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Mohtaram Eskandari ( fa, محترم اسکندری; 1895 – July 27, 1924), was an Iranian intellectual and a pioneer of the
Iranian women's movement
The Iranian Women's Rights Movement ( Persian: جنبش زنان ایران), is the social movement for women's rights of the women in Iran. The movement first emerged after the Iranian Constitutional Revolution in 1910, the year in which the ...
. She was the co-founder and first leader of
Jam'iyat-e Nesvan-e Vatankhah
Jam'iyat-e Nesvân-e Vatankhâh ( fa, جمعیت نسوان وطنخواه, meaning "Patriotic Women's League of Iran" or "Society of Patriotic Women") (1922–1933), was one of the most active organizations in the Women's rights movement in I ...
, the first women's rights association in Persia.
As the first chairperson and publisher of the Nesvan Watan Khaw newspaper, Eskandari provided lectures in support of women's rights, including women's education and the removal of veils. She planned marches for members of the association as well.
[Sanasarian, pages 63-64]
Biography
Mohtaram was born in 1895 into a liberal, intellectually vibrant and politically active family in Tehran. Her father, Mohammad Ali Mirza Eskandari (Prince of Ali Khan), was a constitutionalist and founder of the Adamiat Society and taught at
Dar ul-Funun.
She first studied at home with her father, and received an education in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
and
French literature
French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than Fr ...
under the supervision of Mirza Mohammad Ali Khan Mohaqqeqi. Eskandari and Mohaqqeqi would later marry. They both got married after a while.
[Pouran Farrokhzad, pages 90 and 91]
As an adult, Eskandari suffered from spinal cord injury, was teaching for some time, and served as the director of a state school for girls. Her dissatisfaction with the state of women's rights in Persia after the
Constitutional Revolution
The Persian Constitutional Revolution ( fa, مشروطیت, Mashrūtiyyat, or ''Enghelāb-e Mashrūteh''), also known as the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, took place between 1905 and 1911. The revolution led to the establishment of a par ...
, led her to establish
Jam'iyat-e Nesvan-e Vatankhah
Jam'iyat-e Nesvân-e Vatankhâh ( fa, جمعیت نسوان وطنخواه, meaning "Patriotic Women's League of Iran" or "Society of Patriotic Women") (1922–1933), was one of the most active organizations in the Women's rights movement in I ...
, "Patriotic Women's League of Iran," in 1922, which uniquely molded together feminism and Iranian nationalism.
She was disappointed with the achievements of the Constitutional Revolution for women, so in 1922,
along with a number of leading women in Tehran, she established the Patriotic Women’s Association. She lectured, administered the Association's magazine, and planned the community’s marches. In one of the rallies, they burned leaflets against women, which resulted in Mohtaram’s arrest by the government officials. But this made her name to be well-known among the people of Iran. She also founded a school for adult women and advertised for the use of national goods.
Mohtaram Eskandari died at the age of 29 in Tehran on July 1924 – 1925, due to complications from a back surgery she had undergone as a child.
Women's association
In the year 1922, the Patriotic Women’s Association was established with the esteemed work of Mohtaram Eskandari, Nurolhouda Mangeneh, Mastureh Afshar and Madam Fakhr Afagh. The right of education for women was one of the most important goals of this association.
With ten elected women, the board of directors was formed by the Patriotic Women's Association, and the same delegation elected Eskandari as the first head of the community.
The association "Patriotic Women", on the path to the goals of women's education and learning, published the magazine ''Nasvan–e Vatankhah'' (Persian:The Patriotic Women), in the wake of the launch of classes for older women. The magazine was the official organ of the community that focused on women's issues and women's rights. Its owner was Madam Molouk Eskandari, and its first director was Mohtaram Eskandari. The magazine published eleven issues over three years (from 1923 to 1926) and attracted many liberal women.
Rebel on women’s wickedness
"Wicked Women" ( fa, مکر زنان), is the name given to a book by a number of opponents of women's education and freedom in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
. This leaflet was sold by the boys in the main squares of the city.
Noor-ol-Hoda Mangeneh
Noor-ol-Hoda Mangeneh ( fa, نورالهدی منگنه; 1902–1986) was an Iranian intellectual and one of the pioneering figures in the women's rights movement in Iran. She was born in Tehran. She was a member of Jam'iyat-e Nesvan-e Vatankhah ( ...
has written in her memories’ pamphlet how insulting the leaflet was and mentioned the below:
Then one day, Mohtaram Eskandari, along with seven liberal women, went to the
Toopkhaneh Square
ToopKhāneh ( fa, توپخانه; which literally means "Artillery Barracks"), also spelt as Tūpkhāneh, is a major town square ('' Maidan-e Toopkhaneh'') and a neighborhood in the south of the central district of the city of Tehran, Iran. It ...
to remove the "Wicked Women" leaflets from the hands of the children there. They set the leaflets on fire in the middle of the square, in the same exact place of were the
constitutionalists
Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law".
