Sunday, March 30, 2008

Baha'i Faith in Egypt

Cairo's Baha'is Celebrate in a Park

Posted: 29 Mar 2008 02:30 PM CDT

In an unprecedented coverage, one of Egypt's major newspapers reported in its front page on some of the Baha'is of Cairo celebrating their new year in one of the city's parks.

Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, in its 27 March 2008 issue, published an article on the Baha'is celebrating the end of their annual fast and the advent of their new year on the 21st of March. The article was accompanied by a photograph of the group of families gathered in Maryland public park of Cairo.

The newspaper reported that the Baha'is were free to celebrate and that the celebration not interfered with by the state security. It also mentioned that during the celebration, called Naw Ruz, they read from their Holy Book, after which each family returns to its home and resume its usual devotions.

Baha'is in the Park (Cairo, 21 March)

The following paragraphs regarding the Baha'i Fast are quoted from the website of the Baha'i International Community:

As has been the case with other revealed religions, the Bahá'í Faith sees great value in the practice of fasting as a discipline for the soul . Bahá'u'lláh designated a nineteen-day period each year when adult Bahá'ís fast from sunrise to sunset each day. This period coincides with the Bahá'í month of Ala (meaning Loftiness), from March 2 to 20, inclusive. This is the month immediately preceding the Bahá'í new year, which occurs the day of the vernal equinox; and the period of fasting is therefore viewed as a time of spiritual preparation and regeneration for a new year's activities. Women who are nursing or pregnant, the aged, the sick, the traveler, those engaged in heavy labor, as well as children under the age of fifteen, are exempt from observance of the Fast.

"The fasting period, which lasts nineteen days starting as a rule from the second of March every year and ending on the twentieth of the same month, involves complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires."
Fasting is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and the spirituality of man increases. This is produced by the fact that man's thoughts will be confined to the commemoration of God, and through this awakening and stimulation surely ideal advancements follow... Fasting is of two kinds, material and spiritual. The material fasting is abstaining from food or drink, that is, from the appetites of the body. But spiritual, ideal fasting is this, that man abstain from selfish passions, from negligence and from satanic animal traits. Therefore, material fasting is a token of the spiritual fasting. That is: 'O God! As I am fasting from the appetites of the body and not occupied with eating and drinking, even so purify and make holy my heart and my life from aught else save Thy Love, and protect and preserve my soul from self-passions... Thus may the spirit associate with the Fragrances of Holiness and fast from everything else save Thy mention.'
It must be said that this example represents the true face of Egypt, and not the other face that is occasionally promoted by extremist elements. Egypt, by nature, can be quite tolerant and open to various beliefs and points of view. Peaceful Egyptian citizens, regardless of their religious affiliation, deserve to be always treated with dignity and respect and to enjoy their full citizenship rights. The Baha'is of Egypt are still awaiting the issue of ID cards, birth certificates and all other required official documents.
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Monday, March 24, 2008



video 2



Baha'i Faith in Egypt


Egyptian Baha'i Student on TV
Posted: 23 Mar 2008 04:49 PM CDT
You may watch Cairo's TV program which was referred to in the previous post regarding the Egyptian Baha'i student (Kholoud), who was ultimately allowed to sit for her high school final exams. The program's title is "the Egyptian Street."

Her case is being presented and defended by a prominent Egyptian journalist, Mr. Nabil Omar, who is the vice-president of Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper. Mr. Omar is not a Baha'i.


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Saturday, March 22, 2008






Baha'i Faith in Egypt

Egypt's Ministry of Education Allows Baha'i Student into Exams
Posted: 21 Mar 2008 05:02 PM CDT
As the Baha'is of the world celebrate today the end of their yearly "fast" and the advent of their new year, the case of Kholoud,
the young Egyptian student who was--because of belonging to the Baha'i religion--prevented from registering for her exams by the head of "Examination Control" in Cairo, captured the outrage of the Ministry of Education as well as the public opinion in Egypt.

As a result, Egypt's Ministry of Education overruled the administrator's decision and allowed Kholoud admission to the examination process for graduation from high school. Dr. Rida Abou Sareeyh, First Deputy Minister of Education, confirmed the right of Kholoud to admission to the examination. And that the initial decision to deprive Kholoud of her right to the exam had neither legal nor procedural basis.

Kholoud during a TV interview (Cairo)

Kholoud's colleagues in her school were also outraged by the decision of the "head of control" describing his behavior as "prejudiced." The entire student body was taken back by the way Kholoud was treated and they stated that she was wronged by that decision. They indicated that "no one has the right to interfere with another's religion." One of the students stated that they all knew that Kholoud is a Baha'i and that they all admire her, love her and respect her. They were indeed shocked by the way she was treated by this administrator.

