Mother of imprisoned youth: "I am grateful...for your expression of sympathy."

 

The following letter refers to the public letter denouncing the persecution of the Baha'is of Iran which was issued and signed by hundreds of prominent Iranians earlier this year. Read an previous collective response fromt the Baha'ís to that letter here. The letter itself is available here.

 

In Response to Signatories of "We are Ashamed"

Posted: 21 May 2009

Haleh Rouhi

By Malieh Ahmadi (mother of Haleh Rouhi - a Baha'i youth who has been imprisoned in Shiraz for the past 19 months for her humanitarian work).

I am grateful and thankful!

In the name of love and compassion, and in the name of the Creator who makes us friends — and we are His friends.  I speak as a mother who is far from her imprisoned child

I thank all those broadminded, virtuous and fair individuals who by signing this open letter have been a balm to my wounds.

Because of you, I have grown stronger in my belief that the Creator of the two worlds has spread the fragrance of His love throughout all lands, far and near; and I have accepted that no matter how feeble a light it may be, yet it is a light.  I have become convinced that the heart of some dear souls pulsates for the defense of those wronged by oppression.

May the fervent prayers of this mother who suffers at the hands of her countrymen and neighbors surround you under all conditions! I raise my earnest voice to the highest pinnacle of paradise, "O kind Lord!  Place love, equity, compassion and faith in the hearts of all those who dwell on earth!"

I am grateful, thankful and gratified by your expression of sympathy.

[Source: http://www.bab.blogfa.com/post-199.aspx.  Translation by Iran Press Watch.]

 

From Iran Press Watch: The Baha'is

 

Prayer for the oppressed: "O God, Thy sincere servants are afflicted... Do Thou deliver them!"

 

A Prayer for the Baha'is of Iran

Posted: 21 May 2009

 In March 1927, a devoted Baha'i known as the Aminu'l-'Ulama Ardabili was martyred in Iran. When this news reached Shoghi Effendi, he expressed his sorrow through the composition of the following prayer.  Recently, the Baha'is of Iran have circulated this prayer as a means of remembering the current community members who are imprisoned or otherwise suffer hardship in Iran.

Iran Press Watch is pleased to offer the following provisional translation of this moving supplication as means of remembering all those who suffer at the hand of injustice, cruelty and repression.  

He is God!

O God, Thy sincere servants are afflicted by the malice and cruelty of such as oppose Thee: do Thou deliver them!

The beloved of that Resplendent Beauty are as oppressed sheep in the claws of ignorant malicious wolves: do Thou release them!

The nightingales of Thy Garden of Sanctity are sobbing among the owls of deceit and treachery: be Thou their defender.

The fair-faced lovers of Thy Precious Cause are caught in the machinations of cruel and oppressive fiends: set them free!

Although calamity is the well-spring of bounty, yet the hearts of Thy kindred are more delicate than a breeze from the East. While the tyranny of enemies is the herald proclaiming this Most Great, this glorious Cause, yet the weakened and fainting Friends are being pierced by the ceaseless darts of a hostile people.

The servant of Thy threshold,

Shoghi.

[A biography of the Aminu'l-'Ulama is available in 'Azizu'llah Sulaymani, Masabih Hidayat, vol. 2, pp. 357-389, http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/areprint/authors/sulayman/masabih2/masabih2.htm.]

 

From Iran Press Watch: The Baha'is

 

Daughter's tale of events surrounding imprisoned mother - one of the Yaran

What has befallen me?!

Posted: 21 May 2009

Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi

Mrs. Kamalabadi has two daughters: Alhan, 22 years, and Taraneh, 14. The following letter was written on the one-year anniversary of her arrest and detention.


Editor's Note: Fariba Kamalabadi (married Taefi) is one of the seven former Baha'i leaders, previously known as the Yaran [literally "Friends"]. She has been imprisoned for over a year at the notorious Evin prison in Tehran. Her profile can be read here: http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/yaran-special-report/profiles

