Even though Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court has, on 16 March 2009, ruled in favor of the Baha'is allowing them to obtain identity documents with dashes [--] entered in place of religion, there remain many obstacles to the normalization of their status in Egypt. This can be easily perceived when reading the recent editorials and reports in several Egyptian newspaper articles.

Initially, following the recent court ruling, several of these articles limited their reporting to the facts about the verdict itself and its implications (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). More recently, though, newspaper editorials have been busying themselves with eliciting public opinions regarding the Baha'i case from various factions (9, 10).

These opinions range from, those who adamantly oppose the Baha'is and who are bent on continuing their "war" against the Baha'is--calling them apostates who deserve the severest of penalties, to those who are supportive of the citizenship rights of the Baha'is (10, 11, 12, 13), to the extent of voicing their disappointment that the ruling did not go far enough to permit the Baha'is to enter their true religion on these identity documents.

The intent of some of the supporters appears to be not to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Baha'i Faith as an approved religion in Egypt, but rather they look at the matter as a human rights issue: that is the right of people to independent belief and to be identified correctly according to their own belief.

There remains, also, many others who do not understand what the fuss is all about and do not even acknowledge the existence of such a thing as "Baha'i," stating: "besides Islam and Christianity in Egypt, we only had Jews, and fortunately we have managed to get rid of them."

Furthermore, there are those who resort to using the well-known Egyptian sarcasm in order to make their point by calling the Baha'i Faith "Al-deen Abu-Sharta [the dashes religion]," referring to the ruling that allowed dashes to be entered in place of religion on identity documents.

Emad & Nancy Raouf Hindi in the courtroom on 16 March

This controversy, which cannot just vanish overnight simply because of a favorable court verdict, will likely continue for some time to come. Thus, the difficult task before the Baha'is of Egypt will likely go beyond the mere pursuit of their identity documents and the consequent acquisition of some of their citizenship rights.

It will require an extraordinary effort on their behalf to influence the public opinion as to the nature and the legitimacy of their belief. They will also need to help the Egyptian society learn the truth about their Faith and the desire of the Egyptian Baha'is, as obedient citizens and well-wishers of their homeland, to join hands with their fellow Egyptians in promoting their collective welfare.

It is a natural human reaction, particularly after such a long suffering and after so many legal battles, for all those affected by the ruling to be ecstatic with such a victory in their ongoing struggle for their rights. It is also obvious that many other minorities in Egypt will ultimately benefit from such a ruling that, at last, opened the door for them towards their civil rights without having to identify themselves as belonging to one of the three approved religions in Egypt. It is time, however, for the harder task to begin: that is for the Baha'is to intensify the projection of their well-acknowledged brilliant image on their beloved society and correct public perception of their true nature and intent.

A tough obstacle in their path, however, remains to be presidential decree (263) that, in 1960, outlawed the Baha'i Faith in Egypt. Without the reversal of this decree, the Baha'is of Egypt will continue to be the targets of all sorts of false accusations, attacks and ill-intentioned challenges by the extremist elements of the Egyptian society. Ultimately, in order for them to be treated equally in the true sense, it is essential for their status in Egypt to be fully legitimized by removing all barriers to their standing as equal citizens of their beloved Egypt.

source BAHAI FAITH IN EGYPT AND IRAN

Posted by Bilo at 4:42 PM

A Remarkable Victory for the Baha'is of Egypt

Monday, March 16, 2009

A Remarkable Victory for the Baha'is of Egypt

While their brothers and sisters in Iran continue to endure harsh oppression, the Baha'is of Egypt have just received a remarkable gift from their judicial establishment. The appeal--brought by Islamist lawyers in their attempt to reverse the 29 January 2008 ruling that permitted the Baha'is of Egypt to obtain ID cards and birth certificates with dashes [--] inserted in place of religious identification--was denied by Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court in its session today. The court also asserted that the 29 January ruling must be now enforced.

With this ruling, all legal challenges and appeals, brought by those extremists who oppose the Baha'is in Egypt, have been defeated in court. The Ministry of Interior, the principal party to the lawsuits, has never challenged or appealed the ruling that favored the Baha'is.

With this final verdict, there are no legal or administrative obstacles left that could prevent the Baha'is of Egypt from obtaining ID cards or birth certificates in their homeland.

Even though this significant step is considered to be a very welcome development in their struggle for their civil rights, the Baha'is of Egypt continue to suffer from consequences of the 1960 Presidential Decree-263, of the late President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, that outlawed the Baha'i Faith in Egypt.

