Tahirih: One Woman’s Faith. One Empire’s Fear. One Silk Scarf.
To Western culture, it may seem outrageous to imprison a woman, but not a man, for exposing a face. It sounds like a law from centuries ago, and yet it’s in force today. In 2017, Vida Movahed stood on a utility box in a public street in Tehran, protesting Iran’s compulsory hijab law. Authorities arrested her and sent her to prison. In 2019, Yasaman Aryani and her mother walked through a Tehran metro car without headscarves. They were arrested with another protester and sentenced to prison.
I applaud the courage of these women. But they weren’t the first. In fact, since 1979, there have been quite a few. Before that date, we don’t have a record of very many Middle Eastern women openly defying veiling laws. We do, however, have Tahirih. Her defiance two centuries ago earns her a place in our Radicals, Renegades, and Rebels segment.
What Prepared Tahirih to Defy an Empire
She was born Fatimah Baraghani to a prominent and prosperous family. Her father and uncles were religious scholars and leaders, which gave her access to education beyond the reach of most Muslim women. Although Islamic laws compelled her to keep her studies a secret, she learned the Quran, Persian, and Arabic literature, theology, and jurisprudence. She was well-known for a sharp intellect and eloquence.
As a young adult, she became one of the first and most prominent followers of the Báb (the Gate), who preached several reforms of the orthodox Islamic laws and culture. While the Báb didn’t specifically advocate for women’s emancipation, his teachings on spiritual equality created space for bold interpreters like Tahirih to push those ideas further.
Defiance and the Unveiling – and its Consequences
At the Conference of Badasht in 1848, Tahirih entered the gathering of 80 male Bábí leaders without her head covering. It was no mere act of political disobedience; it was a religious declaration, an embodiment of the Bábí rejection of Islamic orthodoxy. However, even in that congregation, this was an unthinkable performance. Cultural norms die hard, even in the midst of spiritual revolution and reform.
Qajar authorities arrested Tahirih and placed her under house arrest for several years. They executed her in 1852 without a formal trial. As was the customer for women of high social standing, they strangled her with a silk scarf in a secluded garden. They discarded her body in a well to erase the presence of a woman whose words could not be silenced. She was about 35 years old. Tahirih’s reported final words: “You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women.”
Your Turn
Tahirih’s objective of political and cultural freedom for women is still a dream for many Islamic women. It takes a special kind of courage to embark on something that you know could bring your death, and perhaps someday her sacrifice will bear the fruit of liberation.
I don’t have a burning question to ask you today. It was pretty disturbing to write this piece. But I’d appreciate it if you’d leave a comment to tell me if it affected you at all.
Here are a few sites where you can read more about Tahirih:
Ṭáhirih – Bahaipedia, an encyclopedia about the Bahá’í Faith
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