BP000522
85
FREEDOM OF FAITH
A CHRISTIAN COMMITTEE FOR RELIGIOUS RIGHTS
170 East 64th Street
New York, New York 10021
(212) 838-4120
IRAN: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
The Baha'i community in Iran, that nation's largest religious minority
with 450,000.members, has been experiencing growing hardship since the overthrow
of the Shah in February of 1.979. Baha'i centers have been seized, cemeteries
desecrated, businesses confiscated, homes burned, and individual Baha'is attacked
throughout the country. Over twenty Baha'is are now being held in prison. Most
recently, the most holy place in Iran for the Baha'is, the house of their prophet
the Bab, was torn down in Shiraz. Attempts have also been made to force Baha'is
to renounce their faith . . .
Under the new Iranian constitution, the Baha'is continue to be denied the
legal status as a “religious minority”that has been extended to Christians, Jews,
and Zoroastrians. The fear is that the Baha'i community in Iran will slowly be
deniedall personal, social, administrative, and financial rights, and be forced
into an. underground existence.
BACKGROUND . . . .
The Baha9 faith is an independent world religion with adherants in nearly
every country. Emerging from the Islamic tradition in the mid—nineteenth century,
the Baha'is rejected a literal interpretation of the Koran. The central teachings
of the Baha'i faith are the oneness of God, the oneness of religion, and the oneness
of mankind; Baha'is see Divine Revelation as a continuous and progressive process.
Baha'is have experienced great hardship in Islamic countries since their inception,
where they have continually been accused of apostasy. Their prophet the Bab was
executed in Persia (Iran) in 1850, and 20,000 of his followers massacred.
Baha'u'llah, the founder of the faith, died in an Ottoman (Turkish) prison
in 1892. The Baha'is experienced great suffering under the former Shah of Iran,
particularly in 1955—56,.when great violence against them broke out.
The Baha'i faith has never been granted legal status as'a “religious
minority” in Iran, the land of their origin. Without such a provision, Baha'is.
have no personal status - to marry divorce, adopt, or distribute inheritance —
since these acts must be done according to the rules of one of the four
recognized religions of the country: Islam, Christianity, Judaism, or Zoroastrianism.
The lack of such status means that the administrative and financial institutions
of the Baha'i community are without legal protection. The whole of the Baha'i
community is therefore placed in a dangerous “legal limbo” which has been
used to legitimize their suppression. Such legal status has been granted the
Baha'is in other Islamic countries, notably Pakistan.
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
It is believed that the continued denial of status as a religious..
minority In Iran means the total suppression of the Baha'i community in that
country. Such status would be a minimum first step towards guaranteeing
the safety of the Baha'is in Iran. We therefore urge you to send letters and
postcards of cor ern to the government of Iran and other officials, stressing
B5
FREEDOM OF FAITH
A CHRISTIAN COMMITTEE FOR REUGIOUS RIGHTS
170 East 64th Street
New York, New York 10021
(212) 838-4120
IRAN: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
The Baha'i community in Iran, that nation's largest religious minority
with 450,000.members, has been experiencing growing hardship since the overthro z
of the Shah in February of 1979. Baha'i centers have been seized, cemeteries
desecrated, businesses confiscated, homes burned, and individual Baha'is attack d
throughout the country. Over twenty Baha'is are now being held in prison. Most
recently, the most holy place in Iran for the Baha'is, the house of their prophet
the Bab, was torn down in Shiraz. Attempts have also been made to force Baha'is
to renounce their faith.
Under the new Iranian constitution, the Baha'is continue to be denied the
legal status as a “religious minority”that has been extended to Christians, Jews,
and Zoroastrians. The fear is that the Baha9 community in Iran will slowly be
• denied all personal, social, administrative, and financial rights, and be forced
• into an. underground existence.
BACKGROUND
The Baha'i faith is an independent world religion with adherants in nearly'
every country. Emerging from the Islamic tradition in the mid—nineteenth century,
the Baha'is rejected a literal interpretation of the Koran The central teachings
of the Baha'i faith are the oneness of God, the oneness of religion, and the oneness
of mankind; Baha'is see Divine Revelation as a continuous and progressive process.
Baha'is have experienced great hardship in Islamic countries since their inception,
where they have continually been accused of apostasy. Their prophet the Bab w s
executed in Persia (Iran) in 1850, and 20,000 of his followers massacred,
Baha'u'llah, the founder of the faith, died in an Ottoman (Turkish) prison
in 1892. The Baha'is experienced great suffering under the former Shah of Irà n.
particularly in 1955-56,.when great violence against them broke out.