Debunking the Myths: Conspiracy Theories Posted: 14 Mar 2009 06:49 PM PDT Vladimir Lenin once said that a lie told often enough becomes truth. If one takes a look at the way Bahá’ís have been viewed and treated by their adversaries, particularly Muslim clerics from Shaykh Fazlollah Nuri to Falsafi to Dorri-Najafabadi and other leaders of the current Iranian regime, they will see an unfortunate truth to Lenin’s assertion. Several baseless claims have been put forth as truth in various public forums and media. Over time, these have been accepted as “truth” due to repetition and a general apathy by the Iranian masses towards independent investigation of such claims. Gradually, most of us have simply come to accept a variety of often conflicting claims about the Bahá’ís. For instance, the Bahá’ís were created by the British AND Russians in the 19th-century (while both were actually competing for influence in Persia!). Or that the Baha’is held positions of power in the Pahlavi regime and were also agents of Israel, international Zionism, and American Imperialism. During the Iran-Iraqi war, some Bahá’ís were even labeled as Iraqi agents! Adib Masumian puts forth a challenge to these theories in his new book “Debunking the Myths: Conspiracy Theories on the Genesis and Mission of the Bahá’í Faith.” In 89 pages, this work provides an analysis of the most widespread anti-Bahá’í allegations raised by clerics and Iranian polemicists over the past century or so. These include such myths as Prince Dolgorukov of Russia acting as the prime motivator of the Báb, the British General, Arthur Conolly, as the one who persuaded Mulla Husayn to push the Báb into starting his religion, or considering `Abdu’l-Bahá’s knighthood in 1920 as irrefutable evidence of Bahá’í ties to British imperialism. The book also discusses whether any of the influential members of the Sháh’s regime were Baha’is from Amir Abbas Hoveida to General Nassiri or Parviz Sabeti of SAVAK to Farrokhroo Pársá and others. And unlike anti-Baha’i polemicists who hardly ever provide credible sources for their claims, this book offers about 140 citations with a bibliography of over 50 different books and credible websites (both Baha’i and non-Baha’i) to substantiate its assertions. Iran Press Watch highly recommends this book to their readers. It is available for purchase in two versions: Black and White ($9.95): http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback_book/debunking_the_myths/6430166 Full-color ($22.30): http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback_book/debunking_the_myths/5483633 “I hope those who have always wondered about the credibility of claims against the Baha’is take a look at this book and decide for themselves where the truth is. Just as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion has been proven a farce, so must the Dolgorukov Memoirs and other fabrications be exposed, once and for all, for what they are - insults to scholarship. I have attempted to do that, too, in this work.” [Source: Adib Masumian - "Debunking the Myths: Conspiracy Theories on the Genesis and Mission of the Bahá’í Faith."] Related posts Baha’is, the Sole Targets of Conspiracism? (2) Trial of Iranian Baha’i leadership: An Open Letter to Ayatollah Dorri-Najafabadi (15) The Verdict of the Imam Jum‘ih of Semnan (0)

