In loving memory of Mr. Agahu'llah Tizfahm

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Recently, my parents shared a story with me that will forever be etched in the tablet of my heart and the scrolls of my memory.

During the years of her early twenties, my mother lived with my grandparents in a city located in the northwestern region of Iran called Orumieh (formerly known as Rezaiyeh). During the spring of 1982 the Islamic Republic of Iran, in attempts to further their systematized assault on the Bahá'í community, raided the homes of several Bahá'í families and captured six members of Orumieh's Local Spiritual Assembly. All six members were imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately, put to death.

In telling the story, my mom reminded me of a particular lunch her and I were invited to in the spring of 2006 in Iran while visiting my grandparents. This lunch was hosted by Mrs. Shaheen Tizfahm, a lady whose name and face I could only vaguely recall in the moment. My mother went on to inform me that Mrs. Tizfahm was the wife of Mr. Agahu'llah Tizfahm, one of the valiant martyrs of the Faith in Iran during the early 1980's.

Mr. Agahu'llah Tizfahm was one of the six members of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Orumieh put to death on May 10, 1982.




Upon hearing the events that unfolded after Mr. Tizfahm's execution, I felt my heart palpably shatter into a million little pieces inside my chest.

The authorities let a few days pass before allowing the Bahá'ís of Urimieh to collect and clean the six blessed remains for burial. My grandfather and uncle were among the group of Bahá'ís who were permitted to actually enter the grief-laden prison cell walls.

Upon arriving at Mr. Tizfahm's body, a picture was found gripped within the clutches of his beautiful, lifeless hand. A picture of his new baby boy, Vahid Tizfahm.

Vahid Tizfahm is one of the seven  Bahá'í's that was recently arrested in Tehran, Iran.



I can offer no words that are remotely capable of responding to a story so tender, so heartbreaking, so powerful.

to be honest, i can barely breathe thinking about it right now.

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A suggested course of action in response to the recent injustices heaped upon the Iranian Bahá'í community, as offered by the American Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly:



1. Check http://bahai.us/house-resolution to learn whether your congressional representative has cosponsored House Resolution 1008, a resolution condemning the persecution of the Iranian Bahá'ís.
2. Write your representative using http://www.house.gov/. Enter your zip code to find your representative and then send him or her an email urging cosponsorship of House Resolution 1008—if he or she is not yet a cosponsor—and urging the House of Representatives to promptly pass House Resolution 1008.3. Express, if you wish to, your concern for the Bahá'í leaders just imprisoned on May 14. You may state that this action is reminiscent of the Iranian government's actions in 1980 and 1981, when all but one member of two successive national Bahá'í governing bodies, the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, were imprisoned and executed.
4. Include the most recent information out of Iran on your websites and in your blogs on Bahá'í or Bahá'í-related topics.