Persecution of Baha'is in Iran

[Bahai.Lifter]

Quote of the Day:

Remove not, O Lord, the festal board that hath been spread in Thy Name, and extinguish not the burning flame that hath been kindled by Thine unquenchable fire. Withhold not from flowing that living water of Thine that murmureth with the melody of Thy glory and Thy remembrance, and deprive not Thy servants from the fragrance of Thy sweet savors breathing forth the perfume of Thy love.

Lord! Turn the distressing cares of Thy holy ones into ease, their hardship into comfort, their abasement into glory, their sorrow into blissful joy, O Thou that holdest in Thy grasp the reins of all mankind!

Thou art, verily, the One, the Single, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

—‘Abdu’l-Bahá

(Source: http://www.bahaiprayers.org/aid7.htm)

[Kingandtruth]

Iran is an evil force. Baha'is aren't the only ones who've suffered from the Safavids. They're aiding Assad and Hezbollah to murder Sunni Muslims in Syria and slaughter and oppress Iraqi Sunnis.

[Bahai.Lifter]

Iran is an evil force. Baha'is aren't the only ones who've suffered from the Safavids. They're aiding Assad and Hezbollah to murder Sunni Muslims in Syria and slaughter and oppress Iraqi Sunnis.

Iran does persecute other groups in Iran, including Sunnis, Christians, Zoroastrians, and so on, which is definitely unfortunate no matter what group it's happening to. Hopefully we will see the day soon when all religious minorities will have freedom in Iran. The Bahá'í Faith is by far the most persecuted religious group in Iran, and the government is mostly involved in the genocide of this group (for example, see this secret document by the Iranian government ordering the destruction of the Bahá'í community: http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/i...cret-blueprint). For example (of many examples), Sunnis can attend university, can have places of worship and many other freedoms relatively; whereas all Bahá'ís are forbidden from receiving higher education (going to college), are forbidden from even having holy sites, places of worship, and graves (the Iranian government has been destroying many Bahá'í holy sites and historic graves, e.g., currently one historic Bahá'í cemetery is being destroyed in Shiraz: http://news.bahai.org/story/1013). Basically, Bahá'ís are not even allowed to exist in Iran—notwithstanding the fact that Bahá'ís are known by all to be honest, upright citizens, who do not interfere in any kind of partisan politics, are loyal well-wisers of their countries, etc.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://news.bahai.org/story/1014

Religious representatives in Netherlands respond to Iranian Cleric's call for coexistence

7 August 2014

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Fourteen representatives of faith organizations gathered here on 2 July to study the statement made by Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani last April on religious coexistence in Iran.

Ayatollah Tehrani gifted an illuminated work of calligraphy to the Baha'is of the world as a "symbolic action to serve as a reminder of the importance of valuing human beings, of peaceful coexistence, of cooperation and mutual support, and avoidance of hatred, enmity and blind religious prejudice".

As a prominent Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Tehrani's courageous act has resonated with individuals and groups throughout the world, inspiring a growing conversation on the need to transcend religious prejudice and intolerance and strive for a harmonious interaction between society's diverse religious adherents. His action is particularly significant in light of a continued campaign of persecution against Baha'is in Iran, which has witnessed intensification in recent months.

Inspired by Ayatollah Tehrani's statement, the Dutch religious representatives explored related issues within the Netherlands, discussing how they can exert influence within their own communities to promote peaceful religious coexistence and address any existing attitudes of superiority.

In a letter of appreciation to the Ayatollah which they composed together, the representatives stated, "We wish to wholeheartedly support your efforts, by working for the eradication of notions of religious intolerance in our country and to take practical initiatives to eliminate conflict from our society and foster instead love and fellowship, solidarity and altruism."

"We firmly believe that this is the mission called for by our respective religious scriptures and traditions, our prophets and saints," they said.

"We are aware that much patient and persistent work remains to be done, that we should especially accompany the youth of our communities and society at large in their endeavor to serve society..."

"We stand ready to work together in this mighty and glorious enterprise – the building of a collective conscience – in which we feel united with you and the many other people of goodwill in Iran and beyond," the letter concluded.

Media coverage

Ayatollah Masoumi-Tehrani's statement has evoked responses from diverse religious figures around the world, including in the Middle East where Islamic leaders on three continents have raised their voices in support of his gesture and the content of his message.

The Iranian cleric's significant action was also recently mentioned in a commentary in The Christian Science Monitor, on 24 July, which highlighted the efforts of prominent Muslims to promote understanding among religions. Referring to these acts, the article, which was also reprinted in the Daily Times in Pakistan on 26 July, stated: "All these gestures of interfaith understanding may not seem like much during conflict and brutal suppression. Yet they help create the conditions for a change in thinking, in part because they are so startlingly unthinkable..."

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://news.bahai.org/story/1015

Increase in arrests highlights continuing persecution of Baha'is in Iran
19 August 2014


A photograph of Baha'is from across Iran who were arrested in 2012 and were all tried in Yazd at the same time.


GENEVA — The arrest last week of five Baha'is in Tehran signals a rising tide of detainments and imprisonments of Baha'is in Iran in recent months.

