Baha'i Leaders Sentenced To 20 Years In Iran

By Alfredo Garcia
Religion News Service

(RNS) Seven top leaders of the Baha'i faith who have been incarcerated in Iran since 2008 have each received jail sentences of 20 years after six months of court hearings that ended on June 14, according to the Baha'i World News Service.

Bani Dugal, principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations, said lawyers plan to appeal the verdict. "The allegations are pretty irrational and aren't very reasonable," she said.

Accusations against the seven include charges of espionage and propaganda activities against the Islamic state. "We really believe that they're completely innocent," Dugal said.

When asked about the prospect of a successful appeal, Dugal said, "we will be appealing to the government to ensure that we receive a fair hearing at the trial stage, but it will be very hard for us to predict one way or the other.

"We can only hope."

The seven leaders served Iran's minority Baha'i community, which hard-line clerics in Tehran consider an illegal sect. The seven leaders served as an ad hoc group to meet the needs of the estimated 350,000 Baha'is in Iran, said Dugal.

The Baha'i faith does not have an ordained clergy but rather elected leadership in each local community. Although unelected, "they were assisting the community" with administrative affairs, marriages, and other rites, she said.

Of the two women and five men, six have been in jail since May 2008 and one since March 2008. They have had limited contact with outsiders except occasional visits with family, Dugal said. "The conditions are not good from what we hear," she said.

The unknown fate of the prisoners--Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Vahid Tizfam--has been difficult for the families, some of which include small children.

"After two and a half years in these conditions in prison, you can imagine it's taken its toll," Dugal said.

Comments

[Bob Wood]

12:40 PM on 08/16/2010

My myth and superstition is better than your myth and superstition...so I'll put you in jail. Nah nah ne nah nah ! It's all MYTH & SUPERSTITION. Otherwise good, loving, compassionate people have been killing and maiming other good, loving, compassionate people over sheer stupidity since the beginning of time. Just read history. It's all there. We can forgive those who simply didn't know anything...but it's the 21st century. It's time to apply reason. It's time to recognize that religions, all of them, are myths and superstitions and put them in libraries right there with Grimms Fairy Tales. Reason...please...(sigh)

[Quinterius]

11:42 AM on 08/16/2010

Iran has the disease of "monotheism." It accepts and respects the traditional monotheistic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. But, anything else is anathema there. In particular the followers of the Baha'i faith are considered "infidels." It is only by removing religion from any role in the government that this disease can be eradicated.

[dagmaclugh39]

02:01 AM on 08/16/2010

Don'tcha just love Fundies? They're the same everywhere. When they're out of power, they condemn you to hell if you disagree with their particular lunacy. When they're IN power, they throw you in jail--or, if it's a bad day, execute you....

[disprovit]

07:44 PM on 08/14/2010

It is truly amazing that Islamic regime in Iran puts leaders of this religion in jail for 20 years without any reason, destroys their holy places, ridicule their prophet in its media, destroys their cemeteries, throw them out of colleges, punish their children, burn their houses and even execute them.. and then raise hell about a fictional book or a cartoon and then they go around the world demanding respect from everyone. Why should anyone respect you when you have no respect for your own people, religious minorities, women, ethnic minorities, students and even those who peacefully protest?

[sunnyokanagan]

04:42 PM on 08/14/2010

Fundamentalists always h8 a usurper. To suggest to a follower of Muhammad that there was a subsequent prophet in the 19th century - Bahá'u'lláh, founder of Bahá'í - is heretical. Religionists always like to freeze history at a point that favours their own beliefs.

[dagmaclugh39]

02:02 AM on 08/16/2010

I believe it was Hutchins who said it best: "Religion is fossilized philosophy."

[wereeverywhere]

07:25 PM on 08/13/2010

Please sign the following petitions if you're interested in these persecuted people.

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6160/action/Bahai-20-Years-WORLD
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6160/action/Bahai-20-Years-iri-english

[Wendy1844]

11:06 AM on 08/13/2010

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has issued a statement about this in case anyone is interested: http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/08/145953.htm

[bigkendallas]

02:40 PM on 08/12/2010

Mohammed taught religious tolerance, the Qu'ran is full of verses about respecting the beliefs of the "People of The Book" (Christians, and Jews)....and most Imams interpret this to also mean we should respect the beliefs of other religions also.

