The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights » Arson

New Baha’i Rights Illustration!

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:18:10 +0000

We’re proud to present to you a new Baha’i rights illustration that aims to highlight some of the human rights abuses Baha’is are subjected to in the Middle East: arson, unjustified incarceration and limitations on freedom of speech. We’ve been hard at work on this illustration for quite some time and hope you like it!

Round-up of Updates about the Ongoing Persecution of Baha’is in Iran

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:38:54 +0000

The following roundup, based on translations from Iran Press Watch and reports from the Committee of Human Rights Reporter, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, Human Rights Activists in Iran, the Baha’i World News Service and Iran Human Rights Voice show the extent of ongoing persecution in Iran. It includes harassment, death threats and arsons carried out by vandals, but also state persecution against Baha’is in the form of arrests, interrogations, denial of education and so on.

Unknown men bulldozed over the Baha’i cemetery of Vilashahr and Najafabad, near Isfahan. This is the 18th time that cemetery has been destroyed. According to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, following the destruction, a Baha’i family was not given permission to bury a member of the family in that cemetery. Authorities also impeded the burial of a Baha’i men in Semnan by first denying them a birth certificate, then by demanding that the pay four times as much for the needed certificate. Finally, after acquiescing to the persistent pleas of the family, the funeral was carried out. Toward the end of the ceremony, local hooligans harassed the grieving family with insults, and later a small group of protesters marched in Semnan, chanting anti-Baha’i slogans. Also in Semnan, Susan Tebyanian-Jabbari was released from detention to find a letter notifying her that her work permit has been revoked. Near Semnan, the crops of a Baha’i farmer were torched.

Many Baha’i students who passed the college entrance exam were denied education, on account of “incomplete application”. This is a known tactic used by Iranian authorities to disguise the fact that Baha’is are routinely denied the basic human right of education. In addition, a Baha’i student was expelled from Bandar Abaas University.

The courts have had a busy time trying Baha’is across Iran based on the usual charges of teaching the Baha’i Faith, acting against state security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic. In Semnan, Behnam Moteareffi was sentenced for 18 months, and Ali Eshsani for two years in prison, two years in exile and a fine. The Revolutionary Court in Shahr-e-Rey is now trying a Baha’i for sedition, insulting Islam, membership in illegal groups and Messianic claims. The Revolutionary Court in Sari managed to hand down no less than six sentences for Baha’is in just two days. In Ghaem-Shahr the Iranian authorities closed down the businesses of an imprisoned Baha’i couple.

Baha’is cannot lead a normal life in Iran. They are discriminated against, harassed, put on trial, imprisoned and even killed solely for practicing a different religion. Please don’t let their suffering be forgotten. Make your voices heard.

Egypt: Still No Justice for the Baha’is of Shuraniya

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:31:38 +0000

The Egyptian paper Al Youm conducted an interview with A’adel Ramadan, a lawyer at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, who represents the Baha’i families whose houses were burned down this March in the southern village of Shuraniya. The rioters, incited by anti-Baha’i calls on Egyptian TV, surrounded the area where the Baha’is lived in the village, and using gasoline and Molotov cocktails, burned five houses.

According to Ramadan, there have been many delays in the investigation of the crime, and the regime is yet to take any legal actions against the assailants. As we’ve previously reported, following the attack, 11 people were arrested, but later released from custody. The 40 Baha’i families that fled Sohag province following the attack are still unable to return to their homes because the regime hasn’t taken the necessary steps to ensure their safety, and the families are still living with relatives. On top of that, the victims haven’t received any compensations for their burned property. Ramadan criticized the regime for a lenient attitude toward perpetrators of sectarian violence and pledged to continue fighting for the rights of his clients.

Round-up of updates from Iran

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:05:46 +0000

The Bahá’í World News Service reports that at least 33 Baha’is are imprisoned in jails all across Iran and more than 200 cases of Baha’is are still active.
The persecution of Baha’is in Iran continues unabated. Human Right Activists in Iran (HRAI) have recently reported about the arrest and disappearance of Sohrab Leghaii, a Baha’i citizen in Qaemshahr, and the arrest of Didar Hashemi, a Baha’i woman from the nearby city of Sari. The Committee of Human Rights Reporters provided details on the arrest of three other Baha’i citizens from the city of Sari (Iran Press Watch translation). In the northern village of Darjazin, the crops of a Baha’i farmer were burned by vandals, causing significant damage.