Since June, at least 14 Baha'is have been arrested, a trend that exemplifies a pattern of systematic persecution of Iranian Baha'is by the government, this despite its claims to uphold international standards of human rights. In Yazd, 20 Baha'is who had originally been acquitted of charges leveled against them in 2012 learned in August 2013 that their cases had been re-opened and all 20 sentenced to prison, notwithstanding the judge’s admission that they were being treated unjustly. The Baha'is appealed the case and, in a flagrant miscarriage of justice, the sentences against all 20 were upheld. The deputy head of the Justice Administration told the lawyers of the Baha'is that: “The accused are members of a hostile sect who have no citizenship rights.”

More than 100 Baha'is are currently in prison on false charges related entirely to their religious beliefs, while thousands more are subjected to various forms of discrimination and harassment, including denial of access to university and increasingly severe economic repression.

The latest arrests in Tehran, for example, appear to be related to ongoing efforts to prevent Baha'is from earning an adequate living. The five were arrested after agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided the optical shop where they work on 11 August 2014. In February 2014, an optical shop owned by a Baha'i in Tabriz was closed down by the authorities on the grounds of "market saturation", but Muslim owners of optical shops in the same location experienced no such difficulties. It is understood that "market saturation" has only been used in the cases of Baha'is. Clearly the government is disallowing Baha'is in some cities to own certain types of business on the grounds that too many Baha'is are engaged in it.


A photograph of Baha'is from across Iran who were arrested in 2012 and were all tried in Yazd at the same time.


Arrested were shop owners Aladdin (Niki) Khanjani and Babak Mobasher, along with three employees, Naser Arshi-Moghaddam, Ataollah Ashrafi and Rouhollah Monzavi. Mr. Khanjani is the son of Jamaloddin Khanjani, one of the seven Baha'i leaders who are currently serving 20 year prison sentences on false charges including espionage.

Agents also confiscated their computers and other electronic devices and took a large amount of goods and products from their shop.

A sixth employee, who is not a Baha'i, was also arrested but then released that afternoon.

"A number of pro-government websites accused the five of smuggling eyeglasses but the fact that agents released the only person who is not a Baha'i taken during the raid proves that their arrest and detention is based solely on religious persecution," said Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

"Altogether, this sudden spike in the arrest and detention of Baha'is highlights the fact that the government continues to persecute Baha'is throughout Iran in a wide range of ways, from blocking their access to higher education, to economic sanctions, to the day-to-day harassment of Baha'is when they seek to worship together."

Ms. Ala'i said this broad-based oppression ignores all standards of justice.

"For example, 20 Baha'is who had been arrested two years ago, later tried in Yazd on spurious accusations, and who were out on bail pending an appeal were told in April that their extreme sentences – totaling 58 years for the group – had been upheld.

"This ruling came despite the fact that the judge who had originally presided over the case expressed sympathy for the defendants in open court, but was then apparently instructed to simply uphold the long sentences for their alleged crime of 'propaganda against the regime'.

"Indeed, the judge reportedly agreed in principle that the activities in question were simply those required to meet the needs of the community, such as performing marriages and divorces, seeing to children's education, overseeing funerals, and helping the poor and needy.

"Subsequently, the Baha'is sought redress through the Justice Administration and were told by the Head of that agency, 'This is exactly what you deserve. In fact we were too lenient. You do not even count to be considered for anything, let alone your citizenship rights,'" said Ms. Ala'i.

Other incidents involving the arrest and detention of Baha'is in recent months include:

• On 5 August, government agents in Shiraz arrested four Baha'is. Vahid Dana, Saeid Abedi, and Bahiyyeh Moeinipour were arrested at their homes, while Adib Haqpazhuh was arrested at his workplace. To date, no information has been received about their whereabouts or status.

• On 27 July, a Baha'i in Vilashahr was arrested and beaten after refusing to work on a secret computer program for the Revolutionary Guards.

• On 8 July, Saghi Fadaie was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence office in Mashhad. After a few hours she was taken to her home, where agents searched her belongings and took her into detention.

• On 2 June, three Baha'is were arrested in Mashhad. Their names are May Kholousi, Dori Amri, and Shayan Tafazoli.



A photograph of Baha'is from across Iran who were arrested in 2012 and were all tried in Yazd at the same time.

[lasher]

fuk Iran and their faux religious tolerance. No different than ISIS in principle.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/...ond-the-grave/

Sasha Eskandarian: Iran’s persecution of the Baha’i goes beyond the grave

Sasha Eskandarian, National Post | August 19, 2014 6:51 AM ET


The House of the Bab in Shiraz, one of the most holy sites in the Bahai world, was destroyed by Revolutionary Guardsmen in 1979 and later razed by the government.


It’s not difficult for me to remember the horrible days of hardship I experienced as a Baha’i teenager, living in Shiraz, Iran, in the early 1980s. As a member of the Baha’i faith, the largest religious minority community in Iran, life became harder and harder for us as we were being attacked and terrorized in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Baha’i families in my hometown of Shiraz, including my own, lost their livelihoods. We were scared for our lives, as well.

In those years, many members of Baha’i institutions, both at the national and local levels, were arrested and killed. Some were tortured in an effort to force them to recant their faith. Others mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Baha’i homes were attacked by mobs, and some were burned. Even the dead were targeted: Baha’i cemeteries around the country were attacked and destroyed.

