Iran ruthless in persecution of peace-loving Baha'is

This student is from Iran's long-suffering Baha'i community. She is studying music in the UK, and is here practising a piece by a composer from her homeland. Soon, she must return to Iran. There, her future like that of her family and all Baha'is is uncertain. We cannot identify her for fear of putting her family in danger. It's more than a year since I last addressed this issue. Things since then have got worse. Far worse.

Like all Bahai's, this young and beautiful musician cannot study at university in Iran. Students have to fill in a form stating their religion. She tells her story: 'Since I was a child I wanted to become a musician. I loved playing the piano. But after my high school graduation I was not accepted to enter the university in Iran.' She was able to go to the unofficial Baha'i higher education institution, but there was no music course on offer. 'I had no other choice and I applied for civil engineering which I did not enjoy, I did not do well and hardly passed the exams. After my BA I decided to go abroad and went to Moscow in order to study music there. It was fantastic, I was able to live my childhood’s dream and I graduated with distinction. I could not wait to return to Iran and start working as a musician.'

But she was held back again. 'In order to perform in public I needed to fill out a form that asked for to the artists’ religion. Like the entrance exam it only had items for Muslim, Jew, Christian and Zoroastrian. When I put Baha’i I was denied. I was not allowed to perform, I was not allowed to play in an orchestra and I was not allowed to give piano lessons. That is why I left. I came to the UK where I am continuing my studies at the moment. I enjoy all these freedoms as an artist here and I am most thankful. But at the same time it makes me so, so sad when I think about my brothers and sisters in Iran. I know that if I want to go back I have to give up my greatest passion and my dream. I hope that one day I will be able to perform on an Iranian stage.'

She could have pretended to be a Muslim to study music and perform in Iran. 'A lot of my friends asked me why I did not just deny my faith in order to enter university. "You know that you are a Baha’i in your heart," they would say. But I tried to explain and some of them understood. It would have been the biggest lie. Honesty is one of the most important teachings in the Baha'i faith if I would lie about my belief it would not be in my heart anymore.'

According to this report, similar restrictions have been introduced in Egypt. In Iran, the latest injustice involves making Baha'is and everyone else list their religious denomination on all official documentation. Which was the last Government to enforce this kind of regulation on a religious minority in its midst? I think we all know the answer to that one.

Comments

[Dr. Irene Lancaster FRSA]

Not true. the Bahai community are extremely happy in Haifa and are made to feel very welcome by its Jewish population.

[Dan]

One aspect of this sad story that seems obvious to me is that it would be enormously easy to resolve.

All the Iranian government would need to do would be to alter its bureaucracy with a simple change to allow these young Baha'is to study.

The fact that it does not do so would seem to prove the ideological identity of that government and their implacable hostility to a religious minority.

[emanuel appel]

a letter from America

Dear Dr. Irene,

What's the difference between her being in the UK and her being in Haifa? None. Let her be where she is.

The real issue here is her being made into a non-Iranian by a
tyrannical Moslem State. You are no better in fixing her nationality problem than the British and she'd be just as much an alien there as in the UK.

[Dr. Irene Lancaster FRSA]

Do you think that this unfortunate girl might consider moving here to Haifa, where the Bahai community and others would welcome her with open arms?

I could introduce her to all the musical delights on offer in Haifa and she might even be able to come with me to school in Jaffa and help with the music teaching.

Only a thought.

[emanuel appel]

a letter from America

Dear Lover of Unity,

You misunderstand my tone. I am not apologiziang for the Iranian bigot/imperialists. The act of collecting data is neutral in itself. It's the intent that 's important.

It's a waste of time to quote Declarations of Human Rights to point out oppressive acts. Innocent people do have inherent rights that do not need United Nations declarations to be considered valid.
Iran is just showing the true face of Islam when not veiled by hypocrisy or Western complicity.

On another topic, be advised that I'm a Hater of Unity. Unity is the term that tyrants use to impose themselves on the weak and helpless, from the Pope to Mohammed.

[Marco Oliveira]

We can evaluate justice in countries like Iran and Egypt by looking at the way they treat their minorities.

[Lover of Unity]

Re: Emmanuel's letter

Its not for statistical reasons.

The Baha'i Faith is simply not recognised as an official religion in Iran, only members of 'official' religions are allowed to go to university, despite the fact its the largest religion in Iran after Islam, with 300,000 members.

Its not cultural imperialism. Quite the contrary. Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is the 'Right to Education.' Iran themselves signed up to this by choice, but are clearly not upholding it.

[emanuel appel]

a letter from America

Dear all,

There is nothing wrong in asking what ethnicity or religion a person is in a government application if it's for a statistical reason. You, who call yourselves Christian of various stripes, would be proud to state that you follow the Pope, Canterbury, or your conscience.

How brave would you be if a Jew took away your work permit? Very, I presume, but you'd start to run away
if a Moslem or a Negro did it.

Yes, the BBC, and all the fashionable pinks are there to shield the ones who'd cut your throats because it hurts America. We musn't hurt the Moslem's feelings because they're here and we can't impose decency and fair play on them. It's cultural imperialism.

[Barney]

A resolution, initiated by Canada at the UN General Assembly, on the egregious state of human rights in Iran (including the persecution of the Baha'is) may be stopped in its tracks by dint of a "no action motion" that Iran is busy lobbying for.

If so, there will be no check at all on human rights in Iran by the UN and the Iranian authorities will undoubtedly raise the tempo of human rights abuses against the Baha'is and other minorities.

When two British MPs raised the question of the exclusion of Baha'is from higher education on the grounds of their religion, the Iranian embassy assured them that no one in Iran was deprived of education on religious grounds. At the very same time, the Baha'i students who had (contrary to the experience of previous years) been admitted to universities were being expelled.

Without even the minimal check of a UN resolution against Iran, things are very likely to get worse there.

It is clear that the Iranian authorities are fulfilling a policy approved by Khamenei in 1991 to undermine the survival of the Baha'i community.

[SAM]

Indeed an interesting final question.

But, we could add another one: how long did we so-called "occidental, free, and democratic countries" took to intervene against that listing?

[emanuel appel]

a letter from America

Re peace loving Bahai's

The undisturbed headquarters of the Bahais is in Haifa, Israel where it has been undisturbed since the foundation of the State.

Let Iran destroy them to show the fallacy of cowardice, appeasement, and pacifism.