Queen Fawzia and Queen Soraya were they involved in their country's development ?

[FarahJoy]

Good morning !

Does anyone know if Their Royal Majesties Queen Fawzia and Queen Soraya were involved in their country's development ? Did they do anything special for Iran ? Did they fight for women's rights ? For Culture or anything they could do for Iran to progress and modernize ?

Thank you in advance for your information, have a sunny day !

[FarahJoy]

Yoooooooo Hooooooo !!!

Nobody here ??? No single historian of Iran hanging around ?

[Aryan]

Dear FarahJoy, I know that Queen Soraya were involved in Education development during her time, she and the shahanshah visited many villages and pointed out the importance of education and help students to study abroad, this was a lead of the education development that Reza shah the great started during his time.
I will try to find out more information for you, during the time you can enjoy this beautiful pictures from Princess sorayas time as queen of Iran:
aryamehr11/Princess Soraya of Iran - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

[Vanesa]

Shahbanu Farah was very involved with the Iran Social developpement. She was active in women modernization and a lot of educational areas. You may see her travelling to nomadic geographical points were she would speak to the women to get them in individual and social developpement. She was VERY engaged in the White Revolution. But you may notice it in any pro-Pahlavi sites in the web. If you visites Her Majesty Farah official site in the net, you'll find a lot of info of her work as an Empress.

Good luck!
Vanesa.

[FarahJoy]

Aryan thank you very much for your link proposing great pictures of Queen Soraya. I always felt so sorry for her that she suffered infertility. I went thru this same pain for years before I had my son so I am still very sensitive to this problem.

I didn't know that Queen Soraya had done something for her country. I am happy to learn that she used her poweful position to help her women compatriots. It is interesting.

However, as Vanesa mentioned (thanks a lot, Vanesa !), Empress Farah has done a huge amount of work for her country, specially for women condition and art. For personal reasons I knew more about Farah's involvement. It seems to me that she was the one among the three of she Shah's wives who did the most. I am very admirative of her work and also that she shows thru her acts and behavior that being a Queen is not only wearing jewels and leading a lazy and luxurious life as shown in magazines but it can be a position from where you can do a lot for your beloved country.

Let's CONGRATULATE and THANK FARAH and also Soraya for what they have done (and Farah for all what she still does) for the progress of Iran !

[Aryan]

FarahJoy you are welcome, and I agree with you let us congratulate HIM Empress Farah and thank her for what she has done and still does for her country, as Vanesa mentioned Empress Farah was very engaged in the White Revolution that was a big progress for Iran and iranians but she began her Social developpement program many years before the shah's White Revolution, she really is the Empress of the people and thats way the iranians love her so much, she have a very special place in every iranians heart. As you mentioned: Empress Farah has done a huge amount of work for her country, specially for women condition and art. One of the perhaps well-known museums that Empress Farah founded and herself bought the Art for is Tehran's Museum of Contemporary Art, it is one of Iran's finest museums and the only one for Contemporary Art in Middle East.
Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Iranian Museums & Galleries: Museum of Contemporary Arts of Tehran
Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
Information about Empress Farah and what she have done for her country:
Iranian Personalities: Empress Farah Pahlavi (Diba)

[lucien]

Most unfortunate all the Shabanou Farah's work in the fields of social education/improvement and womens development/rights has been erased by those bearded dresses that "rule" the country since and plunged it back to medieval/backward times.

[FarahJoy]

Personally, I do not want to enter any religious discussion that could turn "sour".

However, I truly admire all the personal work HIM Empress Farah has done for her country. And what she has done can't be denied.

I am convinced she is pure at heart and truly did her best. She has demonstrated being a peace messenger in small and big things. And I hope her work will still give some fruits in the future. If not in her country yet, at least for the Iranian diaspora and all the people, specially women, she meets every day

And I am sure that what Queen Soraya did for her country also remains.

[Warren]

Posts not relevant to the discussion of the Shahbanous involvement in Iran's development have been removed.

Warren
Imperial Family of Iran moderator

[kaffir]

Originally Posted by lucien

Most unfortunate all the Shabanou Farah's work in the fields of social education/improvement and womens development/rights has been erased by those bearded dresses that "rule" the country since and plunged it back to medieval/backward times.

I will say that I think Iranian women are some of the best educated in the MidEast, so I'm not sure what you mean by "backward," and I resent any implication otherwise. Her work certainly still stands. They certainly can drive cars, own businesses etc,and in neighboring Mid East countries that is not the case, so her work still stands.

[Vanesa]

I'm optimistic too. I think that Empress farah's work still stands. It is the basis for the current developpement of women in Iran. The fact they dress more or less modestly doesn't avoid them to think. I even have the impression that when a woman is not so interested in frivolities she could developpe much better her intelligency and professional skills.

Of course, without the outstanding work of Empress farah in culture domain, maybe Iranian women wouldn't have become the more highly educated women in the Middle East. Basis are always important when you are building something...And she fournished it, who doubts about it?

