For my religious mother, living in Europe was a challenge. My father came from a liberal and secular family. He was a lover of culture, fine arts, and classical music. After I was born, we moved from Switzerland back to Tehran where the Revolution turned everything upside down. My mother forged a new identity for herself: she became a religious activist, school principal, and did military training. My father sat quietly in his favorite chair at home and listened to Bach. My mother censored the past, while my father dreamt of a different future. For most of my life, I was torn between the two of them. I am the result of Iran’s struggle between tradition and modernization.