An Account of an Expelled Baha’i Student Posted: 14 Mar 2009 05:57 PM PDT Editor’s Note: Iran Press Watch is grateful to have received the following account from a Baha’i young adult in Iran, whom we will only identify by his first name, Ali-Reza. This account is offered below in translation by Iran Press Watch. In the Name of God, the Creator! Respectfully, I declare that I, Ali-Reza … am a Baha’i and the son of a Baha’i. In 1996, I participated in the university entrance exam. At that time because of special circumstances (my mother being a staunch Muslim, had forbidden my father from having contacts with Baha’is), I, the only child of the family, was not even aware of my father’s religion as I was growing up. While filling out the application form, I marked Muslim in the religion column. Before the names of successful candidates were announced in the national newspapers, I was summoned by authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Organization for Evaluation and Assessment. After I was asked many irrelevant questions, I was notified that even though I had passed the entrance exam with flying colors and was eligible to enter medical school, I was not allowed to continue my education due to my father’s religion. I explained that there are no verses in the Qu’ran or the Constitution allowing discrimination against religious minorities; moreover, I insisted that I was a Muslim and was only born to a Baha’i father. I was told that the Baha’i Faith is not among official religions of the country, and its followers are spies of Israel, are anti-Islam and anti-Iran. After ceaselessly pursuing my dream of becoming a doctor, missing one school term, receiving threats and insults, accepting the condition set for me, I was permitted to enroll. The condition was that at no time and under no circumstances should I engage in any teaching of the Baha’i Faith - about which I did not know anything anyway, though I was raised in a home with a Baha’i father. However, a few years later when I started investigating and finally accepted the Baha’i Faith, I realized that I had been raised under the principles of the Baha’i Faith. Unfortunately, the harassment did not stop when I entered university. With every change in the staff, I was interrogated by the Security Committee again and again. All along, the only accusation that I was charged with was that my father was a Baha’i. I was often summoned for investigation and pressured to follow Islam. Each time, I was asked irrelevant questions which I found very hard to deal with. I was becoming emotionally drained, especially when they were associating Baha’is with espionage. In 2002, I was a resident physician, finishing the last term of my medical school, serving in hospitals. Prompted by a spiritual dream that I had, and the curiosity aroused in me by the authorities’ questions, I began to investigate the Baha’i Faith by searching the internet. I wanted to find out about this Faith that I was strongly forbidden to mention to anyone, that I was harassed about so many times throughout so many years. Finally, I accepted the Baha’i Faith. I was so touched by the Most Holy Book and the Book of Certitude that I could not contain myself and conceal my faith. My close friends, my classmates and then the Basij [Islamic militia that interferes in all aspects of people's lives] became aware of it and notified the Security Committee of the university. I also mentioned my belief to the Khademin, who guided me and asked me to be wise [meaning not to proclaim his Faith too openly and thereby jeopardize his life]. After accepting the Baha’i Faith, not only did I lose my friends (though not all of them), but I was subject to the anger and hatred of all my relatives and some of my wife’s relatives. They even tried to force my wife to separate from me. However, she was investigating the Faith as well, and had a favorable view of it. She stood strong and did not bend under their pressure. Since that time, I have been in touch with the Baha’i community, have taught my faith and have increased my knowledge of the faith. I have also trained and educated my children by following the teachings of the faith. After becoming aware of my acceptance of the Baha’i Faith, the Security Committee of the university summoned me and started interrogating me. They told me that based on information received from their sources, they knew that I had been in contact with “elements of the misguided sect” and that I had caused “disturbance in public minds”. I responded and rejected their accusations. I said I had just accepted the Baha’i Faith and had done nothing to cause any disturbance to public minds. They were dismayed by my responses and were angered by my steadfastness in my belief. I was finally charged with being a cause of “disorder at the university” and “disturbance of the minds of students”. I was expelled from the university dormitory, banned from university for two years, forced out of medical school and compelled to major in physiotherapy. I strongly objected, complained to the Ministry of Health and also to the judiciary and even wrote to Mr. Khatami, President of Iran at that time. All my efforts were in vain. I was warned repeatedly that I should not discuss any of what was happening with anyone. In the two years that I was banned from university, I purchased a small car, financed by selling my wife’s jewelry and obtaining a car loan. I started a taxi service between cities to provide for my family. Being away from medical school and serving patients at hospitals that I cherished so much caused a lot of stress. Repeatedly I sought counseling. Even the counselor, after finding out the reason for my depression, wrote to the university officials in the hope that I would be permitted to go back to university, not knowing my depression and dismay were exactly what the authorities wanted to achieve. Since that time I have always felt irritated, impatient and depressed. Eventually, after my two-year dismissal from university ended, despite my desire to finish medical school, I had no choice but to change my field to physiotherapy. However, I was still not left alone. The Ministry of Health continued to write confidential letters to the university officials and vice versa discussing my dismissal - I have related documents in my procession which I am forwarding. Finally, after receiving notice from the Ministry of Health, I was prohibited from registering. I was called to the security office and was questioned by the authorities. Being angered by my responses; I was physically assaulted by the Basij and by security personnel. Due to the efforts of my uncle, I was not arrested or charged. In 2004, after Baha’i students were allowed to enter universities (almost all of them have been expelled by now), I too enrolled. I successfully finished my studies and received a perfect mark on my final report. Even though I had paid all my tuition and I owed nothing to the university, I was sent back again and again between offices and at the end I was told that due to problems in my file and based on a directive from the Ministry of Health, a certificate for the completion of my education could not be issued. I tried many times, contacted many officials, but I could not even get a temporary certificate of completion for my studies. The final verdict was that as long as I insisted on my religious beliefs, it would be impossible to get my certificate. I was not given any written document of what I was told. I personally contacted the Ministry of Health many times asking for the written ruling. Finally, one employee who was very helpful gave me a copy of the communication. Needless to say, after accepting the Baha’i Faith we were not spared from harassment by our neighbors and some of our former friends. Even our car was not left alone. Sometimes, we would see scratches, a broken mirror, or four flat tires. Our son has been under duress in school and finally we were forced to change his school. All the pressures and agitation inflicted upon our lives has affected our younger son as well, the effects of which are noticeable in his behavior and have caused stuttering in his speech. Signed, Ali-Reza Related posts Interview with an Iranian Baha’i Student (3) Expulsion of Three Baha’i Students from Sahand University (4) Bahai’s Living in Iran with No Human Rights (2)

