The Bahá’ís have been in the news out of Iran and neighboring regions.

I could go on about the governmental angle but my real focus is the experience and attitudes of people. This isn’t just about government oppressions and fanatical theologies to hold onto power. This is really about bias and oppression of a minority that becomes increasingly visible – something you heard about as children and youth and something you had a chance to see for yourselves. In Debating Muslims[1], one of the authors reviews his youthful pranks and how he grew up and did more serious things. This isn’t about government policies – this is about children and youth and what’s ok to make fun of.

Well maybe it’s about government a little bit. We still see government policies subverting their own rules to systematically denigrate and attempting to dismantle the Bahá’í community. We see allegations of Bahá’í involvement with other powers still being promulgated even as we did a century ago. And in all the world we see this mostly from Iran. In Iran we see testimony like Eliz Sanasarian who says [2] “Of all non-Muslim religious minorities the persecution of the Bahais has been the most widespread, systematic, and uninterrupted.… In contrast to other non-Muslim minorities, the Bahais have been spread throughout the country in villages, small towns, and various cities, fueling the paranoia of the prejudiced.” Just to the north in Turkmenistan we  see that though Perestroika took hold across the Soviet block, and the Bahá’í community of Ashgabat in Turkmenistan was the first to reform its institutions, had doubled its numbers from 1989 to 1991, and had successfully registered with the city government of Ashgabat but still the national government of Turkmenistan revised it’s religious registration laws such that by 1997 it forced the de-registration of the Bahá’ís along with several other religious communities and more than just being unable to form administrative institutions, own properties like temples, and publish literature, perform scholarly work and community service projects - their membership in a religion is simply unrecognized, the religion is considered banned, and homes are raided for Bahá’í literature.[3] Moving further northwest we have the situation in Uzebekistan – news reports mention how a government official thinks Bahá’ís “can drink tea – that’s not forbidden” but banishes others and a government policy apparently forced cable television operators to air what they knew was propaganda. But at least Bahá’ís are able to be registered and operate their eight local communities. And then we see in Kazakhstan, another step further north west, a somewhat hostile atmosphere demanding national and local registration but there are at least 25 communities so registered and no talk of banishment and propaganda.[4]

I think it is fair to say that when the great well known religions were young they all went through some stages before they were able to establish themselves in a civilization, a way of life among the people. The Founders of the religion were dealt with painfully and their followers were killed in number. But a student of these histories may know of different times when things were done less viciously. These events in modern day Iran do not compare with the burning of Christians to provide light as was done in early Rome.[5] The comparable period of the Bahá’í Faith is past. This isn’t the somewhat disinterested concern over weirdness in a community as in the case of Emperor Trajan [6] against the Christians. That seems more like what Stalin did – it didn’t matter what we believed, we were just different but left alone if we were unobtrusive. Perhaps this is more like “Diocletian’s preference for activist government, combined with his self-image as a restorer of past Roman glory, presaged the most pervasive persecution (of Christianity) in Roman history.”[7]

But let’s broaden the view here. Bahá’ís are interested in fairness – not regime change. We’ve lived and died under harsher abuse when we were blown from cannons and danced with lit candles carved in our skins, or when the Stalinist Soviets broke up small cities of Bahá’ís. We didn’t foment rebellion. But most Bahá’ís are not Persian or in Iran and haven’t been for a long time. One can quote statistics – that according to the Britannica Book of the Year (1992–present) the religion is the second most widespread of the world’s independent religions in terms of the number of countries represented. Or that for at least 35 years Christian evangelist sources known to favor counting Christians above other groups still noted the religion as among the fastest growing religions in the world – it certainly hasn’t been growing in Iran! But I believe statistics don’t matter much to most people. They just take up alittle air time to say but don’t impress upon people a grasp of what’s really going on. Children would still pick on children who are different. Youth would roll by in small gangs still pushing around kids who are different. But these children and youth grow up alittle more and encounter things not just in their backyard. So I urge people to examine their belief by exploring the depth and breadth of the community represented in these and other statistics. Pick a country – any country – and see if you can find the Bahá’ís there, something of their history there, the experience of the local people who’s heritage is in that spot. Some of this can be seen on Wikipedia but there are depths far beyond what can be reviewed in a dry semi-acadmic summary of what others say. There are parents, young love, and children, there is art and acts of service, there may be a change in outlook and behavior here and there. Is this the spreading of corruption or the bending of knee and grasping of hands to work together? Christians were judged weird and dedicated by ancient thinkers.[8] Perhaps we honor that heritage? Though barely established Bahá’ís helped in the 2010 Haiti earthquake just as we did in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake just as we do in India, Bolivia, Zambia, Czech….

References

1. Debating Muslims, pages 48–54, 222–250.

2. Religious minorities in Iran, page = 53, 80

3. The letters of the younger Pliny, page 295.

4. Bahá’í Faith in Turkmenistan

5. Bahá’í Faith in Kazakhstan

6. The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 15#44

7. Lane Fox, Robin. Pagans and Christians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986. ISBN 0-394-55495-7, page 595.

8. Backgrounds of early Christianity, page 601

Beyond our culture of contest lies a different kind of democracy: gentle, just and… inevitable.

“Beyond King of the Mountain” is a documentary short about democratic governance outside of the “Western Liberal” model. Particularly poignant for those who are thinking of what democracy would mean in the Middle East, it features interviews with: Iraj Abedian, Nick Binedell, Gregory Dahl, Adam Habib, Michael Karlberg and Xolela Mangcu and appearances by Gordon Brown and Nelson Mandela.

For more information, to buy the DVD, or to download the study guide visit beyond.doubletake.tv

According to the Baha’i leadership studies, Iraq is home to less than 2,000 Baha’is, spread all across the country. In 1970, Iraq banned the Baha’i Faith, and in 1975 there was a subsequent decision of prohibiting the issuance of identification documents to Baha’is. In 2007 the government abolished the Ministry of Interior’s decision of 1975, but to date issued only about six or seven Baha’i identity papers. Baha’is still have “Muslim” in their IDs since the 1975 decision that forced them to change their documents.

