This project has been quite the journey; a big thank you to you for reading along, for sharing, as well as for reaching out, either in the comments or through my DMs, to offer loving encouragement and checking in on me. Yes, it was difficult delving so deeply into these stories, because although ultimately, these… Read More #OurStoryIsOne: Some Thoughts On The Ten Bahá’í Women Martyred in Shiraz 40 Years Ago

One of the reasons I decided to write these posts in order of age is that I wanted to have mother and daughter at both ends of the series of posts.  Well, almost, since Roya was the second youngest of the group.  But let’s just roll with it! Ezzat-Janami Eshraghi was born in 1926 in… Read More #OurStoryIsOne: Ezzat-Janami Eshraghi, 57

Can you believe that only now, almost at the end of the list of women executed on that fateful day, we have reached the first who is above the age of 30?  The first seven of the ten women (to read their stories, click here) were either in their late teens or in their twenties. … Read More #OurStoryIsOne: Tahereh Arjomandi Siyavashi, 30 years old

Despite knowing the end of each of these stories—or perhaps because of it—I have been really enjoying writing these posts.  I had read about these women before; however, writing takes a whole other level of understanding, and also, there is a lot more information about them available nowadays, including gorgeous pictures.  A special thanks to… Read More #OurStoryIsOne: Zarrin Moghimi-Abyaneh, 29 years old

At this point in the campaign, I can imagine that the stories, at least at the end, are starting to sound repetitive. As I was writing yesterday’s post, I couldn’t help but wonder if this is why we tend to tune out stories about people like these ten women.  A bit like the stories of… Read More #OurStoryIsOne: Mahshid Niroumand, 28 years old

Akhtar Sabet, daughter of Hossein and Havva, was born in the town of Sarvestan in the south of Fars Province.  She was a happy, intelligent, selfless, devoted, disciplined, and committed person who lived a simple life. She was a woman with a strong personality and a rich social education, and the latest entry in my… Read More #OurStoryIsOne: Akhtar Sabet, 25 years old

Many readers have reached out to me to tell me they find these stories that I am telling as part of the #OurStoryIsOne campaign to be quite heartbreaking.  And yes, they are–but at the same time, they are incredibly powerful.  These women were killed because they stood up for justice and love, for equality and… Read More #OurStoryIsOne: Shahin (Shirin) Dalvand, 25 years old

Allow me to go on a little tangent here before delving into the story of Simin Saberi, part of my ongoing #OurStoryIsOne project.  As I was looking up the various documents about her on the Archives of Bahá’í Persecution in Iran, I came across an article about Seyyed Zia MirEmadi.  As I understand it, its… Read More #OurStoryIsOne: Simin Saberi, 24 years old

The most well-known name in the 10 women executed in June 1983, that I will cover in my #OurStoryisOne series, is that of Mona Mahmoudnejad.  I mean, there is something particularly poignant and disturbing about a 17-year-old being hung because of the strength of her Faith.  How was she such a threat, you know?  Just… Read More #OurStoryIsOne: Mona Mahmoudnejad, 17 years old (Part 1)