![]() ![]() "I knew that I had to get on that plane (to Iran) in order to save my daughter," Mahmoody said. Americans were advised against traveling to Iran or the Middle East. ![]() hostages who were released in 1981, had strict laws that took away the freedoms of women and had come under the militant rule of dictator Ayatollah Khomeini, who spread hatred for Americans through public indoctrination. At the time, Iran was in a war with Iraq, had recently dismantled its U.S. Speaking to a packed auditorium, Mahmoody said she had no choice but to visit Iran with her husband. Mahmoody and her daughter, who have lived for years under assumed names for fear that Mahtob would be kidnapped and returned to Iran, were the featured speakers during Team Redstone's Women's History Month 2010 recognition program on March 17. Her experiences as a prisoner of a husband rededicated to his Shiite Muslim faith and her 500-mile escape from an embattled country whose citizens were taught to hate America were the basis of her Pulitzer Prize nominated and bestselling book "Not Without My Daughter" and a 1991 movie of the same name. ![]() When it came time to return, Mahmoody's husband told them they would remain in Iran for the rest of their lives. Her story began when, despite serious reservations, Mahmoody visited Iran in 1984 on a family vacation with her husband, an American-educated doctor, and their 4-year-old daughter, Mahtob. When I saw the American flag and touched it, I then felt safe." "That American flag was a point of safety for me. "You can't imagine how hard I worked with filmmakers to get that scene," she said, adding that producers felt the scene was too quaint and corny for the movie. It's a patriotic scene that Betty Mahmoody fought for during the production of the movie, which is based on the true story of her 18-month imprisonment in Iran by her Iranian-born husband, and the daring escape she and her daughter made. In the last scene of the movie "Not Without My Daughter," an American flag is seen fluttering in the wind outside the U.S. ![]()
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