Baha'i international community rejects Iranian allegations on recent arrests
Payvand's Iran News
23-May-2008 (10 comments)

NEW YORK (21 May 2008) - Allegations by Iran that six Baha'is were arrested last week "for security reasons and not for their faith" are utterly baseless and without documentation, said the Baha'i International Community today.

 

"All of the allegations issued in a statement on Tuesday by the Iranian government are utterly baseless," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations, referring to statements made in a press conference given yesterday in Tehran by Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham, at which he acknowledged the arrest and imprisonment of six Baha'i leaders last week. The allegations are not new, and the Iranian government knows well that they are untrue," Ms. Dugal said. "The documented plan of the Iranian government has always been to destroy the Baha'i community, and these latest arrests represent an intensification of this plan.

 

"The group of Baha'is arrested last week, like the thousands of Baha'is who since 1979 have been killed, imprisoned, or otherwise oppressed, are being persecuted solely because of their religious beliefs. The best proof of this is the fact that, time and again, Baha'is have been offered their freedom if they recant their Baha'i beliefs and convert to Islam - an option few ha... >>>

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عجیب ترین جاسوسها

Atoosa Daughter of Persia (not verified)


اولا بهاییان تنها جاسوسانی هستند که تلاش می کنند با معرفی خودشان به عنوان بهایی خود را لو بدهند! با وجود اینکه مسئولین محترم بارها از ایشان خواسته اند (حتی تهدید کرده اند) که خودشان را لو ندهند-به خصوص در مدارس و مکانهای عمومی - ولی ایشان متوجه این قضیه نمی شوند وبا افشای هویت خود از رفتن به دانشگاه ها و ادارات دولتی محروم می شوند.

ثانیا تعدادی از آنها قبلا استاد دانشگاه بودند و مثل آدمهای بیکار به نوشتن و اشاعه علم مشغول شده بودند ولی چون تدریس و نوشتن وقت زیادی از ایشان می گرفت به ایشان مرخصی دائمی داده شد (یا به قول خودشان اخراج شدند) تا اینها یادشان نرود که جاسوس هستند و باید وقتشان را صرف کارهای مهم تر بکنند. در ضمن بعضی از آنها هم اعدام شدند تا به ایشان ثابت شود که در هر حال جاسوس هستند و ممکن است اعدام هم بشوند.

ثالثا تعداد قابل توجهی از بهاییان پیش از این در روستاها زندگی می کردند و بعضی از این روستاها از امکانات مخابراتی و مراسلاتی محروم بودند وبالتبع جاسوسی در این نقاط غیر ممکن می نمود. در نتیجه برای اینکه هویت ایشان معلوم شود از سایر روستا نشینان خواسته شد که به هر طریق ممکن اینان را متقاعد کنند که روستای دور افتاده خود را ترک کنند و به شهر بروند. بعضی اوقات گرمای محبتی که روستاییان در هنگام درخواست خود بروز می دادند چنان زیاد بود که باعث سوختن خانه های بهاییان روستایی نیز می شد ولی به هرحال فرصتی پیش آمد که بسیاری از بهاییان حتی به قیمت از دست دادن جان و مالشان به امکانات بیشتری جهت جاسوسی دسترسی پیدا کنند.

ر ابعا قبلا گفته میشد که بهاییان برای روسیه و انگلیس جاسوسی می کنند. بعدها معلوم شد که اینها جاسوس آمریکا و اسراییل هستند. با توجه به اینکه بهاییان در بیش از ۲۰۰ کشور دنیا ساکن هستند باید تحقیق کرد که مثلا یک بهایی مغولستانی یا اهل پرو با چه تکنیکهایی برای اسراییل جاسوسی می کند. نتیجه این تحقیق قطعا برای سایر جاسوس های دنیا بسیار با ارزش خواهد بود.

و خامسا اینکه هر چند اغلب جاسوسهایی که در فیلمها می بینیم بین ۲۵ تا ۴۰ سال دارند اما جاسوسهای بهایی اصلا سن وسال سرشان نمی شود! مثلا یکی از اینها یک پیرمرد ۸۰ ساله بود که در یزد بظاهر به کشاورزی مشغول بود وبا وجود اینکه یک روز او را تا سر حد مرگ کتک زده و در بیابان در فاصله ای دور از خانه رها کرده بودند توانسته بود - به احتمال قریب به یقین به کمک عوامل سیا و موساد - خود را به خانه برساند که در نهایت مجبور شدند او را بکشند. یا دختری ۱۶ ساله در شیراز که به تعدادی از کودکان بهایی مطالبی درس می داد که او را نیز گرفتند و پس از مدتی شکنجه به جوخه اعدام سپردند تا فراموش نکند که یک جاسوس نباید وقتش را با تربیت کودکان تلف کند.


Tahirih

Zirak:

by Tahirih on

You and me we have lots in common , we both love Iran and care about it. Also you picked the rose ,just like me.This is great.

as far as our leaders I have to inform you that we do not have "leaders" ,every person could be elected to be an assembly member as long as they are over 21 years of age. so these people are me and my husband and average Joe in our community. Of course we try to elect the wisest and purest of all. But it is up to individual Bahais to decide as who to elect in our election. All ballots are anonymous and even me and my husband do not share with each other as who we did vote for.

So the elected members could be anybody.

