Shining Lamp: Mona Mahmudnizhad—My Hero
Hero is a word that has many definitions. To some, it means Spiderman, Incredible Hulk, and Superman—fictional characters with super strength and supernatural abilities.
A fellow prisoner wrote of Mona, “She was a living example of encouragement and steadfastness.”
To me, a hero is someone in the past or present who did something incredible to affect the future. Mona Mahmudnizhad was that type of person, making her my hero.
Born on September 10, 1965, in Yemen, Mona Mahmudnizhad lived most of her life in Iran. She was a strong child intellectually and emotionally, and was very close to her parents. Mona and her family were devoted followers of the Bahá’í Faith.
An Amazing Dream
Mona prayed and meditated every day. Once she had a beautiful dream. Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, appears and showed Mona three capes. The first one was red, which would lead to martyrdom. The second was black; it was the cape of sorrow. The third was blue and represented service. Without any words, Bahá’u’lláh draped the cape of service around Mona’s shoulders.
When Mona was 17, her home was ransacked by the Iranian government, which did not approve of her religion. They took Mona and threw her in prison. The prison punishment was severe. Many prisoners were tied to a table and whipped.
Mona was insulted and harshly questioned about her Bahá’í activities for 18 hours at a time. The guards threatened to kill her if she did not deny the Bahá’í Faith. Mona silently prayed, and she always said no with all her strength. This happened many times.
The Red Cape
On June 18, the prison guards called Mona and nine other women. They were taken by bus to a field, and each one was hanged. Mona, the youngest, was last. She prayed for the souls of the executioner. Surprising to those watching, Mona placed the noose around her own neck. She accepted her death. She traded her blue cape for a red one.
To me, Mona is more than a hero—she is a martyr of my Faith. I pray someday I will be able to serve my Faith with the same devotion and strength as Mona.
Top photo courtesy of www.dramacircle.org/a-new-dress-for-mona-resource-site; portrait © Bahá’í World News Service
Bahá’í Faith544 Iran68 Persecution47 Sacrifice8 Heroes53 Martyrs16 Shining Lamps123 WomenHistory29