Alas! The sorry ignorance of the governors of the Iranian regime becomes every day more obvious as the persecution of minorities continues. Where else but in the individual's devotion to the divine counsel of love can the remedy lie?
Let each one of God’s loved ones centre his attention on this: to be the Lord’s mercy to man; to be the Lord’s grace. Let him do some good to every person whose path he crosseth, and be of some benefit to him. Let him improve the character of each and all, and reorient the minds of men. In this way, the light of divine guidance will shine forth, and the blessings of God will cradle all mankind: for love is light, no matter in what abode it dwelleth; and hate is darkness, no matter where it may make its nest. O friends of God! That the hidden Mystery may stand revealed, and the secret essence of all things may be disclosed, strive ye to banish that darkness for ever and ever.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, SAW 3
by Dr. Wahied Wahdat-Hagh
The systematic persecution of Bahais in Iran intensified in the month of April. Again and again individual Bahais are being arbitrarily arrested. They are sometimes released against a substantial amount of bail money. They are, however, not the only ones affected by state repression; Christians are under unprecedented pressure as well. The treatment of religious minorities in Iran is a litmus test for society’s freedom there.
The third group is composed of the recognised religious minorities of the Christians, Zoroastrians and Jews, who, within the framework of the Islamic legal order, enjoy a lower legal status than Muslims.These minorities are legally discriminated against in many respects - by the blood law, for example. Muslims who have disavowed Islam, called apostates, whether atheists, Christian converts or Bahais, are fundamentally persecuted. One can not consider such a political system to be an open one. An example of arbitrary rule over Bahais On 8th of April an agent of the Iranian intelligence service phoned the Vahdat Dana family in Shiraz.Without giving any reason, the agent informed Mrs. Vahdat Dana that her husband was to appear at the Ministry of Information the following morning. Mrs. Dana insisted on a written notification, reported Iran Press Watch.
On 12th of April, as Mr. Vahdat Dana was leaving his house to go to work, agents met him on his doorstep and instructed him to accompany them to the intelligence service’s prison, known as “Pelak 100″, housenumber 100. Mr. Vahdat Dana insisted that he be issued with an arrest warrant.The officials produced a handwritten note that read, “Individuals of interest may be investigated and arrested.”Mr. Vahdat Dana persisted that an official document with his name on it had to be presented before he would voluntarily go to prison. The officials left for the time being. Mr. Vahdat Dana immediately wrote a letter to Hojjat-al-Islam Musavi-Tabar, the revolutionary court prosecutor. In response, the cleric wrote that if “the agents of the Ministry of Information are able to issue a warrant, then Mr. Vahdat Dana must accompany them.”
At 12.30 on 25th of April, the intelligence agents again entered Mr. Vahdat Dana’s house and instructed his wife to call him immediately.They said he had to return home straight away. When Mr. Vahdat Dana arrived home they arrested him and issued a warrant, signed with the name of judge Rezai-Dadyar, on the spot. Mr. Vahdat Dana suffers from a heart disorder, but is receiving no medical treatment. Several Bahais were arrested in April: as reported by the Bahai World News Service, on 21st of April Michel Ismaelpur was arrested without a warrant in Mazandaran. On 26th of April Mr. Safaju was arrested in Karaj without any explanation. On 27th of April, Siamak Iqani and Susan Tabianian were arrested in Semnan. Around 39 Bahais are currently being held in Iranian prisons without charge, solely because of their religion, because they believe in Baha’u'llah, who is a messenger of God for them and who founded the religion in 1863. This is a thorn in the eye of Iran’s state clergy. On 8th of March 2009, the Islamist “Parliament” passed a budget of 3 million dollars for the country-wide fight against “Bahais, Sufis and devil worshippers”. By “devil worshippers” the Iranian government is referring to the youths who listen, for example, to heavy metal music.
