The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights » Interview

Interview With a Baha’i Education Right Activist in Iran

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:18:52 +0000

In an interview with International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Hessam Mishaghi, spokesperson for the Right to Education Committee, most of whose members are in prison right now, spoke of barriers for education for Bahais and students who are active in civil and political activities at universities. He explained in this interview that contrary to Mohammad Javad Larijani’s statements in Geneva in which he said no Bahai has been arrested or deprived from education or social rights on grounds of his Bahai faith, he and one of his friends have discovered a letter in which Ministry of Science’s Security Department and Ministry of Information have deprived them of education on the same grounds. Hessam Mishaghi also talked about the arrests of his friends and colleagues and how what Larijani said in Geneva were lies.
The Campaign’s interview with this civil and student activist who has been deprived from education follows:

Campaign: Mr. Misaghi, you are a member of the Right to Education Committee. Why did you form this Committee and what is the situation with the Committee members right now?

Hessam Misaghi: This Committee was formed as an independent organization to regain the general right to education. Most of its members were Bahai students who had been deprived of education, but the Committee was working to regain the rights of all students deprived from education on grounds such as gender discrimination, suspension and dismissal orders for critical students, as well as deprivation of education for Bahai students which has a long record.

This Committee had several meetings last May and June in different Iranian cities with the aim to disseminate information, something which was unprecedented under the oppressive conditions of Iran. The first meeting was held in Tehran. I participated in the meetings as the Spokesperson for the organization, so I delivered speeches. Navid Khanjani was the founder and Head of this independent organization. The Committee was established as an independent organization to regain the general right to education. Three Committee members were arrested within 24 hours and three other members’ homes were searched.

Who are the other Committee members who have been arrested or are being pursued?

Hessam Misaghi: Dorsa Sobhani, one of our Committee colleagues in Sari is under immense pressure. Her father was arrested by six people yesterday [March 6] and was interrogated blindfolded and handcuffed while he was beaten. Eeghan Shahidi, a Committee colleague in Kermanshah was arrested early in the morning on March 3rd. Sama Nourani, a Shiraz colleague who has been deprived from her medical engineering education at Tabriz Sahand University was arrested on March 3rd. I must add that after joining the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, our Committee’s central members established a new organization named “Society Against Educational Discrimination,” and this is how threats and arrests of members of Committee of Human Rights Reporters came to be related to arrests of our organization which is a defender of the right to education.

Were you summoned, too?

Hessam Misaghi: I was summoned on January 2nd. I didn’t show up to Ministry of Information. On March 3rd they stormed my home and the home of Sepehr Atefi, one of our colleagues in the Right to Education Committee and searched the premises. I have to add that we were an independent organization and our only objective was to defend the right to an education.

What were your group’s objectives regarding the right to education?

Hessam Misaghi: We ask for freedom of thought for university entry. The Right to Education Committee has been dissolved. All our colleagues are now active with the Society Against Educational Discrimination.

What do you think is the reason for the confrontation with this group? Is it because some of the members are Bahais? Or is it because the Ministry of Science has consistently denied the “starred student” phenomenon? Or are there other reasons?

Hessam Misaghi: The government deprives applicants and students from their education, as well as arresting people who are activists around this subject. I think the arrests of these individuals is not related solely to their being Bahais. These individuals were involved in civil activities to defend student rights. The rulers neither approve of their being Bahais, nor their civil activities. Bahais’ joining the Iranian civil society and joining other civil activists working to defend their fellow countrymen’s rights is a very significant development and I think the rulers cannot tolerate this, hence the severe crackdown on these education-deprived students. Dorsa Sobhani was also a One Million Signatures Campaign activist in Sari.

Crackdowns on the Right to Education activists is not unprecedented. Currently members of the Council to Defend the Right to Education are also in prison. Zia Nabavi, Majid Dorri, Saeed Jalalifar, Mahdieh Golroo, and Shiva Nazar Ahari are the ones in prison now.

What do you think about the recent remarks by Minister of Science in which he said those who do not share the regime’s views–more specifically those who do not have practical commitment to Islam and Velayat-e Faghih–will be dismissed from universities?

Hessam Misaghi: Such an approach is in contradiction to international human rights standards and shows the short-sightedness of a regime which does not accept any opposite views. In a country where the entire nation think the same way, no progress will be achieved. It is through criticism and challenge that new ideas are heard and progress is achieved.

