I\u2019ve been lucky enough to see you both times. What are you doing here?\u201d \u201cI\u2019m here for work,\u201d she replied. In Montreal with Moya Dodd, before a Women\u2019s World Cup game, June 2015. moya dodd I felt a little embarrassed when the man beside her added, \u201cShe\u2019s the deputy chair of FIFA\u2019s organizing committee for this Women\u2019s World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Copyright \u00a9 2026 by Maryam Shojaei Jacket design by Angelo Maneage Author photo by H. Alizadeh All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.<\/p>\n

Seven Stories Press 140 Watts Street New York, NY 10013 www.sevenstories.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file. isbn: 978-1-64421-489.3 (hardcover) isbn: 978-1-64421-517-3 (ebook) College professors and high school and middle school teachers may order free examination copies of Seven Stories Press titles. Visit https:\/\/www.sevenstories.com\/pg\/resources- academics or email academic@sevenstories.com. Printed in the United States of America 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1kitap1.com\/en Contents Preface Chapter One: More Than a Game Chapter Two: Same Game, Different World Chapter Three: A Backward Revolution Chapter Four: Battles After War Chapter Five: Losing Azadi Chapter Six: White Scarves and Bearded Girls Chapter Seven: My Declaration of Independence Chapter Eight: Banners Without Borders Chapter Nine: Not Playing by the Rules Chapter Ten: The Stage Is Set Chapter Eleven: Crossing the Red Line Chapter Twelve: Russian Heat Chapter Thirteen: The Rule Makers Chapter Fourteen: My Turn to Speak Chapter Fifteen: The Morality Police Chapter Sixteen: Iran is a Woman\u2019s Name Afterword Acknowledgments 1kitap1.com\/en Preface Growing up in Iran, I never went to a stadium to watch a game.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t the only one: no Iranian woman or girl born or raised after the 1979 Islamic Revolution did either. We weren\u2019t allowed. Azadi Stadium in Tehran is a massive sports complex, where 100,000 fans can watch the country\u2019s most important games. But not women, including me, even when my brother was playing there.<\/p>\n

In the language of Iran, known interchangeably as Persian or Farsi, \u201cAzadi\u201d means \u201cfreedom.\u201d Azadi Stadium is where the national soccer team and major club soccer matches are played. It is the most popular sport in Iran. For decades, entering Azadi Stadium has become more and more dangerous for women and girls, many of whom have risked prison, and even their lives, by dressing as boys and men so that they can watch their favorite sports teams play.<\/p>\n

The gender inequity that dominated our lives in Iran was clear to me from an early age. My brothers were permitted freedoms that I was forbidden\u2014simple things like wearing whatever clothes we wanted or leaving the house without a hijab. I knew, as children often do, that something was very wrong\u2014that our society was unequal and unfair. I am the eldest of my siblings, and when we were children I thought I was the smartest and most responsible. I could not stand the idea of my younger brother Mahmood having more freedom only because he was a boy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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