LOCAL Baha.’i members. fear By Sethany Korwin Tribune Staff Wnter -. The recent hangings of 16 members of the Baha’i religion — 10 of them women — in Iran brought a small group of East- bay believers together last week to talk about their faith. Baha’i is in danger of being wiped out in Iran. the country of the religion’s ori- gin 139 years ago, the representatives said.
Baha’i, with about 4 million members worldwide and about 150 in the Eastbay, emphasizes universal spirituality and *orld peace, in the belief that those things lead to social stability and human equality. The family home of Charles and Betty Garcia serves as the spiritual center of the Baha’i group in Oakland, where there are 65 members. Iran’s efforts to exterminate Baha’i was expected to be the subject of an ABC 20/20 segment Thursday night, but it ap- parently was pre-empted by a report on Poland and the lifting of martial law. •
The Garcias and their guests said Baha’is in Iran today are attacked as Spies. American agents, prostitutes and Zionists by the Moslem fundamentalist . ‘. . . . government. Easthay members of Baha’l religious faith discuss their faith; from left, Richard McLaughlin, Betty Garcia, Most of the 140 Baha’i members exe- Charles Garcia III, William Twitty, Charles Garcia Jr., Anthony Chicca. cuted since the 1978 revolution in Iran have been, like the Garcias, elected off i- ci ls of local spiritual assemblies. ac- were the first exceptions to the rule. “They were executed for teaching the cirding to Richard McLaughlin, who be- Most-of the 10 women who were hanged faith,” said McLaughlin, 33, a police offi- longs to the Baha’i chapter in San Lean- on the 18th in Shiraz, the birthplace and a cer for Peralta Colleges. fro. stronghold of the faith, were Baha’i “The shhools, along with jobs, and ‘ The 16 executed on June 18 and 19 teachers, McLaughlin said. . even the right to Shop for food” are being nvoy denies Baha’! singled out / By Wends MacClarin – ported by the superpowers and the Zi- pies of ‘Islam would not change on this Tribun. Staff Writer onists.” matter, but his understanding of those The Iranian ambassador to the Khorassani said that if there is principles might change. United Nations last week said many enough evidence that the Baha’i mem- As for Baha’i members in fran los- Iranians are extremely antagonistic to bers in Iran are “Zionist agents, prosti- ing their jobs, right to attend school or members of the Baha’i religion, and tutes, or American agents.” they are right to Shop for food, Rhorassani said, that his government considers Baha’i punished accordingly in Islamic courts.
“I think this is nonsense,” but he then not a religion but a hostile political He went on to say that a good num- qualified his statement. ‘ movemént — but he denied that the ber .of Moslems have also been found He said Baha’i members can attend – ‘Baha’i.members in Iran are persecuted guilty of those “crimes,” and they were tubUc ‘schools but teachers must be Vfor their faith alone, imprisoned or executed just as B a’i ”meticulously clean add decent” in Dr. Said Rajaie Khorassani, who group members have been, their Islamic faith, so Baha’l teachers 4’heads the U.N. mission of the Islamic The principles- of Islam do not re- are expelle4 from Iranian schools 1 ‘Republic of Iran, responded in a tele- quire that Baha’i members be perse. ‘along with communist teachers. He phone interview from New York to the cuted merely for being Baha’i mem- said he did not know about restrictions statements of the Eastbay Baha’i group hers, Khorassani said, but added. on other jobs for Baha’i members. members, who believe their co-reli- ‘If the principles of Islam required As for Baha’i members being una- – gionists in Iran are harassed, impris. persecuting individuals because of the ble to shop for food, Khorassani said it • oned and executed in an effort to group they belong to, we would do that is possible that Iranian people might stamp out their faith. – too, without apology. it is not of great occasionally prevent them, because “We believe Baha’i is not a faith. It concern. We are concerned with divine – “People have a very strong negative is not a religion.” Khorassani said. “It satisfaction, not public satisfaction.” attitude and nigative emotjons against a political movement strongly sup- I-fe went on to say that the princi- the Baha’is,’ Sunday, July 24, 1983 THE TRIBUNE. – group 5 s extinct on in Iran. taken sway from Baha’is in Iran, said Bill Twitty, chairman of the Oakland center. – “It is clearly a religious persecution,” Twitty said. .Baha’is follow the laws of the country in which they live, he said. and they don’t involve themselves in poli- tics, – The Baha’i ethic, Twitty said, is prag- – matic almost to the point of being purl-. tanical. “We have a big work ethic,” said Twitty. 47, a mortgage loan counselor. “Work is a form of worship,” said Betty Garcia, the group secretary. “We – all do useful work for humanity.” She said Baha’i members aren’t- a3 ., lowed to proselytize. They believe that. all religions are one anyway and that there is an inexorable progression in hu-‘- man faith. Therefore the Baha’i prophet. Bahaullah, is a spiritual descendant of – Moses, Jesus and Mohammed. ‘. – , – Twitty said it was an “ironic” advan tage of the -persecution in Iran that, the the faith is thereby becoming know-n by. – more people. – – “But that is the history of faith,” bê said. “Blood spilled leads to crisis and then to triumph.” – -, – BPpOO24 .J