Anisa Abbas

Mrs. Anisa Abbas passed away of natural causes early in the morning of 13 July 2011. A longtime resident of Nashua, NH, until moving recently to The Elms in Milford, Mrs. Abbas was born 16 May 1925 in Baghdad, Iraq. She came to the United States in 1990, the victim of religious persecution in Iraq, and soon after took up residence in Nashua. A life-long member of the Bahai Faith, Mrs. Abbas will be remembered by her family and friends as a devoted believer in God, and an extremely humble and wise person. Throughout her life, her chief concern was the well-being and happiness of others. Within her family and without, she was looked to for her wise counsel and intelligent advice. As a young woman, she went to Alexandria, Egypt, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Psychology. She also pursued a Master’s Degree in Egypt, completing all of the program’s requirements except a dissertation. While in Egypt, she met her future husband, the late Siddiq Abdul-Majid Sulaiman, also of Iraq and a former Nashua resident, who she married after her return to Baghdad in 1952. Mrs. Abbas worked as a high school teacher for most of her professional life. In that role, she was highly regarded and admired by colleagues and her superiors. She also took part in numerous Bahai activities. Among other things, she was in 1951 among the first women to be elected to a Bahai local Spiritual Assembly in Egypt. She later also served on local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of Baghdad. As a prominent Bahai in Iraq, she was one of a large group that was sent to prison in the 1970s, where she spent nearly seven years, the victim of religious persecution. She was released from prison in the 1980s. Among her many talents was writing. She was a published poet -- although, out of humility, she sent much of her work to magazines anonymously. With the help of her children, she was able to come to the United States in 1990, and there she lived out the remainder of her life, becoming an American citizen and enjoying the love of her children and grandchildren, who she loved especially. She was daughter and oldest child of Abdul-Razzaq Abbas and Zakiya Jameel of Baghdad, Iraq. She is survived by a son, Abir Majid of Minneapolis, MN, and two daughters, Alhan Irwin of Nashua and Ruwa Majid-Pokorny of Durham, NH, along with five grandchildren.