Cutting down the trees of the Baha’i Cemetery of Isfahan
October 3rd, 2008
The desecration of cemeteries has always been used as a tactic to supress and offend, and Iran’s Bahai minority has faced this abuse for decades.
The most recent desecration took place just days ago on the 27th of September in Isfahan, where trees were cut down from a Baha’i cemetery. Images are presented below.
This contradicts President Ahmadinejad’s words concerning religious minorities in Iran being part of the “Iranian family.”
Tehran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday dismissed Western allegations of discriminating religious minorities and said that all minorities were part of the “grand Iranian family,” the news network Khabar reported.
If this was indeed the case, why the apparent discrimination and disrespect towards innocent Baha’is, including the dead who are not even left to rest in peace?
Thank you for bringing this to the world’s attention.
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My father was a farmer and a builder. Those days in our village donkeys were of great help to all and we had several of them.My father being a Baha’i was disliked by some and there were those who wouldn’t lose any chance to harm him. One night a man had taken possession of all the gadgets that were used to transport goods on the back of the donkeys and before fleeing away had stabbed one of the donkeys.
I think it was for the first time that I saw my father with tears in his eyes and with despair in his voice holding his head in his hading, saying “why the donkey? why the donkey?”. I felt it would have been comprehensible for him if he was stabbed, rather than the harmless and innocent animal. These whys are being asked again and again.
Is there anybody out there? Does anybody hear the anguish of a donkey or the cry of the trees?
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Your account of your fathers experience is deeply touching. I agree fully with these thoughts and feelings as I understand them. It’s good to hear there are people who are so altruistical and caring for the downtrodden.
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Dear Behrooz,
Now that you told the story many hear the anguish of a donky and the cry of the trees.
One day I had a conversation with a mentally retarded man who taught me a lesson: I said if the earth with everything in it explodes it will be an insignificant event in the universe, small explosion, and no one cares; but the man said “you are wrong, someone does care.” At this point I felt ashamed of myself, because Someone does indeed care, Someone hears the anguish of a donky and the cry of the trees. and the earth will not explode, but peace will be on earth.
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Behrooz,
It’s truly saddening to hear of the trials and tribulations your family has had to endure on the hands of fellow countrymen. And it’s saddening that those with positions of power and influence use the power they were entrusted with to preach hatred instead of working towards a peaceful, harmonious socieities.
As a Muslim woman, I’ve found great inspiration in the stories of endurance and strength I’ve heard from Baha’is.
I am sure the day will come when justice will prevail and all those persecuted in the name of religion in our region will have their humanity acknolwedged.
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Those fools, they can’t hurt the dead, but they cannot begin to imagine what they do to their own souls.
May God’s Glory be upon the Baha’is of Isfahan who have endured and persevered through this, and all the Baha’is of Iran! It makes my blood boil sometimes to hear of the injustices perpetrated against you, and my heart aches for longing to join you.
These people cannot harm the Baha’i faith even with their slander. What we as Baha’is should really be doing is working to help clear the names of benevolent and merciful Muslims who would have nothing to do with such atrocities.
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My english is not really good, but I think I can say something about this. Every bahá’í is working for this world, for following Bahá’u'lláh’s laws, and every of us are trying to teach, to light hearts around us with this message. All I can say is that every pure soul in this world will be recompensed for everything good he does, and we must be sure that Bahá’u'lláh is with us when we suffer phisical pain for The Cause, so we must not be worried. I almost cry with that story of that poor donkey, I admit it is not its fault, so that’s not fair, I pray every day for this world, and I wish every bahá’í will persist and be happy with his duty. I really hope you understand my english.
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Dear Karen, All:
The only way to respond to this behavior is with boundless hope, love, forgiveness and prayer for those who attack what they can’t understand. I believe some day those trees will be replanted, that a garden beautiful beyond our imaginings will mark the spot where this heartless vandalism took place. Even if we must wait generations to do this, we will not forget. We will repair this damage many times over and invite those who were our former enemies to rejoice with us.
“We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.”
- Baha’u'llah, Tabernacle of Unity
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