Iraqi law recognized the non-Muslim sects in Iraq in a statement by court No. 6 in 1917. Articles 13, 16 and 17 of the statement contains the provision to register the personal status of Iraqis according to the minority group that he belong to.

Since that date, the courts began to ratify civil marriage contracts of Baha’is, which were performed under the religious law of the Baha’i Faith. This was further strengthened in the Iraqi Constitution, which in 1925 recognized freedom of religion and belief. This provided the Baha’is with the opportunity to complete the establishment of a National Spiritual Assembly and Local Spiritual Assemblies, publicly establish their headquarters in Alhaidar, and to live according to their religious principles, including social involvement and activities. In 1936 the Iraqi Ministry of Interior issued an Official Guide explicitly recognizing the Baha’is as one of the minority groups in Iraq (Arabs and Kurds, and other folks … In Iraq, Muslims, Christians, Israelites and Yazidi, Sabean and a few of the Baha’i and the Magi), and stated again that they are guaranteed liberties by the Constitution. The Baha’is continued to interact in Iraqi social life and enjoy freedom to practice their religious and social practices in harmony with the rest of the society in Iraq.

Following the Baathist coup in 1963, the new leaders have drastically limited the freedoms previously guaranteed to the Iraqi citizens. The new regime began with attempts to prevent Baha’i activity in Iraq in 1967. The suffering of Baha’is began to escalate; Baha’i became subjected to maltreatment and prisons. This culminated in the decision of the Directorate of Civil Status No. 358 24 / 7 / 1975 that stopped allowing to register Baha’is in the records of civil status.

Baha’is used to obtain a certificate of citizenship that stated “Baha’i” in the field of religion up until 1975. Then they were denied registration of marriages in the records of civil status, and denial of Baha’i identity card or a copy of registration for the record. New births were not registered, and thus Baha’is were deprived of the right to have a passports and employment, entrance to universities, and buying and selling homes and property, forcing some of them to change the field of religion to :Muslim”. This is incompatible with the simplest principles of human rights, and not in line with the constitutions in Iraq, which emphasizes the freedom of belief, stating in Article (40): “Iraqis are free to make personal commitments, according to their religions, sects, beliefs or choices, and be regulated by law.”

Is it conceivable that the Iraqi society before eighty year ago was a more tolerant and civilized society than it is now? Where is the democracy and justice our Iraqi leaders promised us? Do not Baha’is deserve the rights given to big players in the political game, or will they have the same fate of other minorities in Iraq like bombings, death and neglect?

References
1-al-sabah Iraqi newspaper
2-iraqi religions encyclopedia
3-bahi in Iraq -Wikipedia

Twitter is a great tool for raising awareness about all kinds of human rights violations. For one of our projects, the Muslim Network for Baha’is Rights, we’ve created this app that tracks tweets about Baha’i human rights abuses in real time and displays them on a map or as a list. We’ve previously created a similar app showing tweets from the Middle East on a map, which allows you to see what people are talking about in different parts of the region.

We hope that you would find it useful.

We conducted an interview with Foad a few months ago where he introduced himself as the following:

My name is Foad. I was born in one of the little towns of the Mazandaran province, which is located in Northern Iran in June 1987 (month of Khordad, year 1366 according to the Iranian calendar), but I was brought up in Tehran. Due to the numerous problems Baha’is face in furthering their education in Iran, I took refuge in Turkey when I was 16, and at the moment I am a student of electrical engineering in the USA. From the early years of my childhood, I have adored Iranian traditional music, and I play Persian musical instruments. However, at the moment I find that the Rap genre is best suited for me to express my inner feelings. My efforts are mostly focused on addressing the problems of religious and ethnic minorities – especially the Baha’is – through my songs.

We had sent a copy of the video to Foad, and he liked it enough to remix the music and add relevant vocals to the background. The result is amazing and you may listen to it here:

You may download the audio here.

If you would like to find out more about him, please read this interview.

To truly explore the amount of abuse the Iranian regime has been committing against the Baha’i minority in Iran, please explore this extensive timeline.

For the past 30 years, followers of the Baha’i Faith in Iran have been lynched, falsely imprisoned, vilified and driven out of their homes. Baha’i children have been deprived of their right to an education, adults have been prevented from earning a livelihood and thousands of families had their properties illegally confiscated by the government.

But the Iranian regime would have us believe that its the innocent party in these circumstances. It continues to deny that it harbors any intentions to eradicate the Baha’i community, while employing all possible means to slander and denigrate the memories of its victims. We need to fight for their human rights.

We are Muslims for Baha’i human rights.

Shahriar’s newest artwork is from a  series called “The Truth behind the persecution.” This is an interview sound artwork about Human Rights violations against the Baha’is in Iran.

Shahriar’s most recently exhibited his artwork in an international show in Poznan, Poland in March 2009. The exhibition titled “STAND-UP Art about Human Rights”, focused on human rights through art. It reflected the growing need for acceptance of, and respect for diversity, dialogue and social engagement. The show comprised the work of 11 artists and activists from different countries, societies and cultures. More information about the STAND UP exhibition can be found at:
http://hrart.wordpress.com/category/stand-up-artists/

As a Baha’i, I am grateful for the friends from the MideastYouth.com and Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights for coming up with the idea and organizing the Baha’i Rights day, which was also made possible with the enormous help of our friends at Iran Press Watch. The idea was simple: get the #BahaiRights hashtag* (see note below) trending on Twitter, meaning, make the the Baha’i Rights one of the top 10 most frequent topics on Twitter, so that people’s attention is drawn to the issue of Baha’i persecutions in Iran and Egypt. Later, this idea expanded to Facebook and blogs to spread the awareness across the entire web. I got the insider view of the campaign as I was helping a little, and so I wanted to write a couple of insights about it.