Baha’is are British Spies! Posted: 14 Mar 2009 05:54 AM PDT Editor’s Note: Rasa News Agency continues to share the sentiments of the Iranian clerical establishment towards the Baha’is. In this case, a thoroughly discredited conspiracy theory that the Baha’i Faith was a creation of British intelligence (Baha’u'llah never actually met any Britons until nearly at the end of His life) is the basis of this clergyman’s criticism. The latest in this series is a report published on February 25, 2009. Hojjato’l-Islam Ali Mu’alimi, representative of the people of Mazandaran in the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership [the highest ranking body of 86 clerical experts responsible for the election of the Supreme Leader - editor] in an interview with the reporter for Rasa in Sari stated, “The enemies of the sacred regime of the Islamic Republic have recognized that belief and obedience to the rule of clerics is the most important cause of firmness and constancy in the Iranian nation and of the certain victory of the Islamic revolution. For this reason, they endeavor to weaken and destroy this foundation.” He stated that he considers the Baha’i sect to be a political movement and in service to British espionage. He said, “This wayward sect seeks through outwardly spiritual and mystical teachings to cause devoted societies to go astray from their straight path and divine confirmations.” He emphasized that the enemy [i.e. the Baha'i community] has programs for undermining and weakening the foundation of the belief of Iranian society, “By spreading a series of secondary issues, the enemy is trying to cause Islamic society to grow farther from such fundamental values as are Islamic, or exhibit the spirit of sacrifice, submission and martyrdom-seeking.” The Imam Jum’ih of Qaemshahr remarked that the Iranian nation would not suffer defeat through their allegiance to moral and Iranian codes, and added, “The policy of colonialists and imperialists in opposing the religious values of our society is to create a new religion [i.e. the Baha'i Faith].” … [Source: http://www.rasanews.com/Negaresh_site/FullStory/?Id=49196. Translation by Iran Press Watch.] Related posts ‘Because of Their Worldliness, Baha’is Resist the Qur’an’ (3) We are Ashamed! (59) Violations of the Rights of our Baha’i Countrymen (2)

‘Because of Their Worldliness, Baha’is Resist the Qur’an’ Posted: 14 Mar 2009 05:51 AM PDT Editor’s Note: Rasa News is a mouthpiece of fanaticism and deception against the Baha’is of Iran, and it would be a source of much entertainment if it weren’t so tragic. This latest news is true, though it sounds absurd. It reports on last Friday’s sermon (March 6, 2009) by the Imam Jum’ih of Zanjan. What the good Imam said though is a different matter. Judge for yourself. According to Rasa’s reporter in Zanjan, Hojjato’l-Islam Muhammad-Taqi Va’izi stated in this week’s Friday Sermon, “The leaders of the Wahhabi [the ultra-conservative Saudi version of Islam] and Baha’i sects solely because of their worldliness resist obedience to logic and the Qur’an.” He noted, “These wayward sects are the highway thieves of the path of humanity, and they have prevented those peoples from becoming acquainted with the true Islam and Qur’an.” … Hojjato’l-Islam Va’izi, emphasizing the need to prevent the influence and propagation of the Baha’i and Wahhabi sects in the nation, stated, “The underground activities of these sects not only harm the country, but they also prevent the unity of Muslims.” The Imam Jum’ih of Zanjan said, “The human rights organizations of the world have wrapped Western-style living in attractive covers so that the bitterness of their true lives might appear nicer in happier packaging.” [Source: http://www.rasanews.com/Negaresh_site/FullStory/?Id=49994. Translation by Iran Press Watch.] Related posts Baha’is are British Spies! (8) We are Ashamed! (59) The Only Crime of the Leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran is that “They Are Baha’is!” (1)

Growth of the Faith and its Relation to Persecutions Posted: 13 Mar 2009 10:03 PM PDT This is a brief talk by the Hand of the Cause of God Dr. R. Muhajir. As it is appropriate to the theme of this site, Iran Press Watch is pleased to share this remarkable talk with its esteemed readers — and listeners. Download the Talk (MP3, approx 6.2MB) Related posts “They don’t want to leave a trace of anything Baha’i” (1) Zhinous Sobhani and Citizenship Rights (2) World Press on the Trial of the Seven Baha’i Leaders (1) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