By Alhan Taefi

Today marks one whole year that you have not been with me - now I want to express my feelings of pain and anguish during this year; a year of untold stories; a year of solitude; a year of being far from a mother!
It was this very same day last year, when I was woken up early in the morning by a phone call - a call which gave me the dreaded news that government intelligence agents had raided your home. Before I had a chance to collect myself and realize what had happened and what I must do, I received an S.M.S. from my little sister, Taraneh, saying: "they are taking away Mom; if you want to see her, come fast"! Oh my, what has befallen me?! Even after a whole year, still - remembering that moment brings pain and agony to my heart, and I can't help but shed uncontrollable tears.
In a state of shock and disbelief, I rushed to your house, worried about what if I got there late and they had taken you already… then, when would I ever see you again!?
Finally I got there, and frantically climbed the long flight of stairs, skipping every other step, and rushed into your home. Thank God! You were still there… I was with you for a short while, and then… you were leaving. I hugged you with all my might, squeezed you, kissed you, and told you how proud I was of you. And you left… for an unknown period of time! I knew that you would not return home anytime soon, but I never thought that a year would pass and you would still be there!
You left me and I was alone… with a mountain-load of pain and sorrow. I was so dependent on you… was so in need of your advice, even on very small matters! Who knows what has befallen me during this period!? Even now, remembering the extent of my sorrow and grief makes me tremble.
I was so used to speaking with you every single day, even if it was just for one minute. For a whole 80 days after your arrest, I did not have any communication with you… and when after 80 days you called me and I did not recognize your voice, how ashamed I was of myself! I remember your words very vividly - saying "my dear, didn't you recognize my voice?"… And I, full of happiness, melancholy, excitement, and tons of other opposing sentiments all at the same time, could not utter a word.
Oh my God, what has befallen me during this past year!? I remember in preparation for Mothers Day, when all my friends were talking about what presents they were going to buy for their moms, I forced myself not to burst into tears, in order to be strong… the same way you wanted me to be… the same way you are.
When on your birthday I could not give you a present; I kept myself happy only with memories of you…
When, in your absence, and because of your absence, I experienced the worst day of my life, the day I felt my heart was crumpled - I went out walking alone, burst into tears, and sent you this text message: "Oh Mom, I am so lonely and hapless without you!", knowing full well that this text message would never reach you.
Oh my, what has befallen me?! Whenever I encountered the worst of my difficulties during this past year, and you were not there to rush to my aid… when my eyes came across your things, knowing that at one time you had used these things; I would heave a sigh from the very depths of my being.
What befell me the day I saw that you had become so tiny, so slender and wiry, the time when I held your hand in my hands and saw that your hand was trembling out of sheer frailty?! How much I struggled to control myself not to burst into tears in your presence!
What befell me that day, at the end of my visit with you in your prison, behind the isolated visiting room, when they were lowering the curtain, you bent down to be able to see us until the very last moment of our visit, to wave at us and to smile at us…? Oh God, how much the thought that it might very well be the very last time I would be able to see you tortured me.
When, on my birthday, you gave me a pair of stockings which you had bought from the prison store, as a present - the best thing that one could buy from there - how delighted, yet how grieved I became! How hard I embraced it, kissed it, and decided never to wear it, so it wouldn't wear out! That day reminded me of my previous year's birthday, when you, in spite of a severe back ache, arranged for my birthday party… and the thought of this made my heart ache.
How delighted I was looking at the carrot plant - a plant you had grown in your prison-cell, which you gave as a present to my little sister, Taraneh, on her birthday!

Taraneh with her mother's birthday gift to her, a carrot plant  grown in  her  prison cell.

This plant stood for me as a symbol of you. When I was lonely, I would go and cuddle it, talk to it, caress it, and kiss it - I would feel it was you standing before me. How sorrowful and grief-stricken I became when it withered! I would rush to tie its tiny branches together with a green ribbon - perchance it would be revived again - as if I was taking care of you.
What a day it was for me on the festival of Ridvan [the Persian New Year], when you gave me a gift - I felt I had been given the whole world, and I showed off my gift to all my friends with utter pride.
What a night it was for me… the night I could not go to sleep - I started reading all the e-mails you had previously sent me, as tears poured down my cheeks, and how much I wished to receive just one more e-mail from you again.
All of these memories as well as hundreds of days have come to pass, each carrying myriads of large and small, good and bad recollections of my experience - yet God knows that during this whole year I never wished, if it was not His Will, for you to return home to us… I always whispered this poem to myself:

"I would not relinquish my pain for You in vain…

-will not give up my love for the Beloved 'till slain.

"My keepsake from my Beloved is my pain…

-would not trade for a myriad cures this pain." (Rumi)

This is what befell me over the past year; God only knows what befell you, dear Mom!!!

From Iran Press Watch: The Baha'is

VIDEO: Remembering the 7 Martyrs of Hamadan, 14 June 1981

A moving video (8 min.) featuring letters written by these steadfast heroes of the Faith shortly before their execution after having undergone the cruellest abuse at the hands of their persecuters.



