'Insulting religious sanctities.' Or, in other words, simply being a Baha'i, part of Iran's largest religious minority.

Her crime? To quote the wording of the sentence: 'Spreading corruption on earth'. Now, thirty years on, she is serving out a ten-year prison sentence the notorious Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, a place reserved for violent criminals, murderers, drug addicts and other ‘hard cases’. She was also a poet and encouraged others to express themselves through literature, which according to the traditions and culture of Iran is considered the language of truth. Some Iranian women, like Mahvash Sabet, carry on the struggle in circumstances that beggar description.īefore her dismissal from her job following the 1979 revolution, Mahvash Sabet was a school principal and literacy advocate. Women in many countries are still struggling with the same basic issues – the right to an education and the pursuit of a profession without harassment the right to freedom of belief and choice, even at the most banal level of clothing the right to live their lives in peace and dignity, without fear of violence or discrimination.

For the challenges faced by Australian pioneers for women’s rights, women’s education and women’s votes remain unresolved today, at least on a global level.

Women’s History Month is not just about the past, of course, despite the name. I want the story of Mahvash Sabet to find sympathetic ears, because she deserves it. I apologise in advance to those who do not want to hear this tale, who find a preoccupation with ‘causes’ distasteful. Another, more urgent story cried out to be told. But although those women certainly deserve to be made the subjects of blog posts without end, I found – after receiving troublesome news about friends in Iran – that I could not concentrate on the exploits of my great-grandmothers, however colourful. Initially, I had thought to share a few stories about members of my own family, as some other participants have done.

When Gillian first asked me to contribute a post for her series celebrating Women's History Month, I was thrilled, because I love the idea of celebrating the lives of ‘remarkable women’, commemorating their achievements and examining their legacy.

Mahvash sabet poems