I vividly remember the Baha’i cemetery in Shiraz. We called it the “Everlasting Garden,” a place of peace and tranquillity. We visited our departed family and friends’ graves, including those of my younger brother and my grandmother. We prayed and meditated there in a loving and spiritual atmosphere.

I remember going there after it was attacked, along with a group of youth, to help restore what was left, to plant flowers, water the garden, dig graves in preparation of burials. At a time of crisis, it was a joy to render this service to my community.

In 1983, 10 Baha’i women from Shiraz were hung because of their faith. I knew them all. The youngest, Mona Mahmudnizad, was a close friend of mine. We had such a good time together, including many sleepovers where we shared our youthful confidences. She was only 17 years old, and was buried in our “Everlasting Garden.”

Soon after, I left Iran to come to Canada. I was determined not to look back. I wanted to close this chapter of my life forever. I even changed my name, hoping that it would bring a new beginning.

Thirty years later, I realize how childish it was to think that I could turn my back on such injustices. How could I forget my family and friends? After all that time, the situation hasn’t changed much in Shiraz. Many more Baha’is were killed since I left; many others are in prison. The attacks continue, even if they are overshadowed in the media by other instances of bloodshed elsewhere in the Middle East.

Now, the “Everlasting Garden” is being completely demolished to make way for a new sports and cultural complex. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are destroying whatever was left of the cemetery.

As early as the 1980s, the main buildings were destroyed after the property was confiscated by the government. The Guards now are going further. They’ve started digging out bodies — including those of my brother, grandmother and dear friend Mona — from their resting graves, and placed them in an open canal. They even held a public celebration of the demolition’s progress, to which the media was invited. The commander of the Guards gave a speech attacking Baha’is while standing on top of our loved one’s graves, or what is left of them.

How much longer do Baha’is in Iran need to suffer? Are we hearing the voices of the innocent?

I share the suffering of those in Shiraz. They are my family and friends, whose only aim is to follow the precepts of their faith, and work for the betterment of mankind. I invite others to raise their voices to protest this outrageous wrongdoing and help stop this injustice.

National Post

Sasha Eskandarian is a Baha’i currently living in Mississauga, Ontario. She is a Research Manager in the department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/08/18/i...city-s-prisons

Iran: Dozens Unlawfully Held in City’s Prisons

Imprisoned on Suspect Charges, Trials

AUGUST 18, 2014


Clockwise from top left: Loghman Moradian, Zaniar Moradian, Kourosh Ziari, Saeed Rezaei, Mohammad Ali (Pirouz) Mansouri, Masoud Bastani.


(Beirut) – Several dozen prisoners in a northern city are serving prison terms for exercising their basic rights, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Iranian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners, Human Rights Watch said.

The 59-page report, “Locked Up in Karaj: Spotlight on Political Prisoners in One Iranian City,” is based on a review of 189 cases in three prisons in the city of Karaj, near the capital, Tehran, including the charges they faced, details of their trials before revolutionary courts, and information from lawyers, prisoners’ families, and others. Human Rights Watch concluded that in 63 of these cases, authorities had arrested the prisoners, and revolutionary courts had convicted and sentenced them, solely because they exercised fundamental rights such as free speech and rights to peaceful assembly or association. In dozens of other cases, including 35 prisoners sentenced to death on death row for terrorism-related offences, Human Rights Watch suspects egregious due process violations that may have tainted the judicial process.

“The election of a new, avowedly moderate president a year ago raised hopes that many of Iran’s political prisoners would soon walk free, but many remain behind bars,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The lion’s share of responsibility for releasing these prisoners rests with the judiciary, but President Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet should be doing more to press for their release.”

The political prisoners include members of the political opposition, bloggers and journalists, a lawyer, and labor and religious minority rights activists. They are serving prison sentences on vague and sweeping charges for acts that Iran’s judiciary claims threaten the country’s national security, and are among several hundred political prisoners detained in prisons throughout Iran, according to reports released by UN rights experts.

Human Rights Watch asked the head of the Iranian judiciary in May for information on the cases of 175 prisoners, most of whom are covered in this report, including details of the charges and any evidence against them. The judiciary has not responded.

Most of the political prisoners are in one ward of Rajai Shahr prison, also known as Gohardasht prison, including 33 members of the beleaguered Baha’i community, Iran’s largest non-Muslim minority. They include five Baha’i leaders serving sentences of up to 20 years on charges that included spying, “insulting religious sanctities,” and “spreading corruption on earth,” all arising from their peaceful activities as Baha’i leaders.

At least 11 other Baha’is held in the same prison ward are faculty members and administrators affiliated with the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education, an alternative university created in 1987 for Baha’is that the government had excluded from state university education. The Baha’i International Community says that as of May 2014, 136 Baha’is were in Iranian prisons solely on religious grounds.

Karaj prison authorities are also holding two Christian pastors and two Christian converts. One of the pastors, Saeed Abedini, is serving an eight-year sentence for “intent to endanger the national security” by establishing and running home churches, his wife, Naghmeh Abedini, told Human Rights Watch.

Masoud Bastani, one of nine journalists and bloggers unlawfully imprisoned in Karaj, worked for the Jomhuriyat news website before his arrest in July 2009. Mahsa Amrabadi, his wife, also a journalist, said her husband was sentenced to six years in prison for “propaganda against the state” and “assembly and collusion against the national security.”

