10 Nooses in the Night

“10 Nooses in the Night” is a poem by Lorraine Manifold written for the 40th anniversary of the execution of ten Baha’i women in Shiraz. It honours those women, as well as the long struggle for gender equality lived by women of all faiths and backgrounds in Iran for many decades and which continues to this day. The powerful poem was written as a contribution to the #OurStoryIsOne global awareness campaign spearheaded by the Baha’i International Community and it can be read in full here:

10 Nooses in the Night

Shiraz – in the darkest time of night
They raided my home
They took me away
Shiraz – 18 June ‘83
They took me away
They took me away

They threw me in prison
And tortured me
Though blinded and muzzled
My truth still lives on

They threw me in prison                   
But my soul was free
I raised up my voice
As strong as my Faith

Shiraz – in the darkest time of night
They raided our homes    
They took us away
Shiraz – 18 June ’83
They took us away
They took us away

They lined up ten nooses
In Chowgan square
From oldest to youngest
We stood tall and strong

They lined up ten nooses
And forced us to watch
As they hanged my mother
Then turned to me

Iran – in the brightness of the day
We take off our veils
They take us away
Iran – in the dawn of a new day
Within these same walls
We stand tall and strong

Mankind – in the brightness of the day
All women will shine
And show us the way
Mankind – at the dawn of this new day
We raise up our voices
We pave a new way

The #OurStoryIsOne campaign welcomes artistic expressions of all kinds.

More resources and creative initiatives related to the ongoing persecution of the Baha’is in Iran have been compiled into a special Baha’i Blog collection.

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Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she’s driving at night.