Farrokhroo Parsa

Farrokhroo Parsa

Infobox Politician
name = Farrokhroo Parsa


caption = Dr Farrokhroo Pārsā in ministerial regalia
office = Education minister of Iran
term_start = 27 August 1968
term_end = 1971 [ [http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/Iran.htm Iran Ministers ] ]
deputy =
predecessor = Parviz Natel-Khanlari?
successor = Manouchehr Ganji
birth_date = 22 March 1922
birth_place = Qom
residence = Tehran, Iran
death_date = 8 May 1980
death_place = Tehran
party =
religion = Disputed
spouse = Married
profession = Physician, politician

Farokhroo Pārsā, (1922-1980) (PerB|فرخ‌رو پارسا) was an Iranian physician, educator and parliamentarian. She served as Minister of Education of Iran in the last pre-Islamic revolution government and was the first female cabinet minister of an Iranian government.

Pārsā was an outspoken supporter of women's rights in Iran, and was executed by firing squad on 8 May 1980 on religious-revolutionary charges stemming from this position.

__TOC__

Biography

Farrokhroo Pārsā was born on 22 March 1922 in Qom, Iran to Farrokh-Din and Fakhr-e Āfāgh Pārsā. Her mother, Fakhr-e Āfāgh, was the editor of the women's magazine "Jahān-e Zan" ("The World of Woman"),citation|last=Bahrami|first=Ardavan|title=A woman for all seasons: In memory of Farrokhrou Parsa|year=2005|date=May 9, 2005|publisher=iranian.com|url=http://www.iranian.com/ArdavanBahrami/2005/May/Parsa/index.html.] and a vocal proponent for gender equality and for educational opportunities for women. Her views on this subject met with opposition of the conservative sections of the society of her time, leading to the expulsion of the family by the government of Ahmad Qavām, from Tehran to Qom, where Fakhr-e Āfāgh was placed under house arrest. It was here that Farrokhroo was born, some minutes past midnight on Iranian New Year's Eve 1922 (Nowruz, 1301 AH).

Upon obtaining a medical degree, Pārsā became a biology teacher in Jeanne d'Arc Highschool in Tehran. At the school she came to know Farah Diba, one of her students at this school, and who would later become wife of King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. [citation|last=Pahlavi-Diba|first=Farah|title=In memory of Mrs. Farrokhrou Parsa executed on May 8, 1980|series=(in Persian)|date=May 8, 2000|year=2000|publisher=farahpahlavi.org|url=http://www.farahpahlavi.org/parsa.html.]

In 1963, Pārsā was elected to parliament (the "Majles"), and began petitioning Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for suffrage for Iran's women. She was also a driving force for legislation that amended the existing laws concerning women and family. In 1965 Pārsā was appointed Deputy Minister of Education and on 27 August 1968 she became Minister of Education in the cabinet of the Amir-Abbas Hoveyda government. It was the first time in the history of Iran that a woman has occupied a cabinet position.

Farrokhroo Pārsā was executed by firing squad on 8 May 1980 in Tehran, [citation|last=Lentz|first=Harris M.|chapter=Farrokhrou Parsa|title=Assassinations and Executions: An Encyclopedia of Political Violence, 1865-1986|location=Jefferson|publisher=McFarland|page=208.] at the outset of the Islamic Cultural Revolution, on charges of "spreading vice on Earth and fighting God".citation|last=Bahrami|first=Ardavan|title=A woman for all seasons: In memory of Farrokhrou Parsa|year=2005|date=May 9, 2005|publisher=iranian.com|url=http://www.iranian.com/ArdavanBahrami/2005/May/Parsa/index.html.]

In her last letter from prison, Farrokhroo Pārsā wrote to her children: "I am a doctor, so I have no fear of death. Death is only a moment and no more. I am prepared to receive death with open arms rather than live in shame by being forced to be veiled. I am not going to bow to those who expect me to express regret for fifty years of my efforts for equality between men and women. I am not prepared to wear the chador and step back in history."