What do you think these remarks could bring student political activists?

Hessam Misaghi: Such statements will only intensify the ruling oppression in the society and will increase pressure on student and civil activists. Consequently, security organizations would also confront harder, as we are witnessing, even though many students are already in prison. Now we see even those who have never been allowed to enter the universities despite their efforts for gaining admission are also arrested.

Can you provide more details about Dorsa Sobhani?

Hessam Misaghi: Dorsa is 20 years old. Her father was threatened by telling him that if Dorsa did not turn herself in on Saturday, they would arrest his wife and their younger daughter.
[Update: Dorsa arrived at her home in Sari on March 7th and was arrested by 12 security agents and eventually transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran - BR]

Dorsa’s father said that two days ago, when he left his home, six men waiting outside his home told him that he had to go with them. They then transferred him to an unknown location. He was handcuffed and blindfolded and interrogated for four hours during which he was threatened. I already told you about threats. Dorsa has to turn herself in on Saturday, otherwise her family will be arrested and her home will be confiscated.

Where was Dorsa?

Hessam Misaghi: Dorsa had taken a trip to (…) on the day the officers stormed their home at night.

Is she back now?

Hessam Mishaghi: They have told her father that she should return and turn herself in tomorrow. She will most likely be arrested.

What is her charge?

Hessam Misaghi: They didn’t say anything about charges. They just said we have a warrant and we will explain the charges after arrest. In my and Sepehr’s cases, they informed us of the same charges as for the other Committee members, meaning “contact with MKO” and “moharebeh.”

Are you a Bahai yourself?

Hessam Misaghi: Yes, I am from a Bahai family. This was used in a Ministry of Science letter as grounds for my dismissal from Isfahan’s Sanaee University in 2008, after I had finished two terms studying English Translation. I should add that most of my classmates did not know anything about my being a Bahai, it had never been discussed.

How did they find out and expel you?

Hessam Misaghi: Usually Bahai students are dismissed after a ruling arrives from Ministry of Science’s Security Department. Ministry of Information has all the statistics on Bahai families; they identify [the students] and do the expulsion.

How do they get their statistics? Do families announce that they are Bahais?

Hessam Misaghi: Yes. Bahai’s don’t conceal their belief because it is forbidden for them. If someone asks them they announce that they are Bahais.

What happens if you object? Is there any source to respond to your objection?

Hessam Misaghi: Over the past years, objections have been registered with Ministry of Science, Evaluation Organization, and The Cultural Revolution Superior Council both in written form and in person. But the authorities do not answer at all and consider themselves not at fault.

Navid Khanjani and I even had a situation when last December 17th we went to Ministry of Science. We were detained in a room inside the Ministry of Science for a whole day. We were threatened and interrogated because we had found a confidential letter which Ministry of Science authorities didn’t want to leave the Ministry and we were not giving them the letter.

What was in the letter?

Hessam Misaghi: It was a letter in which it was clearly stated that dismissal of these students was on orders from Ministry of Science’s Security Department. The letter has been scanned and I can send you the file. I was so surprised when I heard Larijani’s statements. We have heard so many lies during these years but this was really surprising. How far can a government go to deny its actions? We are a generation who has heard years of lies and when we tried to expose the lies we ended up in prison, like Navid, Eeghan, Sama, and maybe even Dorsa…

Does the Committee only pertain to education-deprived students or does it also include the starred students?

Hessam Misaghi: We had starred students in our gatherings, too. Our gatherings were a tribune for all education-deprived students from all orientations.

Therefore your organization is only six months old and you have endured so much pressure?

Hessam Misaghi: Yes, that’s right.

You have been illegally barred from continuing your education. When responding to criticism about imprisoning Iranian Bahais and denying them the right to education, Javad Larijani denied it in Geneva. On the other hand, when you ask the authorities to be responsive, you are summoned and arrested. How does this make you feel?

Hessam Misaghi: With all these problems, and even though my best friends are in jail, I am still not disappointed, because I know people of Iran hear our voices. Iranians’ voices demanding their rights have been heard by the world for a while now. We are people who have never accepted injustice and have fought for regaining our rights until our last breaths.

