Atefeh Rajabi Sahaaleh

August 15, 2004, in a small town in Iran called Neka, a young girl by the name of Atefeh Rajabi Sahaaleh عاطفه رجبی سهاله was murdered. This young girl was only 16 years old and had been accused of crimes against chastity, in which little evidence supported her accused faults. She was brutally convicted and sentenced to death by religious leader, Judge Haji Rezai. Under the Islamic Republic of Iran, no person of a minor age is allowed to be executed. In the case of Atefeh this was overlooked and in fact, not even considered. Atefeh was only physically examined and after a glance at her appearance she was stated as 22 years of age, when in fact she was only a mere 16 year old school girl.
As a child Atefeh was left without a mother, due to an unfortunate car accident, by the age of five. Her heartbroken and now hopeless father became addicted to drugs and Atefeh was left with the responsibility of caring for her two grandparents. She was raised with little guidance and was seen many times alone roaming the streets to pass her days. She was described as a free spirit and not necessarily the best behaved. None the less, this young school girl did not deserve the verdict she endured. Before her death, Atefeh had been arrested five times on account of crimes against chastity. Each time she was arrested, she endured lashes and was imprisoned for a number of days.
During her trial and prosecution, Atefeh only confessed to having been sexually abused by a married man named Ali Darabi. She was then sentenced to death under Sharia law. Her case was shockingly pushed through the court in a single day. The court then accomplished in one day what would normally take at least one month. They then sent poor Atefeh back to the streets of Neka to be hung by crane the next morning.
Many in the town of Neka know that what Atefeh had to endure was unjustice. Although, due to extreme fear of their own well being, voices remain silent. It was shortly brought to Rezai's attention that Atefeh was a mere 16 years of age, and within the next 24 hours, her body disappeared from its grave.
This is just one of many stories in Iran, many of which sound the same. Majority of which will end up with an injustice towards women. This young girl was a carefree teenager with hopes and dreams, which were stripped from her because of control thirsty leaders. The point of this blog is to bring about a realization of what is right and justice and where the line of humanity and joining a species of another kind comes into play. For many, this behavior towards one human being is inconceivable, in this case Atefeh was a child. What posseses one to maintain such a chokehold amongst his/her own people? The answer is plain and clear, it is a yearning for control. Better then that, absolute power.
Iran is looked at all around the world as a county with many riches. It has richness in oil, culture, beauty, yet there is one major downfall at hand. A serious epidemic which has been plauging the beautiful country for hundreds of years, an injustice towards women. Iran imposes Sharia law which is an Islamic term which encodes many topics, most importantly, the proper interactions of unmarried men and women. Under Sharia law, men and women are forbidden to engage in any sexual behaviors if unmarried. When individuals are caught engaging in these forbidden behaviors, they are to be punished. Punishments are ideally to be the same for both men and women, yet, in the majority of cases women are somehow more severely punished while the men are not, if at all.
As long as these injustices continue, there is no hope. There will be no hope, no outlook, no pride. The potential of the beautiful country Iran is great, and will only be acheived when the war within is ceased. There is a desperate cry for the recognition of our mothers, not just our fathers. Until women are no longer viewed as inferior complexes we will have the unfortunate and devastating stories of Atefeh and so many like her.