It seems that universe made a small conspiracy against this effort: the date that was originally chosen, July 9, which is a Baha’i holy day commemorating the Martyrdom of the Bab, also coincided with the 10th anniversary of the student uprising in Iran, 18 Tir. The decision was made to move the date of the campaign to July 11, and so we had to spread the word, and make sure that the Twitterverse, the Blogality, and The Facebookers all know when to raise their voices (or for some who have been talking about this for a while, raise the volume). July 11 was also the date when the seven Baha’i leaders held in the Evin prison were scheduled to go on trial. If I remember correctly, there were only about couple weeks of planning with folks extremely busy: traveling and taking exams, so there was no time to produce a new video clip. However, a simple, but effective web page was built for the occasion, featuring the earlier video, Safeguard the Innocent.

On the actual 11th July, Twitter failed us because a couple of crucial contributor’s hashtags were not working. However, a big discussion of #BahaiRights was generated on Twitter, with various religions and nationalities participating. According to Esra’a Al Shafei, the director of MideastYouth.com, we had at least 4 religions represented. People generated approximately 1.400 tweets in at least 7 languages, and over 4.700 people joined a Facebook group dedicated to the cause. It was very heartening to see all the diverse friends tweeting in support of Baha’i Rights. Possibly because of this buzz, Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish at The Atlantic Monthly featured the Safeguard the Innocent video clip. I learned about through a friend who sent me a message via Twitter, saying, you surely saw this. I didn’t. It was the most amazing surprise and a reward.

Things that worked great:

• Having a central webpage for the campaign where we could point people to
• Having a powerful video clip as a symbol of the campaign
• Choice of a meaningful date (the date of the trial)
• Cooperation between diverse friends over several continents and very short time

Now, couple notes for future about running an online campaign:

• Test Twitter hashtags for key accounts several days before the event (it can take Twitter support several days or up to a week to fix the issue)
• Pre-prepare high quality tweets that include facts, quotes, links, and stories
• Be clear on what action can other people take to help
• Include tips on tweeting, retweeting, and hashtags for those new to Twitter
• Establish additional goals of the campaign (i.e. find 1,000 people to sign Amnesty’s petition, etc.)
• Make a list of human rights activists to contact, and notify them about the event beforehand, so they can give their support

The Baha’i Rights day was not limited to only Baha’is, or only Muslims, but participants were from all over the world representing diverse religions and personal beliefs. We envision a similar day for the Sunnis in Iran, and for the Kurds who continue to struggle for their rights throughout the Middle East.

*For people not familiar with Twitter, hashtags are a way of marking up keywords on Twitter that enable others to easily find tweets with topics of interest.

I care because i am a Baha’i, and my identity is not clearly defined along national boundaries. There is me, ever changing, shaped by influences that I choose. Many of these influences come from Middle East, and further. And, my ambition is not to comment on Middle East or Iran. I just want to reflect on a a short clip was posted on youtube, and made its way to me via Twitter in the days leading up to the #iranelection This clip surprised me and touched my heart deeply.

It showed people marching in the streets in Tehran, chanting words that someone had to translate for me: “Baha’is, we support you! People of Truth (Sufis), we support you! Zoroastrians, we support you!” At that moment I knew that something special and extraordinary was happening in Iran: to my knowledge this was an unprecedented public display of support for Baha’is, who are the largest religious minority in Iran, and one most severely persecuted.

Baha’is are denied education, prevented from conducting business, arrested under the most ridiculous pretexts, thrown into jail, and faced with accusations from grave to ridiculous: spreading corruption on earth, spying for Israel, running the BBC, and orchestrating the current unrest. Baha’i cemeteries have been destroyed and desecrated, including the grave of holy Quddus, a hero martyr of the faith; Baha’i houses burnt, one of the places of pilgrimage, the house of Bab in Shiraz, destroyed.

If so many people marched in the streets of Tehran and publicly shouted support for Baha’is, then it is a sign of great hope. That short clip communicated to me so much desire for change that no #CNNfail breaking news could, and I felt a connection with the people there, not entirely rational connection, but with a couple of reasons.

One reason was because I participated in demonstrations once too, during the Czech Velvet Revolution, back in the old days before I discovered the Baha’i faith and its strict rule of non-involvement in politics. I still remember the thrill of the experience. I remember making a choice, that I did not know where it would lead, but knew I had to make: to participate, and luckily, it turned out all good.

Second reason is because of already mentioned fluid identity. You know one of those slogans on Twitter was “today we are all Iranians,” one one level, you could say this is really corny. After all, what do hipsters in California know about hijab and moral police? But on one level, it was also true, in the sense that we all can share a kinship based on values such as freedom and justice, whether hippies in Berkeley, revolutionaries in Czech Republic, or freedom fighters in Iran. And in the same way that there is no line drawn on the surface of the earth that demarcates the countries, there is no compartment in me saying you are this or that. I am influenced by those I connect with, and I connect with those who fight fear, who fight for peace, who fight for justice.

I keep the people of Iran in my prayers daily.

In order to confront these allegations, 18 year old Adib Masumian wrote a book titled, “Debunking the Myths” in which he analyzes and refutes the accusations made against the Baha’i Faith. Adib kindly consented to an interview on the claims made against Baha’is, and how he addresses them in his book.

What sparked you into writing “Debunking the Myths”?

I had been noticing an increasing number of Muslims on the Internet stating that the Bahá’í Faith was a creation of the Russians and, more than anything else, that we were Zionists. This was about a year ago and I hadn’t done research on this subject, but I still knew that these claims were totally false. I wanted to refute those errors with evidence because the idea that we were a secretly Israeli or Russian movement came across as absolutely ridiculous to me.

So the first thing I did was look for a paper on the subject by a Bahá’í scholar. I ended up finding a 6-page essay by Dr. Moojan Momen, a great scholar and historian, through a friend. It’s entitled Conspiracies and Forgeries: the attack upon the Baha’i community in Iran and it originally appeared in a journal known as Persian Heritage. It was very concise and did a great job analyzing the inconsistencies of the claims, but I really wanted something bigger than 6 pages so that I could educate myself further and then share whatever I glean from my studies with others. But to my surprise, I couldn’t find anything bigger than Dr. Momen’s paper.

That’s what inspired me to use elements of his paper as well as conduct some research on my own and create a Wikipedia article that eventually became my book, Debunking the Myths. I wanted there to be a work that assessed the historical nature of the most prevalent claims leveled against the Baha’is, and that’s basically why I wrote it.

