By Banooye Sabz
July 24, 2010
Translator’s Note: I decided to translate this piece because it touched my heart. As an Iranian woman, I grew up in a family that was neither particularly religious, nor did it adhere to the traditions of Islam or any other religion for that matter. Yes, Zahra Rahnavard and I grew up with very different influences and probably have very different backgrounds, and yet, this brave and courageous Green women’s words resonate with me on so many levels. As different as we may seem on the outside, like many other Iranians we believe in human dignity. I am proud of Rahnavard’s tireless fight and steadfast stance when it comes to human rights, women’s rights and prisoner’s rights in Iran. Over the past year, she has never been afraid to speak her mind and to stand up for those who are voiceless, regardless of the pressures upon her by the oppressive and tyrannical government of Iran. Zahra Rahnavard is an Iranian lioness and though I’ve never met her in person, I am proud to have had the opportunity to get to know her a little better through translating some of her statements over the past year.
Thursday 22nd July 2010 – As per Kalame, Zahra Rahnavard, who had recently sent letters to Fatemeh Shams and Jila Bani Yaghoob (the wives of two brave prisoners Mohamad Reza Jalalipour and Bahman Ahmadi Amoui), has now also sent a warm and heart felt letter to two sisters, one of whom has been sentenced to six years prison and is married to the political prisoner Farid Taheri and another who personally witnessed the martyrdom of one of our citizens on Ashura last year in Tehran.
As per Kalame, the full content of Zahra Rahnavard’s letter to Sara and Leyla Tavasoli is as follows:
I have known you both for some time now. Your courage, innocence, purity, social activism, your sense of faith and morality have not gone unnoticed by me. Neither has your defense of justice, fight for freedom, human dignity and self esteem. All these characteristics are traits I have seen in both of you for years. I did not make your acquaintance through this Green movement, nor did I meet you on the blood filled day of Ashura.
I have known you for over thirty years, from your childhood days when our families met to recite the Quran and have political discussions; when you would both enter the room like delicate butterflies, sometimes even uttering a short Sura from the Quran in your dainty and childlike voices, welcoming all those present to your house, with your sweet offer of tea and sweets. Yes, I have known you for what seems like an eternity, from the days when you were immersed in the learning of the Quran and were beginning to spread your wings.
My loving Sara and Leyla, I have known you both from before your university days when you were both exemplary honor students. I don’t just know you through your mother who was a dear and cherished friend to all of us. I don’t know you just because you are related to your uncle, Dr. Abrahim Yazdi, who used to represent Imam Khomeini in the United States. I don’t even know you through your brave and courageous father, Mr. Tavasoli who was the first mayor of Tehran after the revolution, a mayor whose efforts and initiatives, not with standing the efforts of Mayors that succeeded him, are still present all over Tehran.
As we artists would say, I have not only observed you from afar, but also examined you up close.
My dear Sara and Leyla, you are present throughout this great nation of ours. Every breath taken by the Saras, Leylas, Shivas, Jilas, Mastanehs, the Shirine Ebadis, Mofidis, Mansouris, Baharehs, Parastoos, Samiyehs, Nargesses, the Mahboobe Karimis, the Mahdieh Golroos, the Atefeh Nabavis, Hengamehs and so many other countless, courageous women, symbolizes the thoughts and cries of protest throughout Iran’s glorious yet ancient history; the patience and perseverance of women who have sacrificed either a child or a husband in their quest for justice. And yet, despite the absence of their loved ones, either martyred or imprisoned, remain triumphant in this journey called life.
Yes, I have experienced both of you. I have stood by you and with you. We have experienced the same trials and tribulations and have common concerns for stability in Iran; a proud and glorious concern that has led to us coming together and knowing each other all too well.
My dear Sara and Leyla; you who have withstood so much, I feel your presence in the ancient Elamite [translator's note: Elamite is an extinct official language of the Persian Empire from the sixth to fourth centuries BC.], in the inscriptions of those who lived with love in Hegmatan and Pars, in those beautiful cuneiform inscriptions; I see you in Iran’s breath taking nature and in the great glory and civilization of this land. I have experienced your essence over and over again, each time more vibrant and those memories will remain with me for ever.
Everyone is aware of your [Iranian women] blessed presence in the anti-colonial tobacco movement, in the fight for freedom during the Constitutional Revolution, during the nationalization of our country’s oil, our national independence movement, our freedom seeking Islamic Republic and Islamic revolution, and now in this Green movement, your proud presence that has witnessed our martyrs and served as a voice for freedom and human dignity.
My dear and proud Sara and Leyla, I am thankful to God that Iranian women were not cheated of their right to carry the burden of our civilization and thousands of years of history; a civilization and history so eloquently exemplified in you two sisters.
I request that the nation of Iran and in particular our courageous women ask the power mongers loudly and clearly: Where are the rights of Iranian women, rights that were nurtured through our values and faith? What have you done to the rights of the Saras, Leylas, Shivas, Baharehs, Mehdiyes, Jilas, Badris and Mahboobe’s? Why were they threatened, tortured and imprisoned rather than appreciated and befriended? Why did you not extend an olive branch to those forsaken rather than tarnish the glorious history of the great nation of Iran?
Zahra Rahnavard – Tehran
Source: Kaleme: http://www.kaleme.com/1389/04/31/klm-26450
Banooye Sabz
http://banouyesabz.wordpress.com/2010/07/24/zahra-rahnavards-warm-heart-felt-letter-to-two-voices-of-freedom-sara-and-leyla-tavasoli/
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