Oppression of Women in the Middle East Take a moment to imagine being held captive in a prison, where you are tortured and violently abused at the young age of 16. Instead of planning your senior prom and thinking about the bright future that awaits you, your main concern is how to survive the next 24 hours. You are forced to make decisions against your will and there is absolutely nothing you can do to change them. Marina Nemat, author of the memoir Prisoner of Tehran, lived a life similar to the one described during the harsh years of the Islamic revolution in Iran. After being arrested in 1982, she was taken to Evin, a political prison, where she would spend the next two years of her adolescence. She was sentenced to death for expressing her opinion on the government, but was saved from execution by a guard named Ali. After threatening to hurt his family if he refused, she was forced to marry him. The subsequent years spent in Evin with Ali included abuse, rape, and being forced to change his religious views to Islam. Ali eventually took advantage of Marina because she was seen as a harmless and useless young woman. The Prisoner of Tehran demonstrates how women in Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, are oppressed and exploited. Suffering sexual abuse, control and the denial of basic human rights, these women remain psychologically drained and damaged. The mistreatment of women in Middle Eastern countries is an extremely disheartening and serious problem. According to the religion of Islam, "Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, for Allah has given one more (strength) than the other. As for women on the part of whom you fear disloyalty and misconduct, warn... .. half of the document ......unts_Decision_To_Cast_Off_Hijab/2099074.html>."Official Laws Against Women in Iran." WFAFI, nd Web 14 January 2014. "Search for Peaceful Families," 4 January 2014 Sanaz Nezami's family in Iran watches her final hours online." CBC Radio Canada, January 10, 2014. "The state of violence against women in the Islamic Republic of Iran." Association for Women's Rights in Development. AWID, n.d. Web. 4 January 2014. "Women's Organization of Iran." Foundation of Iranian Studies. Np. Web. 14 January. 2014. .