Lily Bandehy Explained

Lily Bandehy (born 1949) is a Norwegian-Iranian author, commentator and critic of Islam.

Biography

Born 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

Singer Tooji who represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 is her son. She has praised him for coming out as gay.^[6]

Bibliography

• 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

Notes and References

1. News: Outsidere på norsk jord. 21 May 2019. Stavanger Aftenblad. no.
2. Web site: Presentasjon av Ex-Muslims of Norway (EX-MN). 17 November 2016. Litteraturhuset. no.
3. News: Måtte ha politibeskyttelse da hun lanserte bok om kvinner i islam: – Kan ikke la vold kneble oss. Nettavisen. no.
4. News: – Verdt å risikere livet for å kritisere islam. 14 November 2021. Dagen. no.
5. News: Etter hijab-brenning: – Kjære Sammia, det er ikke jeg som undertrykker deg og millioner av andre kvinner i muslimske land. Det er koransvers. 11 February 2023. Vårt Oslo. no.
6. News: Lily Bandehy om sønnen Tooji: Jeg takker Gud for at han er homofil. Aftenposten. 16 June 2015.