Lily Bandehy (born 1949) is a Norwegian-Iranian author, commentator and critic of Islam.
Biography
editBorn in Iran, Bandehy was an oppositional activist against both the Shah and Ayatollah Khomeini.[1] She was imprisoned and sentenced to lifelong exile.[1] She emigrated to Norway in 1988 where she became a psychiatric nurse.[1]
She has been the deputy leader of Ex-Muslims of Norway since 2016.[2]
In 2021 she published her book Kvinner i islam. Islams forakt for kvinner, a book critical of Islam's positions on women, that needed police protection at its release event.[3]
She has said that it is worth risking one's life to criticise Islam,[4] and she has held demonstrations where she has publicly burned the hijab.[5]
Personal life
editSinger Tooji who represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 is her son. She has praised him for coming out as gay.[6]
Bibliography
edit- Jeg kommer fra Iran, 2003
- En slette av valmuer, 2012
- Smaksrike minner fra Persia, 2014
- Smaken av kirsebær, 2019
- Kvinner i islam, Islams forakt for kvinner, 2021
References
edit- ^ a b c "Outsidere på norsk jord". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). 21 May 2019.
- ^ "Presentasjon av Ex-Muslims of Norway (EX-MN)". Litteraturhuset (in Norwegian). 17 November 2016.
- ^ "Måtte ha politibeskyttelse da hun lanserte bok om kvinner i islam: – Kan ikke la vold kneble oss". Nettavisen (in Norwegian).
- ^ "– Verdt å risikere livet for å kritisere islam". Dagen (in Norwegian). 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Etter hijab-brenning: – Kjære Sammia, det er ikke jeg som undertrykker deg og millioner av andre kvinner i muslimske land. Det er koransvers". Vårt Oslo (in Norwegian). 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Lily Bandehy om sønnen Tooji: Jeg takker Gud for at han er homofil". Aftenposten. 16 June 2015.