From the ArcaMax Publishing, Kathleen Parker Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/kathleenparker/s-567052-943836
WASHINGTON -- There's a "new" old name suddenly in circulation that is
both filled with ancient history and ripe with a revolutionary spirit
for today's game-changing events.
Zahra.
Well-known to Muslims, Fatima az-Zahra was one of four daughters of
the Prophet Muhammad. Today, Zahra is also the name of two important,
outspoken women of Iran.
One is Zahra Rahnavard, the courageous and charismatic wife of the
allegedly defeated Iranian presidential candidate, Mir Hossein
Mousavi. The other is Zahra Khanum, the equally courageous and
charismatic woman portrayed in a new movie, "The Stoning of Soraya
M.," about the death of an Iranian woman on trumped-up charges of
adultery.
Begging forgiveness for this confederacy of cliches, but we seem to
have a perfect storm of tipping points.
Beneath the surface of news blasts covering Iran's tainted elections,
riots, protester deaths and government crackdowns, a subtext of
women's rights is emerging. It is a subtext only to the extent that
women's oppression isn't often acknowledged directly -- not even by
the leader of the free world. But human rights are at the core of what
is occurring now.
A government that oppresses its people can only sustain itself with
violence, as the world is witnessing yet again as thousands take to
Iran's streets. And, in Iran as elsewhere in the Muslim world,
violence against women -- as well as against homosexuals and others
considered inferior according to the mullahs' masculinist standards --
isn't only permitted, but justified with religious doctrine.
Mousavi challenged these notions -- and the government, apparently,
saw fit that he lose. Even in the midst of so much heat, Mousavi's
wife Zahra on Monday urged students at a Tehran University protest to
hold fast in their resistance. Climb to the rooftops, she said, and
shout, "God is great!"
Zahra R., who holds a Ph.D. in political science and was an adviser to
former President Mohammad Khatami, also has been vocal in urging
reforms that would eliminate "morality police," as well as end
discrimination against women.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that monument to self-confident masculinity,
reportedly was so undone by Zahra's power on the campaign trail that
he questioned whether her doctorate is legitimate.
Americans will begin getting a glimpse of the other Zahra soon as "The
Stoning" opens in select cities. Based on a true story, the movie is
adapted from French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam's 1994 novel
of the same name.
In the film, produced by Stephen McEveety ("Braveheart" and "The
Passion of the Christ"), the journalist-author is stranded in a small
village when his car breaks down. Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo) dodges
the threatening stares of her fellow villagers and persuades the
reporter to come to her house and record her story. Evil has visited
her village, she tells him, and she wants the world to know.
Briefly, Zahra's niece Soraya, mother of four, had been accused of
adultery by her abusive, unfaithful husband. The truth was he wanted a
divorce so he could marry another. When Soraya refused, he and the
village mullah conspired to accuse her of adultery.
As the title suggests, Soraya was convicted and condemned to death by
stoning.
I saw a rough cut of this film several months ago. Since that time,
I've been unable to shake the story or images that I suspect will
haunt me forever. Be forewarned: It is brutal. McEveety and director
Cyrus Nowrasteh felt that the stoning scene needed to be accurately
portrayed or the film would be an insult to Soraya's suffering.
It will be hard for many to get through to the end, but staying with
the movie brings a reward. Despite the brutality, the film is also
beautiful and true. It reminds us that a woman in some parts of the
world can be destroyed at a man's whim without consequence. The beauty
is that truth will out.
"The Stoning," which will be in most theaters June 26, was
intentionally timed for release after Iran's elections. Dennis Rice,
charged with promoting the movie, figured the election would help
create interest, but he didn't anticipate the serendipitous
intersection of the two Zahras. "Irony?" he asks. "I think not."
In Arabic, Zahra means "The Shining One."
In English, we'd call that a beacon.
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Kathleen Parker's e-mail address is kparker@kparker.com