[Source: http://europeandemocracy.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13420&catid=4&Itemid=22]
Posted: 02 May 2009
Editor’s Note: The following report was posted on WashingtonTV on May 1, 2009, at http://televisionwashington.com/floater_article1.aspx?lang=en&t=floater_censoredculture&id=10138:
Religious freedom conditions in Iran have “worsened” during the past year, Dr. Richard Land, a commissioner with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom [USCIRF], said on Friday during a press conference announcing the release of that commission’s annual report.
“In Iran, government rhetoric and actions worsened conditions for nearly all non-Shi’a religious groups, most notably for the Baha’is, as well as Sufi Muslims, evangelical Christians, and members of the Jewish community. The Commission has decided to designate Iran as a country of particular concern again because the situation has worsened,” said Land.
He added that the Iranian Parliament has been considering a law since September 2008, which includes a bill enshrining the death penalty for apostasy. “This proposed penal code should be rescinded,” said Land.
“The Commission urges the US government to call for the release of Muslim minorities and dissidents, including those Sufi Muslims in prison, as well as Ayatollah Boroujerdi, a senior Shi’a cleric who advocates the separation of religion and state,” he continued.
“The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and executions based on primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused,” USCIRF’s 2009 report concluded.
The Commission recommended designating 13 nations on the list of “countries of particular concern” [CPC], including Iran, Burma, China, Eritrea, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
Iran has been designated as a CPC by the US State Department since 1999.
USCIRF is a bipartisan federal commission, whose commissioners are appointed by the President of the United States and the US Congress.
The USCIRF provides recommendations to President Barack Obama’s administration, the US State Department, and members of Congress regarding ways in which US policy can promote human rights and religious freedom in nations the Commission identifies as the world’s most severe religious rights abusers.
The report recommends that the US government should “at the highest levels” speak out about the deteriorating conditions of religious freedom in Iran, as well as during discussions with representatives of the Iranian government.
After the conclusion of the press conference, Land told WashingtonTV that the issue of religious freedom in Iran “has to be on the table,” during any talks between the United States and Iran, in the same way that human rights was on the table in US negotiations with the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.
“Secretary of State George Schultz always talked about human rights and the right of the [Soviet] refuseniks. And we’ve also made the same kind of stipulation with North Korea, that when it comes to talks with North Korea, that human rights and religious freedom, being one of those human rights, needs to be part of the total package. And that the United States of America and its government should not separate human rights discussions and religious freedom discussions from the other policy concerns,” Land said.
Posted: 26 Apr 2009
Editor’s Note: Reports are emerging from Iran of heightened persecution of Christians. For decades, the largely Armenian Christian community has suffered a fate similiar to that of the Baha’is. Monitoring, arrests, torture, closure of religious centres are frequent following the conversion of a large number of Muslims to Christianity.
In Iran, ‘crackdown’ on Christians worsens
(CE) Two Christian women are being detained by Iranian security forces as “anti-government activists,” according to International Christian Concern, a human rights organization based in Washington. The imprisoned women reportedly are in ill health.
A Pentecostal church in Tehran has been ordered closed and three Iranian Christian men have been declared guilty of cooperating with “anti-government movements,” according to Compass Direct News of Santa Ana, Calif., which provides reports on Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith.
In an overview of persecution in Iran, International Christian Concern stated: “Iranian officials have dramatically increased their persecution of Christians following the conversion of a large number of Muslims to Christianity. Last year alone, 50 Christians were arrested for practicing their faith, some of whom were tortured. There have also been reports that Christians died due to the torture they were forced to endure.”
As phrased by Compass Direct News, there were “more than 50 documented arrests of Christians in 2008 alone.” Compass added that “the recent government crackdown includes Christian institutions that minister beyond Iran’s tiny indigenous Christian community.”
Compass also noted: “A new penal code under consideration by the Iranian Parliament includes a bill that would require the death penalty for apostasy.”