United Religions Initiative in Brazil Posted: 13 Mar 2009 10:01 PM PDT By Sam H. Cyrous The United Religions Initiative (URI) based in Brasília, the capital of Brazil, has sent two open letters asking for the immediate release of the Baha’is in Iran, one to the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the other to the Iranian Ambassador to Brazil. They request the Minister they to “issue a public statement on these arrests, and to urge the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to promptly see the equivocal and illegality of these acts that must be repaired, first of all with the release of the prisoners.” They summon the Ambassador to apply the Quranic principles: “In the Holy Quran, Justice and Mercy are values which are always reminded to all the believers. Thus even if we are to consider the total independence of the Iranian State, we cannot understand such attitudes, and even less accept them, as we hereby respectfully express. (…) We also feel impelled to request from those responsible for these human rights violations, and particularly the Iranian Government, good sense and real practice of justice, through the release of these prisoners and the full reestablishment of their rights, since the Christians and Jews among Iranian citizens do not suffer – or they should not – any such violations – facts that yet again cannot justify the mentioned acts.” Cautioning that by acting otherwise, they are the ones endangering Islam: “Dearest Mr. Ambassador, to conclude I would like to express that I understand that, at the eventuality of the continuity of this situation, we shall see it as a setback on the world’s view on human rights in Iran, as well as on the very image of the country, which certainly will give room to those heralds of untruthfulness against Islam and their specific arguments to work solidly in their propaganda.” Moreover, there is no doubt that if this situation that we now repudiate comes to occur, all of us, who work for the social and organizational awareness on the theological and cultural, legal and scientific richness that Islam brought to all humankind through the centuries, will be in a difficult position to argument in defense. Download: Letter to the Iranian Ambassador | Letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Related posts Letter from Brazilian Congressman on the Yaran (3) “They don’t want to leave a trace of anything Baha’i” (1) Zhinous Sobhani and Citizenship Rights (2)

Letter of Iran’s Attorney-General to the Minister of Intelligence

March 12, 2009

Editor’s Note: The following letter is from Iran’s Attorney General, Ayatollah Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi, to the country’s Minister of Intelligence, Muhseni-Azheh’i. The letter is undated, but since it was published online on 19 February 2009, it appears that it was dispatched around mid-February. Since this letter includes various instructions regarding the government’s treatment of the Baha’i community, a translation of the full text of this important letter is provided below by Iran Press Watch.

Muhseni-Azheh’i

To honored Hojjato’l-Islam Muhseni-Azheh’i, the esteemed Minister of Intelligence!

With greetings and hopes that your prayers and meditations are accepted [by God] in this bountiful month!

Regarding the previous letter about the activities of the wayward Baha’i organization, it is necessary for me to point out the following:

A. Acceptance of multiplicity and diversity in a society is among its instruments of liberty - including freedom of thought and decision. It is an undeniable and established principle in any society of religious men, and is affirmed through the covenant of constitutional law. The Constitution is the foundation of societal order and is the final word on the governance and organization of the people. Specifically, Articles 26 and 27 [of IRI's Constitution] recognizes freedom to form parties and associations - of course, not absolute liberty, but conditional.

On this basis, various [political] parties and groups may function legally as long as they do not violate the principles of independence, liberty, national unity, Islamic provisions, and the fundamental laws of the Islamic Republic. Of course, it is not necessary for the members of such assembled groups to believe in these principles, but it is necessary for them to adhere to these provisions.

The law governing the activities of parties and associations (established in 1360 Sh [1981]) has provided a framework for the appearance and functioning of these organizations, and has outlined means for their growth and development. Therefore, associations that are without a constitution or by-laws approved by authorized governmental agencies are not permitted to function.

Religious minorities are defined and delineated in the luminous religious law [of the Shiites] and the nation’s Constitution, and except for those enumerated in Articles 12 and 13, no others are permitted to be active.

In accordance with Article 20 of the Constitution, every citizen is under the protection of the law, and the government is responsible to safeguard each person’s civil rights as a citizen. Moreover, in accordance with Article 23, no one may be opposed or questioned solely based on his beliefs. Based on this foundation, adherence to a principle or belief is free, but to openly express and proclaim it in order to cause deviation in the thoughts of others, to manipulate, pretend, disseminate [ideas] and otherwise attempt to deceive and confuse people are not permissible.

All citizens of Islamic Republic of Iran are under the protective umbrella of the government, and the regime is responsible to ensure their civil rights to their fullest measure. In accordance with Article 22 of the Constitution all citizens are safeguarded against censure, except in instances where they have strayed beyond the boundary of the law.

Fundamentally, individuals who have been given true and legal recognition in the Constitution and secondary edicts are free to undertake these aforementioned activities. However, should they attempt any activity, either individually, collectively or through their organization, which would threaten national security or the sovereignty of the nation, then it is obvious that the government will use its powers to establish the common good and the national benefit, and will confront the aggressor in an equivalent manner.

