Campaign to honour women’s sacrifice sees outpouring of support
Scroll to the end for a Bahá’í World News Service report on the campaign.
The year-long #OurStoryIsOne campaign that was foreshadowed in a national newsletter article on 19 May has now started, attracting support around the world and in Aotearoa. Actions so far taken by communities and individuals offer examples to inspire contributions from others.
Action in Aotearoa
National commemoration in Christchurch
The Christchurch Spiritual Assembly was asked by the Office of Public Affairs to host a national commemoration to honour the memory of the 10 martyred women and the ongoing struggle of women of all faiths and backgrounds in Iran. The event is co-hosted by the University Bahá’í Club — Soulfood.
A public event, “#OurStoryIsOne”, to commemorate the deaths of the 10 women 40 years ago, will be held at 2 pm on 18 June in the Ngaio Marsh Theatre, University of Canterbury.
The programme will include 2 live performances of songs written specially for the campaign: ‘Yek Rooz’ by Sonbol Taefi (see video below) and ‘Ten Angels’ by Grant Hindin Miller. There will also be dramatic and video presentations by Sasha Rowhani-Whitley, April Spurdle and Azeen Tashakkor and a talk by Shiva Kolodner and Sama Hall which places the ongoing struggle for gender equality by Iranian women within an historic framework, starting with the courageous challenge issued by Tahireh.
Invited guests include Members of Parliament, representatives of ethnic communities, the Multicultural Council and service organisations, as well as friends and Bahá’ís from across the South Island. Support from the Bahá’í community would be greatly appreciated — with social media releases including sharing the invitation to our event (included below). The registration link for the event is #OurStoryIsOne - A Memorial Event
Auckland
Sonbol Taefi of Auckland has created a song based on a poem by Mahvash Sabet, written in prison. This was released by the Persian Bahá’í Media Service for the #OurStoryIsone campaign.
A memorial service will be held at Glen Innes Bahá’í Centre on Saturday 17 June.
Far North
The Far North community is planning a special afternoon hui on 18 June, at the Bahá’í Centre in Kerikeri.
The programme of the Far North event:
Welcome – Whakatau
Prayer – Karakia
A brief History – creating a context
Q & A
Live interview via zoom with Monir Rowshan
Q & A
= Afternoon Tea =
Launch of Music & Poetry from the Far North honouring the 10 Women
Mahvash Sabet – Prison Poems
Panel Q & A
The programme will include a poem and songs created by local friends.
Bahá’í World News Service report
This report was first published here https://news.bahai.org/story/1674/
BIC GENEVA — The Bahá’í International Community (BIC) has launched a new website and Instagram page as a hub for collecting diverse contributions to the “Our Story Is One” campaign, which marks 40 years since 10 Bahá’í women were hanged in Shiraz, Iran, and honors the broader struggle for gender equality in that country.
The campaign, commemorating these women who chose their faith and principles of oneness, equality, and justice over life itself, has seen an outpouring of support, including songs, paintings, poems, graphic art, craft work, and written tributes from public figures.
“We are deeply moved by the level of support already seen for the campaign,” says Simin Fahandej, BIC Representative to the United Nations in Geneva.
She adds: “The support shows that the unified call to view the struggle of Iranian women for gender equality as part of the same story resonates with all. We are all deeply interconnected, our story is linked, and we are walking the same path towards the shared value of gender equality, which has become one of the most prominent causes in Iran today. The story of the 10 Bahá’í women was a chapter in the unfolding story of Iranian women’s resilience and sacrifice for equality.
“Today, in the blood, tears, and wounds of thousands of young women in Iran seeking equality, we can see echoes of the injustice suffered by the 10 women of Shiraz whose tragic death touched the lives of many.”
Historical records and documents about these women have been made available in a dedicated section of the Archives of Bahá’í Persecution in Iran website, including letters to their families from prison, personal photos, prison documents, and other archival materials.
In a call for further artistic contributions, Ms. Fahandej invited all to join the year-long campaign. The BIC is accepting contributions at ourstoryisone@bic.org and through the hashtag #OurStoryIsOne.
Upcoming events are planned globally that will bring together United Nations and government officials, civil society organizations, leading human rights advocates, and media organizations and practitioners.
Further background on the circumstances surrounding the execution of the 10 women as well as brief bios on each of these women can be found in this BIC article.
