HUMAN RIGHTS IN IRAN

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Thank you!

Thank you for your informative blogs!I hope that these type of condemnations by US/UN makes world aware of human right violations in Iran.

Dear Shep..

As you may know, ever since its inception The Bahais have been under attack.

How ever after the Islamic Revolution, it became official state policy to persecute them and to take steps to limit their progress and influence, as shown by the secret document leaked in 1991.

The situation improved somewhat under the Khatami regime, although only relatively. 

With the return of Hojjaiyyih and Ahmadinejad's support an organized and systematic plan was put into action, which in my opinion was accelerated in response to the unprecedented access of Iranian people to first hand information about the Bahai Faith, its aims and beliefs, through shortwave Radio, Satellite TV and lately the use of the internet and the explosion of blogs.

I have heard of the regime's utter fright with the knowledge that ordinary Iranians are curious to find out what Bahai believe, not to mention that they question why the Mullahs are so desperate to persecute a helpless peaceful people who have never raised a hand to defend themselves.

Ahmadinejad and his gang have also to be afraid of public opinion who as recently as the june election had people shouting openly in support of Bahais, saying "Hamvataneh Bahai, az to hemayat Mikoneem..!"

I think the video was posted onone of the blogs..

In any case, the future is bright and as Bahais, we believe with faith and absolute certainty these prophetic words written to The Iranian Bahais in Nov 2003 by the Universal House of Justice:

".............No one would contend that you are alone in the ordeals you are enduring. The victims of injustice today number in countless millions. Each year, the agendas of the human rights organizations are overwhelmed by appeals from spokespersons for oppressed minorities of every type--religious, ethnic, social and national. In the words of Bahá'u'lláh, "Justice is in this day bewailing its plight, and Equity groaneth beneath the yoke of oppression."

What has more alarmed perceptive observers of such situations than even the physical and material anguish caused is the spiritual damage done to the victims. Deliberate oppression aims at dehumanizing those whom it subjugates and at de- legitimizing them as members of society, entitled to neither rights nor consideration. Where such conditions persist over any length of time, many of those affected lose confidence in their own perception of themselves. Inexorably, they become drained of that spirit of initiative that is integral to human nature and are reduced to the level of objects to be dealt with as their rulers decide. Indeed, some who are exposed to sustained oppression can become so conditioned to a culture of brutalization that they, in their turn, are ready to commit violence against others, should the opportunity offer itself. "

".......To every fair-minded observer, you are the living proof that faith in God and confidence in social progress are in every sense reconcilable; that science and religion are the two inseparable, reciprocal systems of knowledge impelling the advancement of civilization. Already, you begin to see this realization dawning in the eyes of many Muslims of your acquaintance. These friends and neighbours, who can truly lay claim to being "a people summoning unto goodness", have watched with outrage as those whom they know to be innocent of any crime have been slandered and attacked without recourse to legal protection. They are sensitive--perhaps even more than you are yourselves--to the spirit of courage and decency that you have displayed throughout these ordeals.

And they are also awakening to the real character of those whose abuse of you defiles the honour of Islam, in whose name such crimes are perpetrated.

If you are not yet physically free, you are at last beginning to win acceptance as a respected and valued part of the Iranian people. Ahead lies the day when your fellow citizens will have recognized and come to treasure the contribution you are destined to make to Iran's recovery of her rightful place among the nations of the world. "

      "Ruling elites can make no more serious error than to imagine that the power they have managed to arrogate to themselves provides an enduring bulwark against the relentless tides of historical change.

Today, in Iran as everywhere throughout the world, these tides roll in with insistent urgency and tumultuous force. They are not merely at the door of the house, but rise up irresistibly through its floors. They cannot be diverted. They will not be denied." 

sorry about the long response. 

Faryarm 

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Thank you for posting the video and I hope the 7 Bahai members can be released soon. I read that Roxana Saberi is working pretty hard to bring attention to the jailed Bahais 'cause she shared cell with some Bahai members in Evin.....

thanks,

Why the new persecutions

Shepesh Jan,

Certainly under Ahmadinejad there has been new vigor due to his hardline policies but one of the most significant reasons is the rise of a group called Hojatee-iehs who were formed decades ago with the specific goal of eradicating the Baha'i faith.  A fair review of the Baha'i history in Iran shows that since it's inception, groups such as Hojatee-iehs have always looked for the opportune time to attack the Baha'is.  

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