When it comes to discourse against the Baha’i Faith within Muslim circles, much of the criticism is not directed towards its core tenets, but rather to its supposed ties to foreign powers. How effective has that argument been in causing fear and mistrust of Baha’is?

Well, not as effective as one would think given the degree of emphasis the Iranian government places on our alleged historical ties. A significant majority might have believed these supposed ties prior to the Iranian Revolution in 1979, but the advent of the Islamic republic led to over a couple million people fleeing Iran to this day. Those expatriates have generally discovered the truth for themselves since they no longer had the falsehoods of the influential mullahs on their backs. I am also sure that many people currently living in Iran don’t believe these theories either as a lot of Iranians have grown tired of and even angry with their government over the years and this has led to widespread mistrust between the government and the people they govern. But of course, there are always the uneducated ones who continue to believe the words of the mullahs, and they are generally poor and don’t have the means to receive news through any other source but the clerics.

In the West, however, I’m positive that this nonsense has more or less lost its value, but it is still held valid by some Iranians. I think that’s why Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike should know the full background behind their charges.

The accusations that Baha’is engage in espionage activities did not spring out of a vacuum. What factors led to their coming into being and being so widely believed?

Well we are a post-Islamic religion that was conceived in an Islamic society, so I would think that these accusations were one way to dehumanize us and eliminate a perceived “threat” to national security and stability. Just stating that we were infidels might not have been sufficient; influential clerics in Iran would need some more substance to their claims. As a result, I think this drove them to pursue something more tangible than theology, and that’s history. By fabricating their own history and using it against us in this light, the mullahs created claims that could appeal to those who weren’t even attached to a conservative Islamic ideology.

So now that this method had been devised, they began preaching these lies from their pulpits and newspapers to the masses all across Iran. One notable incident involves a cleric by the name of Falsafi. During Ramadan of 1955, Falsafi held “radio sermons” which were filled with slander against the Bahá’ís. Allegations of involvement with foreign powers also became a part of his sermons. I think these sermons became hammered into peoples’ heads and they were passed on for a couple of generations; but as I said earlier, I think this tactic is thankfully beginning to fade away due to an increase in independent investigation of truth. I’m hopeful that my book will also contribute to that process.

Baha’is are mainly accused of serving the interests of three groups: the Russians, the British and the Zionists. Let’s start with Russians. The accusations are built on a book titled “Memoirs of Prince Dolgorukov”. Tell us more about this book.

The Memoirs of Prince Dolgorukov are supposed to be the recollections of a certain Prince Dolgorukov, who served as the Russian ambassador to Persia from 1846 to 1854. But from the very beginning, it is painfully obvious that this was a poorly-crafted forgery done by mullahs. It is filled to the brim with historical inaccuracies. For example, it states that Dolgorukov first came to Persia in 1834 as a translator for the Russian embassy. Dr. Moojan Momen has proven that Dolgorukov did not arrive at Persia until 1846, and he did this by perusing the actual Russian archives and reading up on almanacs about him. Elsewhere, the memoirs state that Dolgorukov intimately knew the Báb – founder of the Bábi Faith, precursor to the Bahá’í Faith – and that Dolgorukov would write his texts for him and have the Báb sign them to make them look authentic. But this is impossible because even as late as 1847, three years after the Báb’s proclamation of prophethood, Dolgorukov had no idea what the Bábis were all about. He actually compared their mission to those of early European communists!

It also has other grave errors as well, like stating that certain people were doing certain things when the people in question were either young children or dead. The most eminent Iranian historians, such as Abbas Iqbal Ashtiani, have denounced the memoirs as an absolute forgery. Even one historian who was publicly opposed to the Faith, Ahmad Kasravi, admitted this.

If this book has been proven to be a work of forgery, why is it still touted as authentic?

Actually, I don’t hear very many people these days refer to the Dolgorukov memoirs unless they want to compare it to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in terms of historical accuracy. I’m not even sure if very many people living in Iran still take their contents seriously because they’re just so absurd. Like I said, credible historians have denounced the memoirs over the decades as totallhoy fake and that has substantially helped dissipate many rumors related to it. Of the three accusations you enumerated earlier – Russians, British, and Zionists – you will probably hear “Russians” the least of the three. The memoirs might have been hot almost 70 years ago when they were first forged, but as of now they’re really nothing more than a laughingstock. But nonetheless, I do analyze many of the claims put forth by the memoirs in my book individually and assess their veracity using Dr. Momen’s extensive research, and that should pretty much clear up anything in the air on the subject.

Another popular conspiracy theory is that the earliest disciples of the faith were British spies. On what grounds are these claims based?

The claims specifically about the earliest disciples being tied to the British are bogus. They’re not historically accurate in the least. That rumor largely comes from an alleged meeting between a follower of the Báb and a certain British general named Arthur Conolly. The objective of this meeting was apparently to forge a conspiracy to undermine Shi’a Islam. The evidence for all of this is supposed to be located in one of Conolly’s books, according to a Persian historian. However, someone discovered that no such event is to be found in that book as well as the fact that this meeting never actually took place. As a result, that rumor quickly lost credibility in academic circles.

But since we’re on the subject of Britain, it should be noted that people usually refer to the knighthood of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, second leader of the Bahá’í Faith, as “evidence” that we have political ties to the British. This knighthood took place in 1920 and was actually bestowed upon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá because he helped alleviate a famine around the then Palestinian cities of Haifa and Akká during World War I. He did this by teaching people in the area how to cultivate grain, and they would then distribute it across the region. However, your average Iranian who has been told of the knighthood story doesn’t know about this history, and that’s why the allegations of British ties are still rampant in their thinking when it comes to the Bahá’í Faith.

Of course, Russia and Britain are no longer the great big nemeses; that position is now held by Zionists. What evidence do they rely on in making such accusations?

You’re very right about that, and the answer can be summed up in three words: location, location, location.