The Bahasi faith has never been granted legal status as'a “religious
iriinority” in Iran, the land of their origin. Without such a provision, Baha9s
have no personal status - to marry divorce, adOpt, or distribute inheritance -
since these acts must be done according to the rules of one of the four
recognized religions of the country: Islam, Christianity, Judaism, or Zoroast ianism.
The lack of such status means that the administrative and financial institutions
of the Baha'i community are without legal protection. The whole of the Baha'i
community is therefore placed in a dangerous “legal limbo”, which has been
used to legitimize their suppression. Such legal status has been gra.nted the!
Baha'is in other Islamic countries, notably Pakistan.
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
It is believed that the continued denial of status as a religious.
minority In Iran means the total suppression of the Baha 'i community in that
country. Such status would be a minimum first step towards guaranteeing
the safety of the Baha'is in Iran. We therefore urge you to send letters and
postcards of concern to the government of Iran and other officials, stressing
that: .
1'). the physical safety of members of the Baha'i faith must be guaranteed;
2). confiscation or destruction of property belonging to the Baha'i
community or individual Baha'is must cease;
.• ____--,.-- -.-,----,____ - TT.
V
rREEDOM OF FAITH
A Christian Comrñittee for Religious Rights
In process of formation
170 East 64th Street
New York, New York 10021
(212) 838 4 120
Board of Directors
Presidents
Rev. William Sloane Coffin Jr.
Rev. Joseph A. O'Hare, S.J.
Rev. Alexander Schmemann
Chairman, Exec. Committee
Rev. Howard Schomer
Robert R. Andrews Jr.
David A. Hawk
Sr. Marjorie Keenan, R.S.H.M.
Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky
Sr. Colette Mahoney, R.S.H.M.
Rev. Michael A. Meerson
Rev. Richard J. Neuhaus
Philip Scharper
Rev. Eugene L. Stockwetl
Executive Director
John Hays-Greene
Endorsements -
Rt. Rev. John Maury AIIm
Dr. Paul B. Anderson
Rev. J. Martin Bailey
Dr. Peter Berger
Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin
Rev. W. Sterling Gary
Rev. James M. Dunn
Martha Edens
Dr. Carl F. H. Henry
Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C.
Rev. Jesse Jackson
Archbishop lakovos
Rev. Robert J. Marshall
Dr. Martin E. Marty
Bishop James K. Mathews
Rev. John ,Meyendorff
Very Rev. James P. Morton
Metropolitan Philip
Rev. Avery Post
Dr. Ronald J. Sider
Dr. Lewis Smedes
Metropolitan Theodosius
William P. Thompson
Dr. Cynthia C. Wedel
MEWS RELEASE
P m,
embargoed for, 20.00
Friday, January 25, 1980
‘ ECUMENICAL COMMITTEE URGES INTERCESSION
‘ FOR VICTIMS OF RELIGIOUS RIGHTS VI0LATI0 S
Freedom of Faith, a coalition of Protestant,
Catholic, and Orthodox Christians, today called on
the.American church community to intercede by prayer
and action for those suffering persecution for witnessing
to and practicing their faith rom around the globe. 1
The committee echoed the words of Bishop Angel
i{obayan of the Philippines, a leading proponent of religious
liberty and human . rights in that country: “Let us not
forget the teaching that the Church is like a human
body. When part of it is sick, the whole body suff rs
the groaning pain. My dear people of God, let us ndt
think of'ourselves as isolated people. We must be one
in mind, one at heart, and one in spirit. If we will not
act, who will do it for us? If not now, when else?
• Freedom of Faith s ALERT highlighted five cases
of the violation of religious freedom ‘in particular:
the arrest, of a leading Orthodox figure in the Soviet
Union; government interference with the mission of the
Church in Brazil; the arrest of a priest and a layperson
for fullegallyu building a church. in roland; the detention ol
a Catholi,c priest in the Philippines; andthe arrest
of the leader of the Christian Seminars in the Soviet Union.
security police; they had been instrumentable in communicating the offer
of the diocese to use the church, as a meeting place to the striking workers,
whose labor hail had b.een rans.acked and closed by the police. Finally,
on November 6, a hundred joi:1.itary police assaulted the church of Nuestr
Senora .del Socorro Our Lady of Sanctuary) and drove out 250 workers and
their families who had peacefully been meeting there. Tear gas was used
on the people, and a number were beaten and arrested. The workers had
been invited by the church to use the building as a meeting place.
These government actions were immediately and strongly protested
Archbishop Paul Arns of Sao Paulo, who telephoned from Rome to communicate
his support for the church's work and the blessing of Pope John Paul II.
