I s xig ,e1es. Times, Thursday, 19 March 1981, page 22 (part 1).
3 Ba a ct mbers
Execv d ir. ii Repc:1
BEIRUT (c—Three Iramans eriberc c/ the ? thai
reilinous sect, have, been executed on charges of
preaching their faith and spying for L-eel,'the fficiaI
— ‘ a ” an a at'enc Pars aia / eQres iay
The three were executed Monday aft a trial bcfore
- t he l lamic. Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, a.southern
Iranian city, the agency said. The sect said.a..firlng
so ao cameo out ne exec, tions
-1n Wilmette, lit, the Bairni Natieoal 'Center ' issued a '.
: statement saying the executed rariia is were “innocent °
victims of a campaign to eradicate the Sahal community
A ‘in Iran.” .. - -
Psrs said that defendant Mebdi nvai1 -Naiti'was
iiharged with having close con ets witaüarganiza-
. tion in Haifa, lsraet, that Pars described as “a Zionist”
venture of esn oT'age”
r Another defendant, identified as “Colonel Vahdat,”'
was accused of being ‘one of the foremost Zionist spies
who cooperated with the Savak (the secret police under:
the Shah of Iran) and with recent insurgeacies.'
• ‘ .Pars said the third defendant, known as 'Hedayatóllàh
flehkani aas ace useà 01 “nnsleacLng mc scernmg peo-
. e, esneelaily in rural regions, and,recewlng corres-
pondence.e agmg Tds activity from' the na iona1
ixc1eUeade pinitheBahais.” -:.. “
.j . Theflahai religious sect is an offshoot of Babisni, ‘
Persian religion fo .mded in'Iran in 44. It espouses.uni- .
‘i 'ersal brotherhcod'and social equality and commands a
!‘ considerable failowing in the United States, with 7,OOO
P rches ‘The !aith will not disclose the number of its',.
followers.-' . -• •, .. . - .. . . • - . .., . ‘
:‘The Iaith is .considere h reticol '.to .I 1am and is
bánnedinjnogt. 'abeounthesas.weflaslran,.wbichis
“ Persian but Muslim. - ‘ - • .;
iran's Islamic constitution does nOt recognize the Bay '
hal faith. lts world headquarters is in Haifa. at the siteofj
the tomb of its iounder,'.who was buried there in the
19th Century; before the birth of the Zionist state of
rael. : • ,, ; ‘ - . . .
Bahai leaders say that although their headquarter8 is
‘in Haifa, they have no connection with Zionism. -“. ‘‘
• • , - ‘
BP000235