Denial of education and work opportunities drives a Baha’i family out of Iran

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:41:05 +0000

The Observer-Dispatch in Utica, NY carried a story today about a Baha’i family that immigrated to the United States. The family of four lived in Isfahan until five years ago, where the father of the family, Rouhollah Madhi (52), ran a car shop. After the Islamic Revolution he was denied the right to study at a university because of his faith, and therefore opened a business. The mother, Farangis Behinaein (51), was studying to be a nurse when she was asked to sign a document proclaiming that she is a member of one of the recognized religions in Iran. When she refused to lie, she was kicked out school. Their son, Farshad Madhi (25), was a very successful musical student in high school, but was denied the right to study music in the university because of his faith. He described how his grandfather, who worked for an iron factory for 15 years, was fired from his job following the Revolution in 1979 for being a Baha’i.

According to Kit Bigelow, the director of the office of external affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly in the United States, there are 13,000 Iranian Baha’i refugees currently living in the States.

RFE/RL story about our new animated campaign

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:29:58 +0000

Following is a story Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty carried about The Muslim Network For Baha’i Rights:

Animation In Support Of Iran’s Baha’is
October 08, 2009

A new animated campaign aims to raise awareness about rights abuses against those following the Baha’i faith in Iran.

The campaign, run by the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights, was the brainchild of Esra’a al-Shafei, a 22-year-old woman from Bahrain who won a prestigious award for her Internet projects from Harvard University last year.

In an interview with RFE/RL’s Radio Farda she said, “I created the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights because I knew that I wasn’t going to be the only Muslim who believes in this. Soon we started gathering Muslims from all over the world who are speaking up for Baha’i human rights, in the name of Islam.”

“If even more Muslims committed to this, Baha’is will no longer be discriminated against this widely and violence against them will cease to be justified by either governments or our societies at large,” she said.

Al-Shafei said that she used animation for her campaign because “it’s attention grabbing and interesting, and helps us reach our target audience better.

“We live in an age today where people are bored with content. There is a massive war of information online, and everyone is struggling to be heard and noticed, so we have to resort to creative ideas in order to ensure that some people are still listening to us.”

– Arash Alborzi

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.

Discrimination against Baha’is in Egypt Persists

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:45:45 +0000

The American Public Radio International (PRI) recently reported about the Baha’i community in Egypt, following the implementation of the court ruling that allowed Baha’is to leave the religious affiliation field in their IDs blank.
PRI interviewed several members of the community, including Dr. Raouf Hindi, the Baha’i whose battle in court to allow his daughters to have ID cards resulted in the landmark ruling in January of 2008. He described the situation prior to the court ruling, when Baha’is had to function without official documents or list their religion as one of the three allowed (Islam, Christianity and Judaism), and fear possible jail time for lying in their documents.

The report also includes an interview with Dr. Basma Moussa, a Baha’i who described the many difficulties facing the community in Egypt. Dr. Moussa said that even after the court ruling and subsequent decree from the government, there have been numerous difficulties and delays in getting new IDs and birth certificates. Dr. Moussa reported that even those who have obtained these documents, are unable to be registered as married, since the government still refuses to recognize Baha’i marriages.

Another person interviewed was Amm Ahmed whose house, along with the houses of four other Baha’i families, was burned down in Sharoniyah, Sohag province this March. Amm Ahmed, his wife and six children were forced to flee their hometown and are now living on the outskirts of Cairo. Amm Ahmad, who was born Baha’i, worked as a Qari’ (reciter of the Qur’an) until he declared his Faith publicly. He was then fired from his job, and he and his wife were jailed for nine months based on unknown charges.

As this report shows, despite the relative improvement in the legal status of Baha’is in Egypt, many problems remain. The Baha’i Faith is not recognized by the Mubarak regime as a legitimate religion and its adherents are still harassed and discriminated against.

Interview with family of Farhang Mavaddat, a Baha’i executed in Iran in 1981

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:37:17 +0000

The Plano Star recently conducted an interview with the wife and son of Farhang Mavaddat, a Baha’i who was executed with two other members of the Tehran Local Spiritual Assembly on trumped-up charges of espionage and insulting religion in 1981. In the interview, Farhang’s wife, Mehri, described the inhumane conditions that her husband was held in. During her short visits to Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, where her husband was confined, she witnessed the filthiness of the quarters and heard about the overflowing rooms, where prisoners had to take turn in lying down. During that time Farhang was tortured and pressured to recant his Faith.

