Persecution of Baha'is in Iran

Throughout the past century, the Bahai’s of Iran have been continually persecuted for their religious beliefs, and supposed treachery against the Islamic faith. The clergymen of Iran have continuously manifested their hate for the Bahais not only through persecution, but also through verbal abuses, beatings, and occasionally death. The Bahai community in Iran is roughly made up of about 300,000 people, making it the largest the religious minority in that country. Due to the past hatred towards the Bahais from the clergymen and the large amount of them in the country, the Bahais are currently being targeted for the reason of the rebellions in Iran.

            Unfortunately, seven prominent Bahais have been currently taken to prison, in hopes of crushing the spirits of the Bahais in Iran. However, this is not the first display of hostility towards the Bahais in Iran. For example, in June 1983, the Iranian authorities had arrested ten Bahai women and girls. The charge put against them was teaching about the Bahai faith to children every Sunday of the week. These unfortunate women were subjected to intense physical and mental pain, in an attempt to convince them to recant their faith. However, the women and children had withstood the torture and refused to recant their faith, resulting in the execution of these poor souls.

            Currently sixty Bahais are imprisoned in Iran, including the seven inspirational individuals already put in jail. These seven individuals had been waiting patiently for their first court hearing for about two years, and their first court hearing was on January 12, 2010. These seven individuals are Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. The preceding individuals were in charge of the social and spiritual necessities of the Bahais residing in Iran.

The seven leaders had been accused of propaganda activities against Islam, espionage, cooperation with Israel, sending of secret documents outside the country, establishment of an illegal administration, acting against the security of the country, and the corruption of the earth. All seven defendants had rightfully denied all accusations set against them. The second hearing had come on a later date on February 7, 2010, which had dealt mainly with procedural matters. The third hearing will come on April 10, 2010, which s earlier than had been originally announced.

Contrary to popular belief, the rights of these Bahais have been severely ignored. Unfortunately, most the world is waiting for the troubles of the Bahais to come to an end, much like the Jews during the Holocaust. A numerous amount of people are currently unaware of the situation in Iran, concerned with their own trivial problems. Hopefully, the injustices in Iran will come to a rightful end, and the unfair court trials shall cease immediately.

         Picture Of The Seven Members