#OurStoryIsOne

"One 18 June 1983 -- 40 years ago this month -- 10 Bahá’í women were taken to a square in Shiraz, Iran, under the cloak of night. After months of torture and imprisonment, they were mass executed without the knowledge of their families. One was 17, most in their 20s. Their crime was their belief in a faith that promoted gender equality -- absent and criminalized in Iran -- justice and truthfulness. They were hanged one by one, each forced to watch the next woman's death in a harrowing attempt to coerce them into renouncing their faith. None did. 

Today, in the blood, tears and wounds of thousands of young women in Iran fighting for equality, we can see the legacy of the 10 women of Shiraz whose tragic death touched the lives of many. We see the same spirit, the same choice being made: to stand up for the principles of justice and equality at any cost, even one's life. Though mistreated and imprisoned, today's women -- just like those before them -- are bravely and joyously sacrificing their all to live in a more prosperous Iran. 

The Bahá’í International Community has now launched a global campaign, called #OurStoryIsOne, to honor the executed women and the long struggle for equality lived by women of all faiths in Iran for more than for decades which continues to this day. The campaign aims to demonstrate that despite the Iranian government's efforts to sow discord and hate between groups, that our story is a shared one. We have become unified in our suffering and resilience, in our persecution and unwavering strength to combat oppression and above all to rebuild Iran, whatever sacrifice it takes.  

Join us in honoring not only the anniversary of these 10 women but to use it as an opportunity to honor all women who have contributed to building a better Iran through their suffering, to say that our story is one and that through unity, we will combat oppression."

-- Bahá’í International Community

10 Women of Shiraz

'Izzat Ishráqí

Nusrat Yaldá'í

Táhirih Síyávushí

Zarrín Muqímí

Mashíd Nírúmand

Shírín Dálvand

Símín Sábirí

Akhtar Sábet

Royá Ishráqí

Mona Mahmúdnizhád

"Each of them has a story, and each of them deserves a play of their own. After the execution, their bodies were taken to a morgue to be identified by their families, and then they were dumped without ceremony in a mass grave in the Bahá’í cemetery. The play doesn't, however, end on the earthly lane with its sadness and its injustice. It follows the martyrs into the world of light. It is in glimpsing that vision that we allow their stories to aid in our own transformation."

-- Mark Perry, A New Dress for Mona