Highlands Ranch author writes about Baha’i religious persecution in Iran

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Never leaving each other even when death felt near, three friends faced mother nature’s harsh elements, relied on the help of strangers and walked on foot through mountainous landscape to reach their dream of freedom.

Now, one of the three men, Dr. Mansur Nurdel, is sharing his story about fleeing Iran for America.

The local optometrist and new author Nurdel recently read excerpts from his book, “One More Mountain” in hopes of educating the public on the Baha’i Faith and the injustices that continue in Iran at the Highlands Ranch Library.

The Baha’i Faith, a religion practiced globally, was founded in Iran nearly 200 years ago. In Iran, Baha’i followers continue to be marginalized, abused, imprisoned and killed as it is considered a blasphemous religion by the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to Nurdel.

Mixed with fond childhood memories of playing soccer with his siblings and his mother’s unconditional love are the memories of having to face religious persecution and the imminent threat of death in his homeland.

Nurdel takes the readers through pivotal moments in his life leading up to his escape when he was 25-years-old.

“It was not possible to just jump to the escape and all those mountains that I crossed, so I decided to really give a background so it’s possible to understand why I escaped,” said

The first part of Nurdel’s book focuses on how Nurdel’s came into the Baha’i Faith, his childhood and when he realized he and his family were treated differently due to their faith. He vividly recalls the moments his heart raced from fear, the moments of sadness when he witnessed autopsies and the anger when seeing family members get bullied.

The book transitions to Nurdel’s teen and young adult years after his family were forced to move to another part of the country following an attack on his childhood home.

Tensions continued to escalate across the country as well as the unfair treatment of the Baha’i community.

“It’s not easy to leave your family behind, everything you know behind, not just family,” said Nurdel. “So I needed to build that understanding with the readers, the ‘why’ I am taking this such a risky step in my life.”

In 2007, Nurdel saw the theater production of “The Diary of Anne Frank”. He said it was difficult to sit and watch the play, so much so that he walked out of the theater. “I just couldn’t control myself because my childhood was just right in front of me and I saw so much similarities of what Anne Frank had endured and I had,” said Nurdel.

Although Nurdel shared bits and pieces of his story with others, the play helped him realize that he too needed to share his story of religious persecution with a wider audience. Over the years, he has felt more comfortable talking about his story and writing the book has been the ultimate healing, said Nurdel.

Throughout the book, Nurdel details each day of the two-week trek to the United Nations office in Ankara, Turkey. He writes about his time as a refugee in Turkey, what the process was like to get to America and when he got his U.S. citizenship in the nineties.

Along the way, Nurdel does not forget to mention the status of his two friends who also endured the terrain with him. He also introduces the readers to the families he bonded with, his family in Iran and the family he helped create with his wife.

As a promise to his family, he continued his education and completed a doctor of optometry degree at the University of Missouri in St. Louis.

Nurdel found a home in Denver where he has helped establish one of the largest eye-care centers in Highlands Ranch and has become one of the nation’s top independently owned eye-care centers.

Stepping into a new country proved challenging, however, Nurdel kept his faith and dedicated his new found freedom to helping and educating others.

Nurdel started writing his book in 2019, finishing the first draft during the pandemic.

When the new unrest and riots started happening in Iran last year, Nurdel wanted the book out as soon as possible.

Nurdel canceled his contract, went down the self-publisher route and his book was printed in early March.

“The main goal is [for] everyone to know what’s going on today in the world,” said Nurdel. “We can close our eyes to see what’s going on around the world, but we cannot. We need to know.

The Baha’i community in Iran continues to face injustices and persecution, said Nurdel.

“It seems that it was 35 years ago… It’s really not,” said Nurdel.

Nurdel spoke about the resolutions passed by Congress that have made an impact. He encourages others to contact local representatives and ask them for support the next time there is a resolution in the Senate or Congress.

Nurdel also hopes people do not stereotype and avoid coming to an immediate judgment when hearing someone with an accent, instead take the opportunity to learn about them.

“There may be a beautiful story behind that accent,” said Nurdel.

“There could be a life changing story that you can learn from that person.”

The book can be purchased in major bookstores, on the official website as well as Amazon. In addition, an audio book of “One More Mountain” will soon be available.

“If the book has touched only one person, I’m good,” said Nurdel.

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