The school's headmaster and teachers were also highly supportive of Kholoud's case and promised her father that they will ensure the prompt procession of her application and acceptance into the examination process.

This case garnered extensive media coverage, including a major television interview and newspaper coverage in Cairo's Al-Badeel and Egypt's semi-official Al-Ahram newspapers.

Officials in the Ministry of Education described the behavior of the administrator as "his own doing and not--in any way--in accordance with the policies of the Ministry." Based on the recent (29 January 2008) administrative court decision allowing the Baha'is of Egypt the right to obtain official documents, the Ministry of Education resolved the matter by asking Kholoud to fill-out another application form with dashes "--" entered in the religion field of the application.

On another front, since Cairo's Court of Administrative Justice decision to allow the Baha'is of Egypt to leave the religion field on official documents vacant, or to enter dashes "--" or "other" instead of identifying their religion, several Egyptian Baha'is attempted to obtain ID cards. In all cases, they were asked to return in ten days. When they returned as requested, they were told again to return in ten days! Thus far no Baha'is in Egypt have been issued ID cards since the court's verdict.

To this date, the Ministry of Interior has not shown any intention of appealing the administrative court's verdict to the Supreme Administrative Court of Egypt.

It is indeed refreshing to note that, unlike Iran's treatment of its Baha'i religious minority, Egypt is quite different--and one can be sure that it will remain so--not because of its sense of responsibility towards its citizens and towards the rest of the free world, but because of its basic nature as a civilized society that cannot overstep certain boundaries in human relations and decency.
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Monday, March 17, 2008



Baha'i Faith in Egypt






Egypt: a Student Denied Entry to Exams Because of Her Religion Posted: 16 Mar 2008 06:31 The Egyptian newspaper Al-Badeel reported today on a high school student who was prevented from sitting for her final graduating examinations simply because of being a Baha'i.
Kholoud Hafez Abdou is a 17 years old Egyptian student who, like all other students in her stage of education, must sit for the final exams that allow her to graduate from high school and enter university education.
Students are required to enter their religion on the application form necessary for admission to the examination. Based on the documentation in her birth certificate, Kholoud entered "Baha'i." The high school system's admissions administrator located in the central office rejected her application because she entered "Baha'i" and prevented her from sitting for her final exams.
Kholuod was even willing to be examined in "Islam" under the subject of "religion." However, when the administrator was informed of such by the student's father, the administrator simply stated: "if you are not a Muslim, I have nothing to do with you and your daughter will be deprived from entering the examination."
The instructions given for filling-out the application form clearly state that all information must be accurately & truthfully entered, and any deviation from that would invalidate the application. The officials, however, demanded that the only way for Kholoud to be allowed entry to the exams is that if she enters "Muslim" under religious affiliation, thus asking her to lie if she wants to be examined.
The 29 January 2008 administrative court decision allows the Baha'is to enter "other", "--" or leave the religion field on official documents vacant. Based on the court's ruling, Baha'is of Egypt cannot be forced to lie about their religion on official documents.
The student is now in a state of shock. Her future is placed "on hold" simply because she is being truthful. Is this what Egypt wants for her emerging young generation? That is: teaching them to be dishonest and untruthful if they want to advance in their education!
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Thursday, March 06, 2008

Baha'i Faith in Egypt

Decree-263 and the Persecution of Egyptian Baha'is (Part-2)

Posted: 05 Mar 2008 04:44 PM CST

This series on Decree 263 and its impact on the rights of the Baha'is of Egypt began in this previous post. The entire report is cited from a publication by the Baha'i International Community on the persecution of this religious minority in Egypt. Pictures are added by the author of this blog.

The Decree and International Law
By any moral standard, the Decree is unfair and unjust. The principles of the Bahá'í Faith stress obedience to duly constituted governments, and the Bahá'ís of Egypt, in keeping with the teachings of their Faith, do not and have never become involved in partisan politics. They are committed to non-violence. They desire only to be recognized as full citizens of their country, actively promoting the progress and advancement of Egyptian society at large. The persecution and discrimination they face comes only because of their religious beliefs.

Baha'is of Alexandria, Egypt (circa 1940)

In theory, the Egyptian Constitution upholds freedom of religious belief. However, The Egyptian Supreme Court issued a decision in 1975 that upholds the Decree. The Court characterized the Bahá'í belief system as "evil," immoral, and a threat to public order. As the "Constitution guarantees the freedom of practice only to those religions recognized by Islam, i.e., Judaism and Christianity," the Court concluded that: "Belief in the Bahá'í Faith is considered apostasy. Therefore, the practice of that Faith is against Public Order, which is essentially based on Islamic Law
(Shariah)."

