Sadiqeh Dolatabadi was born in 1882 in Isfahan, Iran. Considered one of the pioneers of the Iranian women’s rights movement, she came from an old and established family. She started her education in Farsi and Arabic and later in life, attended Paris’ Sorbonne University, earning a degree in Education. In 1917, she founded the first girl school in Isfahan called “Maktab-e Shariat.” But the school was attacked by conservatives and clerics and was finally closed down, and she was thrown in jail. Two years later, she established the Society of Women of Isfahan and another school for girls who came from poverty-stricken families called “Om-ol Modaras” which ultimately had a very positive impact on women’s education. Dolatabadi was the founder of several publications including Women’s Voice which was banned by authorities. Her magazine only accepted submissions from women and most of its readers were women. In her magazine, she was highly critical of the veil and discussed controversial topics such as the rights of women to education and economic independence. When Reza Shah banned the veil in 1936, Sadiqeh Dolatabadi became an active supporter of the reform. Sadiqeh Dolatabadi died in July 30, 1961 at the age of 80. In her will she proclaimed: “I will never forgive women who visit my grave veiled.” After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Islamic vigilantes demolished her tomb, and the tombs of her father and brother, who, although men of religion, had supported her activities. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources: Bibi Khanum Astarabadi (1858-1921 AD) was one of the pioneering figures in Iran’s women’s rights movement. She was born to Mohammad Baghar Khan Astarabadi, a military commander, and Khadijeh Khanum, a companion to one of Nasser al-Din Shah’s favorite wives. At the age of 22, she married and had seven children, most of whom grew up to make a name for themselves. It is through her love for education and the founding of the first school for girls that Bibi Khanum is best known. In 1906, with the excitement surrounding the Constitutional Revolution, Bibi Khanum succeeded in getting the consent of authorities for opening a girl school. To address the religious sensitivities of the time, she assured parents that all teachers were women and no other man—except for an aged doorman—would be in school. However, Sheikh Fazlollah Nouri, a mullah who later sided with anti-Constitutionalists and was eventually hung following a civil war, issued an edict saying girl schools were against Islamic law, and another cleric published a pamphlet that stated, “Pity the country which has girl schools.” This prompted a group of men to attack the school and break its windows while the girls were in class. Bibi Khanum temporary closed down the school but did not give up and the following year opened a new one. Bibi Khanum was also a satirist. When in 1895 AD, an anonymously-written booklet called “The Edification of Women” was written by a Qajar prince, she decided to write a rebuttal to it. The booklet was a crude manifesto of patriarchy and was published at a time when society was becoming more exposed to Western ideals. It said that among other things that a woman is like a child and should be educated by a man, she must not speak during meals and walk slowly, like an ailing individual. Bibi Khanum called her book “The Imperfections of Men” and used satire to get her point across. She wrote, “To sum, yours truly does not believe that she is able to edify men, so I wrote [this book] to disclose their shortcomings so that perhaps they would stop trying to educate women and instead edify themselves.” ----------------------------------------------------
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Iran Dokht Teymourtash (1914-1991 AD) is considered a pioneer among Iranian women. She is known to be the very first woman to appear in public unveiled when delivering the commencement address for her graduating class in 1930, several years before Reza Shah banned the veil. Her father was Abdol Hossein Teymourtash, one of the most influential Iranian politicians who served as the first Minister of Court of the Pahlavi dynasty and is credited for laying the foundations of modern Iran in the 20th century. Impressed by the breadth of his knowledge, an American representative in Tehran, once said, “…the man’s gifts were extraordinary as to appear unnatural. Whether it was foreign affairs, the construction of railways…, educational administration or finance, he, as a rule, could discuss those subjects more intelligently than the so-called competent ministers.” He spoke fluent Farsi, French, Russian and German and had strong command of English and Turkish. However, finally, while attempting to revise the terms of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company which retained near monopoly control over the industry in Iran, he managed to anger the British who did not want to give up power and control. Due to his powerful position he had created enemies, and many believe that the British had a hand in forging documents to convince Reza Shah that Abdol Hossein was a traitor and Soviet spy. He was ultimately arrested and killed in prison and his family forced into years of exile. After the Allied occupation of Iran and Reza Shah’s own exile, the Teymourtash family returned to Iran. Iran Dokht who had inherited her father’s strength of character, traveled to Iraq to avenge her father. She succeeded in arranging for the extradition to Iran of the person believed to have killed her father, Doctor Ahmadi, who was subsequently tried and sentenced in Tehran for having arranged the murder of various individuals in Qasr prison. Iran Dokht also served as the first female editor of an Iranian newspaper and earned a PhD in philosophy and literature while residing in France. Despite Mohmmad Reza Shah’s attempts at reconciliation, and even giving her the opportunity to briefly serve as the press attaché at the Iranian embassy in Paris, she never became close to the royal court again. Though briefly engaged to Hossein Ali Qaragozlu, Iran Dokht never married. She passed away in 1991 in France. ----------------------------------------------
Sources: * "Iran Teymourtash" Wikipedia CC SA BY 3.0 (English and Farsi versions) * "Abdolhossein Teymourtash" Wikipedia CC SA BY 3.0; Photo: Iran Teymourtash |
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