Azadeh Moaveni

Azadeh Moaveni (born 1976) is an Iranian–American journalist and writer.

Quotes

 * One big difference I’ve noticed is how class is experienced in both places. Even though America is so class-stratified, the idea that there is a national culture that transcends class is really present. In Iran, despite the revolution and its attempt to eliminate class as a category, there’s now political class. That’s different than social class, but it’s still very much infused with the nuance that comes from a class-stratified place.
 * On class differences between Iran and the United States in “Lipstick Jihad: An Interview With Azadeh Moaveni” in Mother Jones (2005 Mar 9)


 * I think there’s this cult of objectivity in the U.S. about media. There are two sides to every story, but it’s not always objective that one side has as much right to narrate a story. I think it’s distorting to always impose that 50-50 impulse on everything you cover because otherwise you’ll be branded as “liberal” or “having an agenda.” Life is not 50-50…
 * On American media in “Lipstick Jihad: An Interview With Azadeh Moaveni” in Mother Jones (2005 Mar 9)


 * Whether they're drinking wine in the evening or painting something "offensive," Iranians choose not to dwell on the fact that they could receive some seventh-century punishment. Laws are inconsistently enforced, and you can usually pay off police to look the other way.
 * On existing in an Islamic regime as portrayed in her book Honeymoon in Tehran in “Knocked Up in Iran” in Marie Claire (2009 Feb 12)


 * I believe their race and religious background shaped the way they were treated by the media… The willingness to blame them even though they were clearly victims was distressing.
 * On the women portrayed in her book Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS in “Among the Women of ISIS': Azadeh Moaveni investigates stories of female recruits in a fascinating new book” in The National (2019 Oct 24)