In a magnificent funeral, Marzieh, Iranian nation’s treasure trove of art, is laid to rest at Auvers-sur-Oise ceremony
NCRI – The legendary icon of Iranian music, Marzieh, was laid to rest on Monday, October 18, at the Auvers-sur-Oise cemetery, a northern suburb of Paris (near where she lived). She died of cancer at the age of 86 on Wednesday, October 13.
Marzieh epitomized the rebellion of Iranian artists against the mullahs’ sinister religious fascism.
Subsequently, a ceremony was held to pay homage to her memory at the headquarters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Auvers-sur-Oise.
A member of the NCRI, Marzieh was the advisor on artistic affairs to Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the Iranian Resistance’s President-elect. She was also a staunch supporter of the residents of Camp Ashraf, Iraq, home to 3,400 members of the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Multitudes of Iranians of every generation and from many countries, particularly in Europe, attended the ceremony. The large audience spilling over to the street adjacent to the NCRI headquarters paid homage to Marzieh’s unprecedented and brilliant 60-year artistic career, which touched the hearts and minds of tens of millions of Iranians.
As the keynote speaker Mrs. Rajavi paid a moving and emotional tribute to the legendary singer. She described Marzieh as the most outstanding and steadfast “female artist” in the contemporary times, adding: She was a proud and eternal treasure trove of Iranian art, the epitome of Iranian women’s teeming rebellion against stoning and Khomeini’s misogyny, and the most beautiful voice of resistance for freedom. She embodied the defiance of Iranian art and women against the misogynist regime, with which she never compromised.
Mrs. Rajavi said: Marzieh rebelled against the usurpers of Iran and the murderers of Iranian music and arts, endeavoring to rescue our art, culture and history from Khomeini’s pillage. Marzieh unsparingly threw her fame and popularity behind the resistance of Iranian people for freedom, the Iranian Resistance’s President-elect added.
Marzieh lived in Ashraf for many years and championed the cause of its residents until her very last day. The clerical regime imposed enormous pressure on her family when she joined the resistance but she stood firm and refused to surrender.
A large number of distinguished artists, political figures and human rights activists participated in the ceremony and a number of them, including Russ Pople, the principal conductor of the London Festival Orchestra, paid tribute to her. The London Festival Orchestra accompanied Marzieh in many of her concerts, including the 1995 majestic performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
An exhibition showcasing the brilliant career of Marzieh and a video clip from the glorious ceremony held in Ashraf in her honor was put on display.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
October 18, 2010