40 sinceyears the hanging of a young woman

BY SAMANTHA ELLEY

Lennox Head resident Dr Vahid Saberi remembers his aunt Simin Saberi as a vibrant, ever smiling and joyful young girl.

“Everyone in the family loved being around her because of her fun loving and witty personality,” he said. “She was also known for her calm resolve and courage.

“She was frm in what she believed and resolute.”

It was this courage and calm resolve that saw Simin, along with nine other young women from Shiraz in Iran, executed by hanging because of their Bahai faith on June 18, 1983.

On this date, members of the Bahai faith gathered to remember these brave women who died 40 years ago, as part of the #OurStoryIsOne campaign.

“They sacrifced their lives willingly so that women could be free, so that the girl child could be educated, so that people could have the freedom to believe, so that women and men could be equal,” said Dr Saberi.

“The 10 Bahá’í women, one of whom was Simin Saberi, were taken to a square in Shiraz, Iran, under the cloak of night.

“After months of torture and imprisonment, they were hanged without the knowledge of their families and in front of each other.

“Each forced to watch the next woman’s death in a harrowing attempt to coerce them into renouncing their belief. None did.”

The youngest was 17 and most were in their 20s. Simin was 24.

“Their crime was their belief in a faith that promoted gender equality, justice and truthfulness,” said Dr Saberi.

“I had left Iran when the news of her execution reached us.

“Before execution, Simin had suffered much torture and persecution.

“This is in addition to what the Bahá’ís in Iran routinely suffered

- confscation of their homes and belongings, being sacked from their jobs, deprived of education and imprisonment.”

Simin was the youngest child in her family and due to the challenges the Bahá’ís faced, the family often relocated and earning a comfortable life was tough.

In 1977, after graduating from high school, Simin secured a good job.

But shortly after, the Islamic Revolution applied what it called the “Purifcation Law”.

“This meant that Bahá’ís, including Simin, were dismissed from their jobs,” said Dr Saberi.

“The family was in fnancial diffculty and so Simin started sewing at home and working as a salesperson to support the family.”

A book entitled ‘Flowers of Shiraz’ about the martyred women, contains some of the recollections from Simin’s mother.

Simin, my daughter, displayed remarkable patience, resilience and energy. One night, some people came to our house. The electricity was cut, and stones rained down upon us. The room’s windows shattered. Fear gripped us deeply. I had two young daughters and a newlywed bride in the house. Finally, with the help of my son, we managed to reach