B. In consideration of the aforesaid, and the methods, history and record of the political-intelligence organization Baha’ism, they are not among the political parties or legal associations that are licensed for activity, nor are they listed among the divine religions, nor do they meet the definition of religious minorities.

The documents, evidence and oral testimony which have been gathered so far prove that the said organization [i.e. the Baha'i community] has been directly in touch with foreign enemies of the people of Iran, and they have long-established and firm connections with the Zionist regime [Israel]. Moreover, they have formed organizations and groups in Iran, and under various designations carry out propaganda, teaching, socio-economics, educational, and humanitarian activities, thereby collecting information, penetrating and undermining the foundations of the people’s beliefs.

Therefore, in accordance with policies and instructions previously issued by the Islamic Revolutionary Attorney General, and that period’s esteemed head of the judiciary branch which prohibited every form of activity by the aforementioned movement [i.e. the Baha'i Faith], once again the same prohibition is promulgated.

The administration of the wayward sect [i.e. the Baha'i community] is illegal and unsanctioned at every level. Moreover, their allegiance to Israel, their opposition to Islam and the Islamic regime, is clear, documented and affirmed, as is their threat to national security. Therefore, it is necessary to confront [the Baha'i community] in accordance with established policies and further to confront whatever organization they establish to shadow and replace the original one.

It is obvious that any disregard or negligence regarding this issue is against public welfare and our national interests, will aid the objectives of foreigners, Zionists and their agents, and will result in admonishment and regret before the Divine Court.

I beseech Almighty God to perpetually render that honored person victorious.

[Posted at http://www.yjc.ir/News/NewsDesc.aspx?newsid=150113. Translation by Iran Press Watch.]

Dear Dad!

Posted: 04 Mar 2009 02:53 PM PST

Editor’s Note: On January 30, 2009, Iran Press Watch published an account by Abdollah Shahbazi (http://www.iranpresswatch.org/2009/01/condemn-publication/) in which Shahbazi brought to public notice the fact that the names and particulars of many Baha’is of Shiraz had been broadly published and distributed throughout the city. Among these names, there were several Baha’is who had passed away some time ago. The following is a translation of a letter from the son of one of these deceased Baha’is. For the record, Iran Press Watch wishes to inform its readers that while for the last two months we have been in possession of this shameful publication - list of Baha’is of Shiraz - we decided that we would not publish this list and would not contribute to the reprehensible and appalling action of the Iranian authorities.

I have seen your name on the list of occupations of Baha’is in Shiraz. It has been seven months since you passed on. It was about seven years before that when you were forced to leave your job. Old age, the trembling of your hands and the sorrow of mom’s death took away your ability to continue working.

You were living on the meager donation bestowed upon you by the “respected authorities”. Twenty years after your pension was cut off, you thought, there had been a little improvement in the treatment of the Baha’is. The only thing that you asked for from these beloved authorities was to be paid from your own contribution to the pension fund which you had made during your thirty years of honest service, teaching children in the hot weather of Abadan. You did not expect a comfortable life, just a modest lifestyle in the last years of your existence. After much correspondence, you were given a meager monthly amount, one sixth of what you were legally entitled to.

Now, your name is in the long list of workers, each of whose occupations somehow requires usage of “water” or “other liquids” making the object that is touched by the Baha’is “unclean” or “untouchable”. It is ridiculous. It is explained that since car repair requires using “water” the car becomes “untouchable”; since an optician uses liquid solutions for cleaning glasses, the glass becomes “untouchable”. In the 21st century, don’t civilized people laugh at such rationalizations? In one case they lacked enough creativity to label occupations in the clothing industry “untouchable”!!

On top of the list is written: “Baha’is who have occupations in Shiraz”. Was it expected that Baha’is, after getting fired from their jobs or having their pensions cut off, should sit and stare at the walls, or were they expected to work in an “imaginary” work place?

Always and all over the world, retirement is anticipated as a time for rest and the enjoyment of life. However, instead of retirement, you started your new occupation and worked another fifteen years, providing for your family with pride. You did not give them the satisfaction of seeing you give up in despair. If it had been anywhere other than Iran, there would have been stories and movies about the strength and determination of you and people like you. Alas, with “unclear intentions” and of course “fruitless effort”, they published lists of those who lived with integrity, and who repaid enmity with kindness.