I think the thought process here goes something like this: “The Bahá’í holy sites are in Israel, therefore they must be Zionists.” Well our holy sites are indeed in today’s Israel, but we are by no means Zionists. The truth of the matter is that the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u'llah, was exiled to successive regions of the Middle East by the Persian Shah and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire until he finally arrived at the Palestinian city of Akká, where he died in 1892. His passing at that location, as well as the fact that Baha’u'llah pitched a tent on Mount Carmel and even revealed a tablet to his followers there, explains why we chose today’s Israel as our religion’s center.

But what the uneducated Iranians don’t realize is that having our shrines there doesn’t necessarily make us Zionists, because that would in fact make Muslims Zionists as well since holy sites such as the Dome of the Rock are located there! In reality, when Baha’u'llah died in Akká in 1892, there was no Israel. That land was Palestine, and it remained as such until Israel was partitioned in 1947. Since there was no Israel when significant Bahá’í events took place in that area, that automatically renders all Israel-related issues, including Zionism, irrelevant.

Attacks against Baha’is are not limited to their supposed ties to foreign powers, but it’s also alleged that they held close ties with the regime of the former Shah, and that they actively collaborated with the Shah’s notorious secret police. How would you respond to such accusations?

People are beginning to allege that members of the Shah’s cabinet more and more nowadays, and because of that I’m really glad you raised this question. There are a few Iranian politicians that have always been rumored to be Bahá’ís who never actually declared themselves as such. One example is the late Prime Minister, Amir Abbas Hoveida. Hoveida’s grandfather was an early Bahá’í in the time of Baha’u'llah. Hoveida’s father was also a Bahá’í up until the early 1920s when he became detached from the Faith and instead became increasingly interested in politics. From that point onward he had nothing to do with the Bahá’í Faith, and since his son was an infant at the time, he never received any Bahá’í education. Hoveida’s brother even stated that he had not heard of the word “Bahá’í” until he was 14, and even then he learned of its meaning from a friend. In reality, Hoveida was actually a Freemason, never a Bahá’í. There are a few other individuals who worked in the Shah’s cabinet that were always rumored Bahá’ís during their terms, but almost all of them actually came from Bahá’í families and never declared themselves as Bahá’ís. Bahá’ís are not even allowed to accept political positions, and this makes these accusations look even more ridiculous.

There are also a few who say that Bahá’ís worked in the Shah’s secret police, known as SAVAK, but SAVAK was actually influenced by multiple anti-Bahá’í groups, one of them being the infamous Hojattiyeh. For this reason, SAVAK also targeted many Bahá’í individuals. When one reflects on that, the notion of Bahá’ís persecuting other Bahá’ís – an already harassed minority – becomes absolutely absurd.

What steps can be taken to counter these claims?

People can counter the claims by educating themselves about their historical nature and sharing this new knowledge with others. Everything has a history to it. I’ve given most of the answers to these common discrepancies here in this interview, but I go in further detail and extensively reference all of my research in Debunking the Myths. This is obviously a biased opinion, but I really think it’s a $10 well-spent. If Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís can properly arm themselves against these charges, then I strongly feel that they will be dissipated in due time. Who knows? Maybe Iranians will read the book and share it with their relatives in Iran. They could then spread it among themselves and the Iranians masses could became aware of the reality of these claims soon enough.

You can purchase “Debunking the Myths” online and for only $9.95!

Crossposted on BahaiRights.org

But the response to the persecution is also marked by the innovative use of creative media in outreach efforts. One such effort is the recently released song, “Persecution” by Elika Mahony. Elika, whose great uncle was executed after refusing to recant his faith, dedicates the song to all those who have suffered and continue to suffer because of their steadfastness in their beliefs.

You can download the song and share it with your friends and family, feature it on your blog and help spread the word out.

Crossposted on BahaiRights.org

The usual accusations Iranian officials have made against Baha’is (supporting Zionism and insulting religious sanctities) are ridiculous in themselves. But some of the accusations leveled against Baha’is cross over into the realm of bizarreness:

• One of the accusations made against the NSA members in 1981 was “Sending or receiving reports containing code words such as ‘Amoo jan’ [Dear Uncle] etc. in various languages to the House of Justice in Haifa”
• In 1982, Tuba Za’irpur was charged with “not being married”.
• In 1996, two men from Mashhad were arrested while conducting a children’s art exhibition, and charged with…”working against the country’s security by organizing a children’s art exhibit”

Recently, it came to our attention that Iranian media has been making claims that the arrested Baha’i leaders had “sophisticated communications devices” in their possession. Given the authority’s track record, we can only imagine what the real-case scenario was:

Iran’s Deputy Prosecutor has announced that the case against the Baha’i leaders has been prepared, and will likely appear in court in the upcoming days. The likelihood of their receiving a fair trial is negligible, yet it is not too late for us to take action.

The Baha’i International Community addressed an eloquent letter to Ayatollah Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi refuting the allegations made against Baha’is and extending a hand for communication. You can read it here (PDF)

For the past 30 years, followers of the Baha’i Faith in Iran have been lynched, falsely imprisoned, vilified and driven out of their homes. Baha’i children have been deprived of their right to an education, adults have been prevented from earning a livelihood and thousands of families had their properties illegally confiscated by the government.

But the Iranian regime would have us believe that it’s the innocent party in these circumstances. It continues to deny that it harbours any intentions to eradicate the Baha’i community, while employing all possible means to slander and denigrate the memories of its victims. And unfortunately, there are many who believe the Iranian government’s narrative and feel the persecution is justified. And just as alarming, there are many who fail to fully grasp the intensity of the injustices wrought against Baha’is.

In order to confront that, we felt that the best strategy would be to allow the actions of the Iranian government to speak for themselves. We made a resolve that the stories of those who have lost their lives and suffered will not be forgotten.

Several months ago, we began creating a timeline that documents violations that have been perpetrated against Baha’is in the past 30 years, from executions, to arrests, expulsions and desecration. Our aim is for the timeline to function as a living record of the atrocities that have been committed, and a reminder of the heavy toll of silence in the face of grave human rights abuses

To browse through the timeline more conveniently, we encourage you to view it in full screen mode. You can also view the timeline in the form of a list, a flipbook or a map.

