Forbidden Tale was written by Kameel Ahmady, a British Iranian social researcher and anthropologist, and published by Mehri Publishing House in 2020 in London. The book is based on Ahmady's research from 2017 to 2018, which aimed to investigate the challenges and attitudes towards the Iranian transgender and homosexual community. The book later become available in Persian, Kurdish, French, Spanish, and English.[1][2][3][4][5]

Forbidden Tale
AuthorKameel Ahmady Et al
Cover artistAssad Binakhahi
CountryEngland
LanguageEnglish
SubjectPhenomenology - Minority rights
Genrescientific - research Sociology
PublisherMehri Publishing (London)
Publication date
2020
Pages336
AwardHonour Award at the University of London Law School (2017), IKWRO Organization – for research on gender and children
ISBN9781642552676

The book and its research method edit

Ahmady and his colleagues conducted this research to examine the circumstances and living conditions of LGBT+ individuals in Iran. This research was part of Ahmady's ongoing study on gender and social harm, which he has been conducting for several years.[6][7][8][9] The research took place over a period of 18 months, between 2017 and 2018, in the three major cities of Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad.[2]

This study involved conducting detailed interviews with over three hundred individuals who identify as part of the LGBT community in Iran. Of those interviewed, 60% identified as male and 40% identified as female. The study does not encompass all gender and sexual identities. The research aims to examine the challenges faced by the LGBT community in Iran due to the changing gender relations and interactions in the present era. Additionally, the study offers theoretical frameworks and scientific methodologies to readers, LGBT individuals, universities, research centres, public and social activists, and students to provide a better understanding of LGBT issues in Iran.[2][10][11]

The primary objective of this research project is to gain insight into the experiences and beliefs of queer individuals by critically analyzing their perspectives. The study aims to understand the challenges faced by this community as a result of living in a society that is religious, class-oriented, traditional, and patriarchal, which queer individuals reject as part of their identity. The researchers, led by Ahmady and his colleagues, view the marginalization and repression of this social group as a driving force that motivates them to raise awareness about their situation. They believe that society has neglected and marginalized queer people structurally, and they seek to shed light on their plight.[2][12][13][14]

Forbidden Tale used phenomenological, hermeneutic, and interpretive approaches for analyzing data. Its distinctive characteristic is its exclusive concentration on LGBT individuals, particularly those who identify as transgender with both male and female gender aspects. The study explores their existence without any financial incentive.[15][16][17]

The arrest of the author of the book edit

The book also studies Iran's judicial and legal system, which is based on Islamic Sharia law. According to Sharia law, any sexual relationship between unmarried men and women is considered a criminal act that is punishable under the law. Additionally, Sharia law prohibits the expression of non-heterosexual orientations, including homosexual orientations. Due to these restrictions under Iranian law, the book was unable to be published within Iran. Instead, it was first published outside of Iran by Mehri Publishing House in London. The book's content, which discusses heterosexual and homosexual tendencies, would likely be censored in Iran where such topics are banned from publication.[2][15][10]

In 2018, Iranian and international media reported that Kameel Ahmady was arrested by Iranian security agencies. In 2019, Ahmady was put on trial and sentenced to 9 years and 3 months in prison on various charges, including "supporting and promoting homosexuality". This charge specifically referred to Ahmady's research on the status of homosexuals in Iran. While Ahmady was imprisoned and interrogated in Evin Prison, his research on this topic was published by Mehri Publications in London. Ahmady's imprisonment and the charges against him appear to be related to his work investigating homosexuals' experiences in Iran, where such topics are banned. He spend over 100 days in interrogation before released on heavy bail. After the conviction he managed to escaped on foot over mountains and return to UK.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]

Reprint of the book edit

Forbidden Tale was published in Persian by Mehri Publishing House in London. It was later published in English, French, Spanish, and other languages by Avaye Buf and Lambert Academic Publishing and a Kurdish version was published by Daneshfar Publishing in Erbil, Iraq. Over the past few years, the book has been made available to readers in multiple languages in both print and electronic formats.[25][2]