Dear Dad, when I saw your name on the list, it brought back memories of the past. I recall that we were laughing and saying: make up your mind and decide which country we are spying for — is it Russia or England, America or Israel? Dad, were you getting sensitive and classified information from poverty-stricken children of oil refinery workers or from clothing markets and shopkeepers? How is it that we are spies without pay and based on testimony stated at the beginning of the aforementioned “list”, we even provide financial help to Israel!! What kind of spies are we that openly introduce ourselves and write “Baha’i” in all the forms that have a religion column? Dad, if you had not filled out the religion column with honesty, you would have received your pension and I could have graduated from university 17-18 years ago!!

In any movie or story that I have ever seen or read, spies kept their identities secret. Why are we so stupid? This is complicated, my brain can’t figure it out, maybe the announcers of such comments can offer clarification!!

Is honesty so devoid of value that if you had lied, and instead of “Baha’i” had written “Muslim” in the religion columns of employment forms or registration forms of schools and universities, they would now be clapping, would have made life easy for you and would now say welcome to our religion?

There are many like that young man who remembered you from ages ago when you were his teacher. When he was handing you your dismissal letter, he was feeling ashamed of doing what he was ordered to do. In his eyes you could see his appreciation and respect for you.

Hoping that someday honesty and steadfastness will bring results, and that more and more people will start defending basic human rights.

With much love,

Your son.

Irani Irony: International War Crimes vis-a-vis Internal Peace Crimes

Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:56 PM PST

By Dr. Christopher Buck

Editor’s Note: The following essay is an invited editorial and Iran Press Watch is deeply grateful to Dr. Buck for this remarkably brilliant piece.

On Sunday, February 22, 2009, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad presented a bill to the Majlis (Iranian Parliament) to grant the Iranian Judiciary power to invest special courts in Tehran with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals charged with committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially against Muslims, anywhere in the world: http://tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=189890.

If the Majlis enacts, the Guardian Council endorses, and the Iranian regime enables this new bill, the newly created war crimes courts will enforce a law that was previously promulgated in January—which commands, in substantive part:

[M]assacring people or depriving them of basic necessities and blocking the supply of humanitarian assistance with the aim of exterminating all or part of a population because they practice a particular religion or inhabit a particular region are all considered genocide and those convicted of such offenses will be sentenced to death or receive a prison sentence ranging from 15 years to life. (Emphasis added.)

Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Iran’s judiciary chief, tasked the Islamic Republic’s general prosecutor to commence lawsuits filed by more than 5,700 Iranian lawyers against Israeli leaders for allegedly committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Taking the lead in prosecuting Israel rather than individual Israelis, Tehran, in early March, will host a conference of prosecutors from across the Islamic world to consult on how best to effectively seek judicial redress for the putative “genocide” in Gaza Strip.

Jurisdictional issues apart, a grim irony obtains here: If depriving persons of the bare necessities of life—with intent to exterminate a population because it practices a disfavored religion—is tantamount to genocide, then what Iran proposes to prosecute internationally should first be prosecuted internally.

The reason is simple: Iran, for the past 30 years, has prosecuted a systematic campaign to deny Baha’is rights in what independent scholar, Dr. Moojan Momen, has termed, “suspended genocide.” See Moojan Momen, “The Babi and Baha’i community of Iran: a case of ‘suspended genocide’?” Journal of Genocide Research 7.2 (June 2005): 221–241.

If Dr. Momen’s thesis has merit, which I believe it does, then, as Iran looks outside its borders, Iran should also consider the “suspended genocide” taking place inside its borders—in what may be thought of as ongoing “endo-genocide” concomitant with the “exo-genocide” allegedly being perpetrated against Muslims abroad.

While Iran wishes to prosecute the alleged perpetrators of exo-genocide, it continues to perpetrate its own “endo-genocide” by prosecuting its systematic persecution against its own citizens, the Baha’is.

Under Iran’s juridical standard setting forth the requisite elements of the “war crime” of “genocide,” those responsible in the government of Iran should arguably prosecute themselves for their role in the “peace crime” of “suspended genocide” or “endo-genocide.”

Prosecutors can make out a prima facie case by matching the facts with the essential elements of a viable claim of internal genocide, to wit: the accused allegedly have engaged in (1) the act of “depriving” the Baha’is “of basic necessities”; (2) “with the aim of exterminating all or part of a population”; (3) “because they practice a particular religion”—the Baha’i Faith.

Presumably, state immunity permits state actors to persecute Baha’i citizens and leaders with impunity, even though, under Iranian law, these same actors could arguably be charged with the crime of genocide. The following objection will be raised: How can Iranian state actors be charged with genocide, when their actions do not constitute “war crimes? Iran, after all, is not in a state of war.

Although Iran is technically in a state of peace, the Republic’s actions, taken together, represent an internal campaign against the Iranian Baha’i community. True, this is not an overt war. But, to the extent that Iran is executing a systematic campaign to eradicate the Baha’i community—or at least to make life miserable for them—such a campaign may be analyzed as a covert war. This covert war is an open secret.

