Captive in Iran
Maryam Rostampour, Marziyeh Amirizadeh

1. Before you read this book, how much did you know about the situation for Christians and women in Iran? What questions did you have about Iran? What stereotypes?

2. How do you think you would respond if the basiji appeared at your door to search your house and arrest you? What evidence of your beliefs would they find?

3. Have you ever been persecuted for something you believe in? Describe a time when you had to take a stand. What was the outcome?

4. In what ways is the Iranian judicial system similar to the American system? In what ways do they differ?

5. Reread the description at the end of chapter 2 of Maryam and Marziyeh’s first night at the Vozara Detention Center. How do you think you would respond if you found yourself in similar circumstances?

6. What surprised you about the Iranian jails, compared to what you know about jails in your own country?

7. Perhaps you’ve never been physically imprisoned, but there are other types of “prisons” that can hold us captive—emotional, spiritual, relational. What lessons can you learn from Maryam’s and Marziyeh’s experiences that might help you in areas of your life where you feel trapped or imprisoned?

8. How would you describe Maryam and Marziyeh’s “method” of evangelism in prison? What lessons can you learn from them about how to relate to others?

9. What was the role of prayer in the authors’ lives while they were in prison? How important was this to their experience?

10. Marziyeh’s testimony of faith includes spiritual experiences that may differ from your own. How do you respond to Marziyeh’s story?

11. A central part of Maryam and Marziyeh’s prison experience was the uncertainty of what would happen from day to day. What can you learn from their experience that will help you deal with uncertainty in your own life?

12. Discuss the role of serving others in our relationships. How did Maryam and Marziyeh serve their fellow prisoners?

13. Maryam and Marziyeh describe many different relationships they had in prison. Which did you find the most interesting? Which did you find the most difficult or unsettling? How would you have responded in the same situation?

14. Describe your reaction to how Maryam and Marziyeh spoke to their interrogators—often arguing or speaking firmly to them. Do you think their approach made things better or worse for them?

15. Based on Maryam and Marziyeh’s story, what do you think are the most beneficial and productive things that Christians can do in response to injustice in Iran and other countries?

Captive in Iran
Maryam Rostampour, Marziyeh Amirizadeh

16. Why might God have allowed Maryam and Marziyeh to be imprisoned in Iran? What are some reasons you think He might have protected them from being tortured during their time in prison, unlike some of their friends?

17. Discuss how you felt when you read about the execution of Zeynab Nazarzadeh (chapter 12). How was your response similar or different when you read about the death of Shirin Alam Hooli (chapter 26)?

18. What was the most surprising part of Maryam and Marziyeh’s story? What part was the most encouraging?

19. How has reading Captive in Iran challenged you? What part did you find the most impactful?

20. What are three things you will take away from reading Captive in Iran?

Notes