However, religious discrimination such as that faced by the Bahá'ís of Egypt is clearly counter to international human rights treaties and covenants to which Egypt is a party. Specifically, Egypt was one of 48 members of the United Nations that in 1948 jointly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which recognizes that "everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion," including the right "to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance," either alone or as a community.

Moreover, Egypt in 1982 ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, an international treaty that further codifies the rights outlined in the UDHR. The Covenant even more clearly spells out the right to freedom of religion, stating in Article 18 that:

1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to

3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

While Egyptian Government officials have told the United Nations that the "public order" provision of Article 18 applies in their refusal to recognize the Bahá'í Faith as a legitimate religion, international human rights experts have rejected Egypt's argument and stated that Article 18 clearly applies to Egypt in the case of the Bahá'ís.

Egyptian delegation to signing of Universal Declaration of Human rights, San Francisco, USA (10 December 1948)

In 1993, for example, the UN Human Rights Committee that oversees implementation of the Covenant, said this about Egypt's compliance under the treaty in relation to Bahá'ís:

"[T]he Committee is worried about restrictive legal provisions existing in Egypt with regard to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, assembly and association. Restrictions not in conformity with article 18 of the Covenant regarding various religious communities or sects, such as Bahá'ís, are a matter of particular concern."

The Bahá'í Faith is, of course, widely recognized as an independent world religion, clearly falling under the terms of the Covenant. And even if Egyptian statements that the Faith is an apostasy were to be accepted, it would nevertheless be no excuse under the framework of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Through the years, Bahá'ís have fought for their rights in the courts — with no success. They have also sought to deliver corrective statements to the press, virtually none of which have been published. Representatives of the Bahá'í International Community have also sought redress for their co-religionists in Egypt at various international forums. Bahá'ís can only guess at the reasons for the Government's unresponsiveness.

Some of the fatwas also wrongly connect the Faith with Zionism and/or colonialism — buzzwords that seem calculated to incite hatred.

To be continued....
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Saturday, March 01, 2008

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A Baha’i home firebombed

calendar February 29th, 2008 by Admin

We received an unfortunate e-mail this morning:

Last night, Feb 25, the Dana family in Shiraz, which consisted of four believers, came together for the evening meal. As they began dinner, the sound of breaking glass and then a loud explosion rocked the house. Soon the entrance of the house was engulfed in flames and the roar of a motorbike speeding away was heard. The Dana family immediately started bringing buckets of water and pouring it over the fire, while the glass in all windows were being shattered because of the intense heat. Meanwhile, the family called the police and reported the terrorist attack. After some time, despite broken glass throughout the house, the fire was brought under control and by midnight the police arrived. Evidences of a Molotov cocktail were evident and collected.

Attached report in Persian includes pictures of this firebombing and the shameful and coward act of terrorism.

Please download the report here.

Here are relevant pictures of this brutal incident:


Filed under : Human Rights, Iran, Baha'i Faith

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We received an unfortunate e-mail this morning:

Last night, Feb 25, the Dana family in Shiraz, which consisted of four believers, came together for the evening meal. As they began dinner, the sound of breaking glass and then a loud explosion rocked the house. Soon the entrance of the house was engulfed in flames and the roar of a motorbike speeding away was heard. The Dana family immediately started bringing buckets of water and pouring it over the fire, while the glass in all windows were being shattered because of the intense heat. Meanwhile, the family called the police and reported the terrorist attack. After some time, despite broken glass throughout the house, the fire was brought under control and by midnight the police arrived. Evidences of a Molotov cocktail were evident and collected.

Attached report in Persian includes pictures of this firebombing and the shameful and coward act of terrorism.

Please download the report here.

Here are relevant pictures of this brutal incident:


Filed under : Human Rights, Iran, Baha'i Faith
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Saturday, February 23, 2008

Baha'i Faith in Egypt

Ongoing Dialogue: Status of the Baha'i Religion in Egypt

Posted: 22 Feb 2008 07:32 PM CST

Egyptian and Middle Eastern media continue to examine the recent court verdicts that permitted some of the Baha'is of Egypt to obtain ID cards and birth certificates. They also address the general status of the Baha'is of Egypt as a religious minority in a modern society. The scope of these articles extends beyond the mere description of the court ruling itself, but rather carefully examines other essential elements regarding Egypt's need to come to terms with the fact that the Baha'i religion is one of the established religions worldwide.