Following a trial that didn’t follow the appropriate legal procedures, Zabihollah Raoufi, a Baha’i from the Sanandaj governorate, was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to one year of imprisonment. Ali Ehsani, a Baha’i resident of Semnan was sentenced to two years of imprisonment and additional two years of exile for spreading propaganda and activities against national security. (IPW translation) Khabard Navar reported the arrest and subsequent release on bail of two Baha’is from Kashan. They will be charged with “propagation of the Baha’i religion” in court. (IPW translation) In Ahvaz, the trial of a Baha’i couple commenced last month. They are accused of teaching the Baha’i Faith and the persecutor requested the maximum sentence. In Hamadan, Khabar Navard reports that Mehrangiz Husayni has begun her one year sentence for “propagation of the Baha’i religion”.

These innocent Baha’i citizens are persecuted and punished simply for practicing a different religion. We call on the Iranian regime to immediately release all Baha’is from custody and drop all the fabricated charges against members of the community.

70 Egyptians Arrested During Protest Against Relocating Baha’is to Their Village

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:52:35 +0000

Egyptian authorities have arrested 70 people in connection with protests in the village of Ezba in the Sohag governorate. The protests followed rumors that the Baha’is whose houses were burned down by mobs in the village of Sharoniyah three months ago, would be resettled in the village. The protesters gathered around the Ezba municipal offices, demanding to know the names of the people relocated to their village so they verify that they are not Baha’i. The demonstration persisted despite the governor’s promise that the 25 families relocated to the village are not Baha’i.

As we previously reported, following the attacks in Sharoniyah village where five houses of Baha’is were burned to the ground on March 30, 2009, 30 Baha’i families fled the village out of fear of additional attacks. The families who lost their homes were unable to return to the village. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights reported to Reuters that no permanent homes were found for those families yet.

Image compilation of attacks on Baha’i property in Iran in the last year

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:20:42 +0000

We have been receiving some questions requesting information on how bad the situation is in Iran and why are we bothering to fight for Baha’i rights. We think there are no words that can state the grave dangers of the Baha’i persecution in Iran and therefore are resorting to images to show the world what has happened and continues to happen to innocent members of the Baha’i Faith in the country.

Arson of a Baha’i residence in Kerman, south-east Iran, July 18, 2008

More images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Photos from arson in Vilashahr (Isfahan province) of a Baha’i residence, July 15, 2008

Remains of molotov bottles used to torch a Baha'i home in Vilashahr

More photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Arson of private property of Baha’is in Rafsanjan, July 8, 2008

More photos: 1, 2, 3

Arson of a Baha’i home in Miandasht, April 4, 2008

More photos: 1

Attacks on Baha’i residence in Semnan, mid-April 2009

"Death to Infidel Baha'i Israeli" and "Baha'ism = treason"

More photos: 1, 2, 3, 4

Update from Egypt

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:31:40 +0000

Six weeks after they were forced to flee in the aftermath of an attack that left their homes completely burnt down, the Baha’is of Shoraniya remain incapable of returning to their village. Attorney Adel Ramadan from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights requested security officials to ensure the safe return of the displaced Baha’is to their homes.

However, “Al Shoruk” newspaper reported that residents of Shoraniya presented a petition to in which they objected to the return of the Baha’is to the village. According to the newspaper’s reports, representatives from the village also expressed their readiness to purchase the Baha’i homes at at any price.

Meanwhile, “Al Wafd” newspaper broke the news of a secret memorandum sent by the Ministry of Education to the educational administration of Luxor, instructing it to admit Baha’i children into Luxor’s schools, without requiring them to present valid ID cards. Concerns were raised over the implications of this memorandum, with “Al Wafd” stating that several sources expressed fears that the Baha’is of Shoraniya might be forcibly relocated to Luxor.

Given the tense situation, we were hoping that Egypt’s religious authorities would step in and call for tolerance and respect. Instead, the Ministry of Endownments announced plans to distribute 10,000 booklets meant to expose the “truth” about the Baha’i Faith.

More disturbingly, plans were also announced for conferences to be held in various governorate (including the governorate of Sohag, where the village of Shoraniya is located) to educate Muslims on the danger that the Baha’i Faith poses, and to expose its Zionist roots.