Here, context (of “depriving” the Baha’is “of basic necessities”) and pretext (“because they practice a particular religion”—the Baha’i Faith) combust with element #2, which is the mens rea, the criminal mind, the culpable intent.

If prosecuted for its own persecution of the Baha’is, those in the Iranian regime “convicted of such offenses” should, under their own proposed penalties, be “sentenced to death or receive a prison sentence ranging from 15 years to life.”

If consistency is a criterion of credibility, then this proposed system of justice is incredible. How can a government prosecute “international war crimes” while perpetrating what may be characterized as “internal peace crimes” or what alternatively—and perhaps more accurately—be described as “war crimes” in the course of a covert war against the Baha’is? This is a non sequitur.

International law is informed by a set of universal norms. These norms are transnational, that is, beyond the state, and are constituted in the United Nations and emerging regional human rights systems. By setting up separate Islamic courts to do the job of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, however, Iran, seeks to impose its own code of retrograde and communalistic traditionalism in the name of justice.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which was adopted and opened for signature, ratification, and accession in December 1966, was ratified by Iran in June 1975. As a signatory state, Iran entered the Covenant into force in March 1976. While the Iranian government, under the Shah, was subsequently overthrown in the Islamic Revolution of 1979, at no time has the Islamic Republic of Iran sought to revoke its ratification of the treaty. Nor has Iran promulgated any official declarations or expressed any reservations about any of the Covenant’s clauses. Thus, as the signatory’s successor state, the Islamic Republic of Iran remains fully bound by the terms of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects, inter alia, freedom of religion.

In contrast, Article 13 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians as the only legally “recognized religious minorities” and, as such, these are the only religious minorities who “are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies,” “within the limits of the law.” By specifying that Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians are the only protected people, people from other faiths are, both in principle and in practice, without constitutionally mandated protections.

This is particularly true in the case of the Baha’is, Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority. The naked truth is that Baha’is are outside the penumbra of constitutional protections and rights. Not only are the Baha’is not “free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education,” they are not free even to pursue university education.

Article 14 purportedly protects the human rights of non-Muslims who do not engage in “conspiracy or activity against Islam and the Islamic Republic of Iran.” In principle, non-Muslims are entitled to be treated in conformity with the canons of Islamic justice. But the Islamic regime can easily circumvent Article 14 by declaring that Baha’is have engaged in “conspiracy or activity against Islam and the Islamic Republic of Iran.” By invoking this exception to Article 14, Baha’is may thereby be stripped of their human rights.

This twisted logic helps explain recent events. On February 11, 2009, the deputy prosecutor-general of Tehran announced that the Revolutionary Court trial of seven Baha’i leaders was imminent.

The charges against the seven members of a national Baha’i coordinating committee—who were arrested in March and May of 2008 and have been held in Tehran’s Evin Prison—are pretextual. They are transparently actuated by religious hatred, pure and simple. Baha’is are ideologically despised—not because they are anti-Islamic—but because they are post-Islamic.

While the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects freedom of religion (without any stated exception), the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran protects freedom of religion only if the religion in question is a recognized religion. By design, under the council of 75 experts who originally the drafted the document, the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran fails to enumerate the Baha’i religion. To make matters worse, the human rights provision of the same Constitution provides for the suspension of constitutional protections under the anti-Islam/anti-Islamic Republic conspiracy/activities exception.

Thus there is a clear conflict between the Constitution and the Covenant. With respect to international law, those powerful Iranian clerics who sanction state action against the Baha’is are Covenant-breakers—violating the very Covenant to which Iran is a signatory. (For the preceding analysis, I relied heavily on Jennifer F. Cohen, “Islamic Law in Iran: Can It Protect the International Legal Right of Freedom of Religion and Belief?” Chicago Journal of International Law 9 (Summer 2008): 247–274.)

Ironically, Baha’is are strong and vocal supporters of international law.

Baha’is advocate peace among all nations, religions and races. Baha’is are strong advocates of interfaith ecumenism and in what scholars call “transconfessional affinity”—and would be the first to defend the rights of Muslims wherever they exist as religious minorities.

Iran wants to prosecute Israel for genocide, yet President Ahmadinejad has consistently denied the genocide called the Holocaust. This retrospective negationism is complemented by a proscriptive negationism. While Iran wants to prosecute Israel for genocide, President Ahmadinejad turns a blind eye to the endemic and pandemic genocide of the Baha’i minority under his watch, if not under his auspices.

This is the Irani irony.