Mahdiyeh Rasouli was the deputy of Rahpouyan-e Shohaday-e Khalij-e Fars Boys’ School. Mahdiyeh was a very responsible and well-mannered person. She usually did not take an hour’s leave except in very urgent cases. For example, when her daughter had to have a tonsillectomy, she planned and coordinated with the doctor so that the date of the operation would fall on the weekend and she would take less leave. Sincerity and affection in the workplace were among Mahdiyeh’s characteristics. She never used the school’s facilities for personal purposes. She would even buy gifts for her colleagues on Teacher’s Day at her own expense. This showed her sincerity and affection for other teachers. Students mostly bought gifts for their own teachers on Teacher’s Day, they also bought gifts for Mahdiyeh as the school’s deputy, because Mahdiyeh was very kind and friendly with the students.
Mahdiyeh’s husband says: Mahdiyeh conquered my heart from the very first days of our marriage, with her unique moral qualities. He was highly responsible in his work and never blamed others. He never looked for blame and knew that if there was a problem, instead of arguing, one should look for a solution. This calm and wise approach was his distinctive and enduring characteristic.
Before the attack, she had left the school for a banking matter. Then she received a call. They told her there was no need to return, because the school was going to be closed due to the conditions of war. Her husband says Mahdiyeh did not accept safety as an excuse to abandon her duty. She answered that it was her responsibility to be at the school when the students were handed over to their parents. She quickly finished the job and returned to school. Only minutes after arriving back at the school, she was killed in the missile attack.
Mahdiyeh had two chances before her martyrdom: once because of a bank job that she could not rush, and again when a relative who had gone to take the children to school told her that there was a possibility of an attack and that they should return home, but Mahdiyeh had said: “We have to hand over the last students to their family, then we will go home. If they attack, we will be martyred.” These signs meant that she had been chosen and that God had called her….
Her husband said about his children after their mother’s martyrdom:
“Our son, Mohammad Taha, is in emotional shock. He makes excuses when it comes to eating. He shows his longing with anger and stubbornness. He runs away from anything that reminds him of his mother. He doesn’t even want to come to his mother’s grave. He left the class groups where his friends had sent messages of condolence. He even left the therapy session when his mother was directly mentioned and stopped cooperating. Our daughter Nika is still waiting for her mother to return from school. I have only asked Mahdyeh herself to calm her children down.
Her story is one of quiet duty: a woman who could have stayed away but chose to return because children were still waiting to be taken home.