International Christian Concern, in its April 2 report on the two detained women, recounted:
“… [O]n March 5, 2009, Iranian security forces detained two Christian women for practicing Christianity. Iranian officials allege that Marzieh Amairizadeh Esmaeilabad and Maryam Rustampoor are ‘anti-government activists.’
“According to the Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN), Iranian security officials searched the apartment shared by the two women and confiscated their personal belongings before they handcuffed and took the Christians to Police and Security Station 137 in Gaysha, west of Tehran. After appearing before the Revolutionary Court on March 18, the women were sent to the notorious Evin prison. Iranian officials told the Christian women to post bail at a staggering amount of $400,000 in order to be released from the prison.
“Both women are allowed just a one minute telephone call every day to their immediate families. Both are unwell and in need of urgent medical attention. During their last call on March 28, Marzieh said that she was suffering from an infection and high fever. She said, ‘I am dying,’ reported FCNN.”
The Pentecostal church in Tehran was ordered closed because “it offered a Farsi-language service attended by converts from Islam,” Compass reported March 31, attributing the information to the Farsi Christian News Network.
The church, which consists of Assyrian believers, was ordered closed by the Islamic Revolutionary Court, which, as Compass described it, was established as part of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s 1979 Islamic revolution.
An Assyrian member of Parliament, Yonathan Betkolia, announced the order on March 19.
Compass recounted that Betkolia last October had lauded freedoms extended to Iranian minority groups, but “he has publicly protested” the church allowing Farsi-language services for “non-Assyrians” (namely Muslims). An unnamed regional analyst said Betkolia waged the protest, as Compass put it, because “the increase in government pressure on the Christian community has put him in a difficult position.”
Compass quoted the analyst as saying, “As a representative of the Assyrian community, a priority for Betkolia is to ensure the preservation of the limited freedoms and relative peace his traditional Christian community enjoys. Disassociation from a church which has welcomed believers from a Muslim background should therefore be seen as a form of self-defense.”
Compass reported that the pastor of the church “has indicated that cancelling Farsi-language services may allow it to continue, though it was unclear at press time whether the congregation’s leadership was willing to make that compromise.”
Meanwhile, the three Iranian Christians declared guilty March 10 of cooperating with “anti-Christian movements” have received eight-month suspended prison sentences with a five-year probation. But, Compass reported, the Islamic Revolutional Court judge said he would enforce the sentences of Seyed Allaedin Hussein, Homayoon Shokouhi and Seyed Amir Hussein Bob-Annari - and try them as “apostates,” or those who abandon Islam - if they violate their probation - “including a ban on contacting one another,” Compass noted.
Compass reported: “The ‘anti-government movements’ referred to by the judge are satellite television stations Love Television and Salvation TV. Unlike the Internet, which is heavily censored in Iran, the two 24-hour satellite TV stations can bypass government information barriers.
“Sources said links between the accused and these organizations, however, remain tenuous,” Compass continued, quoting an unnamed source as saying, “The TV link came up almost six months after [the original arrests], so it is very new. We believe they just made it up, or it is something they want to make appear more important than is the reality.”
Compass further reported: “The three men were arrested by security forces on May 11, 2008, at the Shiraz airport while en route to a Christian marriage seminar in Dubai. According to a report by Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN), at that time the families of the three men avoided formal charges by agreeing to terms of release, including payment of a bond amount. Details of the terms were undisclosed.”
According to Compass, “The number of Assyrian Christians in the country is estimated at between 10,000 and 20,000, with estimates of Armenian Christians in Iran ranging from 110,000 to 300,000.”
[Source: http://www.christianexaminer.com/Articles/Articles%20Apr09/Art_Apr09_23.html]
Posted: 03 Apr 2009
Editor's Note: The Baha'i case is an outstanding example of the moral and intellectual corruption of the Iranian Islamic government. Readers should, however, be made aware that other groups such as women, Kurds, and Christians endure similar persecutions in the same country.
by Wahied Wahdat-Hagh
Christians are unlikely to be doing missionary work in Iran. Following a court ruling, even churches are closed down if they preach in Farsi. And bloggers who put biblical quotations on the internet are detained.
