“The Stoning of Soraya M.” tells the story of when French-Iranian journalist, Freidoune Sahebjam, was stranded in a remote Iranian village. Upon arriving in this isolated village, a woman of the name Zahra took an immediate interest in this unknown yet appealing journalist. Suddenly, as the mullah, a Muslim who is trained in the doctrine of Islam and who is head of a mosque, approaches with the mayor of the village, she immediately leaves while speaking slowly amidst her hijab, a head cover worn by Muslim women.

As Zahra leaves, Sahebjam remains allured as to what Zahra whispers to him amidst her hijab. Instantly, the mullah and mayor notice his interest and immediately added, “to not to listen to her, because she is a crazy woman of the village.”

The day continues under the hot Iranian sun and Sahebjam remains sitting in a balcony while his car is being fixed by a local mechanic. While stepping slowly and quietly among the dusty ground, Zahra whispers to the journalist to acquire his attention to her. As he turns, she throws a paper to him; he opens the paper to find a bone and small message within.

 Freidoune Sahebjam instantaneously leaves his balcony to the house of Zahra. She is glad that he has come, but at the same time, is relieved to tell her story to someone who will listen. He asks her why he should believe her, and she replies, “That he will know once she finishes her story.”

He pops the tape into the recorder and the story of Soraya M. begins to unfold. The story of Soraya M. is one that is not simple or easily pain-free to see or understand; it portrays an un-just husband who is yearning to marry a 14-year-old girl and divorce his wife, Soraya.

Keep in mind that the husband of Soraya is in his thirties and longs for a better wife because he feels that Soraya is not giving him “what he wants.” Days later, a neighbor of Soraya becomes a widower, unfortunately, his wife has past and needs to be consoled.

The mullah and mayor decide that Soraya can take care of her neighbor by performing house-hold duties until he is mentally and physically stable to take over the household. Zahra agrees for Soraya and suggests that she be paid adequately for her new “job.” The men of the village agree to her plea and Soraya becomes the new house-hold caretaker.

Upon becoming the new caretaker, her husband constructs an evil plan to get rid of his wife, Soraya. He thinks that Soraya should be convicted of committing adultery and this, at first, does not fall easily within the mind of the mullah.

But as the plan continues, the mullah and husband forcefully receive a confession from her neighbor that she not only cleans his house, but naps on his bed and tells him things that only a husband should hear. The men of the town are filled with rage and resentment for Soraya and conduct a town meeting as to what her punishment should be. They decide that she should be convicted with the highest form of execution: stoning.

 Imagine the number of cases similar to that of Soraya’s where women are wrongfully convicted of committing adultery behind their husband’s backs.

“Despite denials, untold numbers of people, mostly woman, continue to be put to death by stoning in many countries around the world,” the finishing credits of the movie informs the viewers.

This movie is based on a true story in 1986, and it was directed by an Iranian-American director Cyrus Nowrasteh. In an interview with a CNN British anchor, Nowrasteh stated, “The realization is that this is still going on; it is continuously on-going. Unfortunately, women are second and third class citizens, and with that, we tried to portray the movie the best we can.” 

“The Stoning of Soraya M.” will continue to open the eyes and minds of people from all over the world. It will help society become aware of the mistreatment of women.There are hundreds of women each year who are stoned, most are falsely accused.

In 1986, a Fundamentalist Islamic mob justice in Khomeini-era dictated Iran. Not only is stoning allowed in Iran, but it is also allowed in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and Somalia.

Stoning is not solely the only form of execution for women, but also public hanging is commonly used as well.

Public hanging and public stoning of women is widely accepted by various Islamic countries, and is glorified by many Muslim men that proclaim it is the law of Islam.

Nonetheless, many men surround the event as if they were watching a soccer game, and they proclaim that “justice has prevailed” and “God is law!”

It was reported according to the Web site www.examiner.com, that Fox News explained, the “majority of Muslims would favor changing current laws in their countries to allow stoning as punishment for adultery, hand amputation for theft and death for those who convert from Islam to their religion.”

Overall, women are living under strict and corrupted regimes that do not allow them to have a “voice” in their daily lives. Public stoning and hanging are harsh consequences for actions that they may or may not have taken part in.