On June 23, the day the three Baha’is were hanged in Tehran, the regime brought in other Baha’is to witness the execution. The misery for the Mavaddat family didn’t end there. Only two months after the body was returned to the family and buried in a Baha’i cemetery, it was completely destroyed. Mehri, herself a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly was arrested, interrogated and asked to identify other Baha’is. After she managed to post bail, she spent several months in hiding, and in 1982 escaped from Iran.

Interview with one of the Shoraniya assailants

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:10:44 +0000

On the 30th of March, residents of the village of Shoraniya attacked the homes of local Baha’is and set them on fire. Egyptian blogger “Ibn Rushd” interviewed one of the participants in the attacks (translated by Marwa Rakha for Global Voices Online).

Mohamed is a simple Egyptian citizen who shares with many other Egyptians his comforting calm features. He was born and raised in Shoraneya village and regularly travels to Cairo to earn his simple living.

Have you ever heard of Shoraneya before? Don’t rack your brain! It’s the same village that witnessed the burning of six Baha’i homes in the aftermath of the appearance of Mr Ahmed Abu Al A’ala, a Baha’i from this village on television saying that more than 1,000 Baha’is live in Shoraneya. His announcement infuriated people who torched the Baha’i homes.

I met Mohamed by mere coincidence in a local bread bakery in Boulac El Dakrour in Giza. When Mohamed learnt that I am a journalist, he smiled at me saying: “Do you know that I am one of the Shoraneya heroes?” His use of the word “hero” made me wonder so I asked him to elaborate.

“Do you consider your self a hero for burning down the homes of people who chose to worship God their own way?”
He looked at me and said: “You don’t understand; let me explain … we lived in a disgrace called Baha’is. Whenever we would leave the village to run an errand, people would mock us saying that we were “Baha’i atheists.” One day I needed to cross the island to finish some urgent paperwork and the ferry guy refused to take me on board because I come from Shoraneya. Our village is surrounded by water. He told me “I will not taint my vehicle with your Baha’i feet you SOB.”

Mohamed proceeded saying that the residents of other villages in Sohag governorate look down on him. They pick on me for neighboring those who attack Islam.

“How do you mean attack Islam?”

“Yes .. There was a guy who used to lead us in prayers and a couple of years later we found out that he was Baha’i. They say he used to pray without washing because he does not believe in washing the way it was mentioned in Islam.

“In Shoraneya, how do you view Baha’is?”

“Baha’is are bad people; they are Jews in reality! We know that they swap wives and that they are gay.”

“How did you find out such information, Mohamed?”

“The Sheikh at the mosque told us so in a religious lesson after prayer, and since then no one could even stand those Baha’is. We hated them and when Ahmed Abu El Ela appeared on TV and scandalized us, we decided to torch their homes .. even the “sheriff” when he arrived and saw the flames told us that we were real men and heroes.”

“He really said so?”

“Yes .. he was even sad that the fire did not eat up all of their houses. At the time I was in Shoraneya with my brother and we were both setting the houses on fire. We were arrested and released on the same night and no one bothered us from the officers because they could clearly see that we were heroes and that we did the village a favor.”

I was not astonished by Mohamed’s words; I have heard it a million times before about Christians, Jews, homosexuals, and “The Others” of this planet; The Other is always an atheist … rejected .. hated … or so most of us think. The question that echoes in my head now is: Why do Muslims reject The Other in such a harsh disgusting antagonistic way? More importantly, what is the future of a country where the majority of its people refuse to acknowledge The Other?

Debunking the Myths: an interview

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:33:07 +0000

Conspiracy theories are popular in this region for a good reason: they allow us to perceive ourselves as powerless victims and blame our shortcomings and insecurities on others. For decades, Baha’is have been painted as the enemy within, plotting and conspiring to harm their nations and act against its interests.

In order to confront these allegations, 18 year old Adib Masumian wrote a book titled, “Debunking the Myths” in which he analyzes and refutes the accusations made against the Baha’i Faith. Adib kindly consented to an interview on the claims made against Baha’is, and how he addresses them in his book.

What sparked you into writing “Debunking the Myths”?

I had been noticing an increasing number of Muslims on the Internet stating that the Bahá’í Faith was a creation of the Russians and, more than anything else, that we were Zionists. This was about a year ago and I hadn’t done research on this subject, but I still knew that these claims were totally false. I wanted to refute those errors with evidence because the idea that we were a secretly Israeli or Russian movement came across as absolutely ridiculous to me.

