The status of Bahai’i in Iran

(Aren't we all human beings? We ‫ايّهاال ّنـاس مـا همـه بشـريم‬

are all slaves to God as his ‫بنـده يـك خــدای داد گـريـم‬
children. We are all sisters, and
brothers since we are all from one ‫خـواهـران و بـرداران هميـم‬
mother and father) ‫چون ز يك مادر و ز يـك پدريم‬

The words of Sa’adi adorn the wall of the United Nations building

entrance as a reminder for everyone that walks through the halls that

we are all one world, and that we must always strive to act as one. For

‫نی آدم اعضای یک پیکرند‬ many that walk the halls, this advice from
‫که در آفرينش ز یک گوهرند‬
‫چو عضوى به درد آورد روزگار‬ 800 years ago falls on deaf ears. The bitter
‫دگر عضو ها را نماند قرار‬
‫تو کز محنت دیگران بی غمی‬ irony of this is that Sa’adi’s one time home
‫نشاید که نامت نهند آدمی‬
has become the example of one of its worst

violators. For one people of Iran in particular, this has been the case for

a long time, since its inception.

The Bahai’i of Iran are a relatively young religion, although the

basic tenets of their belief will seem very familiar to anyone with
experience or knowledge about the region’s cultures. Bahai’iism

preaches that all religions carry a message of worth, and that all

religions have merit. They believe that all of the world is connected,

and reject things like racism, bigotry, and nationalism as sins. Bahai’iism

is similar to the Abrahamic roots that it sprang from, influenced by the

culture that it was incubated in, and forged by the challenges that it has

had to face. The Bahai’i faith came about during the mid 19th century in

the Qajar period of Iran.

Under both the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties the

Bahai’i suffered discrimination, and in some cases

violations of their human rights at an almost regular

interval. Interestingly, a lot of Bahai’i supported the

Constitutional Revolution because of their beliefs in equality, but they

were soon forgotten after the ascension of Reza Khan. A lot of

propaganda surrounding them was spread, mainly stating that they

were agents of foreign powers, which during the time of rising

Nationalism in Iran led to multiple unfortunate events both

governments ignored. The trials that the Bahai’i faced during those

periods pales in comparison to the threat that the Islamic Republic

represents.

Under the Article 13 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of

Iran Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian Iranians are the only recognized

religious minorities, who, within the limits of the law, are free to

perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to act according to

their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education.

This form of institutionalized apartheid paves the way for a number of

methods intended to bring about the extinction of the Bahai’i. Bahai’i

cannot hold jobs in most places, they cannot be teachers, they cannot

attend higher education, they cannot hold government positions, they

are not allowed to be buried in cemeteries that are not on private

property, and they are subject to their property being seized be the

government at any moment. The list goes on and on concerning the

issues that they face in Iran. The Bahai’i value education as a core

principle in their beliefs, to them it is a holy mandate to pursue

education in order to better themselves, and the world to help prepare

the world for Armageddon. In Iran they have created underground

Universities in order to teach their children advanced concepts. These

are neither officially recognized, nor are they legal. Raids happen in

which Bahai’i are arrested for the egregious crime of being teachers, or

being taught.

Bibliography
Affolter, F. W. (n.d.). War Crimes, Genocide, & Crimes against Humanity. In F. W. Affolter, War Crimes,
Genocide, & Crimes against Humanity.

Allamehzadeh, R. (2011). Iranian Taboo. Retrieved from Youtube.com:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIRAULlk7qA