Aḥmad Bashírí
Aḥmad Bashírí | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1915 Isfahan, Iran |
| Died | November 1, 1984 |
| NSA member | Iran 1982 - 1983 |
Aḥmad Bashírí (1915 - November 1, 1984) was a Persian Bahá’í who served on the last National Spiritual Assembly of Iran. He was arrested alongside his fellow Assembly members and martyred for his beliefs.
Biography[edit]
Bashírí was born into a Bahá’í family in Isfahan in 1915. His father passed away when he was young and he was raised by his mother with the assistance of his older brother. After completing his education in 1937 he became a teacher working for the Iranian Ministry of Culture.[1]
Bashírí taught in several schools across Iran and ultimately became a school principal in Isfahan in 1944 where he served on the Local Spiritual Assembly and also completed a law degree in his spare time. In 1965 he was transferred to Yazd where he also worked as a principal until resigning from the Ministry of Culture in 1967. After leaving education Bashírí moved to Tehran where he was appointed the dean of student affairs by the Tehran Universities College of Architecture and he served in the role until retiring in 1980.[1]
In 1982 Bashírí was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran when it was reformed following the execution of the majority of the previous Assemblies membership in 1981. The Assembly was disbanded in 1983 when the Revolutionary government of Iran ruled that Bahá’í administration was illegal and he was arrested in July 1983 and imprisoned for fifteen months. He was regularly tortured during his imprisonment and pressured to state that the Bahá’í community was involved in espionage however he refused to do so and was executed by hanging in 1984.[1]
The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after his martyrdom:
"His endurance, steadfastness, like that of his heroic fellow believers, thwarted infamous designs."[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The American Bahá’í (1987). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 18, Issue 5, pg(s) 28. View as PDF.
- ↑ Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986
