The Mullahs' Achilles heel: Iran's youth

Payam Akhavan, National Post Published: Saturday, April 19, 2008

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This week, Iranian Nobel peace laureate and renowned human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi announced that death threats against her have intensified. Most recently, a shadowy group calling itself the "Association of anti-Baha'is" warned her to "watch your tongue" and stop "serving the foreigners and the Baha'is" -- a reference to Iran's largest religious minority, whose faith has been described by the government as a "heresy" and vigorously persecuted. Particularly disturbing is the warning that because her daughter is involved in the "un-Islamic and Baha'i based faith… we will kill her."

For me, these shocking statements have immediate relevance, both because Dr. Ebadi's daughter is my law student at McGill University, and because this legacy of hatemongering and violence continues to haunt me as an Iranian Baha'i many years after adopting Canada as my home.

My solace is that the recent intensification of attacks against the exponents of a burgeoning Iranian civil society -- human rights activists, labour union leaders, student movements, intellectuals, journalists, religious minorities, even dissident Islamic clerics -- is a sign of the Islamic hardliners' desperation to cling to power amidst the disillusionment of the vast majority of Iranians with their oppressive rule. It is an admission that the biggest threat to their power is not "the Great American Satan" or a "Zionist conspiracy," but, rather, the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people expressed in the call of those like Dr. Ebadi for free and fair elections.

Notwithstanding the Mullahs' pretensions, the Islamic Republic is built less on the sublime spirituality of religion and more on the profane temptations of power. In placing so much focus on demonizing the peaceful Baha'i minority and threatening human rights champions, such as Dr. Ebadi, the hardliners betray the emptiness of their beliefs and ideals, which must be imposed through violence and intimidation.

Instead of celebrating the transcendent values of compassion and justice, which inspired a glorious and pluralistic Islamic civilization for centuries, Iran's self-appointed clerical rulers promote a hateful and ignorant totalitarian ideology. Some of the most vigorous dissent against clerical rule is by clerics themselves, both orthodox and reformist, calling for separation of religion and state, consistent with 500 years of Shia tradition. Many Islamic clerics are persecuted and there is even a special court for the prosecution of dissident clergy.

A regime that does not enjoy a democratic mandate, and which is unresponsive to popular demands for a prosperous and open society, desperately needs foreign conspiracies, heresies and other enemies within to legitimize its rule. But time is not on the hardliners' side. The reality is that 70% of Iranians are less than 30 years of age, many are Internet-savvy, glued to satellite television and have very little toleration for the Islamic utopia promised by their leaders when the evidence of national decline is apparent everywhere.

As the country's vast oil wealth is squandered by corrupt leaders, leaving little hope of prosperity for Iran's highly talented younger generation, and as demands for an open and democratic society are brutally crushed in torture chambers and public hangings, the nuclear issue and confrontation with the West is an expedient means of exploiting nationalist sentiments and distracting attention from the profound failures of the government. It is in this context that Dr. Ebadi and the Baha'is become the source of all evil; a scapegoat for people's daily woes.

In the Western imagination, Iran is often perceived through the incendiary polemics of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and visions of an imminent nuclear apocalypse. George W. Bush speaks of the "axis of evil," and his cowboy diplomacy gives the illusion of acting tough against fanatics. Other alarmist commentators even speak of birth rates among Muslims as the biggest threat to Western survival. But to well-informed observers, Iran powerfully demonstrates that these same Muslim youth are the generation that yearns for freedom and pluralism, and constitute a great source of hope that deserves our support.

The emerging civil society in their midst also demonstrates that giving a privileged platform to Islamic demagogues that satisfy our fantasies of a new crusade against loathsome barbarians does a great disservice to those such as Dr. Ebadi who struggle for universal values and prepare the path for a future with a shared humanity, rather than leading us towards a catastrophic clash of civilizations.

payam.akhavan@mcgill.ca

-Payam Akhavan is professor of International Law at McGill University in Montreal, a former UN war crimes prosecutor at The Hague and co-founder of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Centre.