A tribute to the seven Baha'i martyrs of Hamadan Iran who suffered imprisonment and endured cruel torture before finally sacrificing their lives for their religious beliefs on June 14, 1981.

Excerpts from letters written in their final moments of life provide us with only a glimpse of the deep love for the families they left behind and the profound courage and nobility arising out of the depth of their love of God and their faith in His Messenger for this age Baha'u'llah.

The hauntingly beautiful music was composed in their honor by Farzad Khozein, a nephew of one of the martyrs. It brought tears to my eyes even before I read the moving words of his uncle Tarazullah and the other martyrs -- then the tears multiplied and became a river.

As I see history seemingly repeating itself with the current imprisonment and impending trials of seven more leaders of the Iranian Baha'i community, it sends chills down my spine and that all important question "WHY?" continues to echo in my mind.

To simply be a Baha'i in Iran is an act of courage in and of itself. We who are fortunate enough to live in relative freedom continue to send them our love and our prayers.

Here is a more graphic account of their martyrdoms:

On June 14, 1981, seven members of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Hamadan were executed by a firing squad. Their bodies were released to the Bahá'í community for appropriate burial. Examination of the corpses while the bodies were being prepared for the funeral revealed that six of these men had been physically tortured before their deaths. The body of the seventh was "riddled with bullets."

Reuters published a detailed account of the men's injuries:

The body of Husayn Motlaq Aráni showed no signs of torture but he had been shot nine times. Muhammad Baqer Habibi had a broken shoulder; Dr. Násir Vafá'í had had his thighs cut open as far as the waist and had been shot seven times; Husayn Khándil had had the fingers of one hand pressed and his back had been burned; Sohráb Habíbí had had his back burned and had been shot five times and Tarázu'lláh Khuzayn suffered a smashed chest and left hand and had been shot seven times.

Similar reports reached the Bahá'í International Community:

The body of Husayn Motlaq Aráni showed no signs of torture but he had been shot nine times. Muhammad Baqer Habibi had a broken shoulder; Dr. Násir Vafá'í had had his thighs cut open as far as the waist and had been shot seven times; Husayn Khándil had had the fingers of one hand pressed and his back had been burned; Sohráb Habíbí had had his back burned and had been shot five times and Tarázu'lláh Khuzayn suffered a smashed chest and left hand and had been shot seven times.

Courtesy the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center www.iranhrdc.org

The Mystery of Martyrdom

The following enlightening article was shared on the website of the Baha'is of Tacoma, Washington, available here.

Bahá'ís do not disbelieve in accounts of miracles found in the holy texts of other religions or in the ability of a Manifestation of God to perform them, although some of these accounts are actually symbolic expressions or metaphors for important spiritual occurrences. After all, who can find them convincing or persuasive other than eye witnesses? And what do they have to do with a Manifestation's divine mission? Even Pharoah's priests were able to turn staffs into serpents in the presence of Moses, so apparently this power is not confined to God's Messengers. As a result, Bahá'ís pay little attention to the personal accounts of believers or others of miracles by the Báb or Bahá'u'lláh. They are given no special attention in our literature, but they are there.

The martyrs of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh are not alone at the time of their martyrdom. Here is a remarkable story of Bahá'u'lláh being physically present in two places at the same time - Akká and Yazd. Yazd has been the scene of much barbaric cruelty toward Bábís and Bahá'ís for over 160 years. The episode is the martyrdom of seven Bahá'ís in Yazd in 1891. It is told by Adib Taherzadeh in The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol III.

But thousands of men and women who went to the field of martyrdom and joyously laid down their lives in the path of God must have experienced the presence of Bahá'u'lláh so vividly and with such real feeling that the giving of life became a joy instead of torture. To cite an example, the following is a story which Haji Muhammad-Tahir-i-Malmiri has recounted about Mirza Aqay-i-Halabi Saz who was a devoted believer and had had the privilege of attaining the presence of Bahá'u'lláh. He was a tinsmith and had a shop in one of the bazaars of Yazd. In 1891, seven Bahá'ís were put to death by the order of Mahmud Mirza, the Jalalu'd-Dawlih, the Governor of Yazd. They are known as the first seven martyrs of Yazd, the story of whose martyrdom Bahá'u'lláh wrote to The Times of London. The seven were chained together and conducted towards the bazaar amid scenes of jubilation, and at each major crossroads one of them was executed in a most barbaric fashion. The other believers who were shopkeepers or merchants were ordered to stay at their premises and were forced to join others in decorating their shops to celebrate the event.