Similar support came from Bishop Ivo Lorscheiter,. president of the
t ational Conference of Brazilian Bishops., who accused the government
of targeting the church for repression as a result of its “clear and co nsistenL
preference for the poor.”
Freedom of Faith protests this interfereoce in the life—sustaining 1
ministry of the church in Sao Paulo, and, asks that American Christians 1
express their sUpport and ‘prayerful concern for the Brazilian church'.
POLAND : Freedom of Faith's third cases focuses on the trial of Fr.' Adam
Michaiski, a priest in the diocese of Przemsyl, and Tadeusz Radochomski
for “illegal bUilding” in connection with the construction of a church
on property belonging to Radochomski. .
Fr. Michaiski was given a one-year suspended sentence and fined
230,000 zlotys ($8,000) ,and Radochomski was fined 80,000 zlotys ($2 5O0)
In the fall of 1978, the diocesan office for the new district of
Przemsyl requested permission to build a church for the 7,000 inhabit nts
who had no place to worship. ‘When no reply was forthcoming, a temporary
chapel was bUilt, which was later enlarged. Governmentharassmeflt ofEthose
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Fr. Cardenas waS. given a “‘temporary release” on January10 in the
custody of his bishop. It j not clear, however, if charges will be
filed at a later date.
Freedom of Faith urges; Chrjsçtians to remember the work of Fr.
Cardenas and the Church, in Samar for the poor and disposses ,sed and
to express their prayerful concern for their continued safety and well-being.
SOVIET In its fifth case, Freedom of Faith protests the arrest of Lev
UNION
Regelson, leader of the Ch.ri's .ti:an Seminars on the Problems of Religious
Renaissance, on December 24 in Tallin, Estonian S. S.R.
Regelson had been in hidfng si:nce th.e arrest of his close associate
Fr. Gleb Yakuñiri on Noyember 1, 1979. His arrest appeared imminent
when militiamen were seen near the entrance. to his apartment after he
failed torespondto a summons: to police headquarters. Reports indicate
that he will be charged under Article 70 of the Russian Criminal Code,
“anti-Soviet agitation and propanda,' which could bring from three to tek
years imprisonment.
Regelson had assumed the leadership of the Christian Seminars On
‘the arrest of its founder, Alexander Ogorodnikov, in the fall of 1978.,
The seminar, which was organized by young Orthodox Christians in order
to seriously study their faith, has been a particular target of the
government crackdown on religious activism. Six members of the group
have now been arrested: Regélson, Ogorodnikov, Vladimir Poresh, Igor
Polyakov, Sergei Ermolaev, and Tatyana Schipkova.
Regelson is perhaps best known as co-author, with Fr. Yakunin, of
the 1975 appeal to the World Council of Churches meeting in Nairobi, Ke iya,
urging that greater attention be gjyen to the plight of believers in
the Soviet Union.
Freedom of Faith calls on the Christian community to express their
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UP DATE
(This new sectthn will contain additional information and news on cases
Freedom of Faith has adopted jn past ALERTs. For further information, please
contact the FOF offices).
- The persecution of the B ha i community in Iran continues with the
recent abduction of three prominent leaders of that religion. Reports indicat
that they are being held in prison without charges. The Baha'i community is
Iran's.largest religious minority, yet they have not been accorded legal
status as a recognized religious: minority under that country's new constitution.
Such recognition would provide a minimum guarantee that the Baha'i faith will
be:permitted to exist openly in I:ran ( ctob.er ALERT).
BULGARIA - Five Pentecostalists. and one other person were sentenced on October
25, 1979 to terms ranging from three to five years imprisonment on charges of
‘illegally importing foreign and Bulgarian currency. Reports indicate that these
individuals did not receive the currency directly, but in the form of religious
literature and printing eqCiipment from the West. The Bulgarian, government has
long sought to restrict the activities of the Church, and is particularly
concerned about, the rapid growth of the Pentecostalists (October ALERT).
TAIWP N - The government has shelved its draft of restrictive new regulations
governing “Shrines, Temples, arid Churches” in the face of massive opposition
from Buddhist, Muslim, and Christian groups. Among other items, these regulations
would have prohibited the use of local languages or dialects in worship. However,
reports of recent arrests in Taiwan indicate a fresh wave of religious
persecution (September ALERT).
PHILIPPIN - The ten members of th:e Student Christian Movement detained on
June 14, 1979 during a seminar on Christian renewal were given “temporary
releases in early August. Under the conditions of the release, alFmay be
lover.. . /
1 EEDOM OF FAITH
A Christian Committee for Religious Rights
In process of formation
170 East 64th Street
New York New York 10021
(212) 838 4 120
Board of DIrectors
Presidents
Rev. Wlllia n Sloane Coffin Jr.