Now tell me How on earth ,I can become a spy without myself knowing it ( I mean as soon as I get elected!!).Please be fair.

Oh , and I have to add that since we both love Iran and do not want it's sovereignty getting compromised , lets hope that IRI would start defending the name of our dear Persian gulf!

Tahirih


zirak

To: tahirih (Re: Zirak I have one question for you.)

by zirak on

Tahirih

First lets make sure we understand the premise of discussion. I DO NOT accuse the Bahai leaders of spionage. I am not Bahai, but my Bahai friends are very much like other humans.  With regards to the spy case, I really don't know beyond what is in the news.

The question was whether or not the statement made by the "community" makes any sense. I gave you the example (actually for JJ, but you are free to read!), to make it clear what the question was.

As for the question you raised, I am not really a religious nutt and don't know what makes one muslim or bahai or jew or others. I just love my country and its people, and from its history, i would suspect and be worried of any foriegn plan to destory it or its people sometimes in the name of democracy , or freedom of this and that.

 

Thanks.


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we must strive for the truth

by Seagull (not verified) on

It is a disgrace for us not to be hounest as the children of Iran first with our ownselves then in our dealings with others who dont subscribe to the same ideas as ours.
It is also contrary to progress or assissting our own cause if we dont give expression to the truth or speak with druss, believing that our secret agenda does not come across the words that we carefully choose, to spread misgivings.
There is no hope for Iran or Islam if those who intend to defend either one are not willing to with integrity uphold the truth.
It requires a great courage for one to question him or herself yet its not merely required, it is essential to our very existance.
I hope we the children of Iran more specifically, be the forrunners in courage, wisdom and defend the Truth, not the truth as we want it to be but the truth that is.
One can deny the truth, oppose it, fight it or aid it. But at the end of the day, Truth will alwasy be with those who take courage to acknowlege it.


Tahirih

Zirak I have one question for you.

by Tahirih on

How come ,Bahai's horrible act of espionage , will be forgiven if they recant their faith and become Muslim??

So ones change of religion to Islam , clears them from their crime??

Please respond to this question and I will tell you more about your theory of hidden spies.

regards,

tahirih


zirak

To: JJ (Re: More questions)

by zirak on

JJ,

The question I asked does not raise to the elvel that you have tried to bring analogies for it. Here is an example that might bring the point home:

Suppose I were a spy for Israel against Iran here in USA. Suppose as an Iranian I live within the community of Iranians. Since I am iranian, and our community in US is small, it would be natural for me to live close or within that. We know each others' language and culture and friendships and trust can be easily established. Now, as a spy, would I come and announce it to my Iranian compatriots in that community that in fact I am spying against Iran for Israel? Of course not. Therefore how would my community of friends and compatriot Iranians aside from supporting me and supporting my character as they know me, be certain that I was not a spy?

 

Thanks.


faryarm

Mullah's Worst Nightmare..The Truth about Bahais

by faryarm on


Jahanshah, Ziraks's comments in a sense are justified, because it shows the sad reality of how little or nothing fellow Iranians know about a progressive social and spiritual religion that sprang essentially from Iran; a tragic testament to how the Corrupt Shia clergy have managed to so succesfully poison the mind of Iranians. Fortunately as i have said many times over, what we are seeing in Iran is the work of Providence at work, as more Iranians, starved of spiritual sustenance are for the first time gaining first hand knowledge about what Bahais really stand for, and that is precisely what is frightening to the cleric regime, forcing it to resort to baseless allegations and desperate measures to save itself from losing its grip over Iranians. What I am confident is that the clerics worst nightmare is Iranians learning more about the true history, aims and purposes of Bahai Faith. 


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Unlikely Spies

by scb (not verified) on

Allow me to add that by Baha'i religious law, Baha'is must obey the government of the country where they live, even if that government is not especially "friendly."

Since the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Iran was disbanded (twice), the arrested Baha'is were working only for the most basic interests of the Iranian Baha'i community; which no one would argue I think, is a community under duress. It is unlikely that they would have the know how, the access, or the sophistication to effectively "spy", since Baha'is in Iran are not allowed by Iranian law to work as professionals or in the licensed trades of their country.

More than that, anyone who has been around Baha'is would conclude that subterfuge is not (!) likely to be their forte.

Prayer, patience and the strength to persist is their forte. All that and a great love for their country.

Let it be said that their lot is hard, but it would be harder if it were not for the ordinary compassion of the Iranian people, themselves.


Jahanshah Javid

More questions

by Jahanshah Javid on

zirak, your question is just as relevant as these: What if Iranians are truly terrorists? What if women are truly sluts? What if Ghazvini men are truly gay? What if Turks are truly stupid?

Everything is possible, but there has been an obvious systematic persecution of Bahais especially under the Islamic Republic. And this latest arrest is clearly another act of intimidation against a community whose members are not even considered full citizens of their country simply because of their faith.

Instead of questioning the innocent maybe we should start questioning cruel, closed-minded oppressors.

We should be ashamed of the way Bahai compatriots are being treated. Can you imagine what kind of life you would have if you were a Bahai? Have mercy on fellow human beings whose only "crime" is to believe in a different faith.


zirak

I wonder ...

by zirak on

If those  leaders who were arrested were truly spies, would they go and announce it to their "community"?

I am not saying they were or were not spies.  I just wonder how that community thinks.