Her successor as the Education Minister of Iran, Manouchehr Ganji, expressed surprise at her execution: she was "a lady, [...] Doctor , a competent physician who entertained good relations at the Ministry with revolutionaries like Beheshti, Bahonar, and Rejaii." [citation|last=Ganji|first=Manouchehr|authorlink=Manouchehr Ganji|title=Defying the Iranian Revolution: From a Minister to the Shah to a Leader|year=2002|page=80 [http://books.google.com/books?id=NboVl-CeYs0C&pg=PA80&dq=Farokhrou+Parsa&sig=trwcrAcPO8sYNARk4mSJak8m8pI] .]

After her execution, government newspapers (including Kayhan [Kayhan, 27 April, 1980] , Ettela'at [Ettela'at, 23 April, 1980] ) claimed that Farrokhroo Pārsā was a member of the Bahai community. Such a claim may be attributed to the general perception that advocates for women's rights are Bahais (see Iranian women's movement for details). In her personal blog Pārsā's niece Roya Parsay unequivocally states that her aunt "was NOT a Bahai." [citation|url=http://inconversationwithroya.blogspot.com/|title=A Bit of Iran's Legacy|first=Roya|last=Parsay|date=March 14, 2005|year=2005.]

References

External links

* A photograph of [http://www.iranian.com/ArdavanBahrami/2005/May/Parsa/Images/p2.jpgFarrokhroo Pārsā in conversation with Amir-Abbās Hoveydā] .
* An old photograph of the [http://www.flickr.com/photos/37764682@N00/6123674/ young family of Farrokh-Din Pārsā and Fakhr-e Āfāgh Pārsā] .


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Parsa — may refer to:* the Old Persian designator for what is today the Iranian province of Fars * the Parsa District in Nepal *Farrokhroo Parsa …   Wikipedia

  • List of Iranians — This is a list of notable Iranians: In the news * Nazanin Afshin Jam, Actress, Singer/Songwriter, Human Rights Activist, Miss World 2003 1st runner up; Miss Canada 2003. * Shohreh Aghdashloo, Iranian American actress * Goli Ameri, Republican… …   Wikipedia

  • Парса, Фаррухру — Фаррухру Парса перс. فرخ‌رو پارسا‎ …   Википедия

  • Mohammed Reza Pahlavi — Infobox Monarch | name = محمدرضا شاه پهلوی Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi title =Shah of Iran, King of Kings caption = Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi and his wife, Empress Farah. reign =September 26, 1941 – February 11, 1979 predecessor =Reza Shah… …   Wikipedia

  • Amir-Abbas Hoveida — Infobox Prime Minister name=Amir Abbas Hoveida order=Prime Minister of Iran term start =1965 term end =1977 predecessor =Hassan Ali Mansour successor =Jamshid Amouzegar birth date =birth date|1920|2|18|mf=y (28 Bahman 1298 AH) birth place =Tehran …   Wikipedia

  • Iranian women — (or Persian women) in this article refers to women of, or from, traditional Persian or modern Iranian culture. [As defined and discussed by literature such as: * Persian Women Their Ways Clara Colliver Rice. 1923. Seeley, Service Co. * Voices… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Iranian women — Notice: As one person may have contributed to more than one field, they can be categorized in multiple areas. Nobel laureates and nominees * Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Laureate. (Peace) * Simin Behbahani, 1997 Nobel prize Nominee. (Literature)… …   Wikipedia

  • Intellectual movements in Iran — involve the Iranian experience of modernity and its associated art, science, literature, poetry, and political structures that have been changing since the 19th century. History of Iranian modernity Long before the European Renaissance generated… …   Wikipedia

  • Iranian Cultural Revolution of 1980-1987 — The Cultural Revolution (1980 1987) (in Persian: انقلاب فرهنگي) was a period following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran where the academia of Iran was purged of Western and non Islamic influences to bring it in line with Islam… …   Wikipedia

  • Bibi Khanoom Astarabadi — Bibi Khānoom Astarābādi [ Bibi (بی بی) means Matron, a married woman especially one characterized by dignity, staid discreet behaviour, and plump motherly appearance ( OED ), Venerable lady or Grandmother. Khatoon (خاتون) is a variant of the word …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”