The history of women’s activism in Iran is intertwined with the Baha’i faith, highlighting the courage and sacrifices of women who have stood against patriarchal and religious rigidity. One of the earliest and most notable figures in this struggle was Tahirih Quratulain, an outspoken and wise Baha’i woman who lived in the mid-19th century. Tahirih is remembered as the first Iranian woman to unveil herself in front of men during an assembly, an act of profound bravery that, along with her Baha’i faith, ultimately led to her execution on charges of “corruption on earth.”

Nearly 200 years have passed since Tahirih’s bold declaration of womanhood in a male-dominated society, yet the suffering of Iranian women under patriarchal and religious oppression continues unabated.

The legacy of resistance spans from Tahirih and Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi, whose house was attacked by Muslim clerics for opening the first school for girls in 1907, to the ten Baha’i women executed in Shiraz for their faith in 1983, Mahsa Jina Amini in 2022, as well as to the hundreds of other women who have been prosecuted, imprisoned and killed over the past centuries.

Despite the passage of time, the narrative remains consistent: a relentless struggle for freedom and dignity.

Iranian women, particularly those from religious or ethnic minorities, such as Baha’i, Kurdish, Baluchi, or Arab women, have faced the harshest repercussions in any struggle. In a corrupt political system that governs in the name of God and religion, suffering is widespread. However, minorities, and especially women from these groups, bear the brunt of the regime’s oppressive policies.

For Baha’i people in Iran, the situation has been exceptionally dire. The regime’s persecution of Baha’is goes beyond the typical discrimination faced by religious minorities. The Baha’i faith is seen by the regime as a threat to Islam, accused of attempting to undermine it by introducing a new religious doctrine. This perceived threat fuels an intense and unique animosity towards Baha’is, resulting in severe and systemic persecution.

However, repression in Iran is not solely attributed to the current rulers. During the Pahlavi era a few decades earlier, while Baha’is and other religious minorities were legally free to practice their faith, they still faced significant hostility from traditional and conservative sectors of society. These segments, heavily influenced by the Muslim clerics, often targeted the Baha’i community, subjecting them to various forms of harm and discrimination.

A lot has changed in Iranian society. Religious rigidity has significantly diminished, and most people now consider themselves secular. We, Iranians, seem to have realized that we all face oppression by the Islamic Republic regime and endure the same pain, more or less.

Our ethnicity or religion, though highly precious, seems secondary to our national identity as Iranians. What unites us is far greater than what divides us, and this unity is the key to our victory.

The commemoration of the ten Baha’i women executed by the regime 41 years ago, held last week in Auckland, was a testament to this unity. It was a moving event. Listening to an Iranian woman singing a song about the plight of Iranian women brought tears to my eyes. It showed me how much stronger we are when we stand together. I felt strong. I felt our cause was strong. I felt proud to see the Baha’i community voicing the struggles of Iranian women and depicting a picture of Mahsa Jina Amini.

It all reminded me of the poem by the popular Iranian poet, Ahmad Shamloo, called “the common love”.

اشک رازی ست  Tear is a mystery

لبخند رازی ست Smile is a mystery

عشق رازی ست  Love is a mystery

اشک آن شب لبخند عشق ام بود  That tears of night was my Love`s smile

قصه نیستم که بگوئی  I`m not story that you tell

نغمه نیستم که بخوانی   I`m not melody that you sing

صدا نیستم که بشنوی    I`m not the sound that you hear

یا چیزی چنان که ببینی   Or something as you see

یا چیزی چنان که بدانی    Or something as you know

من درد مشترک ام   I am the common pain

مرا فریاد کن   Cry me now

درخت با جنگل سخن میگوید   Tree speaks with the forest

علف با صحرا   Grass with the desert

ستاره با کهکشان   Star with the Galaxy

و من با تو سخن میگویم    And I speak with you

نام ات را به من بگو    Tell me your name

دست ات را به من بده    Give me your hand

حرف ات را به من بگو   Tell me your word (talks)

قلب ات را به من بده   Give me your heart

من ریشه های تو را دریافته ام   I understood your root

با لبان ات برای همه لب ها سخن گفته ام  I have spoken to all the lips with your lips

و دست های ات با دستان من آشناست   And your hands is familiar with my hands

در خلوت روشن با تو گریسته ام  I have cried in a bright private with you

برای خاطر زنده گان  For the living ones

و در گورستان تاریک با تو خوانده ام   And I have sang with you in a dark cemetery

زیباترین سرودها را   The best songs

زیرا که مرده گان این سال   Cause, the victims of this year

عاشق ترین زنده گان بوده اند   was the most lover of residences

دست ات را به من بده  Give me your hand

دست های تو با من آشناست   your hands is familiar with me

ای دیریافته با تو سخن میگویم  Oh ( “late to obtained”? “late to found” )I`m speaking with you

به سان ابر که با توفان  Like a cloud which speaks with the storm

به سان علف که با صحرا  Like a grass which speaks with the desert

به سان باران که با دریا   like a rain which speaks with the ocean

به سان پرنده که با بهار  Like a bird which speaks with the spring

به سان درخت که با جنگل سخن میگوید  Like a tree which speaks with the forest

زیرا که من because me

ریشه های تو را دریافته ام    understood your root

زیرا که صدای من  Cause, my voice

با صدای تو آشناست  Is familiar with your voice