Haji Mirza was sitting in his shop, his heart filled with grief owing to the tragic turn of events. Then came the tense moment when the few remaining of the seven, chained together, passed in front of his shop. The next junction where one of them was to be beheaded was not far away and could be easily sighted. Haji Muhammad-Tahir-i-Malmiri has recounted that Haji Mirza used to tell the believers in Yazd of his unusual experience on that occasion. He saw to his great surprise that Bahá'u'lláh Himself passed in front of his shop only a few hundred paces behind the martyrs-to-be and was walking quickly in order to reach them. Haji Mirza immediately stepped out of his shop to follow Bahá'u'lláh, who signalled him with the movement of His hand that he should return to the shop. From there, Haji Mirza looked out and saw that Bahá'u'lláh reached the party at the junction and at that very moment the executioner removed the chain from one man and executed him.

Of course, Haji Mirza knew that Bahá'u'lláh was in 'Akká and not in Yazd, but he had no doubt that it was Bahá'u'lláh whom he saw in the bazaar. From this amazing vision he realized that the martyrs were not alone at the time of martyrdom, that their unparalleled courage and heroism was not entirely due to themselves, that Bahá'u'lláh strengthened them with His unfailing power and that those who had reached the pinnacle of faith and assurance were bound to feel the presence of Bahá'u'lláh at their side. It is interesting to note that some years later, Haji Mirza himself was martyred in Yazd.

What Haji Mirza witnessed in the bazaar, although there is no way of proving it, was not mere imagination. The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh is not a man-made, man-inspired cult. Any cult which the minds of men have created can only be expressed within the bounds of man's experience by virtue of its limitations. On the contrary, the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh has originated from God, it has released unimaginable potentialities, both material and spiritual, within human society and like other religions it has brought forth mysteries which human beings can in no wise fathom. The history of the Faith shows episodes similar to that experienced by Haji Mirza.

Baha'is anxiously concerned with current events in Iran

Below find links to two poignant articles shared by the Baha'i International Community relating to the Iranian regime's oppressive measures in the wake of the recent elections, as well as a radio interview addressing issues related to politics in Iran.

With aching hearts, Baha'is of the world focus on the events unfolding in Iran, the birthplace of their religion

"We entreat God to deliver the light of equity and the sun of justice from the thick clouds of waywardness, and cause them to shine forth upon men. No light can compare with the light of justice. The establishment of order in the world and the tranquillity of the nations depend upon it." - Baha'u'llah

Useful Links

• Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Prize winner and lawyer, discusses the recent arrests of human rights activists in Iran.
• A statement from Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, calling the violence and beatings in Iran haraam (religiously forbidden)
• A recent interview (elaborated below) with Farhad Sabetan, a spokesman for the Baha'i International Community

From http://news.bahai.org/

A Baha'i perspective on Iran elections - radio interview

An enlightening commentary detailing the Baha'i perspective on the ongoing elections in Iran.

Baha'is Speak Out on Iran Elections on NPR
Posted: 19 Jun 2009

NPR recently interviewed Farhad Sabetan, spokesman of the Baha'i International Community, on the involvement of Iranian Baha'is in their country's politics, specifically in relation to last week's election.
Members of the Baha'i faith, Iran's largest religious minority, have long been discriminated against and persecuted by the Islamic Republic of Iran government. Farhad Sabetan, an official within the Baha'i faith community, offers a reaction to the recent elections.
Listen to the Interview on NPR

From Iran Press Watch

Prison conditions sickening for 7 former Baha'i leaders, possible trial date set

Three articles giving updates on the situation of the imprisoned 'Yaran'.

Reports of a trial date for Baha'i leaders falsely accused of espionage

24 June 2009

According to information conveyed by the authorities in Evin prison to the family members of the seven Baha'is who have been imprisoned in Tehran, Iran, for over a year, their trial date has been set for 11 July 2009. This information has been provided to the family members only orally and, as information conveyed by officials concerning the judicial process has often proved unreliable, it is possible that the Iranian authorities may find some reason to change the trial date.
The seven were arrested in the spring of 2008 and have been held more than a year without formal charges or access to their attorneys. Official Iranian news reports have said the Baha'is will be accused of "espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic Republic."

