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Táhirih
The First Feminist of the Middle East
Táhirih (the Pure One) was born between 1814 and 1820
in Qazvin, Iran. The exact date is lost, as her birth records were destroyed
the day after her execution, in an attempt to wipe away her memory.
Her real name was not Táhirih. This title was given to her by
a Persian Prophet named The Báb, whose writings about a new age
for humanity and the equality of women and men deeply affected her.
She was venerated as a poetess and a mystic and was known widely as
Qurratul’Ayn, the Solace of the Eyes.
The daughter of Mulla Saleh, a liberal scholar and an influential priest
of his province, Táhirih received the best education available
at her time and an education very unusual for a woman in those days.
First taught by her father, and later by a tutor, she studied theology,
jurisprudence, and Persian and Arabic literature. Táhirih's father
often discussed religious issues with her, and allowed her participation,
from behind a curtain, in his classes and debating sessions.
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