I took these photos over a year ago in Tehran, Iran. I am not Muslim, but I was born and raised in the Muslim country. I left Iran almost seven years ago when I was 16 years old. When I went back there to visit my family, I felt a deep paradox between the generations of Muslim females. I felt that the new generation of Muslim women found God in many different ways than before. Advanced technology these days makes people think differently about everything, including religion. For example, I heard from one of my young Muslim friend that she was talking to God through her arts or through beauty of this world but most of the old generation thought the only way to connect to God is by praying.

In order to express my feeling about this paradox, I decided to take photos of old objects and places that represent historical events, and combined those with portraits of young women from this generation going about their everyday lives. By using the word "paradox," I try to show the difference between the very traditional religious opinions of older generation, and more modern ideas about religion from a new generation. Through my work, I want to show that there are many ways to reach God.