For example, these articles are now addressing the roots of the current crisis, dating back to Nasser's Presidential Decree (263) of 1960 that outlawed the Baha'i religion in Egypt, confiscated all Baha'i properties, dissolved Baha'i institutions and arrested many leading Baha'is. The question of the official recognition of the Baha'i religion in Egypt is being openly discussed and arguments in its favor are put forward.

One of the headlines even dares to go as far as stating that "the problem with the Baha'is is the need to recognize them and not necessarily the implied acceptance of their beliefs."

Some of the articles attached to this post (Qattar's Al-Raayah-page 31 & Egypt's Al-Qaherra) are currently being translated and will be hopefully posted again in the near future.

The 29 January 2008 court ruling allowed only those Baha'is who had previously held paper ID cards or birth certificates stating that they were Baha'is to obtain the newly established national ID number and identification documents (with no religion entered), thus permitting them to enjoy the rights of citizenship owed to them. However, those Baha'is who do not hold an old ID card or birth certificate, or if the documents held had wrongly stated other than their religion in the specified field, will continue to have no solution to their dilemma. That is if they want to obtain any of these official documents, they would be either forced to lie (in violation of the law itself) on the application form about their true religion and enter one of the three approved religions (Islam Christianity or Judaism) or be left without identity.

Clearly, as has been repeatedly proposed by Egypt's--government appointed--National Council for Human Rights, the ultimate solution to this ongoing crisis is the complete elimination of the field of religion from all identity documents, as is the case in several other (mostly Muslim) countries in the region and as in many other parts of the world.

Even though the recent verdict is limited in scope, it must be said that: 1) the Baha'is of Egypt are indeed pleased with this new development, 2) they hope that Egypt's government continues to work towards finding a satisfactory solution that would benefit all the Baha'is--and other religious minorities--of Egypt and not only a fraction of their population, 3) they are grateful to all those activists, human rights workers, journalists, bloggers, thinkers, scholars, attorneys, official figures and many others who have courageously supported them and defended their rights, and 4) the Baha'is of Egypt continue to analyze and study the full text of the recent two court verdicts--which are quite expansive and complex--in order for them to act on the implementation of their directives as well as to determine further necessary action in their quest for their full rights.

For example, another pressing and critical matter that must be addressed and resolved soon is that Baha'i marriage certificates remain unrecognized in Egypt, thus married Baha'i couples living in Egypt are considered to be living in concubinage and their children are considered by the authorities as illegitimate.
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Monday, February 18, 2008

Dire situation for Iran's Baha'is
STEPHANIE CARNES
Published: February 11, 2008
Olya Roohizadegan speaks at the Bahai Center in Dallas, Texas. She said she was imprisoned with other women in Iran who were later hanged because they refused to deny their faith. (Photo by Kim Ritzenthaher/ Dallad Morning News via Newscom
Nearly half a million Iranians, members of the Baha'i faith, are being systematically persecuted despite calls by human rights advocates and Western governments.

The U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution on Dec. 19, 2007, expressing "serious concern" over the worsening situation of human rights in Iran, mentioning specifically the continuing persecution of members of the Baha'i faith.

This is not the first incidence of international concern, nor is it the first condemnation of the Islamic Republic of Iran's systematic violation of minority rights.

The recent resolution, which was put forth by Canada and ultimately passed by a vote of 73 to 53 with 55 abstentions, marks the 20th time since 1985 that the United Nations expressed such concern with specific mention of the Baha'i population. According to Baha'i human rights officer Aaron Emmel of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly Office of External Affairs, both the European Parliament and the U.S. Congress have adopted similar resolutions calling for the elimination of discrimination on religious grounds.

While the Baha'i faith, founded on notions of equality and humanitarianism, originated in what would become the Islamic Republic of Iran, members of the religious community have faced persecution since the republic's establishment under the Islamic constitution of 1979.

According to the Iranian government, the Baha'i population represents a political sect, not a religious community, and is consequently regarded as apostate. Although the rights of certain minority groups, such as Christians and Zoroastrians, are explicitly protected under the constitution of the Islamic republic, the Baha'i population, estimated by the U.S. Department of State to be approximately 300,000-350,000 of the majority Muslim population, enjoys no rights.

The unprotected status of the Baha'is facilitates discrimination without justification within the Iranian legal system. Courts in Iran have denied Baha'is the right of redress or protection against assault, killings, or other forms of persecution. These courts have established that Iranian citizens who kill or injure Baha'is are not liable for damages because their victims are "unprotected infidels," Emmel said.

According to the Department of State's annual International Religious Freedom report, the Iranian government uses Articles 500 and 698 of the Islamic Penal Code, relating to activities against the state and spreading falsehood respectively, to justify violence against the Baha'i population.

