Sightings

1/6/2011

Seven leaders of Iran ¢â‚¬â„¢s Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢i community were sentenced to twenty years in
prison by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran last August, a sentence that was
reduced to ten years in September. They were convicted on serious but
baseless charges including  ¢â‚¬Å“espionage for Israel, ¢â‚¬   ¢â‚¬Å“insulting religious
sanctities ¢â‚¬  and  ¢â‚¬Å“propaganda against the system. ¢â‚¬  They had also been charged
with *ifsad fil arz* or  ¢â‚¬Å“corruption on earth. ¢â‚¬  These charges could have
resulted in death sentences. The seven leaders were convicted after a trial
that failed to adhere to international standards for fair trials.

The Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢i faith was founded in Iran about 150 years ago. An estimated
300,000 Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢is still live in Iran; they are Iran ¢â‚¬â„¢s largest non-Muslim
religious minority. Although Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢is had faced persecution in Iran since the
founding of the religion, their treatment grew worse after the Iranian
Revolution. Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, the
Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢i community has faced systematic persecution and harassment. While
other minority religions such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism and Christianity
are officially recognized (adherents of those religions having been deemed
 ¢â‚¬Å“People of the Book ¢â‚¬ ), the Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢i religion is not recognized in Iran ¢â‚¬â„¢s
Constitution and Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢is are denied equal rights to education, employment
and advancement in their jobs. Furthermore, they are not allowed to meet or
hold religious ceremonies.

Worse forms of persecution have been committed against Iran ¢â‚¬â„¢s Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢i: More
than 200 Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢is were killed after the Iranian Revolution in 1979, after
which a large number of Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢is left Iran. The National Spiritual Assembly
of the Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢is of Iran was disbanded in 1983 after the government outlawed
all Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢i administrative institutions. Since then the community ¢â‚¬â„¢s needs
have been met by the Yaran, or Friends, who are now responsible for the
Baha’i community’s religious and administrative affairs.

Although persecution of the Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢is abated in the 1990s, harassment has
increased since President Ahmadinejad ¢â‚¬â„¢s first election in 2005. According to
the *Baha’i International Community*, there are currently 47 Baha’is in
detention throughout Iran.

The Baha’i faith is considered heresy by hard-line clerics since it was
founded in the mid-nineteenth century. Because it post-dates Islam, it is
viewed as a repudiation of Islam. After the Iranian Revolution a “pure” form
of Islamic government was established with the support of conservative
clerics, which involved discrimination against adherents of more recently
founded religions such as Baha’is. The clerics implemented punishments such
as stoning and amputation. This theological “purity” is maintained by
clerical hard-liners who are crucial allies of the current government.

The Baha’is are convenient scapegoats ¢â‚¬”the government points to the Baha’is
as fomenting the post-election unrest. The Iranian authorities have also
blamed the Baha’is, among other groups, for orchestrating much of the unrest
that took place on the Shi ¢â‚¬â„¢a religious observance of  ¢â‚¬ËœAshoura on 27 December
2009.

The religiously fraught charge of *ifsad fil arz* has been specifically used
against the Baha’is, but another charge, *moharebeh*, or enmity against God,
has been lodged at more and more people in the past year. It has been used
to justify imposition of the death penalty for politically motivated
“offenses.” Although it should only be used in cases where there is evidence
of armed resistance against the government, the charge of moharebeh*has
been used against ethnic and linguistic minorities who advocate for greater
cultural rights or who are otherwise politically active.

The persecution of Iran ¢â‚¬â„¢s Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢is ¢â‚¬”and specifically the harsh sentences
imposed on the seven Yaran ¢â‚¬”has been roundly criticized by prominent figures
the world over, including the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
His report of October 14, 2010 noted that* the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights expressed deep concern over the absence of international
observers and the lack of due process in the Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢i leaders ¢â‚¬â„¢ trial and that
the criminal charges brought against the seven appeared to constitute a
violation of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s obligations under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in particular those of
freedom of religion and belief and freedom of expression and association.
Despite the international condemnation, the Iranian authorities remain
obdurate. In February a high-level delegation, led by Mohammad Javad
Larijani, the Secretary-General of Iran ¢â‚¬â„¢s *High Council for Human Rights,
defended Iran ¢â‚¬â„¢s human rights record before the U.N. Human Rights Council in
Geneva. Mr. Larijani insisted that no Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢i is persecuted because of his or
her Baha ¢â‚¬â„¢i faith, but rather because of their engagement in illegal
activities ¢â‚¬”completely evading the issue that perfectly legitimate activities
or beliefs are construed as  ¢â‚¬Å“illegal, ¢â‚¬  that the evidence for such  ¢â‚¬Å“illegal ¢â‚¬ 
activities is generally non-existent, and that the legal procedures that try
and convict people on such charges are woefully inadequate.

Elise Auerbach is the Iran country specialist for Amnesty International
USA. She received her Ph.D. from the Department of Near Eastern Languages
and Civilizations at the University of Chicago.

Attribution

Columns may be quoted or republished in full, with attribution to the author
of the column, Sightings, and the Martin Marty Center at the University of
Chicago Divinity School.