Ruhi Jahanpour is a survivor of religious persecution in Iran. This lashing or caning of a victim’s bare feet has been widely employed to inflict pain and humiliation and was a favoured form of torture in Iran. In 1850, Justin, Mary and their children were living in Tehran, where Justin served as the British minister to Iran. Recounting the upheavals attending the birth of the new religion, Mary describes the fate of the Báb and the cruelty visited upon his followers. In her conversation with Lawlor inNovember, Ruhi Jahanpour explained that Bahá’ís are still suffering persecution in Iran today because of their faith.

Source: The Irish Times March 01, 2026 08:04 UTC