TAHIRIH, MONA’S DREAM, FREE CHOICE, AND IGNORANCE
Mona Muhmudnizhad’s execution and that of her Baha’i female compatriots in Iran in 1983 is one of great tragedies our world has experienced in modern times. The tragedy has many layers, some of which I plan to discuss in this writing. I suggest that Mona and her female compatriots may not have been martyred if they had been informed of the true station of Tahirih who was the Spirit of the beginning of the movement in the 1844 period in Iran. She is credited with being the first Middle Eastern Feminist.
Mona’s story has come to life for us through the efforts of people like Jack Lenz, a Baha’i and a filmaker. At present they have about eight million dollars collected for making “Mona’s Dream” into a feature film which plans to go into pre-production around October 2008.
The following actors have been cast so far:
*Keisha Castle-Hughes to play Mona Mahmudnizhad. Keisha was catapulted into stardom with the movie “Whale Rider” in 2002;
*Shohreh Aghdashloo to play Mona’s mother. She was born in Tehran Iran into a wealthy Shiite Muslim family. Aghdashloo made her American film debut in 1989 in a starring role in Guests of Hotel Astoria.
*Nazanin Afshin-Jam (in her debut) to play Tahirih,The Canadian model (Miss World Canada 2003 and Miss World runner-up) and singer is active in human rights causes.
*Cas Anvar to play main interrogator
It is the filmaker’s vision to demonstrate the bravery and courage of the martyrs and to give voice to these women who died for their religion. It is also an aim of the film to fulfil Mona’s dream by encouraging youth, particularly females, to speak out against repressive governmental regimes, and to ensure the right of freedom of belief. These ten girls and women were executed because they would not recant being members of the minority religion of the Baha’i Faith and become Muslims.
The first reaction one might have to the vision and aims of the filmaker is to applaud the effort and see it as a fight for human rights. However, considering the goal of the world is unity and harmony this is where I begin to ask some questions.
For instance, did the youth, Mona, really have any other choice than to be martyred? She was brought up in the Baha’i religion which like Islam exalts martyrdom. “O Son of Being! Seek a martyr’s death in My path,…” ( No. 42 Arabic Hidden Words, by Baha’u’llah); O Son of Man! By My Beauty! To tinge thy hair with thy blood is greater in My sight than the creation of the universe and the light of both worlds. Strive then to attain this, O servant! (Arabic Hidden Words, No. 47).
Also it is forbidden for Baha’is to
*recant* being Baha’is – even if it is to save your life, but not what is in your heart. To recant would cause great shunning from the family and Baha’i community. To leave the Faith, and become a nonbeliever, is not the same thing as recanting when one’s life is in question. However, like in other Faiths, nonbelievers, are not members of God’s true fold.
Aside from being brought up to be a martyr and knowing it is forbidden to recant would Mona and the other women have given up their lives for a male hegemony religion if they were informed of the truth of Tahirih-Qurratu’l-Ayn's mission who announced the end of patriarchal Dispensations and a time for full equality in society for women.
Aside from being aligned with Babism, Tahirih had thousands of followers of Her own (Qurratiya, and Ayanis), many who believed She was the Promised Imam. She declared Herself as the “Point of Divine Knowledge” and the “Word”, and among other titles and names She was well known as “Mother of the World”. She stood strong for the inauguration of the New Universal Cycle and upheld the Babi movement. The Bab, on many occasions, told all the Babis to submit to Her commands for they were not able to understand Her Divine station.
In the end She was martyred in 1852. The Baha’i Faith began in 1863 and although Bahá’u’lláh never mentions Her (he was a Babi before his declaration) the figure of Tahirih was later subsumed into Baha’i by `Abdu’l-baha, the son of Bahá’u’lláh, but at a much lesser role than what She played in the Messianic disclosure.
Tahirih gave Her life for the full emancipation of women and the birthing of a new cycle. She would never approve of women being discriminated against as they are in the Baha’i Faith, let alone suggest they should give their life to uphold a patriarchal religion that keeps them in a secondary position to men. By example Tahirih was a Messianic Transformational Leader that shook up the status quo in Iran. Therefore, it is inconceivable that women should be kept out of decision making that affects their very lives as they are in the Baha’i religion. The Universal House of Justice, the highest decision making body of the Baha’i Faith announced to the Baha’i world that women would ‘never’ be permitted to be elected to that body, although in their literature it says one of their main principles in the promotion of unity is the equality of women and men in all affairs.
Would Mona and the other women have given up their lives to keep perpetrating patriarchy if they knew the truth of Tahirih’s proclamations? One of the tragedies of Mona’s martyrdom is that she was brought up in ignorance in the sense of not knowing that her death was part of a mind set of killing ( martyrdom) in order to stand for dominance and perpetrate the religion she was born into.
Because of Jack Lenz being a Baha’i he will have to be faithful to portraying Tahirih in the marginalized role that Baha’is have created while ignoring the truth of Her Manifestation in the flesh on earth. This is a great disservice to the Feminine aspect of the Godhead. *I suggest watching the short biopic “Tahirih Divine Voice” at the end of this discussion for a fuller understanding of Tahirih Qurratu’l-Ayn’s true station.
Would the actors in the forthcoming feature want to be of service to a religion that keeps women in a secondary position if they knew that it was time to leave patriarchy behind? Would they want to take part in fostering martyrdom as a goal for young women? Do they realize that the children born to some religious movements do not have the ‘freedom to believe and make choices’ without reprisal from their parents and the religious community? Wouldn’t it be more productive to start ensuring the rights of young people to be informed before they have to take a religious stance? Wouldn’t it be more productive to protect them from being imprinted and used as tools of world domination agendas? Seriously, every person deserves to have human rights.
Today entire populations of women are being imprinted with the mind-set to have and raise children for the sole purpose of becoming soldiers in war, martyrs, or suicide bombers ready to die for their country so that they may find a place in Paradise. The mothers have taken the belief that they will be reunited with their children in heaven who have gained great glory in dying for their country and the greater good. The following poem is my response to that notion.
O PEOPLE OF INSIGHT LIFT THEE THY GAZE!
Depravity in humanity!
Why behave lower than the beasts that perish one may ask?
Birthing children for the slaughter, be it male or daughter?
This is insanity, the height of depravity in humanity!
Through your greed and lust
you sacrifice your children for the dust.
What kind of man sets his seed
for such a murderous deed?
What kind of mother gives birth
for its slaughter on the earth?
This is insanity, the height of depravity
in humanity.
If ever a child to the earthly realm you bring
it is to love, dance, and sing
Not to kill one another,
sister or brother
This intent is not of Me,
it is condemnable and dastardly!
You fear extinction of your race on the dust
but this is only misguided trust
It is far better that your child should never live
if you have no home to give!
So when your children cry and die
it is not for Me, or even your country
but rather for tyrannical patriarchy.
This is insanity, human depravity
lower it is than the beasts that perish.
All the suffering of woman giving birth
is not for that child to be slaughtered on the earth
Be a lamp be a leaven,
so you might endure in heaven
Be not a martyr for nothing!
Viewing the film: “Tahirih Divine Voice”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItghKTrOOUQ Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfaE_A8u83E Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAqIhYq25zk Part 3
