Prof Lewisohn wrote:

In February 2006, I wrote a detailed report to scholars who subscribe to this list about destruction of the Ni‘matullahi-Gunabadi Hosseiniyya (Sufi Center or Khanaqah) in Qom, Iran. I described how on Feb. 13, 2006, a vigilante mob, abetted by the baton-wielding police of the Islamic Republic of Iran, seized, burned down and then bulldozed this Sufi prayer and meditation center, arresting hundreds of dervishes and wounding many demonstrators in the process. Unfortunately, that attack has proven to be but one in a series of ongoing attempted pogroms of Sufis in the Land of the Ayatollahs. The most recent attack took place a month ago in Borujerd, a city in the province of Loristan in the west of Iran, where some 1000 followers of the Gunabadi branch of the Ni‘matullahi Order currently live.

On November 4, 2007, an irregular armed, vigilante gang of thugs sponsored and funded by the fundamentalist, Islamicist regime, known as the Basij-i Mostaza‘fin (nicknamed ‘Basiji’), along with the state security services, attacked the center of this same group of Sufis in Borujerd. After pillaging all its possessions and furnishings, they burned it down. Some 70 people were injured and more than 150 dervishes or dervish sympathizers were imprisoned.

It may be useful to know something of the historical background to this event. Since 2005, several prominent exoteric clerics (‘ulama) in the city had been delivering sermons against Sufism, haranguing the populace about the evils of the Sufis, branding the Sufi mystical tradition in Islam as a dangerous heresy and aberration of faith. They incited their followers to destroy the Sufi Hosseiniyya (Khanaqah) there. In late October 2007, a conference on the greatest Muslim Sufi poet Jalal al-Din Rumi (d. 1273) of Iran, sponsored by the Institute of Philosophy in Tehran, was held in Tehran and Tabriz. A week after the conference the influential fundamentalist ideologue Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani issued a statement describing Rumi’s poetry as being full of “perverted and misleading ideas and against our principles [i.e. of the fundamentalist brand of Shi‘ite Islam propounded by the religious ideologues of the Islamic Republic of Iran].” The Hamshahri newspaper in Tehran furthermore reported him as saying, “I condemn this conference and its organizers… Its content comprised much dangerous innovation (bid‘at), including things such as listening to music (sama‘) and dance… Everyone should feel shame before the Imam of the Age that such a conference has been convened [in Iran].” Unfortunately, Ayatollah Safi belongs to that select group of mafioso clerics known as ‘Sources of Religious Emulation’, the pronouncements of whom, however outrageous, theologically biased and theosophically misinformed they may be, no one dares criticize, for to do so is to risk losing one’s job, or being blacklisted as an anti-revolutionary, or face imprisonment, or worse. I was in Tehran during the same week that Sign-of-God Safi’s comments were published so am a witness that none of the distraught organizers of the conference (friends of mine) dared raise their voice in the media to try to directly refute this mullah in order to expose the rank barrenness of literary and intellectual culture beneath his large turban. Safi’s characterization of Rumi’s Sufi poetry as being “dangerous innovation,” of course, provided just the right ammunition that the ideological enemies of the Ni‘matullahi Sufis needed. A few days later after Safi attacked Rumi, the Ni‘matullahi-Gunabadi Sufi center in Borujerd was appropriately razed to the ground—without, of course, hardly a word of protest at this religious vigilantism being voiced in the media. The psychology of this behaviour Rumi had described quite well incidentally: “The passional soul carries a rosary and the Holy Scripture in its right hand, but has a dagger and a sword up its sleeve.” (Nafs ra tasbih u mushaf dar yamin/ khanjar u shamshir andar asetin). (Mathnawi, III: 2554)

It should be emphasized that the Ni‘matullahi Order is the largest Sufi Order in Iran, with the members of all its various branches currently suffering persecution at the hands of the fundamentalist regime. The background, history and various details underlying this fresh assault on the Persian Sufi tradition, which are discussed and analysed by news-sites and other links in English and Persian, are provided below:

http://www.majzob.com

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20071112_Sufi_site_attacked_in_Iran.html

http://WWW.30morgh-121.blogfa.com

http://WWW.soofee.blogfa.com

http://gonabadie-news.blogspot.com

http://soltanalishahi.blogspot.com/2006/02/blog-post_08.html

http://WWW.darvishan.info

http://www.ghandchi.com/489-recognizebahais.htm

This editorial puts a simple question to the former President of Iran, Khatami, who has become Iran’s spokesperson for “dialogue among civilization”. The question is: “Mr. Khatami, in you efforts to bring about greater national unity, will you be willing to help with recognition of the Baha’i Faith by the Islamic Republic of Iran?”

For years Khatami has talked about dialogue among civilization. But how ironic that he lives in a country that for the past 28 years has specifically denied recognition to the Baha’i Faith, one of the world’s major religions and Iran’s largest religious community after the Shi’as. This absence of recognition is embedded in country’s Constitution that only grants recognition to Christians and Jews as “people of the book”. And it barely recognizes Zoroastrians.

The argument that the Islamic regime has presented is that Baha’is are not mentioned in the Qur’an and as such cannot be recognized.

Our question is: Is Shi’a sect mentioned in the Qur’an?

Of course not. Nowhere in the entire Qur’an is there any mention of Shi’as, a sect that was formed long after the Qur’an. In fact, according to Sunni traditions accepted in all the Arab lands and also parts of Iran, Shi’as are infidels and heretics. This view is held by over 90% of world’s Muslims.