If you look at the actual teachings of the Qu'ran, the persecution, terrorism, and subjection of women would never be allowed.
Alot of these nations seek to be an Islamic State , but a true Isamlic State is one where there is profound tolerance for others

I would suspect that both Jesus and Mohammed would be very disappointed with anyone being persecuted for their religion.

[Vlady]

10:00 PM on 08/12/2010

"Mohammed would be very disappointed with anyone being persecuted for their religion."

History tells otherwise.

[bigkendallas]

10:05 AM on 08/13/2010

What "history" says is open for interpretation.
What I was speaking on is what the Qu'ran, as written by Mohammed, actually says.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

03:11 PM on 08/23/2010

thank god allah, Big mo was dead, but if he knew he would be spinning in his grave, or in heaven , like a dervish!

[ddanimal]

12:40 PM on 08/15/2010

Which quran are you reading? LOL!

[dagmaclugh39]

02:08 AM on 08/16/2010

Qu'ran, Torah, New Testament, and now, The Book of Mormon: none of them profound as a comic strip, and all of them less entertaining....

[Wendy1844]

08:05 PM on 08/11/2010

Here's more information on this issue in case anyone is interested: http://news.bahai.org/story/787

[IzzyIdol]

12:40 PM on 08/11/2010

One wonders when the Iranian people will throw off their insane government. I wonder too when we will overthrow our insane government. Both insane, just in different ways.

[Wendy1844]

02:10 PM on 08/12/2010

Why would you want to overthrow our government? Isn't that a little bit of overkill? Wouldn't it be easier to just vote in different people if you don't like who's serving you at the moment?

[IzzyIdol]

04:00 PM on 08/12/2010

I used to think my vote counted. I still act as though it does. And I wonder more and more why I bother. I am an anarchist. We overthrow governments at least once every other day.

[researcher]

06:30 PM on 08/15/2010

voting in different people to the same system is based in ignorance as nothing will change./
must change the system.

we have a reelection system based on money that will corrupt 95% of those we elect.

system must be changed and the consitution must not be treated like a bible as all truth.

few in the world understand the influence of the system on human behavior.

very few.

[Bob Wood]

12:53 PM on 08/16/2010

Big fish eat little fish...little fish have to be smarter. Try this, if they're in office...vote against them. Replace all incumbants. (This is like putting all the dice back into the Yahtzee cup when things ain't working out). This notifies the new guys who they work for. If they don't get the message, keep replacing them till they do get it. I know it's not as much fun as a knock down, drag out, revolution...but gunshots are so uncool...(sigh)
Oh...this will not work in Iran. Good luck Iranians.

[norkas]

08:34 AM on 08/11/2010

As a none Muslim I speak to muslims everyday day almost and have an in depth important conversation.

You will be happy to hear that 90% of Muslims I speak to will not go to Mosque because of the reachers teaching being divisive.

The muslims I speak to also understand thru out history religious teachers of almost all religions have cause hate, division and death for their own selfish egos and power.

I have this conversation with people from all religions for over 14 years and ONLY one person disagreed.

We are tired and history has proven with the death of tens of millions of people and hate for others that religious teachers has caused a divide and harm that we should never forget.

[ddanimal]

12:41 PM on 08/15/2010

Its true: religion sucks.

[Nonpartay]

04:43 AM on 08/11/2010

Dang. It's 2010. I thought religious persecution would be a thing of the past by now. Sheesh. This is disgusting.

[rougebaisers]

01:35 AM on 08/11/2010

The Islamic state. What was that you were saying about the Muslim religion being one of love and peace? Muslims? You were saying?

[Wendy1844]

02:16 AM on 08/11/2010

Well, it's supposed to be. And in its day, Islam was very much so and accomplished a lot for humanity. We probably wouldn't have these computers if it weren't for the higher math discovered by Muslim Arabs, for example.

[Jolicoeur1]

07:56 AM on 08/11/2010

So, what? We should now bow down to violent right-wing Muslims?