Mideast Youth network has just launched a beta version of Global Village TV.
This is indeed an important and significant initiative intended to promote interfaith understanding and collaboration. Posted below is the formal announcement by Mideast Youth:
MEY launches Global Village TV in beta!Author: Esra'a (Bahrain) - April 19, 2008
After months of hard work, Mideast Youth, with the enormous help of ByteSense, finally launched Global Village TV (GVTV). I would especially like to thank Umar for making this opportunity for us much easier than it would’ve been without his help and guidance.
GVTV is a dynamic, educational platform, co-created by Baha’is and Muslims working hand in hand to cultivate an interfaith community.
For the past few months, we have been working diligently on this initiative, in hopes that it would contribute to improving and advancing serious interfaith.
We realized that in many forums, in the process of interfaith, the Baha’i Faith, Yezidi faith, and many other religions are left out. This community aims to change that.
You can view a brief demonstration of this network here:

Saturday, April 19, 2008
Freedom of Speech Versus Anarchy in Egyptian Society


About two years ago, a group of concerned citizens in Egypt formed an organization called MARED, an acronym for "Masryoun [Egyptians] Against Religious Discrimination." The main goal of this group is to finally bring some sort of sanity to the current state of a deeply divided Egyptian society, a division rooted in religious discrimination and intolerance.

This group (MARED) is made up of highly respected intellectual members of the Egyptian society, such as academicians, journalists, businesspeople, government officials, scientists, human rights activists, artists, philosophers, religious thinkers and many others. Most of them are Muslim, but the organization also includes Christians and representatives of other religious and secular groups in Egypt.

A few months ago, MARED decided to make plans for holding its first congress, aimed at discussing the roots of and solutions for the crisis of religious divide and discrimination in the Egyptian society. The Congress carried the slogan "Could Egypt be for All Egyptians?" Several prominent representatives of society including government officials, journalists, human rights activists and academicians were invited to make presentations at this forum. Among those invited was a representative of the Baha'i community of Egypt who would make a presentation on the current status of that community in its quest to obtain its civil rights.

The congress was scheduled for 11 & 12 April 2008 and a hall at the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate in Cairo was reserved and paid for by MARED. The Congress' agenda was prepared, was shared with the syndicate and was publicly announced.

Just a few days before the congress, a member of the journalists syndicate's council, who portrayed himself as a protector of Islam, went on a nationally televised program (View it here) and made direct threats to the congress and to the representative of the Baha'i community, naming her in person and accusing her of apostasy. He called for her punishment according to his own interpretation of Islamic law. He also called for her arrest on the spot if she appears at the congress. He misrepresented the purpose of the congress and went further to promise "a catastrophic event to happen on the day of the congress" if it were to be held as planned.



The night before the congress, this gentleman accompanied by a band of his supporters, later described by the Egyptian media as members of Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement, occupied the Journalists Syndicate building and barricaded themselves inside. They posted placards on its walls with insults directed at the congress, Israel, the Coptic Christians and the Baha'is.

The following morning, the head of the syndicate arrived to open the building for the congress and had to force himself in, as shown in the above attached video depicting the events of that morning. After being verbally and physically assaulted by this barricaded group of extremists, some of whom still wearing their pajamas and others armed with sticks and bats, he was finally able to enter the building, and through intermediaries attempted to negotiate with those inside the building.

After he had encountered much shouting, he emerged from the building and apologized to the MARED group for his inability to assist them in holding their congress as planned. Consequently, representatives from Tagamoh [Unity] Party invited those planning the event to proceed to move the congress to the Tagamoh Party building. As a result, the congress was held, as scheduled, but in this new location. The Baha'is were also able to make a presentation at the congress.

Al-Hurrah TV reported on the congress in this news clip:



An unprecedented amount of extensive Egyptian media coverage ensued (see a partial list here). Some of the articles printed in English can be seen here and here. Journalists were outraged at the fact that their syndicate was violated in such a way and were infuriated by how the head of their Syndicate was treated, in such disrespectful manner, by that band of disorderly and fanatic individuals. The very freedom and integrity of the press was felt to be under siege and in great danger if such a trend is allowed to emerge and continue.

Consequently, the person--who is also a member of the syndicate--responsible for this illegal action was referred to the investigative committee of the syndicate and a few days later was sentenced, in an unrelated case, to three months imprisonment and monitory fines for insulting another member of the syndicate's council during one of its past meetings. Additionally, the head of the syndicate, as a result of the humiliation he had endured at the hands of this gang of men, has offered to resign his position.

Of great interest, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood who is also a council member of the syndicate, as reported in the attached newspaper article, "denied any relation of Muslim Brotherhood to the crisis" and added that "the Brotherhood is not responsible for Islam in Egypt, but rather all Egyptians are responsible for it," pointing to the fact that "this represents freedom of belief." He also "welcomes the Baha'is to the Journalists Syndicate at any time."

To this date, much more media coverage continues in leading newspapers, magazines, blogs, television and radio. The subject is indeed taking on a life of its own.

