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Being a Bahá'í and living in Iran has always been a great challenge, even from the inception of this Faith over 168 years ago. It was May 22, 1844 when a young merchant proclaimed Himself to be the Promised Qá'im of Shi'áh Islam, the Return of the 12th Imám (Madhí), and the forerunner of yet another greater than Himself (Bahá'u'lláh). That holy person, Siyyid Alí Muhammad of Shíráz, Persia was better known by His Title The Báb (the Gate), the Prophet-Herald of the Bahá'í Faith. He attracted thousands of Persians to His Cause and for which, the rulers and ecclesiastics of the land persecuted Him and His followers relentlessly, ultimately leading to his martyrdom by firing squad in Tabriz in July 1850. Over 20,000 Bábís were killed during the time of the Báb and throughout the mid-19th Century by mobs incited by the Islamic clergy.
An early follower of the Báb, a young nobleman from Tehran, was also sorely persecuted, starting in 1852-53 with His four month imprisonment in the "Black Pit" of Tehran. His Name was Mirzá Husayn Alí, but we know of Him today by His Title - Bahá'u'lláh (the Glory of God), the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í Faith. For the remaining forty years of Bahá'u'lláh's life, he knew little rest and comfort. He was banished by the Persian government first to Baghdad (1853-63), then to Constantinople (Istanbul) (1863), later to Adrianople (1863-68), and finally to Acre in Palestine (1868-1892). He was to remain a prisoner and exile of the Ottoman Empire until His ascension in 1892.
From that time in the 1840's until today, Bahá'ís living in Iran have faced the scorn, rejection, and persecution of the Islamic authorities, at times the Iranian government, and since 1979, the combined weight of both the Shi'ah clergy and the Islamic Republic of Iran. During 1978 to 1998, more than 200 Bahá'ís have been killed in Iran and thousands more imprisoned. There are numerous accounts of persecutions, murders, disappearances, outright denial of basic rights, unlawful confiscation of property, desecration of burial sites, destruction of holy places, denial of higher education, vilification of young Bahá'í children, terminated employment and pensions - literally a formal, systematic state-sponsored plan to eradicate the Bahá'í Faith from the land of it's birth. Today, the egregious imprisonment of seven Bahá'í leaders of Tehran in Evin Prison in 2008 under the trumped up charges of "espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities, and propaganda against the Islamic Republic", and most recently the fresh accusation of "apostasy" has placed the lives of these innocent men and women in danger of execution. The charge of "corruption on Earth" carries the death penalty. Iran is also considering changing its penal code to include the death penalty for apostasy. None of this bodes well for these seven victims of religious persecution. Acting informally, these "Friends in Iran" served the purpose of providing ad hoc administrative duties for the 300,000 plus Bahá'ís, the largest religious minority living in that country. The Iranian government has produced no evidence to support these charges and have denied the imprisoned Bahá'ís any contact with their attorneys, Shirin Ebadi, the Noble-Laureate champion of human rights in Iran, and Mahnaz Parakand, nor allowed them access to the case documentation. They were tried and convicted of these charges in August 2010 and each received a sentence of 20 years imprisonment, later reduced to 10 years, then reinstated to the original 20 years.
The seven Bahá'ís have now been imprisoned for over three years, deprived of visitation rights with their families and attorney Ebadi, and are living in extremely poor conditions. The women have been confined to a small, singular cell with no bedding, having only a thin blanket at night, no change of clothing, nor proper sanitation. One of the women, Mrs. Kamalabadi, has suffered from pneumonia as a result. Although all captives are surviving, many have aged considerably from the stress of captivity and suffer from malnutrition.
The noted Iranian-Japanese American journalist, Roxana Sabari, imprisoned for several months before her release in 2009, came to know and greatly appreciate the deep faith, sincerity, and resolve of Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi and Mrs. Mahvash Sabet; with whom she spent a brief time in their prison cell. These details are found in Ms. Sabari's book "Between Two Worlds, My Life and Captivity in Iran", © 2010, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY.
Attorney Parakand was recently forced to flee Iran for fear of imprisonment for defending human rights in general and the seven incarcerated Bahá'í leaders.
The most recent details of the plight of the Iranian Bahá'ís may be found on one or more of the websites listed at the bottom of this page.
Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Vahid Tizfahm, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet,Mr. Jamaleddin Khanjani, Mr. Saeid Rezai, and Mr. Afif NaimiTHE RECENT POLITICAL UPHEAVALS: The situation regarding the persecution of the Bahá'ís in Iran and the imprisonment of the seven Bahá'í leaders is not connected in any way to the recent political unrest regarding the Presidental elections of 2009. While the Iranian Bahá'ís are sympathetic to the suffering and persecution of their fellow countrymen, they remain uninvolved in the politics and the popular uprising against the re-election of the incumbent regime of Mahnoud Ahmadinejad. The Bahá'ís are not a part of nor have they ever participated in the public demonstrations for or against the outcome of the 2009 Iranian presidential election. Bahá'ís are persecuted in Iran owing to the fanaticism of the Shi'ah clergy that began with the founding of the Faith in the 19th Century (1844 CE). The Islamic Republic of Iran has sought to "link" the Bahá'ís to the popular demonstrations as further "proof" of their anti-government activities. The majority of ordinary Iranian citizens do not view the Bahá'ís in negative terms. Bahá'u'lláh, the Faith's Founder, expressly forbid the Bahá'ís from any involvement in partisan politics, fanaticism, or violence and to obey the laws of their government. CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTIONS
Our own U. S. Congress has passed a resolution, H. Res. 175, in response to this shameless act by the Iranian authorities. Virginia Congressmen Frank Wolf (VA-10), Jim Moran (VA-8), and Jerry Connolly (VA-11) were three of the many co-sponsors of this resolution. We wholeheartedly thank all three Virginia congressmen and all the other members of the House for their expression of support.
Senate Res. 71 Has been introduced into the U.S. Senate
S. Res. 71, a concurrent resolution to H. Res. 175 regarding the persecution of the Bahá'ís in Iran, was introduced into the U.S. Senate by Senator Wyden of Oregon. The other original cosponsors are Senators Brownback, Menendez, Snowe, and Whitehouse. If you have already written to your U.S. Senators, you need not write to them again. However, if you have not written to your Senators regarding the critical situation in Iran, we urge you to do so immediately and to reference S. Res. 71 in your letter. Of course, if your Senator is already a cosponsor, you should thank him or her for their support. You can track details regarding S. Res. 71 at the following URL: http://iran.bahai.us/s-res-71-on-the-bahais-in-iran You can also track if your Representative is a cosponsor of H. Res. 175 at the following URL: http://iran.bahai.us/hres175-on-the-bahai-in-iran If you have not already written to your Representative, we urge you to do so as soon as possible. What Can You Do? Email Virginia Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner asking for their co-sponsorship of S. Res. 71 in the U.S. Senate. Contact Congressmen Eric Cantor (VA-7) and Bobby Scott (VA-3), depending in whose jurisdiction your reside, and ask them to also co-sponsor H.R. 175 in the House of Representatives.
Visit www.senate.gov or www.house.gov and enter your “zip plus four” code. Click on the homepage for your Senator or Representative. Follow the instructions for sending an email message and ask your House Representative for co-sponsorship of H.R. 175, and for your Senators to co-sponsor S. Res. 71 in the Senate.
Several websites that provide accurate and timely information regarding the persecution of the Iranian Bahá'ís, include:
http://bic.org/areas-of-work/persecution/prosecutor-general-iran-en.pdf Letter from the Bahá'í International Community to the Prosecutor-General of Iran (4 March 2009) |