References edit

  1. ^ "The situation of gays in Iran" [The situation of LGBTQ in Iran.] (in Persian).
  2. ^ a b c d e f Ahmady, Kameel Et al 2018: Forbidden Tale (A comprehensive study on lesbian, gay, bisexuals (LGB) in Iran). Mehri Publishing, London-UK.
  3. ^ احمدی، کامیل و همکاران. داستان شهر ممنوعه (پژوهشی جامع در باب دگرباشان در ایران)، لندن، نشر مهری، چاپ اول، (۱۳۹۸) [Ahmady Kameel. Forbidden Tale (A comprehensive study on lesbian, gay, bisexuals (LGB) in Iran)] (in Persian).
  4. ^ "swiftjournals./sjssh/pdf/2019/march/Kameel4.pdf" (PDF).
  5. ^ احمدی, کامیل (10 December 2018). "دگرباشان ایران شهروندانی بی‌حقوق! تحلیلی بر قوانین موجود و راهکارهای حقوقی برای دگرباشان در ایران" [Iran's transgenders are citizens without rights! An analysis of existing laws and legal solutions for LGBT people in Iran]. ماهنامه جامعه شناسی سیاسی ایران (in Persian). 1 (3): 253–291. doi:10.30510/psi.2022.352097.3746. ISSN 2676-6663.
  6. ^ "کامیل احمدی. زیر پوست شهر: تحلیل پدیده ازدواج سفید در کلان شهرهای ایران، نشریه علمی مطالعات پژوهشی در علوم انسانی و علوم اجتماعی، شماره 63، تابستان 1399، صفحات 94 – 108" [Ahmady Kameel. Iran's transgenders are citizens without rights! An analysis of existing laws and legal solutions for LGBT people in Iran]. نشریه علمی مطالعات پژوهشی در علوم انسانی و علوم اجتماعی (in Persian).
  7. ^ "احمدی کامیل. سیاستهای مرتبط با فرهنگ ختنه زنان / ناقص سازی الت جنس زنان در ایران، فصلنامه علمی تخصصی روانشناسی، علوم اجتماعی و علوم تربیتی ، دوره 5 ،شماره 2 ،تابستان 1400،ص 189- 178" [Ahmady Kameel. Policies related to the culture of female circumcision / female genital mutilation in Iran.] (PDF). فصلنامه علمی تخصصی روانشناسی، علوم اجتماعی و علوم تربیتی (in Persian) (2588–3976).
  8. ^ "احمدی کامیل. زنانه شدن فقر- علتها و پیامدها ازدواج‌های موسوم به «کودک همسری» در ایران. فصلنامه علمی تخصصی روانشناسی، علوم اجتماعی و علوم تربیتی ، دوره 5 ،شماره 2 ،تابستان 1400،ص 177-167" [Feminization of poverty – the causes and consequences of so-called "child marriage" marriages in Iran] (PDF). فصلنامه علمی تخصصی روانشناسی، علوم اجتماعی و علوم تربیتی (in Persian) (2588–3976).
  9. ^ "احمدی کامیل. نقش ازدواج موقت در ترویج کودک همسری در ایران، فصلنامه مطالعات روان‌شناسی و علوم تربیتی، دوره 7، شماره 3، پاییز 1400، صفحات 57 – 39" [Ahmedy Kameel. The role of temporary marriage in promoting child marriage in Iran] (PDF). فصلنامه مطالعات روانشناسی و علوم تربیتی (in Persian).
  10. ^ a b Ahmady, Kameel. Narratives and minority: Stories from lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals in Iran: And an overview on the prevalence of LGB groups (2022). Proceedings of the 2th International Conferences on Economics and Social Sciences. pp. 543–557.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Ahmady, Kameel (2018). "Migration and Gender for Iranian LGBTMigration and Gender". The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development. 4 (1): Article 2.
  12. ^ "احمدی، کامیل. جنس سوم؛ تحلیل مردم شناختی زندگی دگرباشان جنسی در ایران، فصلنامه ره آورد، شماره ۱۲۷، بهار سال ۱۳۹۸، ص ۷۱- ۸۱" [the third gender; Anthropological analysis of the life of LGBT people in Iran]. فصلنامه ره آورد (in Persian).