The U.N. resolution explicitly recognizes and condemns "attacks on Baha'is and their faith in state sponsored media, increasing evidence of efforts by the state to identify and monitor Baha'is and prevention of Baha'is" from attending university and from sustaining themselves economically" and expressed concern over a marked increase in the number of arbitrary arrests and detention.

The increasing trend toward such targeted illegality and violation of human rights was explicitly manifested when in November 2007, three Baha'is in Shiraz, Iran were initially detained by the Ministry of Intelligence and then imprisoned without trial. According to Diane Alai, the representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva, the prisoners were working to educate underprivileged children at the time of their arrests. Their efforts were ultimately described by the Iranian authorities as "offenses relating to state security."

Both the Department of State and Amnesty International have issued recent statements urging Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to launch a full investigation into the incident and, if not charged with criminally recognizable offenses, to release the prisoners. To date, however, these calls have gone unheeded.

The critical nature of the situation necessitates an equally critical response from the international community, say human rights activists.


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Saturday, February 16, 2008

Baha'i Faith in Egypt

The Economist Examines Egypt's Emerging Religious Freedom

Posted: 15 Feb 2008 06:28 PM CST

The Economist, a weekly leading British newspaper with extensive worldwide readership has published yesterday an article about the recent developments affecting the pressing issue of religious freedom in Egypt.

It focused on the recent court rulings regarding the Baha'is of Egypt as well as Egyptian citizens who had converted from Islam to Christianity. Both religious minorities have been facing enormous barriers to their civil rights prior to these recent court verdicts that allowed them to be recognized as citizens, even though in the case of the Baha'is the ruling fell short of recognizing the legitimacy of their religion in Egypt.

In view of the recent opinion of Cairo's Court of Administrative Justice, it should be clearly pointed out that the Baha'i Faith is recognized globally as an independent divinely-ordained religion. Additionally, the Baha'i International Community is permanently represented in the United Nations along with other prominent non-governmental organizations (NGO).

As to the ruling affecting Egyptian Christians, Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court has just ruled that Egyptians who were initially Christian who, for one reason or another, had converted or were forced to convert to Islam, and who want to return to Christianity can do so freely and are now allowed to obtain identity documents verifying their current legal status.

The full article can be accessed on Economist.com at this link.

The article in the Economist which was published on 14 February 2008 and posted on the newspaper's website from its print edition carries the following title:

Egypt
A bit more religious freedom
Apostasy need not necessarily be punished by death

The report begins with the following paragraph:
TWENTY-SEVEN years ago, Egypt revised its secular constitution to enshrine Muslim sharia as “the principal source of legislation”. To most citizens, most of the time, that seeming contradiction—between secularism and religion—has not made much difference. Nine in ten Egyptians are Sunni Muslims and expect Islam to govern such things as marriage, divorce and inheritance. Nearly all the rest profess Christianity or Judaism, faiths recognised and protected in Islam. But to the small minority who embrace other faiths, or who have tried to leave Islam, it has, until lately, made an increasingly troubling difference.

It then continues with:
Members of Egypt's 2,000-strong Bahai community, for instance, have found they cannot state their religion on the national identity cards that all Egyptians are obliged to produce to secure such things as driver's licences, bank accounts, social insurance and state schooling. Hundreds of Coptic Christians who have converted to Islam, often to escape the Orthodox sect's ban on divorce, find they cannot revert to their original faith. In some cases, children raised as Christians have discovered that, because a divorced parent converted to Islam, they too have become officially Muslim, and cannot claim otherwise.

Such restrictions on religious freedom are not directly a product of sharia, say human-rights campaigners, but rather of rigid interpretations of Islamic law by over-zealous officials. In their strict view, Bahai belief cannot be recognised as a legitimate faith, since it arose in the 19th century, long after Islam staked its claim to be the final revelation in a chain of prophecies beginning with Adam. Likewise, they brand any attempt to leave Islam, whatever the circumstances, as a form of apostasy, punishable by death.

And it concludes with:
But such views have lately been challenged. Last year Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti, who is the government's highest religious adviser, declared that nowhere in Islam's sacred texts did it say that apostasy need be punished in the present rather than by God in the afterlife. In the past month, Egyptian courts have issued two rulings that, while restricted in scope, should ease some bothersome strictures. Bahais may now leave the space for religion on their identity cards blank. Twelve former Christians won a lawsuit and may now return to their original faith, on condition that their identity documents note their previous adherence to Islam.