Human Rights Watch identified seven rights defenders and a veteran human rights lawyer among those in Rajai Shahr prison. The human rights lawyer, Mohammad Seifzadeh, 67, cofounded the Defenders of Human Rights Center with Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel Peace laureate, and other lawyers. An initial sentence of nine years was reduced to two, but six more years were added after he wrote letters and signed statements critical of the government while in prison, Ebadi told Human Rights Watch.

Human Rights Watch also identified 126 prisoners convicted of more serious crimes, some on death row for terrorism-related offenses, whom the authorities may have targeted for their peaceful activities. While Human Rights Watch was unable to obtain sufficient information to refute the authorities’ accusations in many cases, it documented egregious due process violations in some of their cases, calling into question the legitimacy of the convictions.

One of them, Mohammad Ali (Pirouz) Mansouri, is serving 17 years for supporting the outlawed Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), an opposition group that the Iranian government considers a terrorist organization, his daughter, Masoumeh Mansouri, said. She told Human Rights Watch that a revolutionary court convicted her father of moharebeh, “enmity against God,” which can incur the death sentence, and “insulting the Supreme Leader” after two short court sessions.” The court referred to Mansouri’s visit to Camp Ashraf in Iraq, where members of the group lived in exile for years, to visit his wife and sisters, and his attending a 2007 speech at a ceremony at Khavaran cemetery in Tehran commemorating the 1988 execution of thousands of prisoners, many of them MEK members, as evidence of his guilt, she said.

Many others among the 126 describe themselves as Sunni activists or “missionaries” who support a strict, literalist interpretation of Sunni Islam. Most are from Iran’s Kurdish or Baluch minorities but others are foreign nationals, according to a source familiar with their cases. The authorities say that some participated in armed activities, including assassination attempts and murders, and that others assisted armed groups or threatened Iran’s security by other means.

Thirty-five of the 126 prisoners are on death row and at imminent risk of execution, Human Rights Watch said. Many are believed to have been held for weeks or months at Intelligence Ministry detention facilities, and tortured or otherwise ill-treated, several sources familiar with some of the cases told Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch has closely reviewed the cases of several of these men, including Zaniar and Loghman Moradi, Hamed Ahmadi, Jahangir Dehghani, Jamshid Dehghani, and Kamal Molaei, who are all accused of terrorism-related activities on behalf of opposition groups, but deny the charges and allege, in vivid detail, that security and intelligence forces subjected them to months of incommunicado detention and torture to secure coerced confessions from them.

On June 12, Human Rights Watch and 17 other rights organizations asked the Iranian government to halt the executions of the listed prisoners in Karaj prisons, and impose an immediate moratorium on all executions.

At least one of the prisoners on death row, Barzan Nasrollazadeh, is believed to have been under18 at the time of his alleged crime. International law, including under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a party, prohibits the execution of offenders who were under 18 at the time of their alleged crime.

“President Rouhani should speak out clearly for an immediate moratorium on executions given the serious doubts about the fairness of revolutionary courts trials,” Stork said. “And Iran needs to release anyone being held for exercising their legal rights.”

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://hra-news.org/en/bahai-war-vet...-school-shiraz

Bahai war veteran unable to enrol children at school in Shiraz

Posted on: 19th August, 2014



HRANA News Agency – The administration at the government-run Martyr Khonsari secondary school in Shiraz has refused to enrol the children of Behrouz Farzandi Ardekani because the family are Bahais.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Mr. Ardekani is a war veteran who has been classified as having more than 25% disability.

Their actions are in contravention of explicit legislation regarding civil rights, the right to education and the ban on investigating people’s religious beliefs.

Moreover, Mr. Ardekani provided a copy of an official letter stating that Iran’s Supreme Leader has issued a fatwa stating the Bahai ex-POWs and disabled veterans are entitled to the rights of other veterans and ex-POWs.

Nevertheless, the school administration and the Department of Education have continued to refuse to enrol the children of this Bahai family.

Numerous Bahai youth have also been denied entry to tertiary education in Iran, or have been expelled when their religious beliefs were discovered.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://hra-news.org/en/bahai-arrested-karaj

A Bahai arrested in Karaj

Posted on: 18th August, 2014



HRANA News Agency – On August 17, Ruhiyyeh Qavami-nik, a Bahai from Karaj, was summoned by telephone to report to the offices of the Ministry of Intelligence.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), when she complied, she was arrested, and transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran.

She has a four-year-old daughter.

Thus far she has not had any contact with her family, and the charges against her are not known.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://iranpresswatch.org/post/10733/

Expulsion of a Member of the National Martial Arts Team and Head of the Jujutsu Association of Kermanshah Province Because of Conversion to the Baha’i Faith

BY EDITOR · AUGUST 28, 2014

Source: The Voice of Iranian Christians, http://goo.gl/iNqBu6

Translation by Iran Press Watch



According to reports from the human rights activist group, the Voice of the Iranian Christian News Agency, Hamzeh Raziany, a former member of the Iranian national Jujutsu team, and former head of the Jujutsu Association of Kermanshah province, was suspended from Iran’s National Jujitsu Team due to his conversion to the Baha’i Faith. His dismissal from the head of the Jujitsu Association was communicated to him. Also on Monday 11 August this year, by telephone, he was summoned to the Intelligence and Security office of Kermanshah on Naft Street, which caused his mother to suffer a stress-induced heart attack. As a result she was admitted to hospital, where a Coronary angiography was performed on her. Based on reports, this promising young athlete from our National Team has left the country due to pressure from the Intelligence Office because he changed his religion.