  13. ^ "احمدی کامیل. پویاشناسی افراد دگرباش در ایران از منظر حقوقی و دینی، فصلنامه مطالعات روانشناسی و علوم تربیتی، دوره ۵، شماره ۲، پاییز ۱۳۹۸، صفحات ۱۶۲– ۱۳۸" [The dynamics of gay people in Iran from a legal and religious point of view.]. فصلنامه مطالعات روانشناسی و علوم تربیتی (in Persian).
  14. ^ "احمدی کامیل. مهاجرت و جنسیت در دگرباشان ایران، فصلنامه مطالعات روانشناسی و علوم تربیتی، دوره 7، شماره 3، پاییز 1399، صفحات 38 – 13" [lesbian gays and bisexual in iran/immigration gender lgbt people]. فصلنامه مطالعات روانشناسی و علوم تربیتی (in Persian).
  15. ^ a b "kameelahmady. the narrative of lgb in iran and the chronic closet " (PDF). Swift Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities.
  16. ^ احمدی, کامیل (2018). "احمدی کامیل. دگرباشان ایران شهرونداني بي‌حقوق! تحلیلی بر قوانین موجود و راهکارهای حقوقی برای دگرباشان در ایران، فصلنامه علمی (مقاله علمی پژوهشی) جامعه‌شناسی سياسی ایران، سال اول، شماره سوم (پياپی۳) پاییز ۱۳۹۷، صص۲۵۳ – ۲۹۱" [Iran's transgenders are citizens without rights! An analysis of existing laws and legal solutions for LGBT people in Iran]. فصلنامه علمی (مقاله علمی پژوهشی) جامعه‌شناسی سياسی ایران (in Persian). 1 (3). doi:10.30510/psi.2022.352097.3746.
  17. ^ "پژوهش کامیل احمدی درباره هم جنس‌گرایان ایران؛ از خودکشی تا مقاومت" [Kamil Ahmadi's research about Iran's homosexuals; From suicide to resistance] (in Persian).
  18. ^ "دادگاه انقلاب کامیل احمدی را به ۹ سال زندان محکوم کرد – DW – ۱۳۹۹/۹/۲۳" [The Revolutionary Court sentenced Kameel Ahmady to 9 years in prison.]. dw.com (in Persian). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Kameel Ahmady was sentenced to 9 years in prison" [Kamil Ahmadi was sentenced to 9 years in prison] (in Persian).
  20. ^ "کامیل احمدی، مردم‌شناس ایرانی-بریتانیایی به "۹ سال حبس" محکوم شد" [An anthropologist in Iran was sentenced to 9 years in prison.]. euronews (in Persian). 14 December 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  21. ^ "محکومیت کامیل احمدی پژوهشگر بریتانیایی‌-‌ایرانی به هشت سال حبس و جریمه نقدی" [British-Iranian researcher Kameel Ahmady was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined.]. کمپین حقوق بشر در ایران (in Persian). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  22. ^ Entekhab.ir, پایگاه خبری تحلیلی انتخاب |. "محکومیت کامیل احمدی دو تابعیتی ایرانی – انگلیسی به ۹ سال حبس" [Kameel Ahmady, a dual Iranian-English citizen, was sentenced to 9 years in prison]. fa (in Persian). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  23. ^ لندن, کیهان. "کامیل احمدی پژوهشگر مسائل اجتماعی که به ۹ سال زندان محکوم شده بود به انگلستان گریخت" [Social issues researcher Kameel Ahmady, who was sentenced to 9 years in prison, fled to England.] (in Persian). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  24. ^ "کامیل احمدی پژوهشگر مسائل اجتماعی، در ایران به '۹ سال حبس' محکوم شد" [Social issues researcher Kameel Ahmady was sentenced to 9 years in prison in Iran]. BBC News فارسی (in Persian). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  25. ^ احمدی، کامیل و همکاران. داستان شهر ممنوعه (پژوهشی جامع در باب دگرباشان در ایران)، لندن، نشر مهری، چاپ اول، (۱۳۹۸) [A comprehensive research on transgender people in Iran] (in Persian).