Last March, I sublet my Manhattan apartment. A woman called Shireen answered my ad, and when she came to visit I was surprised to learn that, despite her traditionally Persian name, she was Indian. Mentioning this, Shireen replied, “But I am Persian! I’m Zoroastrian.” In India, she explained, Zoroastrians are called Parsis (literally, “Persian”) in reference to their Persian ancestry.

Zoroastrianism was Iran’s primary religion until the mid-seventh century, when Islam was imposed on the country by conquering Arabs. Many Zoroastrians fled to India to avoid forced conversion and discrimination. Today, Iran counts some 30,000 Zoroastrians; those who practice openly face persecution and are considered second-class citizens. Still, I urged Shireen to visit Iran and explore her heritage. But my encouragement was a painful reminder that I, born and raised in Iran, hadn’t been back in 14 years. After being arrested and jailed in 1999 for reporting critically on the government, I fled to write and work freely. I wasn’t certain I could visit anytime soon.

Feb. 11 marks the 35th anniversary of the revolution that overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in power since 1941, and established an Islamic state. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the revolution and subsequently became Iran’s religious and political leader for life, promised justice, democracy and the rule of law. In an attempt to eliminate what he perceived as Western corruption, Ayatollah Khomeini mismanaged the economy, setting back development and widening the gap between rich and poor — while engaging in a devastating eight-year war with Iraq. The missteps continued under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who beat the anti-Western drum despite harsh sanctions that left many Iranians impoverished.

In the 35 years since the revolution, millions of Iranians have emigrated. Some left seeking freedom of expression, others to escape religious persecution or even execution. Of the approximately 100,000 Jews in Iran at the time of the revolution, only 20,000 remain. They, like Shireen’s ancestors, no longer felt welcome in their homeland. Today, despite promises by the new president, Hassan Rouhani, to protect the freedom of ethnic and religious minorities (and the appointment of an aide to focus on their affairs), the persecution continues. Baha’is, the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority, are widely referred to as infidels and prohibited from practicing openly; their children can not attend university.