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Persepolis 2: Safeguard the Innocent

Baha'is, Clips, Iran — Censeo @ August 15th, 2008

2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great penned down what is regarded as the first declaration for human rights, affirming the right to freedom of worship. But centuries later, what is the situation of Iran’s largest religious minority?


Note: images for this clip were lovingly borrowed from the feature film, “Persepolis.” Marjane Satrapi’s admirable production. She continues to serve as an inspiration for us all.

If you cannot access YouTube, this video is also available here in (English) and (Farsi.)

Much has been said and written on the persecution of the Baha’i minority in Iran, but in these dark days, and as troubling news continues to emerge, it is time to rise up and proclaim, enough! Whether it is justified by religion, or hidden under the guise of nationalism, or instigated by prejudice, religious intolerance is a plague that threatens the fabric of our societies. It is our moral obligation to not sit by silently as our fellow brothers and sisters are murdered, imprisoned and denied their rights as citizens due to their personal beliefs.

Spread the word:

  • Promote this clip by sharing it with your friends, colleagues, and on social networks.
  • Stay aware of human rights abuses against this innocent minority.

Contact Iranian Embassies

  • Contact your nearest Iranian embassy, expressing your concern over the treatment of Baha’is. We’ve provided a template letter, as well as contact details of embassies worldwide.

For those in Iran:

  • Learn more about the faith, and be aware that the IRI and officials of other countries like Egypt have launched massive propaganda campaigns against them.
  • Reach out to Baha’is, and keep an open mind.

Remember, you don’t have to believe in the Baha’i faith in order to tolerate and respect its members. We all deserve equal human rights, and an equal status in citizenship, regardless of our faiths.

[If you would rather watch a higher resolution version, visit our video sharing site]

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5 Responses to “Persepolis 2: Safeguard the Innocent”

  1. A Middle Eastern Says:
    August 17th, 2008 at 12:05 pm

    Whilst it is crucial to create maximum awareness about the atrocities committed against the Baha’is in Iran, to do so by ripping off a well known literary and artistic work, distort its plot line and use it’s, do doubt, copyrighted images to publicise the persecution of Bahai’s is unethical and opportunistic, even if you refer to the misuse as “lovingly borrowed”. Bahai’s should be careful not to destroy the good will out there in the community, by “lovingly” engaging in unethical practices. There are enough creative minds and resources within the Baha’i community to render this type PR needless.

  2. Esra'a Says:
    August 17th, 2008 at 12:24 pm

    A Middle Eastern,

    Firstly, we are not Baha’is. I don’t see how you managed to miss this crucial point, but obviously you do not know anything about the people behind this work. Did you perhaps miss the last slide of this clip?

    Instead of expressing your thoughts on Baha’is in iran, which thanks to this video, lots of people are currently talking about, you are attacking it under the premise of “copyright.” Bravo for attempting to divert people’s attention from a serious situation which deserves all the attention that it can get, but has unfortunately been avoided.

    As far as you are concerned, this is not your personal copyrighted material, and if the person responsible finds this as “unethical” as you incorrectly claim, they will come to us, at which point we will privately deal with it.

    Although the images were used from the actual “Persepolis,” (less than 2 minutes of a 1.5 hour production, what a “rip off” indeed!) everything else was edited and recreated, including sound effects, music, translations, and voices. We gave due credit to the original work and in fact, praised it, this work can even be seen as an advertisement for the actual creation. Therefore I do not see the point of your rant, nor do I see the reason of your need to divert people’s attention to something less relevant than the actual topic.

    There are enough creative minds and resources within the Baha’i community to render this type PR needless.

    Then by all means, spare us your nonsensical rants and go and create it!

  3. Kawthar Says:
    August 17th, 2008 at 12:42 pm

    To describe our activities at the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights as “PR” is rather ludicrous. As our mission statement clearly states, we are a group of Muslim interfaith activists who believe that all citizens of our countries are entitled to an equal status before the law, and are firmly committed to seeing an end to religious discrimination. Our purpose is not to advocate on behalf of any Baha’i group, but rather to give a voice to the Baha’i minority in the region.

    Describing it as a “rip off” and “distortion” is misplaced. We were very rigourous in our decision-making process, and as my colleague above mentioned, everything was original and the result of weeks of hard work and dedication.

    While you’re entitled to your opinion, I believe that the video is a powerful and innovative way of drawing attention to the plight of Baha’is and encouraging action. And judging by the feedback we have been receiving, most of our readers agree

  4. A Middle Eastern Says:
    August 17th, 2008 at 1:17 pm

    I stand corrected. I did indeed miss the last slide and my judgement was rash. I appreciate that more thought must have gone into deciding upon and making this video and indeed YOUR good will than into my comments. I was happy to see how promptly, vigilantly and militantly (ouch!) you defended your work. Congratulations.

  5. Esra'a Says:
    August 17th, 2008 at 1:22 pm

    Thank you. We appreciate your comment. But for anyone else accusing us of copyright:

    From the Center for Social Media:

    The study, Recut, Reframe, Recycle: Quoting Copyrighted Material in User-Generated Video, by Center director Pat Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi, co-director of the law school’s Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property, shows that many uses of copyrighted material in today’s online videos are eligible for fair use consideration. The study points to a wide variety of practices—satire, parody, negative and positive commentary, discussion-triggers, illustration, diaries, archiving and of course, pastiche or collage (remixes and mashups)—all of which could be legal in some circumstances.

    Fair use is the part of copyright law that permits new makers, in some situations, to quote copyrighted material without asking permission or paying the owners. The courts tell us that fair use should be “transformative”—adding value to what they take and using it for a purpose different from the original work.

    Our work was transformative in every conceivable way, it was about an entirely different issue with a scripted plot if its own, not a single line was from the actual film.

    This is what we do:

    REPRODUCING, REPOSTING, OR QUOTING IN ORDER TO MEMORIALIZE, PRESERVE, OR RESCUE AN EXPERIENCE, AN EVENT, OR A CULTURAL PHENOMENON.

    Which is what makes it permissible.

    And even when the work has been reproduced entirely, despite the image usage, we gave clear and due credit, even expressed that the original work was an inspiration.

    This is about the furthest thing from a copyright violation there is!

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