Small steps, perhaps, but they point the way towards freedom of choice and citizenship based on equal rights rather than membership of a privileged religion.
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Baha'i Faith in Egypt

Iran's Draft Penal Code: A Clear Danger to Human Rights

Posted: 11 Feb 2008 10:55 PM CST

The Assyrian International News Agency has recently posted a report on Iran's draft penal code intended to entirely delegitimize its Baha'i population. Baha'is in Iran are the largest religious minority.

The report is titled: Iran Draft Law Proposes Death Penalty for Religious Conversion

It begins with the following introduction:

Washington -- The Iranian Parliament is reviewing a draft penal code that for the first time in Iranian history legislates the death penalty for apostasy. The draft clearly violates Iran's commitments under the International Covenants on Human Rights, to which the State is party. Read more here....

Additionally, the European Union has just released the following declaration addressing the current critical situation of the large Baha'i population of Iran:

Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the deteriorating situation of the religious minority Baha’i in Iran

The EU expresses its serious concern at the worsening situation of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, in particular to the plight of the Baha’i. According to reliable reports, the Iranian Judiciary confirmed that 54 Baha’is were sentenced by a court in Shiraz for ‘propaganda against the regime’. Three of the convicted Baha’is were sentenced to four years in prison, while 51 were given one year suspended prison terms.

The EU is concerned about the ongoing systematic discrimination and harassment of Baha'is in Iran, including the expulsion of university and high school students, restrictions on employment and anti-Baha'i propaganda campaigns in the Iranian media.

The EU wishes to express its firm opposition to all forms of discrimination, in particular regarding freedom of religion. In this context, the EU urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to release the Baha’i prisoners and stop prosecuting members of the Baha’i minority due to their belief and practice of the Baha'i Faith.

The Candidate Countries Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
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Friday, February 08, 2008

MR THE PRESIDENT OF IRAN

WE URGE YOU PLEASE

RELEASE THEM IN THE NAME OFGOD

999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

.

Haleh ROUHI

Amnesty International, US State Department call for release
of Baha'i prisoners in Iran

GENEVA
29 January 2008 (BWNS)

In the wake of a US State Department call for Iran to release Baha'i prisoners, Amnesty International has issued an "urgent action" appeal on their behalf.
The three prisoners were taken into custody in Shiraz, Iran, last November and are serving a four-year sentence on charges connected entirely with their belief and practice in the Baha'i Faith.
"We urge the regime to release all individuals held without due process and a fair trial, including the three young Baha'i teachers being held in a Ministry of Intelligence detention center in Shiraz," said Sean McCormack, a spokesman for the State Department on 23 January 2008.


Amnesty International issued its appeal on 25 January. It calls for human rights activists around the world to write directly to Iranian government officials on behalf of the Baha'i prisoners, asking why they have been detained and calling on authorities not to ill-treat or torture them.
"Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, Raha Sabet Sarvestani and Sasan Taqva, all Baha'is (a religious minority), have been detained by the Ministry of Intelligence in Shiraz since 19 November 2007," states the appeal, which was posted on Amnesty International's Web site on 25 January 2008.
"Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, Arabic, English or your own language," the appeal advises, "stating that Amnesty International would consider them to be prisoners of conscience if they are detained because of their Baha'i Faith... calling for their release if they are not to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence and brought to trial promptly and fairly" and "calling on the authorities not to torture or ill-treat them..."

Sasan TAQVA ( Sassan TAGHVA )

The Amnesty International appeal recounts the story of the three prisoners, who were initially part of a group of 54 Baha'is who were arrested in May 2006 as they took part in an effort to educate underprivileged children in Shiraz.
Most of the 54 were released after a few days, although Ms. Rouhi, Ms. Sabet and Mr. Taqva were held for about a month. Then, in August 2007, 53 of those arrested were notified by a local court that they were accused of "offenses relating to state security," according to the appeal.
Ms. Rouhi, Ms. Sabet and Mr. Taqva, moreover, were sentenced to four years in prison, although they remained out on bail. Then, on 19 November 2007, the three were told by telephone to go to the Ministry of Information office in Shiraz to retrieve items that had been confiscated in the May 2006 arrests. Instead, they were incarcerated.

