Claire Bearista 💕🕊️🌍

Today, Baha’is and many others around the world celebrate the vernal equinox – Naw-Ruz – which literally translates to “New Day.” Naw-Ruz also marks the conclusion of the 19-day Baha’i Fast, and is the beginning of the new Baha’i calendar year.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #Bahai #Nawruz

Cecila Payne was great, yes — and her story deserves to be more widely told. However, the story of great women at Harvard who worked in science in general and astronomy in particular doesn't start with Cecelia Payne. There was also Annie Jump Cannon. In this regard, some years back (the late) physicist Philip Morrison (1915-2005; who long served at Einstein's alma mater, Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study) created a quite wonderful 6-part (6 hr total) video series, originally appearing on PBS, called _The Ring of Truth_. Among a great many other delightful things, Morrison's series presents a touching look at Cecilia Payne's astronomical career — as well as that of her female predecessor (for the previous third of a century) at Harvard Observatory: Annie Jump Cannon — along with a review of both their (the former woman's building upon the latter's) terrific contributions to modern astrophysics. In this regard, one might note that — in addition to other honors that Cecilia Payne rightfully earned — she was also the first recipient of the Annie Jump Cannon Award in Astronomy (1934). Mind you, the entire “Ring of Truth” series (all 6 parts) is great and insightful. I invite perusing the whole thing, not just jump straight to the pertinent part — which is to say: part 6 — on the matter of these 2 women. (If you do decide, at least for the present, to only view portions pertinent to the present topic, I recommend starting at the beginning of part 6 — better yet, see part 5 first.) Here is the list of _Ring of Truth_ episodes up on YouTube: Part: 1. Looking — youtu.be/bQ4Oz2Xk2Ws 2. Change — youtu.be/Nk8CQNThbc0 3. Mapping — youtu.be/yRY2SkMTafc 4. Clues — youtu.be/MUW8cqpik8Q 5. Atoms — youtu.be/WQ3mjb9BSaU 6. Doubt — youtu.be/xhfUfxeh9Lg Enjoy!

Farmers displaced and farmlands seized as Iran’s government intensifies Baha’i religious persecution Our full story: bic.org/news/farmers-d… Farmlands, rice paddies and walnut orchards belonging to Baha’i families in the village of Ahmadabad, a lush and fertile agricultural community in Mazandaran province, were forcibly seized this week by Iranian officials who claimed the lands on behalf of the Iranian government. The raid is the latest incident in a rising pattern of persecution against the Baha’is across Iran—and the third recent example of religiously-motivated property seizures against Baha’i farmers in Mazandaran province.

Iranian thought leaders call for an end to the “historical shame” of Baha’i persecution A group of more than 150 Iranian human rights advocates, social and political activists have signed a powerful public statement condemning the “new wave of arrests against Baha’is and their deprivation of basic human and civil rights”. See our full story: bic.org/news/iranian-t…

@omid9 🤣 Dads ❤️

At a party in West London 1983 (I was 17) she stood laughing at me when I was dancing. She did not look 7 years older than me and I genuinely thought I could mesmerise her into my life with ludicrous moves. She laughed and I danced. We didn’t say a word to each other. When 1985 came round and Smooth Operator became my fav song on the radio, I nearly fainted when I saw it was her on TV singing it. I told my dad the story of dancing for her and our ‘deep non verbal communication’ as he was reading the newspaper. I told him in all earnestness that she could have been my wife if only I’d opened my mouth & said something. He just said “Bache gooz” which is Persian for “fucking grow up.”