The editorial continues to argue that how can a sect that was formed long after the Qur’an and is not mentioned anywhere in that Sacred Book, and itself is considered heretic by the vast majority of the world’s Muslims, deny recognition to another religion solely based on the argument that the Baha’i Faith is not mentioned in the Qur’an!

The editorial further calls on Khatami, who is trying to bring about reconciliation between Islam and Christianity, to first heal its own nation. If after 160 of systematic persecution and massacre of Baha’is, Iran cannot set aside its prejudice and deep-rooted ignorance manifested in its hatred of Baha’is, then how can it have the temerity to speak of reconciliation with other nations?

For those interested, here are a couple of related links by the same enlightened editorial staff:

http://www.ghandchi.com/488-bahaifriends.htm

http://www.ghandchi.com/302-Secularism.htm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071011/ts_nm/religion_scholars_dc

News item dated 5 October 2007 follows:

A Baha’i from Tanzania - where different religious communities live peacefully together - testified yesterday before the United Nations General Assembly on how to promote religious understanding.

Addressing an informal hearing on “Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace,” Mitra Deliri said that in her country, “large Christian and Muslim populations live side by side, intermarry and celebrate each other’s religious festivals.”

“It is a living example of religious pluralism,” she said. “This coexistence did not come about by accident but rather as a result of the vision and deliberate action of Tanzanian leaders, dating back to the country’s first president…,” she said.

Ms. Deliri, who represented the Baha’i International Community at the two-day hearing, also said it was important for governments to create a climate where freedom of religion or belief is clearly upheld in law and in practice.

“Such a climate must be free from incitements to violence or hostility in the name of religion,” she said. “Where contentious opinions about religions are expressed, it is the responsibility of the state to provide for right of reply.

“As a minimum standard, both sides must be afforded the right to respond in a peaceful and legal manner so as to allow the public to arrive at their own conclusion. It is in this climate that understanding and cooperation can take root,” she said.

She recommended a number of strategies for promoting interreligious and intercultural understanding. They included establishing a universal, mandatory educational policy and curriculum on religion and education and using the news media to promote respect, prevent conflict and achieve increased social cohesion.

Ms. Deliri was among approximately two dozen representatives of nongovernmental and religious organizations from around the world who addressed the General Assembly yesterday.

Other speakers, for example, included Paul Knitter of the Union Theological Seminary in the USA, Gamal I. Serour of the International Islamic Center for Population Studies and Research at the Al Azhar Centre in Egypt, Sohan Lal Gandhi of the Anuvrat Global Organization in India, Fatima Ahmed of Zenab for Women in Development in Sudan, and Steven Rockefeller of Earth Charter International in the United States.

The hearing on interreligious and intercultural understanding was scheduled to continue today with a high-level dialogue among governments.

The Baha’i Faith, with its belief in the oneness of humanity and the oneness of religion, has long promoted religious harmony and supported interfaith dialogue and activity.

End of News item.

The first article concerns the recent destruction of a Baha’i cemetery in Najafabad, Iran. News of this unfortunate and disturbing development was first reported in the following article by Iran Press News on the 15th of September:

تخریب قبرستان بهائیان در نجف آباد اصفهان

A large crowd attacked the Baha’i cemetery of Najafabad and completely destroyed it. You may read the article in Farsi here [word document.]

The second article is a piece on the principle of toleration in Islam. It is titled, “From Moorish Qurtuba to the Baha’is of Iran: Islamic Toleration and Coercion.” The author argues that the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran is in direct contradiction to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (saws) and the Holy Qur’án. He explains how Qurtuba and Muslim Spain can be held up as an example of peaceful coexistence and mutual cooperation.

English version [word doc]
Farsi version [word doc]

The Baha’is of Iran blog has more information about the newly demolished Baha’i cemetery:

The Iranian authorities ordered the demolition of another Baha’i cemetery in Iran, this time in Najaf-Abad (Esfahan). This despicable and notorious action has brought extensive grief and unhappiness to Baha’i families who have lost their loved ones, especially those who have lost their relatives recently. This is the second Baha’i cemetery that has been demolished in the course of only a few short months. Clearly, this is proof of systematic and planned persecution towards members of the Baha’i Faith in Iran.

It is truly heart breaking to see children shedding tears. Was it not enough that they grieve the loss of their parents? Now they lament the destruction of their resting place.

We echo these thoughts. This is a truly shameful act.

For relevant information, you may refer to the Association for Baha’i Studies in Persian (ABSP).

Ministers and lay people representing many faiths including Christian, Unitarian, Muslim, Jewish, Bahai and Buddhism lead prayers and songs for world peace at Community United Church of Christ on Thursday the World Day of Prayer.

This is an excellent way of promoting interfaith understanding and religious tolerance. We can only wish that one day within our own communities Muslims, Jews, Christians, Baha’is and other religious minorities can all join us in peace and celebration.

For many Muslims, Abu Bakr is considered a heroic figure … this great, inspirational man is one of the main sources that led us to believe in interfaith activism, and we hope that our Muslim friends will learn from him how to accept and fight for others especially if minorities are oppressed within our own societies. Indeed we are all one and the same in the eyes of God, the merciful.

Abu Bakr to us is a revered teacher who always emphasized equality and justice, two things which we are fighting for via this website.

It’s not only for justice that we are fighting for Baha’is, and other religious minorities. It’s out of duty, and it’s out of knowledge and respect for others.