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:
In Farsi (click image to read full post):
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).
Iran’s leaders lose no opportunity to remind the world of their painful efforts to show “respect” and “tolerance” the Baha’i community. The latest proclamation came from Najafabadi, Iran’s Prosecutor General who stated that “the Iranian government has provided the Bahai sect in Iran with all the facilities offered to other Iranian citizens” and has “always showed great kindness to the Bahai citizens in Iran”.
Najafabadi went on to state that the government offers Baha’is “a variety of services”. We ask, “What services?”
In recent months, Iran has escalated its campaign of arrests against Baha’is. Dozens of Baha’is currently languish in prisons, with no hope of being accorded a fair trial. Those reportedly arrested weren’t criminals, thieves or murderers but were in fact community leaders, social activists and educators who strove to serve their communities.
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.
We created a comic about the absurdity of this situation:
You may have heard about the “Apostasy bill” in Iran, which left many shivering in fear. If passed, it will be considered a “criminal” act to convert to another faith (or to simply be a part of another one.)
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.
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