Vanesa.

[lucien]

Originally Posted by kaffir

I will say that I think Iranian women are some of the best educated in the MidEast, so I'm not sure what you mean by "backward," and I resent any implication otherwise. Her work certainly still stands. They certainly can drive cars, own businesses etc,and in neighboring Mid East countries that is not the case, so her work still stands.

Kaffer,by backward I mean the very system of Iran's government as opposed to the progressive ways during the Shah and Shabanou's days.Not that the people are backward ofcourse.They are among the cleverest/brightest/funniest/hospitable.

[Aryan]

I’m not talking about the Islamic Republic or the Imperial Iran, just the people of Iran but I have to say that the modernization development and the social development began during the Pahlavi era and specially during HIM Mohammad Reza shah and HIM Empress Farah’s time. Empress Farah had a big role in this development specially the development of womens right in Iran and she still have a big role in womens right in Iran.

As Lucien mentioned the people of Iran are not at all backword, acctually the are very modern and up to date with many things, the Iranian youth, girls and boys are very interested in fashion and every thing around it, many iranians that lives in Europe and the US, when they visit Iran they feel that they are ”out of date”.

For those who thinks that Iran is a medieval country and the Iranians lives a medieval life look at this links:
Iranian Personalities: Empress Farah Pahlavi (Diba)

TEHERAN - Mega Capital of IRAN - photos of Tehran on Worldisround
Amazing IRAN - photos of North Africa/Middle East on Worldisround
Iran - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tehran - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Vanesa]

Of course, I do not deny that the developpement began under Pahlavi rule. That's a fact. An established fact. And another established fact is that Empress Farah's contributions to this developpement, especially in cultural areas were high and decissive.

But I do not thing that frivolity and copying models from the West could brings anything interesting to any Middle East country. To be more clear, I think that even the West is deep in frivolity nowadays, and I, being a Western myself, I'm not proud of it? Why did Iranian boys and girls wanting to put on jeans or adding a piercing to their noses and mouths? It's looking "outdated" not to attack yourself with "Tattoos" and other ugly things? And what about the fashion of showing your navel to everyone (even in the crude time of winter!!! BRRRRR!!! I never could understand that! ) walking in a provocative way and acting like you are a...(well...The word starts with "s", but I don't write it, for it's not good and I don't want to be banned ) . Does young people of Iran feel bad for they can't do all this? My God...

I dont think that you need to be Islamic to like modesty and to think that fashion is a secondary thing. I'm a Catholic and I prize modesty. Besides, I saw recent pics from Iran streets and Iranian women are among the more stylish and elegants of the world. Certainly they wears their heards covered (in most f the cases , not totally covered) and their unique clothes (I'm not speaking about severe chadors, but about moderate hijabs) make them especial, and elegant in a way, we are not. These women had worth on them and have respect to themselves...Sorry, but some young people from today is dressed in an extreme vulgarity. When I see some of them, I believe that they are poor people from some bad neighborhood...and then I know they are sons and daughters of very important and old families Does Iranian young people wanting this for their country? If the answer is yes...Oh, my, my.

I'll see if I'm able to find some of the pictures I'm talking about to you to see. Of course, I also think that Empress Farah taught the women how to be elegant in a discrete and unique way. She was stylish and modest at the same time.

I'm not saying that there is not exces: Extreme black chaddors are not at all beatiful, and the woman lost her personality when dressed with them. But I think that all these extreme examples will disappear with time, and it's a fact that few women are wearing them currently. But some nice, not to extreme hijab are pretty nice. Decency makes a woman more beatiful than she is. Just think about Lady Diana when she was dressed in "Pakistani Way"...Wasn't she lovely? I liked her more when she choose this kind of dresses (or European classical ones) than the rather vulgar semi-rocker, semi-sportive outfits she was wearing at the last days of her life. Of course, I'm not saying that Western women must wear hijab. That's nonsense. Every culture has its own cannons of modesty. But I think that elegant, simple and not too erotic clothes are better than some outfits we are currently seeing in the street.

Vanesa (the old dinosaur):bishop: (The better thing in this world is to know how to laugh of one self. This is good when contra-culture seems to be overthrowning every single value we formerly knew)

[Warren]

This thread is not about tattoos, piercings, vulgar clothing or the deceased Diana, Princess of Wales.
It is for the discussion of the contributions made to the development of Iran by Fawzia, Soraya (and Farah Diba).
Could we stick to the topic please.

thanks,

Warren
Imperial Family of Iran moderator

[Jaya]

While Queen Soraya and Queen Fawzia were exceptionally beautiful they really did not contribute anything tangible except the factuality of their being consorts to the Shah.We would have to research the internal history of Persia at those times they were there to discover if they actually did anything for the nation that can be remembered historically and is documented..There is no evidence to the contrary regarding any contributions to the arts or humanities by either Fawzia or Soraya.
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farah_Pahlavi tells us what we need to know.
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soraya_Esfandiary-Bakhtiari
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawzia_Shirin