So the first thing I did was look for a paper on the subject by a Bahá’í scholar. I ended up finding a 6-page essay by Dr. Moojan Momen, a great scholar and historian, through a friend. It’s entitled Conspiracies and Forgeries: the attack upon the Baha’i community in Iran and it originally appeared in a journal known as Persian Heritage. It was very concise and did a great job analyzing the inconsistencies of the claims, but I really wanted something bigger than 6 pages so that I could educate myself further and then share whatever I glean from my studies with others. But to my surprise, I couldn’t find anything bigger than Dr. Momen’s paper.

That’s what inspired me to use elements of his paper as well as conduct some research on my own and create a Wikipedia article that eventually became my book, Debunking the Myths. I wanted there to be a work that assessed the historical nature of the most prevalent claims leveled against the Baha’is, and that’s basically why I wrote it.

When it comes to discourse against the Baha’i Faith within Muslim circles, much of the criticism is not directed towards its core tenets, but rather to its supposed ties to foreign powers. How effective has that argument been in causing fear and mistrust of Baha’is?

Well, not as effective as one would think given the degree of emphasis the Iranian government places on our alleged historical ties. A significant majority might have believed these supposed ties prior to the Iranian Revolution in 1979, but the advent of the Islamic republic led to over a couple million people fleeing Iran to this day. Those expatriates have generally discovered the truth for themselves since they no longer had the falsehoods of the influential mullahs on their backs. I am also sure that many people currently living in Iran don’t believe these theories either as a lot of Iranians have grown tired of and even angry with their government over the years and this has led to widespread mistrust between the government and the people they govern. But of course, there are always the uneducated ones who continue to believe the words of the mullahs, and they are generally poor and don’t have the means to receive news through any other source but the clerics.

In the West, however, I’m positive that this nonsense has more or less lost its value, but it is still held valid by some Iranians. I think that’s why Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike should know the full background behind their charges.

The accusations that Baha’is engage in espionage activities did not spring out of a vacuum. What factors led to their coming into being and being so widely believed?

Well we are a post-Islamic religion that was conceived in an Islamic society, so I would think that these accusations were one way to dehumanize us and eliminate a perceived “threat” to national security and stability. Just stating that we were infidels might not have been sufficient; influential clerics in Iran would need some more substance to their claims. As a result, I think this drove them to pursue something more tangible than theology, and that’s history. By fabricating their own history and using it against us in this light, the mullahs created claims that could appeal to those who weren’t even attached to a conservative Islamic ideology.

So now that this method had been devised, they began preaching these lies from their pulpits and newspapers to the masses all across Iran. One notable incident involves a cleric by the name of Falsafi. During Ramadan of 1955, Falsafi held “radio sermons” which were filled with slander against the Bahá’ís. Allegations of involvement with foreign powers also became a part of his sermons. I think these sermons became hammered into peoples’ heads and they were passed on for a couple of generations; but as I said earlier, I think this tactic is thankfully beginning to fade away due to an increase in independent investigation of truth. I’m hopeful that my book will also contribute to that process.

Baha’is are mainly accused of serving the interests of three groups: the Russians, the British and the Zionists. Let’s start with Russians. The accusations are built on a book titled “Memoirs of Prince Dolgorukov”. Tell us more about this book.

The Memoirs of Prince Dolgorukov are supposed to be the recollections of a certain Prince Dolgorukov, who served as the Russian ambassador to Persia from 1846 to 1854. But from the very beginning, it is painfully obvious that this was a poorly-crafted forgery done by mullahs. It is filled to the brim with historical inaccuracies. For example, it states that Dolgorukov first came to Persia in 1834 as a translator for the Russian embassy. Dr. Moojan Momen has proven that Dolgorukov did not arrive at Persia until 1846, and he did this by perusing the actual Russian archives and reading up on almanacs about him. Elsewhere, the memoirs state that Dolgorukov intimately knew the Báb – founder of the Bábi Faith, precursor to the Bahá’í Faith – and that Dolgorukov would write his texts for him and have the Báb sign them to make them look authentic. But this is impossible because even as late as 1847, three years after the Báb’s proclamation of prophethood, Dolgorukov had no idea what the Bábis were all about. He actually compared their mission to those of early European communists!

It also has other grave errors as well, like stating that certain people were doing certain things when the people in question were either young children or dead. The most eminent Iranian historians, such as Abbas Iqbal Ashtiani, have denounced the memoirs as an absolute forgery. Even one historian who was publicly opposed to the Faith, Ahmad Kasravi, admitted this.