Get Involved

Although we strove to be as thorough as possible, we are aware that our timeline is not comprehensive. Many incidents are not reported, or are insufficiently documented, and so we ask you to collaborate with us in completing the timeline. Whether you have a personal story that you wish to add, or wish to provide further details on a recorded incident, submit your account to us and we will be sure to update the timeline accordingly.

We were very meticulous in our research, and worked diligently to verify all accounts on the timeline. The following sources were used in our research:

• Reports by Human Rights Activists in Iran
• Omid: a memorial in defence of human rights
• The International Religious Freedom report
• Annual reprts by the Baha’i International Community
• Iran Press Watch

That the citizens of Iran have had their rights violated by the Iranian regime is a well-documented fact, but what distinguishes the persecution of Iranian Baha’is is that the government refuses to acknowledge their legitimacy as a community. Since the Islamic Revolution:

• Over 200 Baha’is have been killed, the majority of whom were executed after refusing to recant their faith.
• The government has made no effort to investigate attacks against members of the Baha’i community, let alone prosecute its perpetrators.
• Prominent Baha’i sites have been demolished (and in some cases replaced with Islamic centers) and shrines and cemeteries have been desecrated.
• In fact, the government has adopted a policy by which it denies Baha’is access to education, employment and any “position of influence”.

Najafabadi went on to state that the government offers Baha’is “a variety of services”. In light of the above we ask, “What services?”

The arrested 7 are in fact members of “the Friends”, an informal society that oversaw the needs of the Baha’i community in Iran. The group is described as informal because in 1983, after executing all members of two consecutive National Spiritual Assemblies, the Iranian government placed a ban on all Baha’i institutions and activities.

Accusations that Baha’is collaborate with foreign powers are not new and in fact have been circulating since the early years of the Faith’s inception. The Baha’i Faith was said to have been a Russian creation in order to undermine Iran, and its leaders were accused of being British spies who were involved in elaborate plots to establish a puppet regime. Today, the accusations of the past have been forgotten in favour of a more convenient narrative: that Baha’is are agents of Zionism.

The strongest “evidence” given to support the claim that Baha’is are Israeli spies is the presence of the Universal House of Justice  in Israel, ignoring the fact that it was occasioned by the expulsion of Baha’u'llah to Acre, which was then under Ottoman rule.

The fate that will befall the arrested 7 is unknown, but due to the serious nature of the charges brought against them, they face the threat of execution.

Last August, the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights released a short clip on the persecution of Baha’is in Iran, and concluded it with a message that,”If we do not speak up on behalf of the Baha’is and break the silence, the government will suffocate them, to their very last breath, and we will see horrors we do not wish to see. We cannot let this happen”

That message is even more urgent today.

We’re constantly thinking of ways we can prevent the consistent human rights abuses of the Baha’i minority in Iran beyond what we do online; if interested in helping out please let us know on info[at]bahairights.org

Note: BahaiRights.org is now also on Twitter, as are some of our other projects.

With these claims being circulated by respected scholars and clerics, it only follows that the public at large would take them to be true. Direct interaction with members of other faiths can no doubt lead to the dispelling of held misconceptions, but as Baha’is aren’t a visible minority in most countries, the Internet can fill up the void and facilitate communication.

Dr Susan Maneck, a Baha’i scholar, has started a blog in which she hopes to engage Muslims in dialogue and respond to some of the pressing concerns they might have. She says of her blog:

The purpose of this blog is to promote Muslim-Baha’i understanding, to provide Muslims with accurate information on where Baha’is stand on issues which are important to them and to refute some of the common distortions and misconceptions people have about the Baha’i Faith in the Middle East. I’m hoping this blog will be able to approach these issues in a positive manner which will be edifying for both communities.

Be sure to drop by her blog and address and queries you may have, in a respectful manner of course.

The Iranian regime has adopted the mission of preventing the progress of Baha’is, both within and outside Iran, and there is no telling how far it is willing to go to fulfill its mission.

Our CENSEO team has created a comic about the absurdity of this situation:

For 5 years, Raouf Hindi has fought for the right to obtain birth certificates for his twins teenaged twins Imad and Nancy, but despite the landmark ruling last year, implementation was stalled by the challenges and appeals launched.

However, it is still early to declare a full victory for Egypt’s Baha’is. In two days, the Supreme Administrative Court is set to issue a final verdict on the appeal, but it is likely that that ruling will be in favour of Egypt’s Baha’is as well, as the appeal has no legal standing.

The lack of ID cards has rendered Egypt’s Baha’is has rendered them virtually non-existent in the eyes of the state, and we share with them their joy over this ruling, and join them in praying and hoping for a brighter future to come.

After featuring one of Foad’s songs at the Network. we were highly impressed and determined to give him an avenue to share his story. He kindly consented to an interview, and below is the text of it:

Q. For a start, can you give us a short introduction about yourself?

My name is Foad. I was born in one of the little towns of the Mazandaran province, which is located in Northern Iran in June 1987 (month of Khordad, year 1366 according to the Iranian calendar), but I was brought up in Tehran. Due to the numerous problems Baha’is face in furthering their education in Iran, I took refuge in Turkey when I was 16, and at the moment I am a student of electrical engineering in the USA. From the early years of my childhood, I have adored Iranian traditional music, and I play Persian musical instruments. However, at the moment I find that the Rap genre is best suited for me to express my inner feelings. My efforts are mostly focused on addressing the problems of religious and ethnic minorities – especially the Baha’is – through my songs.

Q. What inspired you to start singing?

These days, it is not easy to get things off your chest, or confide in someone about what goes on in your mind. Most of the people, when you talk to them about the breach of human rights in the world, they either don’t care or get bored. My personal idea is that through music, one could have a closer relationship with people and be more influential.

Q. Why did you choose rap and hip-hop over other music genres? What differentiates it?

There are many reasons for that, the most important being my own inner feelings, which are more about the problems I faced as a member of religious minority and the sadness of living away from my homeland in a lonely world. I wanted to speak out about all these issues in my songs. Using Hip-Hop, you have an opportunity to transfer most of what you want to say in the least time possible. The most important feature of Hip-Hop music is its being the language and the medium of opposition; it could be said that this music helped the African-Americans in Europe and the USA to liberate themselves from the chains of discrimination, and this is something that I find very inspirational.