Letter:

In the Name of God

Mr. Hamzeh Raziany, head of the Jujutsu Association of Kermanshah province:

Greetings;

Subject: Dismissal

Because of your belief in the deviant sect of Baha’ism, and as a result of this disciplinary letter which has been approved by the members of the association, and as a consequence of utterances by the Supreme Leader on the impermissibility of any type of cooperation with the members of this deviant sect, which would be illegal and also unlawful from a religious point of view, the members of this association declare your lack of qualification, and therefore are issuing orders for your dismissal from your post as the head of Jujitsu Association, which has been approved by these members. Beginning 10 May 2013 you no longer hold any supervisory position with the Province of Kermanshah , nor is any supervisory activity on your behalf allowed contrary to the wishes of the members of the association, as it would result in your prosecution according to the law.

Signed by:

The Head of Jujitsu Association for the Western Regions of the Country – Haj Qazvin Baraty
Head of the Disciplinary Committee of Jujitsu for the Western Regions of the Country – Jahanbakhsh Dejagah
Jujitsu Association’s Secretary Generals for the Western Regions of the Country – Haj Masoud Soleimani
Head of the Committee for the Coaches of Jujitsu for the Western Regions of the Country – Behnam Kazemi
Head of the Committee for the Referees of Jujitsu for the Western Regions of the Country – Hamidreza Shahmoradi
Signed again by: The Head of Jujitsu Association for the Western Regions of the Country – Haj Qazvin Baraty and STAMPED/SEALED

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://hra-news.org/en/bahai-arrested-semnan

A Bahai arrested in Semnan

Posted on: 27th August, 2014



HRANA News Agency – Noushadhar Khanjani, a Bahai from Semnan who was visiting family in Semnan, was arrested by security forces this morning.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), he has been interviewed by the Ministry of Intelligence several times in the past months, on various pretexts, and is presently free on bail and having provided a surety.

His father, Afrasiab Khanjani has been subject to pressure from the security forces for some time, and has had much of his property confiscated. The family have been told that Noushadhar will be transferred to Tehran tomorrow.

[AE793x]

fuk Iran and their faux religious tolerance. No different than ISIS in principle.

lmao. Everytime I think I've read your dumbest post you trump yourself. You are definitely part of the 3 worst/dumbest posters, you're so blinded by hatred its pretty amusing. Hatred and fear mongering, very Christ like.

[Bahai.Lifter]

Bahá'í Prayer in Spanish:





English translation of the prayer:

"Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. Nearness to Thee is my hope, and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to come. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."


http://www.bahaiprayers.org/healing2.htm

[tk217]

lmao. Everytime I think I've read your dumbest post you trump yourself. You are definitely part of the 3 worst/dumbest posters, you're so blinded by hatred its pretty amusing. Hatred and fear mongering, very Christ like.

You think Lasher is stupid? You're a fool.

[AE793x]

You think Lasher is stupid? You're a fool.

If he wasn't so blinded by hatred and conducted somewhat more Christ like maybe he wouldn't sound as stupid and be a better person for it too.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://hra-news.org/en/special-condi...burials-semnan

Special conditions for allowing Bahai burials in Semnan

Posted on: 30th August, 2014

HRANA News Agency – The recent burial of a Bahai in Semnan, in the section of the cemetery reserved for Bahais, has revealed that new rules have been drawn up.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the family of the deceased was required to sign a commitment to follow six rules.

These stipulate that the Bahai gravestones may only show a name and the dates of birth and death, that the Bahais may not beautify the area around the graves with plants or build a wall around the Bahai cemetery, or erect new buildings around the facility where bodies are washed, that they may not have any words or images on the graves or in the cemetery, and that the Bahai gravestones must be level with the ground, without any raised portions.

Although the discriminatory conditions are regrettable, they do allow burials in accordance with Bahai rites. The situation in Tabriz is much worse. The bodies of Bahais have buried by the authorities, without being washed and without coffins, in the town of Miandoab, about 160 km south of Tabriz.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://www.bic.org/statements/Intera...apporteur-Iran

Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Iran

UN Human Rights Council 25th session
17 March 2014
Geneva

Dr. Saheed, in your report you stress that “while welcoming the … positive steps” made by the new government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, “they currently do not address fully the fundamental human rights concerns” including “laws and practices that infringe upon the rights to life, to the freedoms of expression, association, assembly, belief and religion, to education and to non-discrimination.”

The Baha’i International Community concurs with this regrettable assessment: to date, there has been no improvement in the situation of Iranians who belong to the Baha’i Faith. As you indicated yourself, 136 Baha’is are in prison solely on religious grounds, not one Baha’i youth has been able to complete his or her studies in an Iranian university – and most of them are denied access in the first place, shops continue to be sealed, work in the public sector is prohibited, cemeteries are desecrated, and incitement to hatred in state-sponsored media is rampant.

Even the meagre attempt to improve the human rights situation in Iran by drafting a citizenship rights charter, as you stated, “fails to address laws and policies that discriminate against religious minorities, including the Baha’i”.

