Their faith forbids them to lie about their affiliation. The removal of the "other religions" option from national identity card application forms has dealt another blow to the Baha'i minority in Iran, which has been systematically persecuted and remains legally unrecognized in the mainly Muslim country.
Under Iranian law, Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians are the only religious minorities accepted. Baha'is are considered to be "unprotected infidels," according to a July report by the UN special rapporteur to Iran, Javaid Rehman. Read more : Celebrating Sabbath with Iran's Jewish minority. Despite facing persecution, Bahai's are forbidden by their faith to lie about their religion.
This means that the new identity card application prevents them from applying for and obtaining official identification, as they cannot claim affiliation to one of the three legally recognized minority religions. Read more : What it's like to be a Christian in Iran. There are an estimated , adherents of the Baha'i faith in Iran, according to the UN report, making it the country's biggest religious minority.
Baha'is are routinely imprisoned on vague charges and denied public schooling on the basis of their faith. While Iran systematically discriminates against other religious minorities within its borders as well, the plight of the Baha'i community has been particularly well documented because of the group's size and the severity of the persecution to which it is subjected.
According to Rehman, Baha'is "have suffered from the most egregious forms of repression, persecution and victimization. Read more : Iranian women defiant against compulsory hijab. Baha'is interviewed by the UN "described a variety of violations that they had been subjected to, including the closure of shops; the firebombing of homes; arbitrary arrest; torture and other ill treatment whilst in detention; and discrimination whilst studying at university," according to Rehman's report.
Additionally, many have been arrested for "vaguely worded offenses" such as speading propaganda or espionage, while Baha'i cemeteries have been destroyed and properties confiscated. More than Baha'is have also reportedly been executed since the Islamic Revolution for reasons related to their religion. The systematic efforts to persecute Bahai's are also endorsed by the Iranian government on paper. The document set out specific guidelines on how to deal with the 'Baha'i question,' including instructions that they be expelled from schools and denied employment and positions of influence," says the UN report.
Read more : US ambassador for religious freedom: 'It's a fundamental right for everybody'. Not having a national identity card compounds their problems by essentially making it impossible to conduct official transactions. Or more recently , in April, when a Clubhouse chat room featuring Iranians inside Iran became grounds for hate-mongering against the persecuted minority. The extent of this institutionalized persecution can only begin to be understood by perusing the over seven thousand documents on a digital documentation depository that evidences the painful history of what has and continues to be suffered.
Whether seen in the actions of some ayatollahs , members of high ranking families , or prominent Iranians more generally, the momentum is gathering speed. IranSource Nov 13, By Gissou Nia. Ideally, justice would be served by the Iranian leadership investigating violations and punishing perpetrators within their ranks.
Unfortunately, that is not a realistic scenario. In , the Bab was charged by Shi'i religious officials with heresy and was put to death by firing squad. Subsequent public protests and mob violence claimed the lives of thousands of his followers.
As part of its crackdown on the followers of the Bab, the Iranian government incarcerated Baha'u'llah. The government released Baha'u'llah in , and exiled him to Baghdad , then part of the Ottoman Empire. It was during this exile that he publicly announced the establishment of the Baha'i faith. Indeed Baha'u'llah claimed to be the manifestation of God that the Bab had foretold and gained a large following. Ottoman officials later moved Baha'u'llah to the prison city of Akka in Palestine.
He remained there until his passing in Throughout his life, Bah'u'llah penned over volumes in Arabic and Persian. About a dozen of these have been translated into English and other languages.
Baha'is, for example, embrace interracial marriage and education for girls.
0コメント