If this book has been proven to be a work of forgery, why is it still touted as authentic?

Actually, I don’t hear very many people these days refer to the Dolgorukov memoirs unless they want to compare it to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in terms of historical accuracy. I’m not even sure if very many people living in Iran still take their contents seriously because they’re just so absurd. Like I said, credible historians have denounced the memoirs over the decades as totallhoy fake and that has substantially helped dissipate many rumors related to it. Of the three accusations you enumerated earlier – Russians, British, and Zionists – you will probably hear “Russians” the least of the three. The memoirs might have been hot almost 70 years ago when they were first forged, but as of now they’re really nothing more than a laughingstock. But nonetheless, I do analyze many of the claims put forth by the memoirs in my book individually and assess their veracity using Dr. Momen’s extensive research, and that should pretty much clear up anything in the air on the subject.

Another popular conspiracy theory is that the earliest disciples of the faith were British spies. On what grounds are these claims based?

The claims specifically about the earliest disciples being tied to the British are bogus. They’re not historically accurate in the least. That rumor largely comes from an alleged meeting between a follower of the Báb and a certain British general named Arthur Conolly. The objective of this meeting was apparently to forge a conspiracy to undermine Shi’a Islam. The evidence for all of this is supposed to be located in one of Conolly’s books, according to a Persian historian. However, someone discovered that no such event is to be found in that book as well as the fact that this meeting never actually took place. As a result, that rumor quickly lost credibility in academic circles.

But since we’re on the subject of Britain, it should be noted that people usually refer to the knighthood of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, second leader of the Bahá’í Faith, as “evidence” that we have political ties to the British. This knighthood took place in 1920 and was actually bestowed upon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá because he helped alleviate a famine around the then Palestinian cities of Haifa and Akká during World War I. He did this by teaching people in the area how to cultivate grain, and they would then distribute it across the region. However, your average Iranian who has been told of the knighthood story doesn’t know about this history, and that’s why the allegations of British ties are still rampant in their thinking when it comes to the Bahá’í Faith.

Of course, Russia and Britain are no longer the great big nemeses; that position is now held by Zionists. What evidence do they rely on in making such accusations?

You’re very right about that, and the answer can be summed up in three words: location, location, location.

I think the thought process here goes something like this: “The Bahá’í holy sites are in Israel, therefore they must be Zionists.” Well our holy sites are indeed in today’s Israel, but we are by no means Zionists. The truth of the matter is that the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u'llah, was exiled to successive regions of the Middle East by the Persian Shah and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire until he finally arrived at the Palestinian city of Akká, where he died in 1892. His passing at that location, as well as the fact that Baha’u'llah pitched a tent on Mount Carmel and even revealed a tablet to his followers there, explains why we chose today’s Israel as our religion’s center.

But what the uneducated Iranians don’t realize is that having our shrines there doesn’t necessarily make us Zionists, because that would in fact make Muslims Zionists as well since holy sites such as the Dome of the Rock are located there! In reality, when Baha’u'llah died in Akká in 1892, there was no Israel. That land was Palestine, and it remained as such until Israel was partitioned in 1947. Since there was no Israel when significant Bahá’í events took place in that area, that automatically renders all Israel-related issues, including Zionism, irrelevant.

Attacks against Baha’is are not limited to their supposed ties to foreign powers, but it’s also alleged that they held close ties with the regime of the former Shah, and that they actively collaborated with the Shah’s notorious secret police. How would you respond to such accusations?

People are beginning to allege that members of the Shah’s cabinet more and more nowadays, and because of that I’m really glad you raised this question. There are a few Iranian politicians that have always been rumored to be Bahá’ís who never actually declared themselves as such. One example is the late Prime Minister, Amir Abbas Hoveida. Hoveida’s grandfather was an early Bahá’í in the time of Baha’u'llah. Hoveida’s father was also a Bahá’í up until the early 1920s when he became detached from the Faith and instead became increasingly interested in politics. From that point onward he had nothing to do with the Bahá’í Faith, and since his son was an infant at the time, he never received any Bahá’í education. Hoveida’s brother even stated that he had not heard of the word “Bahá’í” until he was 14, and even then he learned of its meaning from a friend. In reality, Hoveida was actually a Freemason, never a Bahá’í. There are a few other individuals who worked in the Shah’s cabinet that were always rumored Bahá’ís during their terms, but almost all of them actually came from Bahá’í families and never declared themselves as Bahá’ís. Bahá’ís are not even allowed to accept political positions, and this makes these accusations look even more ridiculous.