Dr. Shaheed, you refer to “several individuals whose detention was identified as arbitrary by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention”. Among those, as you know, are the seven former Baha’i leaders who were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, in a trial that lacked all requirements to quality as “fair” under international law. These seven men and women have now spent nearly six years behind bars, 3 to 6 months of which were in solitary confinement. Have you been able to discuss their situation – which is emblematic of the situation of all the Baha’is in Iran – with Iranian authorities and what hope do you see for improvement in their situation under Mr. Rouhani?

Moreover, as you know, in August last year, Mr. Ataollah Rezvani, a prominent Baha’i from Bandar Abbas, was found in his car, fatally shot in the head. Last month, three members of the Moody family were viciously and repeatedly stabbed by a masked intruder in the city of Birjand. Neither of these two crimes have been properly investigated, forcing us to assume that they are actually condoned – if not initiated – by government authorities. These are just two recent examples of a number of such instances of blatant impunity for crimes committed against members of the Baha’i Faith. What procedural and substantives changes do you think must be made to combat this injustice?

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://hra-news.org/en/farhad-eqbali...entence-gorgan

Farhad Eqbali begins 5-year sentence in Gorgan

Posted on: 31st August, 2014



HRANA News Agency – Farhad Eqbali, a Bahai resident of Gorgan, reported to prison on August 27 to begin serving his 5-year sentence.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Mr. Eqbali was one of about twenty Bahais, and some Muslims accused of associating with Bahais, who were arrested in Goran in November, 2012.

His sentence was confirmed by the court of review on August 27, and he began his sentence on the same day, although the enforcement unit [of the Ministry of Justice] had asked for his punishment to be postponed because Mr. Eqbali has heart problems requiring advanced medical treatment.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://hra-news.org/en/majid-tavakol...-return-prison

Majid Tavakoli and Riaz Sobhani return to prison

Both prisoners' requests for extending their furlough were denied

Posted on: 31st August, 2014



HRANA News Agency – Majid Tavakoli and Riaz Sobhani have returned to Rejai Shahr Prison at the conclusion of their three-day furlough. Both prisoners were granted a leave on August 23 and required to report back to prison on August 25. Their requests for an extension have been denied.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Tavakoli was arrested on December 7, 2009, following his speech at Amir Kabir University against the results of Iran’s presidential election.

Sobhani is a Baha’i citizen and teacher arrested on June 14, 2011. He has been sentenced to serve four years in prison for providing financial assistance to the Baha’i Online University in Iran.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://hra-news.org/en/shahram-chini...laced-solitary

Shahram Chiniyan Miandavab beaten and placed in solitary

Posted on: 21st August, 2014


Rajai-Shahr Prison in Karaj, Tehran, Iran

HRANA News Agency – Shahram Chiniyan Miandavab, a Bahai shopkeeper from Tehran who is serving an 8-year sentence, and who is held in block 1 of Rajai Shahr prison, which is reserved for dangerous prisoners, was placed in solitary confinement on August 19.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), he was moved to the block for dangerous prisoners late in May, 2014: before that he was held with the prisoners of conscience in block 12.

A fellow-prisoner has reported that Mr. Chiniyan was beaten by Mr. Amirian and a number of prison guards, and his clothes were torn. The prison Director. Mr. Mardani, decided unilaterally to move him to solitary confinement.

Mr. Chiniyan was first arrested in March 2009 and released on March 3, 2010, after using his business license as bail.

He was sentenced to 70 lashes and 8 years in prison on a charge of insulting Islam, and began serving his sentence, first in Evin prison in Tehran and then in Raja’i Shahr prison, early in March, 2012.

It appears that the accusation of insulting Islam was raised by his neighbour, following a legal dispute regarding the use of a right of way.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://iranpresswatch.org/post/10726/

Violation of Baha’i Rights Continues, Ranging from the Destruction of Cemeteries to University Entrance Exams Not Being Accepted

BY EDITOR · AUGUST 26, 2014

Source: http://taghato.net/article/7659

Translation by Iran Press Watch

Date: August 9, 2014

Taghato: Human Rights sources report the restart of the destruction of the old Baha’i cemetery in Shiraz and the arrest of four Baha’i citizens in the same city. Meanwhile, numerous Baha’is who participated in the national university entrance exams this year did not receive the results of their tests.



As reported by the “Baha’i Community” website, the Revolutionary Guard forces restarted the destruction of the Baha’i cemetery in Shiraz, removed the remains of 30 to 50 of the 950 Baha’is buried in this cemetery, and dumped them in an open canal.

Based on this report, laying the concrete foundation at the excavation site has recently begun. Signs posted around the cemetery announce the construction of a sports and cultural complex at this location which will include a library, mosque, restaurant, amphitheatre and nursery.

Referring to a complaint filed by the Shiraz Baha’is regarding the destruction of this cemetery, Diane Alai – the representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva – has reported that the Baha’is were told “local officials do not monitor the actions of the Revolutionary Guards that purchased this land approximately three years ago.”

Destruction of this cemetery first began in the month of May of this year, but was stopped after international and media protests.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, August 5th, HRANA Human Rights website reported that four Baha’i citizens residing in Shiraz were arrested by Shiraz’s security forces and transferred to an unknown location. Their names are: Bahieh Manavipour, Adib Hagh-pajouh, Saeed Abedi and Vahid Dana.