[Marcus047]

12:12 PM on 08/11/2010

I think you and many others confuse the achievements (or perceived achievements) of islam for the real achievements of the people and cultures of the middle east (including persia), prior to and in the early days of islam. Most of the great scientific, cultural and social accomplishments fo the region were accomplished in the days prior to the founding and spread of islam and in it's early days. As islam spread and the strength of it's clerics and other religious leaders grew, the accomplishments decreased, faded and were eventually repressed.

It would be interesting to have seen just what advances the peoples of the region could have accomplished, had the repressive hand of religion (islamic and otherwise) not descended and tightened it's grip.

[cincinnati]

12:32 AM on 08/11/2010

Like many of us I've tried to be open minded about Islam, particularly after 9-11 and the knee-jerk reaction, or over-reaction since it is still unclear if Arabs even pulled it off......the terrible investigation that didn't even dare to explain how building 7 could fall like cards for example.

But the intolerance of so many Islamic countries is very disturbing and must be taken seriously. The Saudi's were becoming a bit more moderate but after Iran's extremely conservative revolution in 1980 they freaked out and decided to cave into their own nuts too.

Their society, with all due respect, runs like some kind of ancient tribe from 2,000 years ago, the repression of their own or visitors is incredible.
They also use their wealth to spread and encourage this intolerant version of Islam, and in effect hatred against anyone different, like the West or US.

Not sure if it's still true but a visitor used to have to give their passport to their sponsor there, and only that person could allow them to leave! No wonder so many young women from Asia have disappeared there, apparently sex slaves behind individual compounds.

[Wendy1844]

01:29 AM on 08/11/2010

Well, according to the Qur'an, Islam was only supposed to last 1,000 years. It's past its due date. Unfortunately, politics have gotten confused with religion, which is always a poor idea, and they have also forgotten some of the core teachings of their own faith such as, "O ye who believe! Be steadfast witness for God in equity, and let not hatred of any people seduce you that you deal not justly." (Qur’án 5:8) "Molest not the harmless, spare the weakness of the female sex; injure not the infant… or those who are ill…Abstain from demolishing the dwellings of the unresisting inhabitants, destroy not the means of their subsistence…” (Muhammad, sited in The Spirit of Islam, p. 180)

Obviously, there are individual Muslims who have not forgotten these teachings, and we should never lump them all into something negative, but as many of Islam's own people have pointed out, this religion has a lot of problems, and most of it, from what I can tell, comes from ignoring its own basic principles.

Nothing lasts forever. The divisions and antagonism among Muslims is a huge problem. More Muslims have been killed by Al Qaeda, for example, than people of any other religion.

Anyway, try to look for the good in everyone, that's my advice. That's a better place to start than assuming the worst. :)

[DesertShores]

12:00 AM on 08/11/2010

The Bahai faith is one of the most benign and accepting religions on earth and poses a threat to no religion except ignorance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%27%C3%AD_teachings

[Marcus047]

12:14 PM on 08/11/2010

for now. But all religions have the potential for fanaticism and corruption. It is the great flaw of all religion and deity worship. Baha'i is no different.

[Wendy1844]

04:57 PM on 08/11/2010

Fortunately, there are some safeguards in the Bahá'í Faith that prevent these problems, so it is different. For one thing, the writings state: "Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench." So we are commanded not to engage in it. Also, "O ye lovers of God! In this, the cycle of Almighty God, violence and force, constraint and oppression, are one and all condemned."

Bahá'ís would, therefore, have to go against the very core of their beliefs in God and the oneness of humanity to engage in the violence associated with fanaticism. Also, the Bahá'í teachings forbid the formation of any clergy, which is the primary vehicle for the corruption of the religions of the past. We also are forbidden from accepting money from anyone who is not a believer, which means we can't be bought. And since we have the original writings in languages people still speak and read and very carefully done translations that anyone can compare if they know both languages, we know that what we have is accurate as to what the Faith teaches. The whole point of the Bahá'í Faith is unity and peace among the entire human family. Hard to figure how it could degenerate to anything remotely like you describe. We may not be perfect. We may not always do everything just right, but since we all know the teachings for ourselves, it becomes self-correcting. It's easy to be cynical though. Hope this helps.