Egyptian rights groups urge prosecutions for assaults on Bahai’s

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:35:46 +0000

In a joint statement, 6 rights groups in Egypt issued a statement calling Egypt’s Attorney-General to prosecute those responsible for the attacks in Egypt, as well as those who incited the attacks.

The rights groups are:

Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
Arab Network for Human Rights Information
Hisham Mubarak Law Center
El Nadim Center for the Rehabilitation of the Victims of Violence
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression

Rights Groups Urge Prosecutions for Assault on Baha’i Egyptians

Six Egyptian human rights organizations today urged the Public Prosecutor to initiate an immediate investigation into assaults committed against Baha’i Egyptians over the past several days in the southern governorate of Sohag. In a complaint filed this morning, the groups called for the investigation to include those responsible for the direct incitement to the assaults and asked that the matter be referred urgently to criminal trial.

“The heinous and unprecedented attacks on Baha’i Egyptians are a crime against all Egyptians,“ the rights organizations said. “We shall never allow the perpetrators of these crimes to benefit from the same climate of impunity that has marred the government’s response to sectarian violence against Egyptians Copts over the last four decades.”

Preliminary inquiries carried out by the rights groups found that the attacks began on Saturday evening, 28 March, in the village of al-Shuraniya, located in the Maragha district of Sohag, when dozens of village residents gathered outside of the homes of Baha’i citizens in the village and began chanting, “There is no god but God, Baha’is are the enemies of God.” Those assembled then began pelting the houses with rocks, breaking windows and attempting to break in. Although police forces arrived in the village after being called by the victims of the attack, the police simply dispersed the assembled parties without arresting anyone involved in the crime. Similar, though less intense, attacks occurred on 29 and 30 March.

On 31 March at approximately 7 pm, the attacks escalated when some residents of the village—known by the victims—threw improvised firebombs and Molotov cocktails at the homes of the five Baha’i families living in the village, leading to the partial destruction of the houses. The victims said that the assailants broke or disabled the water connections to their homes to prevent them from putting out the fires. According to the victims, the assailants also broke into the houses, vandalizing property inside and stealing some electrical appliances and livestock. There were no human injuries or losses. The attacks prompted some of the Baha’i families to flee their homes and hide in the fields until the following morning. The police arrived during the attacks and again dispersed the assailants; there was no information that any of the assailants had been arrested.

The next morning, 1 April, the police ordered the remaining Baha’is in the village to leave immediately and did not allow them to return to their homes to collect clothing, medicine, schoolbooks, money, or other necessities. Information gathered indicates that all Baha’is have left the village as of the evening of 1 April.

The assaults on the Baha’is in al-Shuraniya began after an episode of the program “al-Haqiqa,” aired on Dream 2 on 28 March, which discussed the situation of Baha’is in Egypt. The program featured a Baha’i from al-Shuraniya and Baha’i activist and dentistry professor Dr. Basma Gamal Musa. Also participating in the program was Gamal Abd al-Rahim, a journalist at the state-owned al-Gumhouriya newspaper and a member of the board of the Press Syndicate, who, during the program, said referring to Dr. Basma, “This one should be killed.” On 31 March, only hours before the homes of the Baha’is were torched in al-Shuraniya, al-Gomhouriya published an article by Gamal Abd al-Rahim in which he praised the residents of al-Shuraniya for stoning the homes of Baha’is in the village in the preceding days. He considered these crimes to be evidence of al-Shuraniya residents’ “protectiveness of their religion and beliefs.”

The six rights organizations demanded that the Public Prosecutor question Gamal Abd al-Rahim regarding his incitement to violence against Baha’is in both the television program and his published article, pursuant to Articles 171 and 172 of the Penal Code, which address public incitement to felonies and misdemeanors. Consistent with the organizations’ principled opposition to the imprisonment for publication offences, the groups’ complaint excluded Article 98(f) of the Penal Code, which stipulates mandatory imprisonment for “anyone who exploits religion to promote extremist ideas with the intent of inciting civil strife and damaging national unity,” and Article 176 of the Penal Code, which also stipulates mandatory imprisonment for anyone who “incites to discrimination against a group of people on the basis of race, origin, language, religion, or belief when such incitement disrupts public peace.”

Moreover, the rights organizations called on the board of Egypt’s national Press Syndicate to take immediate action against Gamal Abd al-Rahim, particularly since he occupies a seat on the board, regarding his violation of the Syndicate’s Code of Ethics, which states that journalists have an obligation “to refrain in their writings from joining racist or bigoted advocacy or advocacy that involves contempt or disdain of religions, aspersions cast on the faith of others, or incitement to discrimination against or contempt for any group of society.”