Q. Do you feel at risk creating this music, which some may consider to be controversial?

I know I am not going to be personally threatened because of my music, as my songs are only meant to increase people’s level of awareness and I am currently living in the USA. I sometimes do feel worried about the future, though, and I wonder if my family or my friends back in Iran would face some problems. However, I am hopeful about the future and I am sure that very soon things are going to change in Iran, because the situation is explicitly catastrophic, in a way that people are loudly opposing it and speaking out.

Q. Have any Iranian citizens listened to your music, and if so, what has their reaction been?

Yes, with the help of friends and through the websites I managed to send my music video to some Iranians who appreciated the songs, because it indeed reflects the untold stories of those who live in Iran at the moment. One week before I moved out of Iran, I wrote a free verse poem called Mazhab” which means “religion”, and I later on used the song in my rap music and a music video was produced using the same lyrics.

Q. Who do you wish to address through your music? Bahai’is? The international community? The citizens and government of Iran?

So far, my audience has been mainly Baha’is, but my aim is to increase the awareness of the respectful Iranians who are not Baha’is themselves, because there are many people who really don’t know what happens to the religious minorities in Iran. If I try to address people in a global scale, I will need to write my lyrics in English and I still don’t find my English skills to be supportive of my objectives. Nevertheless, I have some plans that might as well be of interest to the people who are not familiar with the Persian language.

Q. No doubt, your experiences in Iran have shaped you and influenced your music, but of all your experiences, which had the greatest effect on you?

I think being away from my motherland, being away from close relatives and family from the age of 16, has had the greatest effect on me. The bitter memories of my childhood, like the confiscation of all my family’s possessions and properties, the persecution I experienced in school, and the baseless accusations made against Baha’is in Iran, they all influenced my way of singing and my songs. From now on, the encouragement of friends and acquaintances, and the audience would definitely help me to revitalize my music.

Q. What do you hope to achieve through your music? What message do you hope to send?
The public opinions are much forgetful, even those of the Baha’is who live outside Iran. It seems even they are not much bothered by the conditions of the Baha’is in Iran, so my music would first address them and make them remember what they have probably forgotten. Next I would like to reflect my own ideas.

Q. Many around the world are concerned for the grave abuses perpetrated against Baha’is in Iran. What can we do to alleviate the situation and bring an end to the persecution?

At the moment, the best thing to do is to make people aware of the rights of their fellow countrymen, who should be recognized as free human beings despite their diverse religions, ethnic backgrounds, and ideas. Silence is the worse thing. Any one could contribute to the cause, at least, I repeat: At Least be of help by signing the petitions, hoping they would lead somewhere. Please, do any thing that you are capable of doing to support the cause.

Q. Is there any advice you would like to give to Baha’is in Iran?

First, I would like to tell the Baha’is who live outside Iran, “Please quit passivity and be of help”. Then I would like to tell the respectful Baha’is of Iran to take charge of the education of their children, as currently, higher education is almost impossible for them. There are such intelligent youths in the remote locations in Iran who are denied their right of progress, because they don’t have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills where they live. Yes, it is good to have Baha’i conferences all over the world, it is good to create ” Mashregh-ol-azkaaars”, but it is also good to spare some of the funds to support and finance the youth in Iran who score the highest in the scientific entrance exam of Iranian Universities, but fail to join the universities and instead start working due to financial and other difficulties. There are many other cases that need to be supported as well, everybody knows that, but people pretend they don’t know about it. The future prospects of many young children, including mine when I was a child, are diminished. Perhaps it is time to think about the next generation and their needs; at least we can then raise them as happy and prosperous children.

—-

To listen to Foad’s songs, and keep updated on his future productions, visit his YouTube channel.

The above interview was kindly translated from Farsi by Elinor, a Noahide from Iran. Noahides too face discrimination in Iran, and are misunderstood by society at large.

Although authorship at the Network is restricted to Muslims for obvious reasons, we welcome translators from all faiths and all walks of life. If you’re interested in volunteering as a translator, send us a note!

Iran’s Ministry of “Justice” stipulates that Baha’is can enrol in schools (preferably ones with a strong religious ideology), provided that they do not disclose their religious affiliation. It therefore isn’t surprising that reports have emerged stating that Baha’i children often face conversion attempts.

But following the Revolution, the doors of higher educational institutions were slammed shut before Baha’is. Even the Baha’i Institution of Higher Education, an underground community-run initiative, was raided and closed down by authorities in 1998.

The Iranian government claims that it has changed its policies and now admits Baha’is into universities, but a memo sent out by Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology instructed all institutions to expel any student discovered to be a Baha’i.

Several Muslim students and faculty members spoke of feeling distraught at the unjust expulsion of their Baha’i brothers and sisters, but one group decided to take action and protest.

Mr. Ameed Saadat, an Iranian Baha’i, participated in Iran’s 2008 national university entrance examination and was accepted to study hotel management at Goldasht College in Kelardasht, Mazandaran, which is affiliated with the University of Applied Science and Technology in Tehran. He was able to begin studies, notwithstanding he had identified himself as a Baha’i on the college registration forms, which request ed the student’s religion. In the following weeks, he was told several times to change the information regarding his religion, which he declined to do. The day before his first-term final examinations were to begin, Mr. Saadat was informed by the director of the college that he was being expelled and would therefore not be permitted to sit for the examinations.

When Mr. Saadat’s fellow students asked why he had not been assigned a seat for the tests, they were told by a college official that Mr. Saadat had been dismissed on account of morality issues. However, when Mr. Saadat asked the official what precisely was his “moral problem,” the official responded by raising the issue of his religion and asked whether Mr. Saadat wanted the other students to be informed that his expulsion was to be on account of his adherence to the Baha’i Faith.

Mr. Saadat agreed, and when the announcement was made to his class of some 50 students, most of them objected, asking, “What does religion have to do with education?” The following day, 26 students refused to take the examination in protest against Mr. Saadat’s expulsion. Three of these students were then summoned by the Ministry of Information and questioned as to who had instigated the strike. They reported that they had informed the Information Ministry agents that the decision to protest had been of their own personal choices and that Mr. Saadat had in fact asked them not to take this action.