There are also a few who say that Bahá’ís worked in the Shah’s secret police, known as SAVAK, but SAVAK was actually influenced by multiple anti-Bahá’í groups, one of them being the infamous Hojattiyeh. For this reason, SAVAK also targeted many Bahá’í individuals. When one reflects on that, the notion of Bahá’ís persecuting other Bahá’ís – an already harassed minority – becomes absolutely absurd.

What steps can be taken to counter these claims?

People can counter the claims by educating themselves about their historical nature and sharing this new knowledge with others. Everything has a history to it. I’ve given most of the answers to these common discrepancies here in this interview, but I go in further detail and extensively reference all of my research in Debunking the Myths. This is obviously a biased opinion, but I really think it’s a $10 well-spent. If Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís can properly arm themselves against these charges, then I strongly feel that they will be dissipated in due time. Who knows? Maybe Iranians will read the book and share it with their relatives in Iran. They could then spread it among themselves and the Iranians masses could became aware of the reality of these claims soon enough.

You can purchase “Debunking the Myths” online and for only $9.95!

Egyptian Baha’is fight on, despite difficulties

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:12:07 +0000

Like all other Baha’is, the experiences of Shady Samir in Egypt have been far from easy. His marriage isn’t officially recognized, it took him 10 years to obtain a passport and over a year to obtain birth certificates for his 3 daughters, and of course, he still doesn’t have a National ID card.

Shady has also faced difficulties in obtaining a death certificate for his father, who passed away 4 years ago. The family could easily obtain a death certificate if they list one of the 3 officially recognized religions (Christianity, Judaism or Islam) in the death certificate, but Shady’s father’s last will was to die as a Baha’i.

Shady kindly consented to be interviewed by us on the current situation in Egypt.

Can you give us a brief insight into the daily struggles of Egypt’s Baha’is as they are forced to live without ID cards?
ID cards are needed for virtually any official transaction. And they are the only way to validate a person’s identity. These are a few things you can’t do if you don’t have an ID card: Open a bank account, take your money out of the bank, buy any property, issue a car license, get a job, prove your military service status, issue a passport, travel inside Egypt. With random security checks, young men who don’t have valid Ids can be taken to police stations for investigation. ID cards are not the only document that Baha’is are unable to acquire. Any official document in which we’re required to state our religion we’re being asked to choose one of three options only. This includes birth certificates, death certificates, marriage registration, and education forms. This leaves our children with no proper health care and education. You can imagine any possible simple right that’s taken for granted like infants immunization, and imagine what we go through to get it without proper documents

With the increasing media attention on the plight of Baha’is, there appears to have been an increase in anti-Baha’i polemics. How does the community counter that?
This is a natural reaction opposing the awakening that spread throughout the society leading to finally realizing that Baha’is are far from what the negative media over the years was trying to show. The increase in negative media is a proof that there is a force of enlightenment and justice that’s spreading. We are not letting this anti-Baha’i campaign distract us from our purpose, which is putting the words of Baha’u’llah into action and sharing it with our friends. It helps us and them through a spiritual and moral transformation leading to a new world civilization. This act of service is the best answer to attacks on the community.

You have an opportunity to leave Egypt for a country that would guarantee you your rights, but choose to remain in Egypt – why?
I do not believe that it’s a matter of choice. I’m an Egyptian and this is my country. And the right thing will happen in the end, no matter how long we wait. Giving up my country means I’m giving up my rights.

Do you feel that human rights activists in Egypt and beyond have done enough in terms of advocacy for the Baha’i minority?
The support of human rights activists was beyond our expectations. They are, indeed, writing an amazing chapter in the history of the Baha’is faith and the history of humanity. It empowers us to never give up. We feel that we are not alone. We’re grateful for all what’s being done to defend the rights of the Baha’is.

Egypt’s Baha’i community numbers at only a few thousand, yet many feel that the January 29 ruling constitutes a threat to Egypt. What do you believe is the cause behind this strong opposition?
The ruling goes beyond the rights of the few Baha’is in Egypt. The ruling establishes a steady and strong step towards ultimate religious freedom in Egypt. Those who oppose it understand this. But what they don’t understand is that religious freedom is not a threat.