Raha SABET

"When they did not return home, family members who had accompanied them were given conflicting information by intelligence officials," says the appeal. "The officials tried to claim that the three had not entered the building, even though their relatives had seen them do so. Eventually, their relatives were informed that the three were still being held at the Office of the Ministry of Intelligence in Shiraz."
The appeal lists the ages of the prisoners as follows: Ms. Rouhi, 29; Ms. Sabet, 33; and Mr. Taqva, 32.
According to the AI Web site, urgent action appeals are transmitted to a network of more than 100,000 human rights activists in 70 countries.
Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva, said that the Baha'i International Community is gravely concerned for the welfare of the three Baha'i prisoners.
"We hope that the urgent action appeal from Amnesty International, as a signal from human rights defenders worldwide, and the US State Department's statement, will help resolve their unjust detentions," she said.
Ms. Ala'i said the appeal was especially timely because Mr. Taqva has an injured leg, from an automobile accident before his imprisonment, which requires medical attention.
"The problem with his leg is extremely serious and painful," said Ms. Ala'i. "It is understood that he requires surgery to remove a metal pin that had been inserted previously."
Ms. Ala'i said that charges against the three, rather than involving any legitimate concern over "state security" stem entirely from accusations by the court that the Baha'is had been involved in the "indirect teaching" of the Baha'i Faith.
"In fact," said Ms. Ala'i, "the three individuals were engaged in an effort to help underprivileged children in their city, through a program of training that emphasizes moral virtues.
"It is mind-boggling that the government of Iran would consider such efforts to be any type of threat -- and wholly unwarranted that such activities should result in lengthy prison sentence.
"There is no doubt that these three are prisoners of conscience, held solely because of their belief in and practice of the Baha'i Faith," said Ms. Ala'i. "We know this because among those arrested in May 2006 were some individuals who are not Baha'is. They were released within a day and have never faced charges."


The US State Department statement also took note of the "death under suspicious circumstances" of Ebrahim Lotfallahi, an Iranian student of Kurdish descent detained by the Ministry of Intelligence on January 6. "We call on Iranian authorities to conduct a full investigation," said Mr. McCormack. His statement also expressed concern over the continued detention of three Amir Kabir University students.


The Amnesty International appeal can be read in full at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/report/info/MDE13/017/2008

The US Department of State statement can be read at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/jan/99632.htm

Read this story in Persian

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Thursday, February 07, 2008

IRANIAN BAHA'IS SENTENCED TO PRISON WERE HELPING UNDERPRIVILEGED YOUTH
GENEVA, 6 February 2008 (BWNS) -- Accusations by the Iranian government that54 Baha'is were engaged in anti-regime "propaganda" when they were arrestedalmost two years ago are patently false, the Baha'i International Communitysaid today. In November, three of that group were re-arrested and imprisoned for fouryears. The others have reportedly been given suspended one-year sentences. "Far from working against the government, the Baha'is who were arrested inMay 2006 were engaged in a humanitarian project aimed at helpingunderprivileged young people in the city of Shiraz," said Diane Ala'i, theBaha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations inGeneva."Charges by the government that suggest otherwise are nothing less than anattempt to repress Iranian Baha'is generally and to deflect internationalcriticism of Iran's human rights record," she said.Concern over the status of the Baha'is sentenced in Shiraz was highlightedlast week after an Iranian government spokesperson accused them of engagingin anti-government "propaganda," according to wire service reports. (Whilethose reports put the total arrests at 54, Baha'i sources indicate that only53 Baha'is were arrested in May 2006.)That charge of anti-regime propaganda came several days after the US StateDepartment and Amnesty International expressed concern over the fact thatthree of the Baha'is arrested had been summarily imprisoned in November forterms of four years.According to Agence France-Presse, an Iranian judiciary spokesman, Ali RezaJamshidi, confirmed the prison sentences for the three and also toldreporters on 29 January that 51 others had received suspended one-year jailterms, conditional on their attendance of courses held by the state'sIslamic Propaganda Organization."The accounts emerging from Iran tell of a government that is desperate tojustify its actions in the jailing of three innocent people by accusing themof teaching the Baha'i Faith, which is synonymous with 'anti-regimepropaganda' in the government's twisted perspective, said Ms. Ala'i. "Thisis further evidenced by the requirement that the others attend re-educationclasses, which are clearly aimed at coercing them away from their religiousbeliefs. "While teaching the Baha'i Faith cannot be considered a crime of any sort,given that freedom of religion is protected by international law, the factis that the Baha'is who were arrested almost two years ago in Shiraz werenot working to spread Baha'i teachings -- rather they had initiated and wereparticipating in a number of literacy and youth empowerment projects invarious locations in and near Shiraz."Moreover, the group had introduced the projects to the Islamic Council ofthe city of Shiraz in 2005 and had subsequently received a letter from theCultural Commission granting permission to continue their activities," saidMs. Ala'i.Ms. Ala'i also discussed charges, made in court documents, that the use of aworkbook titled "Breezes of Confirmation," which focuses on teachinglanguage skills and basic moral principles, constitutes part of the evidencethat Baha'is were teaching the Baha'i Faith."The fact is," said Ms. Ala'i, " 'Breezes of Confirmation' makes no directreference to the Baha'i Faith -- and its lessons reflect moral lessonscommon to all religions."In view of the government's continued rebuff of international appeals forthe immediate release of the three prisoners, it is important to provide adetailed account, so as to set the record straight," said Ms. Ala'i. Thenames of the three are Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, 29; Raha Sabet Sarvestani , 33;and Sasan Taqva, 32.Read an account of the development of the social service projects initiatedby the Baha'i community of Shiraz:http://news.bahai.org/documentlibrary/602/01_shiraz_bahai_social_service_projects_en.pdfView a sample lesson from the workbook "Breezes of Confirmation":http://news.bahai.org/documentlibrary/602/02_breezes_of_confirmation_lesson_excerpt_en.pdfTo view the photos and additional features click here:http://news.bahai.org--8-bp-080206-1-SHIRAZFEB08-602-S------------------------------------------------------------Advance release: Please check our website for the final version of thisarticle.------------------------------------------------------------Copyright 2008 by the Baha'i World News Service. All stories and photographsproduced by the Baha'i World News Service may be freely reprinted,re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by anyindividual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Baha'iWorld News Service. For more information, visit http://news.bahai.org.------------------------------------------------------------
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by John Barnabas (aka Barney) Leith