Political organizations are constitutional ...
were once hanged. When those kids asked for the money of the leaflets to be given to them, Mohtaram and the other liberal women mentioned to them that they will not receive any money.
Arrested for rebellion
After burning the books in the square and the children crying loudly for their burned books, police arrested the women there and took them to the commission (Police station and the first interrogation area of the accused). The women were taken in different rooms and interrogated separately. In the book "Iranian Woman from Constitutionalism to the White Revolution",
Badr al-Molouk wrote:
Mohtaram Eskandari's name was recorded as the first woman who was arrested in contemporary history for rebellion in Iran.
Illness and death
Mohtaram was hospitalized for some time after the arrest and advent of burning the leaflets due to the severity of the illness she had and doctors said surgery should be performed on the
vertebral column
The vertebral column, also known as the backbone or spine, is part of the axial skeleton. The vertebral column is the defining characteristic of a vertebrate in which the notochord (a flexible rod of uniform composition) found in all chordata, ...
's. She was suffering from the disease ever since childhood and also she was made fun of since her back was always bent, but at the last minutes of her life, she continued her efforts for women's equality and advised the women in the Patriotic Women’s Association not to leave a moment of their work for women and continue for gaining women rights.
Finally, Mohtaram Eskandari died in July 1924, when she was 29 years old. Her death brought sorrow and sadness among those who distinguished and worked with her.
Sediqeh Dowlatabadi
Sediqeh Dowlatabadi ( fa, صدیقه دولتآبادی ; 1882 in Isfahan – July 30, 1961 in Tehran) was an Iranian feminist activist and journalist and one of the pioneering figures in the Persian women's movement.
On one of the occasions when ...
wrote in the deed of Mohtaram:
The late incident of losing Mohtaram Eskandari, has depressed me so much that I cannot explain it, because I know the great efforts of this brave Iranian girl and I conceive her loss as a great misfortune. Yes, her sacrifices were admirable. I will never forget that they repeatedly condemned her at the conferences. But she listened to everything and tried not to get herself distraught or upset. With steady steps and determination she continued her goals. In my life she was the first Iranian woman I have seen who never got tired in doing all she can to reach the goal she had in mind. I just hope that all the women of my homeland do not let the work of this respectable woman go away and that the foundation she had established will not break.
See also
*
Iranian women
Throughout history, women in Iran have played numerous roles, and contributed in many ways, to Iranian society. Historically, tradition maintained that women be confined to their homes so that they could manage the household and raise children ...
*
Persian Constitutional Revolution
The Persian Constitutional Revolution ( fa, مشروطیت, Mashrūtiyyat, or ''Enghelāb-e Mashrūteh''), also known as the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, took place between 1905 and 1911. The revolution led to the establishment of a par ...
*
Women's rights movement in Iran
The Iranian Women's Rights Movement ( Persian: جنبش زنان ایران), is the social movement for women's rights of the women in Iran. The movement first emerged after the Iranian Constitutional Revolution in 1910, the year in which the ...
*
Women's rights in Iran
During the late 20th and early 21st centuries in Iran, women's rights have been severely restricted, compared with those in most developed nations. The World Economic Forum's 2017 Global Gender Gap Report ranked Iran 140, out of 144 countries, ...
References
Sources
*
Sanasarian, Eliz. ''The Women's Rights Movements in Iran'', Praeger, New York: 1982, .
* Nahid, Abdolhossein, Iranian Women in the Constitutional Movement, Tabriz, published by Ehya, 1981.
* Pouran Farokhzad, Iranian Women's Carnivals (From yesterday to today). Tehran, published by Ghatreh, 2002.
* Yervand Abrahamian, Iran between Two Revolutions: From Constitutionalism to Islamic Revolution. Translation by Kazem Firuzmand, Hasan Shamsiyahi, Mohsen the Director of Shanachi. Second print, published by Markaz, 1999, page 146.
External links
*
Mehrangiz Dowlatshahi
Mehrangiz Dowlatshahi ( fa, مهرانگیز دولتشاهی; 13 December 1919 – 11 October 2008) was an Iranian social activist and politician, who held significant positions, including ambassador of Iran to Denmark during the Pahlavi era. S ...
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ESKANDARĪ,MOḤTARAMin Encyclopædia Iranica.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eskandari, Mohtaram
1895 births
1924 deaths
Qajar princesses
Iranian women journalists
Iranian writers
Iranian women writers
Iranian women's rights activists