Based on HRANA’s report, Mr. Hagh-Pajouh was also arrested by the security forces in January 2010.

In other news related to the continuing human rights violations of Baha’is by the Iranian government, instead of receiving their test results, those Baha’is who participated in the national university entrance exams received a message instructing them to contact the Karaj unit of the “University Evaluation Board” or to write to a post office box address provided to them.

Roohieh Safajoo, one of the Baha’i university applicants, posted a picture of this response on her personal ******** page, explaining that she was “faced with a new form of incomplete file” after she input her information on the University Evaluation Board website.

In a letter to Hassan Rohani, this young Baha’i girl wrote: “Dear Mr. Rohani! I am not asking you to let my expelled brother, parents, uncles, aunts and many cousins return to university. I am just asking you to let me go to university out of my large extended family. This all by itself would be enough for us to trust you and to know you are keeping your promise.”

It is important to note that Baha’is have been deprived from pursuing higher education based on a February 25, 1991 ruling by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution which prevents Baha’is from obtaining a university education in addition to blocking employment in government entities.

Based on section three of this ruling, not only should the Baha’is be prevented from enrolling in universities, but they should also be deprived of education if they are identified as Baha’is after enrollment and during their education.

[Bahai.Lifter]

Video link: http://vimeo.com/96800718

Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra calls for the release of imprisoned Bahá'í leaders in Iran

from UK Bahá'í Community 3 months ago



On Tuesday 27th of May 2014, UK faith community leaders came together in an unprecedented gathering at Westminster Abbey to commemorate the 6th anniversary of the incarceration of the seven former Bahá'í leaders in Iran known as the Yárán. In a powerful statement of support delivered via video message, which was screened to guests gathered at the Jerusalem Chamber, Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra added his voice to those calling for the release of the Yárán.

About the gathering: news.bahai.org.uk/2014/05/28/faith-leaders-call-for-release-of-irans-imprisoned-bahais/
About Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra: ibrahimmogra.com/
About the Yárán: news.bahai.org/story/695

[BonsaiBrah]

Bahai.Lifter

What do you think should be done in Iran to stop these injustices?
Are you Iranian?
What is your view of Ayatollahs in Iran?
Would you support US and Israel if the decided on regime change and invasion of Iran?

[Bahai.Lifter]

Bahai.Lifter

What do you think should be done in Iran to stop these injustices?
Are you Iranian?
What is your view of Ayatollahs in Iran?
Would you support US and Israel if the decided on regime change and invasion of Iran?

More international pressure for Iran to respect human rights/freedom of religion would help. It has helped before to a certain extent; for example recently, the destruction of the historic Bahá'í cemetery in Shiraz was temporarily stopped due to international condemnation, until the pressure died down (now it has resumed: http://news.bahai.org/story/1013). Also more religious leaders speaking out will definitely be helpful, both inside and outside of Iran. Some Ayatollahs (in Iran) have spoken in support of Bahá'ís; one recent example being Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehran, which has led to other clerics speaking out as well (e.g.: http://news.bahai.org/story/995). Bahá'ís do not interfere in partisan politics or issues such as wars; Bahá'ís themselves are trying to build a world that will have no wars, their mission is to create unity and peace for all mankind through carrying out the Bahá'í Teachings and service to humanity.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://www.thegardenerfilm.com/makhmalbaf-manhae/

Makhmalbaf Awarded Manhae Peace Prize



Makhmalbaf Awarded the Manhae Peace Prize for Making Social-issue Films, namely “Afghan Alphabet” and “The Gardener”

GANGWON, SOUTH KOREA – The social activism of Mohsen Makhambalf through his films was recognized and awarded the Manhae Peace Prize, one of Asia’s highest accolades. Han Yong-un (Manhae), which this award commemorates, was a Korean poet and reformer.

Established in 1997, the Manhae Prize is awarded to individuals who have significantly contributed towards social change and peace in their lifetime. Previous recipients include the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela among many other prolific individuals.

In his acceptance speech, Makhmalbaf recalled the social impact of his films and highlighted two of his works in detail; the Afghan Alphabet, which changed education laws in Iran and The Gardener, which breaks century-old taboos by discussing the Baha’i minority of Iran.

Makhmalbaf’s latest social-issue documentary The Gardener has screened in more than 20 films festivals around the world, igniting a discussion on the topic of human rights that continues to this day as the film screens theatrically in North America.

Other ground-breaking films include Kandahar made in Afghanistan and his upcoming The President, opening in the Venice Film Festival this month.

The Korea Times reported that the Prize Committee had “chosen to honor Makhmalbaf for resisting oppression and living an artistic life, just as Han had.”

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://hra-news.org/en/six-bahais-arrested-tabriz

Six Bahais arrested in Tabriz

Posted on: 23rd July, 2014



HRANA News Agency – Six Bahais are reported to have been arrested in Tabriz on July 12.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), their names are given as Farzad Bahadari, Samin Rasouli and their children, Sahar and Nassim Bahadari, who are members of one family, Shabnam Issakhani, a mother of two, and Rashin Saberi, who is reported to be 8 months pregnant.

The Bahadari family was arrested in their home and face charges of teaching music in their homes and being Bahais. The family’s books, musical instruments and other possessions have been confiscated.