The trial is apparently scheduled to be held at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court. This is where American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi was recently convicted of espionage and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment. She was eventually released, but only after an international outcry at the clear politicization of the case and manifestly unjust legal procedures.
"These seven individuals are facing completely false charges," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations. "They - along with the some 30 other Baha'is currently in prison in Iran - are innocent of any wrongdoing and are being held solely because of their religious beliefs."

From http://news.bahai.org/story/719

Update on the Situation of the Yaran
Posted: 23 Jun 2009

On Tuesday, June 23, 2009, Human Rights Activists in Iran provided an alarming update on the situation of the former Baha’i leaders, known as Yaran, which appears below in translation:

After more than a year of incarceration, the situation of the [former] leaders of the Baha’i community of Iran appears to be of profound concern.
According to reports received [by HRA], the seven leaders of the Baha’i community continue to languish in “temporary” incarceration in a high-security section of Evin prison, known as section 209. These seven are: Mahvash Sabet (since Mar. 2008), Jamaloddin Khanjani (May 2008), Saeid Rezaie (May 2008), Fariba Kamalabadi (May 2008), Vahid Tizfahm (May 2008), Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Afif Naeimi.
In addition to psychological pressures, such as, routinely renewing their “temporary” imprisonment, or keeping them in a high-security facility which naturally imposes considerable restrictions on the seven individuals, it is reported that their meal portions has now been reduced considerably to the point that their health is at serious risk. At the same time, prison authorities refuse to permit the families of prisoners to provide the much-needed provisions which would enable them to sustain the brutal conditions of their imprisonment.
Moreover, with the massive arrest of political and civil activists in recent days in Iran and curtailment of telephonic contact of prisoners in Evin with the outside world, the families of these prisoners of conscience have become deeply worried about the condition of their loved-ones.

[Source: http://www.hra-iran.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1312:546&catid=84:502&Itemid=219. Translation by Iran Press Watch.]

Worrisome prison conditions for Yaran

Posted: 23 Jun 2009

Further to our earlier report, Kavian S. Milani on the Newnegah site offered the following on Tuesday, June 23, 2009, based on reports he has received from Iran and promised to offer further details in a few days. Milani also asked that these details be shared with human rights activists, responsible agencies, those interested in improving the situation of civil and human rights in Iran and all other sites and blogs. The following report was shared with Milani:

In a meeting we had with the former Yaran in prison, we learned that their situation in prison is most worrisome to the point that during the entire last year, they have been deprived of such things as even a bed or chair. They have spread a thin blanket on the cement floor where they sit and sleep.

During this whole year, their food has been served in unwashed dishes. It is evident that such unhygienic conditions over a sustained period have had a deeply negative impact on their health. The bread given to them is rotten.

Despite these conditions, the authorities have not given permission for us to bring them food provisions, or for the guards to purchase things they need. The situation has reached the point that one of the former Yaran stated, "It appears that they are determined to kill us by slow death."

At the same time it appears that the legal case of the former Yaran has been transferred from the Ministry of Intelligence and is now in the hand of the Judiciary. Most likely, their trial will take place in about the end of Tir [circa July 21]. Therefore, their file has been given to the defense attorneys to study and prepare for the trial.

It should be noted that during their entire period of incarceration, these prisoner of conscience have not seen the evidence file against them, nor have they been given an opportunity to meet with their lawyers.

[Source: http://www.negah35.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1100&Itemid=24. Translation by Iran Press Watch.]

From Iran Press Watch

Iran's propaganda machine again uses Baha'is as scapegoats

Two articles in which Baha'is are implicated in the ongoing dispute over the election outcome.

Allegations of Baha'i involvement in BBC

Posted: 21 Jun 2009

In an attempt to distract the public from Iran's real issues, anti-Baha'i propaganda is once again flourishing. Baha'is have previously been scapegoated for political conflicts and are a recurring element in Iranian conspiracy theories about the British, Americans, Russians, and Israelis.

Shortly after Iran's foreign minister Mottaki accused the British government of supporting the "wayward Baha'i sect", banners are now being carried through Tehran's streets displaying "BBC: Bahai Broadcasting Company" – an attempt to connect the Baha'is with the British news agency, an unfounded and blatantly false claim.

From Iran Press Watch

CNN: Iran-UK tensions mounting

Old tactics from Iran - trying to divert the world's attention -

British Foreign Secretary David. Milliband states: "[Iranian Foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki, is] trying to turn an internal dispute into a battle between Iran and other countries."

"[Iran's minister] also accused Britain of supporting followers of the Baha'i faith, a religion that originated in 19th-century Persia but which Iran does not recognize."

Read the whole report from CNN.com here.