In his final contact with the college, Mr. Saadat was told by officials, “Your education has been terminated, and you can come and get your records. That is, your education has been nullified.”

“Iranian society rightfully places a high value on education, and the government’s debarring of Baha’is from universities clearly aims not only to diminish the future prospects of these young people but also to demoralize them and their families” said Ms. Kit Bigelow, Director of External Affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the U.S. “It is therefore extremely encouraging to the Baha’is when, in incidents such as the one outlined above, their compatriots–often at considerable risk to themselves–take a firm stand against the deplorable behavior of the authorities.”

It’s through the self-less courage and pursuit of justice that positive change is brought about. We hope that more Iranian citizens begin to voice their objection to the persecution Iranian authorities subject the Baha’i minority to.

Iran might be famous for Avicenna, the Cyrus cylinder, and its leaders’ scathing remarks, but for over 6 million Baha’is across the world, it holds a special significance, as it is the birthplace of their faith.

Founded a century and a half ago, the Baha’i faith encourages the independent investigation of “truth,” and calls – among other things – for the unity of religion and humankind, and the elimination of gender inequality. However, one of its central tenets – that Islam is not the final revelation of God – has led to it being declared a heresy, and its adherents denounced as apostates.

The earliest followers of the Baha’i faith in Iran experienced imprisonment, expulsion and execution, but as the faith’s followers grew in number and spread over more countries in the region, it soon became evident that other states would not provide a safe haven for Baha’is to freely practise their faith.

Communities from Morocco to Egypt, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere underwent an onslaught of propaganda attacks and arrests, and several countries placed a ban on all Baha’i activities.

While in recent years the situation of Baha’is has improved (with Indonesia, for instance, repealing a ban on Baha’i activities), Iran remains the only country where Baha’is experience grave persecution. To date, however, hardly any Muslim-majority countries recognize the Baha’i faith as an independent religion. The lack of recognition rendered many Baha’is incapable of obtaining identification documents, effectively denying them their right to equal citizenship.

The Muslim Network of Baha’i Rights was founded in an effort to address and challenge the discrimination that Baha’is have to suffer under the supposed banner of Islam. Its mission is to secure their basic human rights within our societies, through raising awareness of the plight of Baha’is in many Muslim-majority countries, and encouraging fellow Muslims to speak out against such injustices.

Propaganda campaigns (spread primarily by state-owned media and religious clerics) have led to a deep and dangerous misunderstanding amongst many Muslims of Baha’is and their faith, wrongly associating them with political ideologies like Zionism or referring to them as “Satanists.”

Since Baha’is are often censured within the mainstream media, such claims are hardly corrected, putting members of the faith in a very difficult situation. It is our responsibility as Muslims, and as members of the dominating majority, to raise awareness of who Baha’is actually are and to make sure that they are treated equally within the law and society. They are citizens of our countries regardless of their faith, which for the record is extremely respectful of Islam.

As practising Muslims we don’t believe in the Baha’i faith, but why should that stand in the way of granting them their full rights? Why should our religious differences justify decades of abuse, wrongful imprisonment, murder, denial of education, and other crimes?

Baha’is have been ignored in their requests for peaceful coexistence, and despite the abuse they have never resorted to violence. It is therefore time for us to stand up and demand that their rights are fully ensured and legally protected. It is time for us to help Baha’is factually refute wrong accusations within regional media outlets that have dire consequences for their security.

As a strategy, and a recruitment tool, we have relied on the power of the Internet, the most open network in the world, to reach our target audience in an honest, uncensored fashion. It is to our advantage that increasingly more people rely on the Internet for news instead of traditional media, which in much of the Middle East is heavily censored. Many curious people resort to the Internet for research because of the amount of information that resides in it.

One of our biggest accomplishments was our successful utilization of creative media in order to raise awareness about the abuse perpetrated against the Baha’i minority in the Middle East, and encourage others into taking action.

Before any significant changes are made to the perceptions of citizens of the Middle East, or discriminatory laws are removed, it is important that we start a discussion, and our media productions have been more successful than any written post in achieving that.

Our first video campaign was documented in one of Egypt’s most prominent papers within one week of its launch. Some of our comics have also been published and used in relevant conferences around the world. When the site was first established in the summer of 2007, it was covered by BBC Persian Service in an exclusive article only three weeks later. We owe this success to the accessibility of the Internet, where we break our way into global media outlets without having to worry about censorship.

Despite the amount of controversy we continue to stir in the Muslim world, we are committed to the cause of championing equal rights for the Baha’i minority in the region.

Esra’a Al Shafei is the executive director of MideastYouth.com and the Founder of the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights. She is based in Bahrain.

I’d like to thank the great folks behind The Media Line for giving me the opportunity to share our work on Mideast Youth with others.

The Christian and Baha’i communities of Iran are most likely to be affected by this decision.

This comic was inspired by this news, to show the absurd measures that the IRI is taking to persecute innocent minorities in Iran.

You can find more of our media creations at Censeo.

Iranian authorities constantly deny that they discriminate against Baha’i students, citing a recent policy change that allowed students to enrol in universities for the first time in almost 3 decades. Although students were no longer forced to declare their religious affiliation when applying for the national university entrance examination, a memo revealed last year exposed their hypocrisy. The memo, sent from Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, instructed all institutions to expel any student discovered to be a Baha’i.

Over the past two years a new tactic was employed: namely, denying Baha’i students admission by alleging their files are incomplete. Last year, almost 800 (of over 1,000) students had their dreams shattered this way. But this year, when trying to login to the national university examination website, Baha’i students were redirected to: http://82.99.202.139/karsarasari/87/index.php?msg=error_bah

Whether the Iranian authorities were caught in the folly of their ways, or “error_bah” was intentional is a tough call. But should the authorities want to upgrade their message for the next academic year, we have a fitting suggestion:

We have a handy response for them to use, should they run out of excuses: “How can we be accused of denying Baha’is access to education when we do not recognize their existence? The accusations are baseless!”