I grew up in a small town where every one knew each other. When I went to school, for the first time I have come across with the concept of discrimination. I was taking food to school every day. My mother has prepared for me twofold of each food to share with my friends. But gradually I have noticed that no one was taking the food from my hand, but I did not know the reason. One day when I gave an apple to one of the students, she told me that my father has warned me not to take any food from you, you are not a Muslim (najes).
— Roya

My father believed that it is embarrassing for a boy to watch himself in a mirror. More than 3 seconds standing in front of a mirror was considered a bad behavior for the boys in our house. Therefore, according to what my father advised me I should be an exemplary for my brothers since I was the eldest in our home. I have almost used to ignore watching myself in the mirror. When I was a teenager, I was trying to watch myself in the mirror when my father was not around. Since he told me that the mirror belongs to gays. And those days I was thinking it was a horrible label for the boys. I have gradually forgotten the mirror. I have not had a mirror anymore and it was totally strange to me.
— Amir

I used to have long hair. My father has not allowed me to cut my hair. He believed that girl’s beauty is having long hair. My mother used to weave my hair, since my long hair was tangled under scarf and it bothered me. My woven hair should not come out of the scarf either from back nor on my forehead. If any hair seen, it was considered as sin. This issue has been checked every day before entering class. Schoolmaster had a very large and old scissors in her hand every day and was checking the hair of all students one by one. I was in such good mood that day and so busy talking to my friend, that could not remember that my hair which my mother weaved and put a beautiful ribbon on that, was out of scarf. It was too late, since I have reached in front of our school master and I could not cover my hair. Our school master as if succeeded to find the guilty person, has not wasted the time and in a second, she cut my hair. I have just seen my hair fallen in front of my feet with that beautiful ribbon on that. I have not understood what has happened at all. I have also believed that I am guilty and should be punished. But on the other hand, I was so much worried to go back home. I was worried what I have to explain to my father, Where my hair is. Will he still love me with my short hair?
— Bahar

I am left-handed. When I have first started going to school, I was naturally taking the pencil with my left hand. Every time, my teacher was passing by me she hit on my hand with ruler and was saying that I have to write with my right hand. Otherwise God will not like me and I will not go to Heaven. When I wanted to write my homework at home, my father was tightly bandaging my left hand and making me write with my right hand. I was always thinking that being left-handed is a kind of disability. I was crying a lot at night and was praying that God cures my disability, to be a left-handed.
— Saeed

Since my brother bought me Harry Potter book, I was really exhibited. Everyday at break time I went to a corner and started to read the book. One day I was passing by the teacher’s Classroom to go to my corner and continue reading the book when the teacher called me and asked what I was reading. I excitedly started to explain the book to him. He took the book and shouted at me that I am doing nonsense and I should not read the western books which are brainwashing me. He threw the book in the dustbin and yelled at me to back to my class. I have not understood what I have done and what I was guilty for. I have been afraid and become sick for 2 days. My family bought me the book again since they were not in agreement with the school. But I was not allowed to take the book to school. I kept reading the book in bed under the blanket since I was afraid of everyone.
— Milad

When I was 12-13 years old, I was a good basketball player in school. I was always in the basketball yard. I was alone one day and has not had the ball with me. I was playing with an imaginary ball. The schoolmaster has come suddenly and slapped me. She insulted me and told it is not allowed to dance and have such movements. I was greatly shocked and fell on the ground. The schoolmaster assumed that I was dancing but I was imitating the basketball movements. I have never danced since then, since I have been taught that only whores dance!
— Yassi

It was 1992 when we have returned to Iran after 8 years living in Sweden. It seemed we have come to a different planet. I have come to an atmosphere with unified and upsetting cover from a happy and colorful atmosphere, and the education system was very solid together with fear and threats. I remember well that first years when I was a kid of 10-11 years old, I was so much influenced by brainwashing of Educational system. I have learned praying in religious classes in school, and they have trained us who does not pray will not go to heaven. And my parents were not praying. I was always asking my parents to pray. It has reached to a point that I was writing letters to God and asking God to forgive my parents for not praying, and let them come to Heaven with me. I remember I was upset with my parents for this issue during all my childhood years.

— Sarah

My father was out of Iran. When I was at 3rd elementary grade, he used to send me cassette tapes. In addition to music tapes, he used to record a story with his voice at the end of the music tapes. I loved them so much and actually I was listening only to the end of the tapes to hear the stories, told by my father’s voice. One day, the schoolmaster came to class and told us he wanted to look in our bags. I always had the cassettes with me and they were inseparable from me. As schoolmaster opened my bag, he saw the cassettes. He has not listened to my explanations at all and sent me out of the class and broke all the cassettes. He was shouting that school is not a place for such low class western acts. I have not had my father’s voice with me and it was difficult for me to sleep at night without his stories and his voice. It took so long for me to forgive the schoolmaster for what he has done to me.

— Pedram

I love red socks so much. I was almost wearing them all the time even during sleeping. When I went to school, almost from the first day, they were checking our uniforms not to be short and wearing the scarf correctly. They were even checking our socks. We were not familiar with what must be done and what shall not, even we did not know what was allowed and what not. I, who never used to come out of the bed without my red socks, was receiving notice at school every day for a month and I had been punished. And everyday I was standing out of class for 30 minutes as punishment, and I was forced to promise that I would not wear the socks anymore. But the issue was forgotten by me by the afternoon and I was going to school with red socks the other day. The school has been obliged to inform my family about wearing the red socks. My mother tried to make me understand that those colors like red were not allowed to wear in school. Since then I have started to say goodbye to my socks next to my bed, and promised them that I will return soon.

— Maryam

I was at first grade of elementary school. Once, I was looking outside the class from the window of corridor. Schoolmaster suddenly hit me in the head with a pipe on his hand and my nose started bleeding. I have never been hit before. After this incident I was really frightened,and I didn’t want to go to school anymore. I pretended I am sick. My mother asked the school for the reasons for hitting me like that, and they replied that the teacher was worried that I could fall out of the window, that’s why he hit me! The incident is so upsetting to me that I cannot forget it.

— Hadi