Mehrangiz Afnan (1937-2018)
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Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Anonymous, Mehrangiz Afnan (1937-2018), bahai-library.com.
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In Memoriam

Dr. Mehrangiz Afnan

(1937-2018)

Dr. Mehrangiz (Mehri) Afnan was an active and much-appreciated
presenter at the annual programs of the Irfan Colloquium taking
place at Louhelen Bahá’í School in Michigan, United States. She also
served as a reviewer of the articles published in Safiniy-i-Irfan, the
annual publication of the Irfan Colloquium in Persian. A number of
260                                                Lights of Irfán vol. 20

articles written and presented by Dr. Mehri Afnan are published in
different volumes of Safiniy-i-Irfan.

She was born in Tehran, Iran, on 30 October 1937. Her parents
had both grown up in Russia — her father, Abolghasem Kiani, in
Ishqabad and her mother, Monavar Namdar, in Moscow — before
being forced to move to Iran in the early 1930s.

Dr. Mehri Afnan received her medical doctorate from the
University of Tehran and was among a handful of young women who
studied medicine at that time. She then went on to specialize in
pediatrics. She had a tender heart and a great sense of personal
responsibility and was a skilled and conscientious doctor, trusted and
loved by her patients. She met Dr. Muhammad Afnan through Bahá’í
youth activities, and they married in 1961. They had two children,
Elham and Omid.

In 1978, the family moved to Norway to settle there as Bahá’í
pioneers. Shortly after the outbreak of the Islamic Revolution in
January 1979, they were denied a residence permit in Norway, but also
were advised not to return to Iran because of their earlier prominence
in Bahá’í administration. They moved to Canada, settling in the town
of Dundas, where they helped form the Local Spiritual Assembly and
became active and much loved members of the community.

Dr. Mehri Afnan studied the Bahá’í Writings deeply and
extensively. In addition to her native Persian, she also had a good
knowledge of Arabic and English and was an excellent writer and
speaker, writing articles on a variety of Bahá’í topics. She and her
husband complemented each other and collaborated in many areas. In
1987, this couple started the Institute for Bahá’í Studies in Persian in
Dundas, Canada, to continue the services rendered by the Institute of
Advanced Baha’i Studies in Iran. It aimed at promoting and
supporting the study of Bahá’í literature in Persian and Arabic and
became a major publisher of Bahá’í literature in Persian, replacing the
services originally rendered by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust in Iran.

In 1989, this couple were invited to move to the Bahá’í World
Centre in Haifa, where they both served in the Research Department
for the next thirteen years, until 2002. They had the opportunity to
visit the World Center again several times in recent years and worked
on various projects each time, including during the last visit that Dr.
In Memoriam: Mehri Afnan                                             261

Mehri Afnan made alone, in November 2017, a few months after her
husband’s passing.

This couple upon returning to Canada, settled in Mississauga and
once again became enthusiastically involved in Bahá’í activities. They
held regular devotionals and study classes in their home, took part in
outreach activities, and used every opportunity to teach the Faith.
Dr. Afnan also served as members of the Persian Reviewing Panel for
many years.

Dr. Mehri Afnan was a loving and devoted wife, mother, and
grandmother. She was an excellent speaker, writer, and teacher, as
well as a gracious host. Above all, at the center of her life was service
to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. She passed away on 13 August 2018 in
Mississauga, Ontario. The Universal House of Justice expressed its
appreciation of her life and services in a letter written to her family
on its behalf. Irfan Colloquium and its Persian publications are now
deprived of the precious collaboration of a learned and dear
colleague.
-- Mehrangiz Afnan (1937-2018) (Used by permission of the curator)