According to an AFP article, 6 arrests have been made in relation to the incidents.

Tragic news: 3 Baha’i homes were reportedly burnt down

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:39:34 +0000

After the favourable verdict granting Egyptian Baha’is their right to obtain identification papers was issued, we all let out a sigh of relief. We realized that much had yet to be done before Egyptian Baha’is were guaranteed equality; the Baha’i Faith continues to lack official recognition, all Baha’i institutions are currently banned by a decades-old decree, and a large segment of Egyptian society harbours hatred and distrust for Baha’is. Still, the ruling was a step in the right direction, and heralded a new era for Egypt.

Following the landmark ruling, many articles and news reports have appeared in the Egyptian media that aimed to educate the public on the Baha’i Faith, and provide a forum for discussions. Most recently, Dr Basma Moussa appeared on Dream TV, accompanied by Ahmad Al Sayyid (a Baha’i from the southern village of Showranyiah) and Gamal Abd Alrahim (a journalist and vociferous critic of Baha’is).

Bilo – from the “Baha’i Faith in Egypt” blog – reports that a person identifying himself as the secretary of the youth committee of the village’s National Party left a comment at Gamal Abd Alrahim’s blog, lauding an attack that a mob allegedly carried out against the Baha’i residents of their village.

As a consequence to his urging, during a recent television program, a mob attacked and assaulted the Baha’is in the village of Showranyiah in the southern Egyptian province of Sohag on 31 March 2009 at 8 PM. The mob, reportedly, burned their homes and expelled the Baha’i families from the village.

This story was reported in a comment by the leader of that mob on Gamal Abdel Rahim’s blog, which has been dedicated to attacks on Baha’is. This mob leader, who claimed responsibility for the attack, is named Mohammad Youssry Mohammad. He identifies himself as the secretary of the youth committee of the village’s National Party (al- Hezb al-Watany) and a teacher in the religious institute of the village. He describes the village to have a population of 16,751 with a surface area of approximately 1,567 feddans [acres]. It has 17 mosques, 3 churches, 16 elementary schools, 2 preparatory schools and 1 secondary “commerce” school. He also reports that the Baha’is, who were expelled from the village following the burning of their homes, consist of 15 individuals from three families, among them children and nursing babies.

Bilo reminds us that even if the reported attack were true, it would represent an isolated incident, and is in no way a normal occurrence in Egypt. But should clerics, journalists and academics continue to spew out hateful messages, then there is much cause for concern.

If you wish to believe that the Baha’i Faith is deviant, then you are within your rights. If you believe that all Baha’is are destined for Hell, then so be it. But there is no force in this world, whether divine of human, that grants you the right to incite hatred and violence against your fellow citizens.

A question that is often repeated in Muslim societies is why we lag behind, and a quote by an 11th century Muslim scholar provides an adequate answer:

Allah guards the justice loving government, even if it is the government of non-Muslims, and destroys the tyrant government, even if it is the government of Muslims.

We call on the Egyptian government to investigate the allegations, and to hold its perpatrators responsible should they be true.

Clerics in Iran inciting hatred, attacks against Baha’is

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:52:06 +0000

This is a translation of a report that was published by Human Rights Activists in Iran

Attacks with Molotov cocktails, burning properties and publishing names and information about the Baha’i are samples of the tough reception of this religious community in Iran.

On 13 Bahman (1st February), 3:00 AM, unknown people attacked the apartments of three Bahai families in Semnan with Molotov cocktails. This attack did not damage family members and did not damage their property seriously.

Previously on the 7th of January, 2008 in Khebr village, near the city of Kerman, in a sermon on Ashoura, a clergy asked people to
attack Bahais and burn their property.

On the 18th of January, hardliners spreading hate against Bahai’s in the region burnt a garden belonging to a Bahai (Mr. Emam-Ali Rasekhi). They repeated the same action again, which led to the burning of 70 square meters of Mr Rasekhi’s property. This act damaged other gardens in the area as well.

Also in the same village, writing slogans against Bahais and their beliefs has started.

One of other worrying issues in this matter is what will happen in the city of Shiraz. There people distributed names, information, and addresses of hundreds of Bahais in 31 pages, along with the ideas of several members of the Islamic clergy.