The arrested 7 are in fact members of “the Friends”, an informal society that oversaw the needs of the Baha’i community in Iran. The group is described as informal because in 1983, after executing all members of two consecutive National Spiritual Assemblies, the Iranian government placed a ban on all Baha’i institutions and activities.
Accusations that Baha’is collaborate with foreign powers are not new and in fact have been circulating since the early years of the Faith’s inception. The Baha’i Faith was said to have been a Russian creation in order to undermine Iran, and its leaders were accused of being British spies who were involved in elaborate plots to establish a puppet regime. Today, the accusations of the past have been forgotten in favour of a more convenient narrative: that Baha’is are agents of Zionism.
The strongest “evidence” given to support the claim that Baha’is are Israeli spies is the presence of the Universal House of Justice in Israel, ignoring the fact that it was occasioned by the expulsion of Baha’u'llah to Acre, which was then under Ottoman rule.
The fate that will befall the arrested 7 is unknown, but due to the serious nature of the charges brought against them, they face the threat of execution.
Last August, we released a short clip on the persecution of Baha’is in Iran, and concluded it with a message that,”If we do not speak up on behalf of the Baha’is and break the silence, the government will suffocate them, to their very last breath, and we will see horrors we do not wish to see. We cannot let this happen”
That message is even more urgent today.
Loading...
Befriended Stranger » Protect the innocent Baha’is of Iran
12 February, 2009
[...] Troubling news are spreading all over the internet. The Iranian government is set to persecute the innocent members its Baha’i community, a gentle Faith dedicated to uniting the hearts of all people. The claim is utterly ridiculous — that the members of the national coordinating committee of the Baha’is of Iran are spies for Israel. The truth about the plight of Baha’is of Iran is open for all to see! I pray to God to protect these innocent souls: I beseech Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of all names, to guard Thy loved ones against Thine enemies, and to strengthen them in their love for Thee and in fulfilling Thy pleasure. Do Thou protect them, that their footsteps may slip not, that their hearts may not be shut out as by a veil from Thee, and that their eyes may be restrained from beholding anything that is not of Thee. Cause them to be so enraptured by the sweetness of Thy divine melodies that they will rid themselves of all attachment to any one except Thee, and will turn wholly towards Thee, and extol Thee under all conditions, saying: “Praised be Thou, O Lord our God, inasmuch as Thou hast enabled us to recognize Thy most exalted and all-glorious Self. We will, by Thy mercy, cleave to Thee, and will detach ourselves from any one but Thee. We have realized that Thou art the Beloved of the worlds and the Creator of earth and heaven!” [...]