# Mehrangiz Afnan (1937-2018)

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

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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)*