http://www.leithjb.net/blog/
Iranian mendacity about religious freedom
February 6th, 2008
I was astounded to read this on the IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency) website today:
Iranian Constitution has granted full freedom for religious minorities in the country, Foreign Ministry official said.
He said that Iranians from religious minorities enjoy religious, educational, cultural, social and economic freedom.
The remarks were in reaction to concern expressed by British Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells over social freedom of followers of Bahai’s sect in Iran.
Religious minorities play active role in the Iranian society and have their own representative at Majlis, he said.
The official said that religious minorities have lived in peace for centuries with their Iranian Muslim brothers.
“We see the rights of religious minorities mainly Muslims are being extremely violated in many Western countries including England and they suffer from restrictions to perform their religious ceremonies,” the Iranian official said expressing concern over violation of religious and social rights of Muslim Community in Britain.
Lies
There are at least two out-and-out lies in this news release:
1. Iranians from at least one religious minority - the Baha’is - do not “enjoy religious, educational, cultural, social and economic freedom.” Far from it.
2. The rights of Muslim are not violated in England and they are not restricted in performing their religious ceremonies.
Iranian Baha’is in jail
These 3 Baha’is, Haleh Rouhi, Raha Sabet and Sasan Taqva , have been imprisoned in the detention centre of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security in Shiraz (in other words, not in a regular jail, but in a “special prison”) since November. Why? Because they have been involved in projects aimed at helping deprived and sick children in Shiraz. Not Baha’i children. Muslim children.
They have been accused of being “Baha’i propagandists” and of trying to convert the children to the Baha’i Faith. But this is completely untrue. The materials they were using to help children to read and express themselves and to develop their moral capacities, although inspired by the Baha’i teachings, have nothing in them that could in any way be interpreted as religious teaching.
Ironically, the Baha’is were encouraged in their service projects by Muslims, including the parents of the children who benefited (and the parents knew exactly what was involved) and assisted by Muslims who tutored the children alongside the Baha’is.
And what wonderful treatment do these young Baha’is receive? Three-minute visits with family members, separated by glass screens. Oh, and the prisoners are brought into the visiting room and taken out again blindfolded. At least one guard is always present. God knows what happens to them when they are out of sight of their visitors.
So that’s the Iranian version of religious freedom. Do something to help your fellow citizens and you end up in jail!
Apostasy
And as if that weren’t bad enough, a new penal code is currently being considered by the Iranian parliament, the Majlis. The new code will make the death sentence for apostasy mandatory.
If you have at least one Muslim parent when you’re conceived, become a Muslim yourself after the age of maturity, and then cease to be a Muslim, you’re dead.
If you have no Muslim parent, become a Muslim after the age of maturity, and then cease to be a Muslim, you have three days to think about it, and then you’re dead, unless of course you recant your new religion.
If you have at least one Muslim parent when you’re conceived, don’t become a Muslim but choose “blasphemy”, you have three days to think about it, recant your misguided ways or die.
Unless you’re a woman, of course, in which case your in jail for life “with hardship” until you recant and return to Islam.
No ifs, no buts, no possibility of commuting the sentence.
And Iran is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 18 of which confers freedom of religion or belief, including freedom to choose your religion.
http://grieboskireport.blogspot.com/2008/02/draft-islamic-penal-code-legislates.html
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