A fire that used to light the hearth of a home and, with its warmth, also warmed the heart of the family—a warmth born of love, affection, and harmony. A fire that, throughout all the wars of history, behind the frontlines, became a motivating flame driving the engine of struggle on the frontlines.
A fire of resistance that Iranian lionesses have ignited against foreign enemies across various periods of this land’s history—from the victory of the Islamic Revolution and the eight years of the Imposed War, to the Twelve-Day War and the Ramadan War.
A flame that, during wartime, watches over the family. It not only keeps the hearth of daily responsibilities warm but also burns away the effects of anxiety, worry, and fear, making the home warm and bright.
Sometimes, this fire advances to the very frontlines of struggle; it becomes the Fatimid shield of God’s vicegerent and a ring on the waist of her master. And at other times, in the face of the tyrant of the age, beside the severed head of her Imam, she recites Zainab’s defiant chant. I would be remiss if I did not mention some of the heroic women of this land and provide keywords for further study—women who entered the field as followers of Fatima and Zainab.
I proudly write the names:
- Ameneh Vahabzadeh, the only Iranian female sniper
- Khadijeh Mirshekar, the first female prisoner of war
- Fatemeh Nahidi, the first female freed captive (returnee)
- Seyedeh Maryam Amjad, the only woman serving on a 106mm artillery crew
- Fatemeh Sadat Navab Safavi, the only woman present in the Beit ol-Moqaddas (Jerusalem) Operation
And to this day, we see mothers of martyrs, such as the mother of the Rostami martyrs, who, having offered eight martyrs, walks with dignity and the flag of Iran on her shoulder to receive their bodies. And other women—not “step by step behind,” but “shoulder to shoulder” with the men of this sacred land—fought valiantly, yet in their own feminine way, to protect and guard it.
And today, even though it is considered a time of ceasefire, this flame once again blazes from home and street toward the battlefield, so that its tongues may burn the hem of the gossip-mongers and media dancers of Zionism and America. For until the Resurrection, the honor of the Iranian woman—the nurturer of Rostams, Arashes, Purya-ye Valis, Mirza Kuchak Khans, Seyyed Alis, and Qasems—remains pure and steadfast.
And even after these imposed wars end, the mothers and women of this land, as in the past, will ignite a flame in the minds and hearts of Iran’s future soldiers through tales, stories, and epic lullabies—so they never lose the path of truth and never succumb to oppression and darkness.
Yes, the fire of women’s jihad will never be extinguished.
Seyyed Ali Davoud al-Mousavi