Shady also maintains a blog: Egyptian Baha’i

Interview with sister of detained leader

Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:17:08 +0000

We cannot even begin to imagine the pain and anguish the family of the detained 7 leaders have had to endure for the past 9 months. Speaking to RFE/RL, Roya Kamalabadi described the conditions of her sister’s arrest and the increase in the government’s pressure against Baha’is.

RFE/RL: Have your heard from your sister since her arrest last May? Has your family in Iran been able to meet with her?

Roya Kamalabadi: Her family in Iran — her husband and children — have been able to meet with her every now and then. During the first months of her detention they weren’t allowed to meet with her, but later [officials] gave them permission to visit her.

RFE/RL: How is she doing? And how are the prison conditions?

Kamalabadi: We don’t know much about her conditions. Recently during a visit she was very sick and unfortunately she didn’t have enough warm clothes to keep warm in the cold winter. She apparently has to sleep on the cold floor and she had a very bad situation. Before her arrest my sister had some heart problems and she was taking medication. Her family took her medication to the prison, but unfortunately [prison officials] wouldn’t accept them.

RFE/RL: Your sister is among the seven Baha’is who are expected to go on trial in the near future on security charges. What kinds of activities was she involved in before her arrest?

Kamalabadi: Baha’i religious institutions were banned in Iran after the revolution and religious and other issues such as marriages, divorces, death, and other similar issues are being managed by a group called “The Friends of Iran.” The Iranian government has always been aware of the existence of this group and [government officials] have had meetings with this group.

My sister is one the members of “The Friends” that takes cares of the issues of Iran’s 300,000 Baha’is, including education. As you know, Baha’is are deprived of higher education in Iran. [The Friends of Iran] had created a university and they were involved in educating young Baha’is in Iran, and in [administrative and religious] issues.

Government Pressure Increasing

RFE/RL: Iranian authorities have leveled serious accusations against your sister and the other Baha’i leaders. They’ve accused them of spying for Israel and insulting religious sanctities. Do you see any basis for these accusations?

Kamalabadi: All of the accusations are totally baseless. Their arrest is in fact one of the [steps] that is being used to suppress the Baha’i faith and members of the Baha’i community in Iran. The international Baha’i community has its main headquarters within today’s Israel. The reason for this is that the founder of the Baha’i faith was sent to exile by the then-Iranian government and the Ottomans to a region that is today Israel, 80 years before Israel was created.

Aside from that, Baha’is are banned from having government jobs in Iran, even the most insignificant ones, and they have no access to government documents to enable them to spy for a foreign government. Regarding the charge of insulting religious sanctities — one of the main principles of the Baha’i faith is respect for all sanctities and we believe that all religions come from God and we respect them.

RFE/RL: There has been growing pressure on Baha’is in recent years. But lately more arrests are being reported, and now there is this case against the Baha’i leaders, including your sister. What do believe the reason is behind this?

Kamalabadi: Apparently, whenever there is an [issue], in order to divert people’s attention, [officials ] create these kinds of problems and they crack down on Baha’is. This is one of the steps in the elimination of the Baha’i community in Iran.

The arrest of these people and the charges that have been brought against them is unfair; they haven’t enjoyed their most basic rights, including access to a lawyer. Iranian Nobel Prize winner Shirin Ebadi had said she would represent the seven Baha’is, but [the judiciary] has not allowed her to meet with them and she hasn’t even been able to study their files. Ebadi herself has been threatened and harassed for accepting the case and this just shows that justice is not being applied to them.

Despite all the pressure on Baha’is in Iran, I’m seeing a very positive aspect and that is that many people, governments, rights groups, and also many Iranians know very well that the accusations against the Baha’is are baseless and Baha’is are being persecuted only because of their faith.

RFE/RL: You left Iran seven years ago and you now live in Australia. Did you leave because of the pressure and discrimination that exists in Iran against the Baha’is?

Kamalabadi: Yes. All the Baha’is in Iran are under pressure in Iran. I was a student after the revolution; I was fired just because of my faith and was not able to continue my studies.

When I had my own family, we were facing problems, like all the other Baha’is, in making a living. It was not possible for us to have government jobs and permission to run private [businesses] was often cancelled. It was very difficult. My children were harassed at school, and finally a time came when there was too much pressure and we decided to leave Iran.