More than 20 #Bahai homes invaded in violent raids and many arrested in #Iran as crackdown intensifies Our story: bic.org/news/more-20-b… Armed Iranian security agents raided the homes of more than 20 Baha’is this week in the cities of Karaj and Hamedan, taking at least 19 into custody based on the latest information available. Many of the Baha’is were verbally abused and physically assaulted during the raids. The latest arrests and home searches—which included harassing five elderly women—confirms rising fears that Iran’s government has redoubled its crackdown on the persecuted Baha’i community in Iran. Ten other Baha’is were arrested last month in Isfahan—all women. Twenty-six others were sentenced to a total of 126 years in prison. At least thirty-two in total have been detained since last month in a number of cities across the country. Homes containing five elderly women between 70 and 90 years of age were raided in Hamedan. One suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, and another who was rushed to ICU in distress after the raid. In another case they broke down the door of the home of an 82 year old woman, searched, upended her belongings and damaged her home in her absence. The husbands of two of these women were among more than 200 Baha’is executed by Iran’s government after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. No further information is available on charges against the Baha’is or where they are being held. “With almost every passing week, and with each new wave of arrests, the Iranian government gives us new proofs of its cruelty and its intentions to persecute Baha’is only for their beliefs, even in advanced age,” said Simin Fahandej, @siminfa, Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva. “Searching the homes of the elderly and the infirm—women who lost their husbands more than 40 years ago, to this same government—shows us also that any attempt by the Iranian authorities to justify their actions is hollow and false. What threat do ill and elderly Baha’is pose to the Iranian government? Nothing but religious prejudice can explain such merciless actions.” The latest wave of arrests in Hamadan, Karaj, Isfahan and Yazd, as well as ongoing denial of higher education challenges, the detaining of a 90-year-old Baha’i man who had already spent 10 years in prison and the targeting of 180 more, come in the context of the global #OurStoryIsOne campaign, launched in July 2023 to commemorate the execution of 10 Baha’i women in 1983 and to support the wider Iranian effort to achieve justice and equality. The campaign attracted unprecedented levels of solidarity across Iranian society inside and outside the country. “We are witnessing a significant and historic process in Iran,” Ms. Fahandej said. “Although the Iranian government has for decades attempted to drive a wedge between the Baha’is and the rest of Iranian society, in their response to #OurStoryIsOne, Iranians from across religious and ethnic communities, and gender lines, are coming together with one voice, to call for a society built on equality, understanding, justice and the emancipation of all regardless of faith, background and gender. How sad that the Iranian government’s response is not to harness and release this transformative capacity—but to try to stamp it out by arresting more and more Baha’is and by attacking innocent Iranians of all backgrounds, as well as human rights defenders across the country.” The Iranian government's 44 years of persecution is detailed in a new publication of the Baha’i International Community, titled “The Baha’i Question: Persecution and Resilience in Iran,” which was published this month. And on 26 October, the United Nations Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman said in a presentation with UN Member States that “there has been a marked increase in attacks targeting and harassment of the Baha’i [community], with over 333 reported incidents since July 2022, including cases of arbitrary detentions, interrogations, unlawful arrest, torture, ill treatment, destruction of properties, cemetery desecration, denial of education rights and other forms of economic pressures.” #HumanRights

Twenty-six Baha'is in #Iran have been sentenced to 126 years in prison as 10 more #Bahai #women are arrested in Isfahan and 3 Baha'is are arrested in Yazd. Homes were raided during the arrests and personal property was confiscated. Read our full story: bic.org/news/twenty-si…

In the absence of any adults in the room, so glad to see Israeli and Palestinian mothers make this important stand. Great to see diplomats and politicians join them.

The recent dismissal of thousands of educators and students from Iranian universities and schools, just for expressing their support for equality and justice in #Iran, recalls the purge of #Bahai professors, schoolteachers and university students which began soon after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The denial of higher education to Iranian Baha’is continues unbroken today—and now it is the grim fate of Iranians from all backgrounds to suffer the same injustice. Our full story: bic.org/news/decades-p…

Watch these young girls celebrate - yes celebrate - the beginning of the academic year at the Kimia Danesh primary school for girls in Kerman, Iran. And yet - when this video circulated - not only were the producers of the song arrested, the school’s principal was fired. If these girls don’t suffer the nonsense of the “Islamic” regime, how long are we in the West going to appease and legitimise this ridiculous, barbaric, anti-human regime? #No_to_the_Islamic_Republic

Take it from me: it’s a brilliant protest song. Or read the subtitled lyrics. They’re already singing it loudly on the streets. Normally when a song captures the mood of a nation we make a star out of the singer/song writer. In Iran they put them in jail. Mehdi Yarrahi was arrested Aug 28th for this song Roosarito (Your Headscarf) dedicated to the “Iranian women who shine at the forefront of the #WomanLifeFreedom movement.” The least we can do on here is share it as far and as wide as possible. Isn’t that right @X ?🚨 What a touch adding #ParmidaShahbazi standing up to her regime harassers at the end. #IranRevolution #Sept16

@RichardEGrant Those bitter sweet moments that just sneak up on 🥺💕

It is sad to note how much suffering still exists because of inequality in #Iran both within and outside the #Bahai community #OurStoryIsOne

@RichardEGrant Love love love Budapest. I don't think I've ever felt so instantly at home any place before 💕 enjoy to the max and eat lots of cake 🤤😁

Water privatisation is a con. (Location: Thames Water HQ)