A tale of two cities - part 3

When Dave and Denise got back to their hotel room in Tehran, Dave noticed that he had forgotten his camera in the park.

He quickly returned to the bench where they had been sitting, but the camera was no longer there.

Although they had forever lost the pictures that they had taken with the camera, they eventually purchased a replacement camera, after paying a $100 deductible to their insurance company.

Amjad was not as lucky.

Unknown to him, he had been spotted by a policeman in the park, who reported him to the local authorities.

Since Iran practices Sharia (formal Islamic Law) the teachings of the Holy Book are taken seriously, and his right hand was cut off as just punishment for his transgression. Given the fact that people in Iran can be executed for trying to practice their own religion, his punishment was not considered to be extreme by many people.

Since jobs for one handed carpenters are non-existent in Iran, he and his family now rely on support from family members, but on most days, he and his family are hungry and poorly dressed.