When one tries to reflect on these events, it must be said that much learning can be gained from such a crisis, for example:

1) The Egyptian society can and will resist anarchy.
2) Many well-informed Egyptians can see through injustice and will stand up for the rights of the oppressed, even though their stand can place them in harm's way.
3) The wind of change and progress is unstoppable, even by those who continue to aggressively intimidate and terrorize their fellow citizens.
4) Sooner or later, justice tends to always prevail.
5) The resistance and this crisis created by the extremists has, unintentionally, reinforced the legitimacy of MARED and had placed the issue of religious discrimination in the spotlight.

RELATED VIDEO HERE



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Top Iranian dissident threatened

Shirin Ebadi said threats were also made against her daughter
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi has described receiving an increasing number of death threats.

They included notes pinned to the door of her office building in Tehran, warning her to "watch your tongue".

Ms Ebadi, an outspoken critic of Iran's leadership, said she had forwarded the threats to the chief of Iranian police.

She said last month: "When you believe in the correctness of your work, there is no reason to be afraid of anything."

In an interview, she told Reuters news agency that Iran's human rights record had regressed in the past two years, saying more dissidents were being jailed and more people were being executed.

Ms Ebadi, 60, won the Nobel prize in 2003 for her work in defending human rights.

She has received death threats before, but in a statement on Monday, she said: "Threats against my life and security and those of my family, which began some time ago, have intensified."

One of the anonymous, handwritten threats said: "Shirin Ebadi, your death is near."

They warned her against making speeches abroad, and defending Iran's minority Bahai community.

The Bahai faith is an offshoot of Islam, regarded as heretical by Iran's Shia establishment.

source BBC WORLD NEWS

Baha'i Faith in Egypt Egypt's Interior Ministry Decides on "Dashes" for Baha'i IDs

Posted: 03 Apr 2008 08:46 PM CDT

In its 2 April 2008 edition, Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported that the Ministry of Interior has just decided that the only option that will be given to the Baha'is of Egypt is to insert dashes "--" instead of leaving the religion field blank or writing "other" on ID cards.
The Ministry clarified that "leaving the religion field blank might open the door to inappropriate manipulation of official documents."
This decision was expected since the Ministry has been considering its options on what choice it would make following Cairo's Court of Administrative Justice ruling on 29 January 2008 to allow the Baha'is obtain ID cards and birth certificates.
The court permitted three options for registering their religious affiliation. These options were: 1) "other," 2) dashes "--" or 3) to leave the field blank. As to which choice would eventually be used, the court had left the final decision for the Ministry of Interior to make.
This announcement is an indication that progress is being made by the Ministry in its efforts to proceed expeditiously with granting the Baha'is of Egypt their identity documents and birth certificates.
In a related case involving Egyptians who have returned to Christianity after having been declared Muslims at some point in their lives, the Ministry has decided to enter "formerly declared Muslim" on their ID cards that will be issued stating that they are currently "Christian."

Egypt's Ministry of Interior Will Not Appeal Ruling on Baha'is
Posted: 01 Apr 2008 07:46 AM CDT
Egypt's Ministry of Interior has announced, through its sources, that it will not appeal the 29 January 2008 administrative court ruling that allowed the Baha'is of Egypt the issue of ID cards and birth certificates.

Based on its interview with sources in the Ministry of Interior, an article in Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper revealed the news today. It states that the Ministry has approved the ruling and decided not to appeal even though the law permits it to do so.

Its opportunity for appeal had already lapsed since, under Egyptian law, the defendant is entitled a period of two months to file an appeal. The Ministry had elected not to do so based on its assessment of the merits of the case and that the ruling has provided the government with a reasonable option to solve this complex matter.

Baha'i Faith in Egypt
Egypt's NCHR Releases its Annual Report on Human Rights
Posted: 31 Mar 2008 04:38 PM CDT
Egypt's National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), the government-appointed human rights organization, has just released its fourth annual report and recommendations to Egypt's government.

Among the many recommendations, it requested that it is important for the government to allow the entry of "Baha'i" as one of the choices in the religion field on ID cards.

The announcement of the report was published today in Egypt's official national newspaper Al-Akhbar [The News] in its edition, dated 31 March 2008.

Dr. Ahmed Kamal Abul-Magd, Vice-President of the Council was quoted in this article as he elaborated on several issues related to the status of human rights in Egypt.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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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A Baha’i home firebombed

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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© 2007 The Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights is a project by Mideast Youth

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

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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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.

Subject: FW: Dire situation for Iran's Baha'is

http://www.metimes.com/International/2008/02/11/dire_situation_for_irans_bahais/2651/

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.

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.

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