Mehlagha Mallah, “Mother of Iran’s Environment,” Passes Away
Mehlagha Mallah, founder of the non-governmental environmental organization “Association of Women Fighting Environmental Pollution,” known as the “Mother of Iran’s Environment,” has passed away.
Dr. Mehlagha Mallah, known as the “Mother of Iran’s Environment,” passed away on the morning of Monday (17 Aban) November 8 at the age of 104.
Mehlagha Mallah was born in 1296 (1917) when her parents were traveling in a caravan to Mashhad for pilgrimage, born in an Abbasid caravanserai on the way.
Mehlagha’s father held governmental positions in different cities and therefore lived in various locations. As a result, Mehlagha studied in different cities including Mashhad, Quchan, Isfahan, Damghan, Hamadan, and Kermanshah.
After studying philosophy and social sciences and sociology at Tehran University, Mallah obtained a master’s degree in social sciences. She then went to Paris to continue her studies and studied social sciences at the Sorbonne, returning to Iran with a doctorate degree.
In 1347 (1968), she was appointed as the head of the library of the Institute of Psychological Research.
After her full-time retirement, Mehlagha Mallah devoted all her time to fighting environmental pollution. In 1373 (1994), in collaboration with several university professors interested in the environment, she founded the non-governmental environmental organization “Association of Women Fighting Environmental Pollution.”
During the last two decades of her life, Mehlagha Mallah dedicated herself to teaching housewives and school teachers about environmental awareness through this association. The organization she established opened branches in 16 provinces across Iran.
She also spoke at government conferences. In one such conference titled “Civil Society Covenant with Officials for a Blue Sky,” she proposed the establishment of an environmental ministry. She had said that if Iran had an environmental minister, no one would dare engage in anti-environmental activities.
In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Mallah expressed her wish: “All Iranian people should reach a level of awareness to see how they are destroying their nature. We have approached this issue through various channels. I have been fighting for sixty years and I tell women, it is their right to demand! No one will come and give it to you at home. Every woman must be aware of this issue. I did not study women in the kitchen and in the living room. I have studied women in the cycle of nature. Woman is not a second-class citizen in essence; she is a first-class citizen. And all issues come down to women.”
Source: DW
