If there is one important person in the history of Iran, that the "Woman, life, freedom" Movement can proudly claim as their forerunner, it's Tahirih. Tahirih embodied the courage to confront the traditional teachings of Shia Islamic theology. As a woman, she dared to question the religious norms of her day and bravely removed her veil publicly in defiance of the law.
Tahirih (pronounced Tah Hooray) Qurrat-al-'Ayn was born Fatemeh Baraghani in Qazvin, Iran, between 1814 and 1817. Her exact birthdate is unknown. Her father was a respected scholar of Islamic Law and her mother was a recognized woman of Persian nobility. Tahirih was born into a high-ranking family of immense wealth and power.
Although her father lamented that she was not the son he wanted, he ensured that she was well educated. As a young child, she memorized the Quran and could easily articulate the finest details of religious law. Tahirih was permitted to listen to her father teaching other young males on the condition that she hid behind the curtain. She was forced to listen behind the curtain because it was considered "unbecoming" for a woman's face to be seen in public. Rising above the shame of being a woman, Tahirih demonstrated her intelligence by outperforming all of her father's male students. She embraced poetry and theology and very early on in her teenage years, Tahirih challenged the accepted interpretation of the Quran, by interpreting it in her own esoteric way. She never accepted the "what is" and always questioned the "what could be."
Tahirih was recognized for her exceptional beauty and intelligence. She had a driving thirst for knowledge. At the age of 14, she was the unfortunate victim of an arranged family marriage and was forced to marry her cousin, Muhammad. She gave birth to three children leaving her very unhappy and desperate for more out of life than just being a stay-at-home mother.
Thirsty for knowledge, Tahirih began following the teachings of Shaykhism, as taught by Siyyid Kaziim. Shaykhism taught that the last divine leader to appear in the end times was the Twelfth Imam, known st the Mahdi. The Mahdi, who is currently in hiding, will reappear in the end as a promised messiah to conquer the world for Islam. Tahirih realized that by embracing these beliefs, it would put her at odds with her family and yet she dared to defy the accepted norms.
In 1843, she separated from her husband and was determined to meet Siyyid Kazim, but by the time she arrived at his home, he was dead. Granted permission from his widow, Tahirih set up headquarters at Kazim's home and began teaching his followers. She understood that hiding her radical new beliefs from her family was the only way she would survive. In a very short time, she gained a wide and popular following, especially among women. The male clergy hated her and forced her to leave town.
In 1844, through correspondence, Tahirih discovered a very popular teacher known as the Bab, who would later become the founder of the Bahai faith. She became one of his respected followers and quickly began teaching his new doctrine, known at that time as "Babism." Her new beliefs caused her to be exiled to Baghdad by the government. She was fiercely hated by the conservative establishment and they were known to throw stones at her in public when she debated the clerics.
After she returned to her hometown of Qazvin, her father demanded that she stop teaching her heretical doctrine, but Tahirih refused. Eventually, she was disowned by her own family and they began spreading false rumors to discredit her reputation. When her uncle was murdered, she was falsely accused and was imprisoned at her own home under house arrest. Her father believed in her innocence but Tahirih's husband wanted her executed. During her trial, the real murderer confessed to the crime and Tahirih was finally exonerated.
In 1848, The Babi Faith held a major conference to explain the teachings of their movement. Tahirih attended and did the unthinkable. She declared that the Babi Faith needed to break free from Islam and in a show of defiance, she removed her veil. Tahirih did this in a room full of men. Many were outraged, screaming in horror, and one man cut his throat, quickly leaving the conference. The Bab publicly supported Tahirih's bravery, nicknaming her "Tahirih The Pure."
Tahirih continued to defy conservative beliefs, denouncing polygamy and refusing to wear her veil. The establishment was growing very afraid of her influence and the growing number of women leaving Islam. They denounced her as a heretic and demanded that she be executed. In 1852, Tahirih was arrested once again and sentenced to death. She spent her final days in prayer, meditation, and fasting.
On execution night, she was taken to a garden in Tehran and strangled to death with her own veil. Her body was thrown into a well and stones were placed on top. Tahirih was just 35 years old. Her famous last words were, "You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women."
The "Woman, life, freedom" movement owes its uprising to a very courageous forerunner who stood up against the religious establishment of her day and defied their oppressive laws against women. Tahirih dared to question their authority and paid the ultimate price for standing up for her beliefs. The oppressive government of Tahirih's day hasn't changed. For more than four decades, the women of Iran have faced the same gender discrimination and violence that Tahirih faced. Yet they refuse to cower and remain silent. They have proudly taken the mantle of Tahirih upon themselves and refuse to back down. Her spirit lives on deep within their souls and nothing is going to stop them until the religious establishment crumbles underneath their feet!