Shabnam Issakhani


The most recent report indicates that Mr. Farzad Bahadari, who is 60 years old, and Mrs. Simin Rasouli, aged 54, are still in prison, while their children have been released on bail.

Separately, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence searched Mrs. Issa Khani’s home in Tabriz, confiscated various personal items including books and electronics and took her away for interrogation.

According to reports, as of Tuesday, July 15th she was still in solitary confinement and deprived of visitation rights.

No further information is available on Rashin Saberi, except that she was interrograted despite being eight months pregnant, when by law she should have been exempt from interrogation under duress.


Rashin Saberi

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://hra-news.org/en/two-bahais-arrested-shiraz

Two Bahais arrested in Shiraz

Posted on: 4th September, 2014



HRANA News Agency – On the morning of September 1, security forces arrested Mr. Shahram Mansour at his home, and transferred him to the Ministry of Intelligence’s Facility 100 in Shiraz.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), they also searched his home and seized some personal items. They arrested Mr. Farhad Sarafraz in similar circumstances and took him to the same detention facility.

The reasons for the arrests are not known.

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://hra-news.org/en/five-bahais-a...fahan-province

Five Bahais arrested, questioned and released in Isfahan Province

Posted on: 23rd August, 2014



HRANA News Agency – On the morning of August 20, police searched a home shared by Bahais in the city of Shahin Shahr, in the province of Isfahan.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), they searched the house for several hours, seizing computers, religious books and personal effects, and then arrested five Bahais who were present. Their names are Sa`id Qa’emi, Parviz Gaudarzeyan, Azita Homayuni, Noushin Salkyan and Rashin Shahnazi.

They were released on the same evening, following several hours of interrogation, and told that “the courts have been notified, you will have to attend.”

[Bahai.Lifter]

http://news.bahai.org/story/1016

Three top UN human rights experts call for a halt to Shiraz cemetery destruction

4 September 2014


(From left to right) Rita Izsak, the United Nations Independent Expert on minority issues; Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran; Heiner Bielefeldt, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. UN Photos/Jean-Marc Ferre and Paulo Filgueiras.


GENEVA — Three high-level United Nations human rights experts today called on Iran to halt the ongoing destruction of a historic Baha’i cemetery in Shiraz, Iran, saying the action is an “unacceptable” violation of freedom of religion.

In a joint news release, Heiner Bielefeldt, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and Rita Izsak, the UN Independent Expert on minority issues, said they were “dismayed” at reports that demolition work had resumed in August.

“Cemeteries, like places of worship, are an essential part of how people exercise and manifest their right to freedom of religion or belief. Their significance goes beyond their physical presence,” said Dr. Bielefeldt.

“Attacks on cemeteries are unacceptable and are a deliberate violation of freedom of religion or belief,” he added. “The government of Iran must take urgent action.”


Plans to build a sports and cultural complex over a Baha’i cemetery have resumed with concrete being poured into the site where the graves of Baha’is were excavated in order to lay the building foundation. Demolition of the cemetery, which began in late April, had temporarily stopped after the international media reported on the desecration and other governments expressed concern.


Dr. Shaheed said “Baha’is have religious rites and practices for the disposal of the deceased in their own cemeteries and the government has the obligation not only to respect them but to protect them from destruction.”

Ms. Izsak urged the Iranian government to take concrete steps to protect religious minorities.

“The Baha’is have been subjected to persecution and acts of violence,” said Ms. Izsak. “The authorities must protect them from further discrimination and stigmatization.”

“Measures should be put in place to protect and maintain the cultural heritage of religious minorities, including burial grounds and other sites of religious significance,” she added.

The cemetery is the resting place of some 950 Baha’is, many of whom were historic or prominent figures in the Baha’i community of Iran. Interred at the site, for example, are ten Baha'i women whose cruel hanging in 1983 came to symbolize the government's deadly persecution of Baha'is.

Demolition at the site first began in April, undertaken by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, apparently to make way for the construction of a new sports and cultural center.

After the excavation of a large but shallow hole, demolition was halted for several months in the face of international pressure and the expression of outrage on the part of Iranians from all walks of life.

But in August, reports emerged from Iran saying that the Revolutionary Guards had resumed construction on the site, removing human remains from some 30 to 50 graves and pouring a concrete foundation for the complex, which will reportedly include a library, mosque, restaurant, theatre, child care facility, and sports hall.

Members of the Shiraz Baha'i community have pleaded with local authorities to enforce a permanent halt in the construction, offering also a compromise in which the sports complex could be built on the site away from areas where Baha'is are buried, while the graveyard itself is turned into a green space.

The Baha'is have been told, however, that local authorities have no control over the Revolutionary Guards, who acquired the land about three years ago.

Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva, welcomed the statement of the three UN officials.

“We are grateful for the strong stand that these three independent human rights experts have taken on the situation in Shiraz,” said Ms. Ala’i.

“The statement by Dr. Bielefeld, Dr. Shaheed, and Ms. Izsak is a clear signal to Iran that these acts are completely unacceptable, and that it is the responsibility of the government to uphold and enforce its commitments to human rights law, regardless of who the perpetrators are.”

“The current government has made numerous promises to improve its human rights record but failed to take action. Words must now be followed by deeds,” said Ms. Ala’i.