Táhirih

19th-century Iranian religious reformer who challenged gender norms and advocated for women's rights within the Bábí Faith movement.

Táhirih (Qurrat al-Ayn) (1817–1852) was an Iranian poet, theologian, and early leader of the Bábí Faith who became a symbol of religious and gender reform in the 19th century. Born into a prominent religious family in Qazvin, she defied societal expectations by mastering Islamic theology and mysticism at a young age. Her radical reinterpretation of Islamic texts led her to publicly remove her veil in 1848 during the Conference of Badasht, a bold act that symbolized her rejection of oppressive gender norms and traditional religious authority. This act made her the first woman in Islamic history to publicly challenge centuries of patriarchal practices.

As a Bábí leader, she traveled extensively across Persia spreading the new faith's teachings of equality and social justice. Despite being imprisoned multiple times, she continued her advocacy through poetry that blended spiritual themes with calls for societal transformation. Her execution in 1852 at the age of 35 marked her as a martyr for progressive religious thought. Today, her writings remain influential among feminist theologians, and her legacy is celebrated in modern interfaith dialogues. Her story is detailed in Wikipedia and explored in academic works like The Bahá'í Scriptures.