On 25 March 2009, the Farsi Christian News Network FCNN reported that the Assyrian church in the town of Shahrara was to be closed down following a ruling by an Iranian revolutionary court. On 19 March, Jonathan Betkolia had informed the Assyrian community in the Iranian capital Tehran of this decision.The reason for the ruling was given as "Farsi-speaking Iranians newly converted to Christianity taking part in church masses".
Court ruling on church closure
Jonathan Betkolia, who represents Iran's 35,000-strong Assyrian community in the Islamic "Parliament", has come into conflict with Iranian priests in the Assyrian community.As a politician, in the past few months he has often criticised the activities of the priests, who had allegedly enabled Farsi-speaking Christians to gain access to the Assyrian church. After warnings from the Assyrian politician, Father Viktor admittedly announced that only Assyrians could take part in church masses, otherwise the church would be closed down. A court ruling to close down the church has nonetheless been issued. The Christian committee of the organisation Human Rights Activists in Iran reported that this ruling had taken place in the context of growing pressure on Iranian Christians.
Sermons only allowed in the Armenian or Assyrian languages
The alleged aim is to "cleanse Iranian Christians",thereby preventing the Christian faith from spreading among Iranians who are not members of the ethnic groups of Assyrians and Armenians. The Armenian and Assyrian churches are regarded as ethnic churches.Preaching in Farsi is not allowed there, with sermons only allowed in Armenian or Assyrian. Human Rights Activists in Iran write that the Iranian state is depriving Iranians of their human rights to change religion and faith. Nor is there any right to speak about one's own faith collectively and publicly, in Farsi, in the context of churches' religious instruction and in church masses. In the past eight years the Assyrian church in Shahrara has held additional events and masses on Fridays and Sundays for Farsi-speaking, non-Assyrian people.
Two Christians detained in Isfahan
The FCNN further reported on 24 March that two Iranian Christians had been detained in Isfahan.One of them, called Mazaher R, is 30 years old and a "Christian internet activist". According to the FCNN, he had proclaimed the Bible's message in his blog.One of his readers, who contacted him by email as "Father Reza", arranged a meeting with him to discuss "the message of Jesus Christ". On 22 February, Mazaher went to the meeting together with his sister and another fellow Christian called Hamed C.The supposed "Father Reza" was present with a woman who introduced herself as Maria."Father Reza", who later turned out to be a police informer, invited the three Iranian Christians to a residence where a new Christian was allegedly to be baptised.Together they went into the building indicated as a house church,where they were arrested by civil servants and security forces.With their eyes covered, they were led away to an unknown place.
No information on detention of Iranian Christians
On 23 February the Iranian police raided the house of the father of the Christian blogger Mazaher R, seizing computers, printers and Christian books, among other things. The sister of Mazaher R was released after a week in detention.She said that under interrogation she was berated and placed under so much pressure that she distanced herself from her own brother's Christian activities. For a month now, Iranian police and secret services have refused to give any information about the detention of the two Iranian Christians. Members of the detained Christians' families have in the meantime found out about the house, described by the police informer "Father Reza" as a house church. On finding it empty, they quizzed the occupants of the neighbouring house, who told them that the house had been empty and unoccupied for months. Nobody in the street knew of any "Father Reza". As written by Human Rights Activists in Iran, the detention of the two Christians must be seen in connection with the Revolutionary Guards' new repressive measures against bloggers. The Islamic government, they said, regarded any "non-Islamic activity as anti-Islamic and directed against the religion".This meant that the government could paint any religious movement as a measure of "gentle subversive revolution".
Wahied is a Senior Fellow with the European Foundation for Democracy in Brussels.
[Source: http://europeandemocracy.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13402&catid=4&Itemid=22]
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