Rev. Joseph A. O'Hare, S.J.
Rev. Alexander Schmemann
Chairman, Exec. Committee
Rev. Howard Schomer
Robert R. Andrews Jr.
David A. Hawk
Sr. Marjorie Keenan, R.S.H.M.
Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky
Sr. Colette Mahoney, R.S.H.M.
Rev. Michael A. Meerson
Rev. Richard J. Neuhaus
Philip Scharper
Rev. Eugene L. Stockwell
Executive Director
John Hays-Greene
Endorsements
Rt. Rev. John Maury AIIm
Dr. Paul B Anderson
Rev. J. Martin Bailey
Dr. Peter Berger
ArchbIsho Joseph L. Bernardin
Rev. W. Sterling Cary
Rev. James M. Dunn
Martha Ed ns
Dr. Carl F. H. Henry
Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C.
Rev. Jess Jackson
Archbishop lakovos
Rev. Robert J. Marshall
Dr. Martin E. Marty
Bishop James K. Mathews
Rev. John'Meyendorff
Very Rev. Jàmes P. Morton
Metropolitan Philip
Rev. Avery Post
Dr. Ronald J. Sider
Dr. Lewis Smedes
Metropolitan Theodoslus
William P. Thompson
Dr. Cynth ,a C. Wedel
embargoed for 20.00
Thursday, October 25, 1979
NEWS RELEASE
CHRISTIAN CALL TO ACTION FOR VICTIMS
OFRELIGIOUS RU HTS VIOLATIONS
Freedom of Faith, the ecumencial Christiar
organization working for the religious rights C
all believers and all faiths, today called on
the Christian community to intercede by prayer$
and action regarding five cases of violations
of religious rights from around the world.
The call came in the organization's regul
25th-of-the-month “Alert,” which is timed to
recall Christmas and God's committment to humal
in Christ's birth.
The cases noted this month include the
suppression of the Baha'i community in Iran,
the arrest of another member of the Religious
Youth Seminar in the USSR, the arrest and
interrogation of at least fifteen members of
the Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia, the
harassment of the Catholic Farmer's Associatio
in South Korea, and the trial of members of th
Pentecostalist Church in Bulgaria.
f.
ikind
I I
a
(Article 70), which can carry a penalty of ten years imprisonment followed
by five years in internal exile.
Poresh is the fifth member of the Seminar arrested since last
November. Two other members, Sergei Yermolaev, 20 , and Igor Polyakov,
24, were sentenced on September 24 to four and three and a half years
in a labor camp respectively, on the strength of their involvement in the
Seminar. Soviet authorities appear determined to forcibly break up the
Seminar by arresting all those associated with it.
Freedom of Faith calls on Christians to keep Vladimir Poresh and
the other members of the Seminar in their thoughts and prayers, and to
express their concern for and support of the work of the Moscow Religious
Youth Seminar.
CZECH0- Freedom of Faith's third case focuses on the arrest and interrogation
SLOVAKI A :
of four priests and at least eleven laymen since Monday, September 10.
The arrests appear to be in connection with the unauthorized publication
of theological literature and the “Teologicky Sbornik” (Theological Review
Nine of the fifteen arrested have apparently been released from detention,
but indications are that all will be charged in the case.
Those arrested include some of the most prominent Catholics in
Czechoslovakia today, including four signers of “Charter 77,” the Czech
human rights document. Still in detention is Fr. Frantisek Lizna, S.J.,
a young Jesuit priest imprisoned twice during the sixties and allowed to
say mass officially only once, in 1974. Dr. Josef Zverina, S.J., probably
the most prominent theologian in Czechoslovakia who has been allowed to
publish only once, was arrested, and released, but will be charged.
Since the election of John-Paul II and his historic journey to
Poland, members of the Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia have begun to
speak more openly against the three-decade-long repression of religious
liberty and human rights in their country. These recent arrests, coming
on the heels of the the trial of ten members of the Comittee for the
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Association, and urges Christians to express their support for the
invaluable work of the CFA in building peace and justice in South Korea.
BULGARIA : Freedom of Faith's fifth case focuses on the arrest and trial of
five Pentecostalists and one member of the Open Brethren in Sofia.
The six were placed on trial on September 11, formally charged with
“currency violation.” They are: George Todorov, Peter Janev, Bancho Banchev,
Nathaniel Tsachev, Mitko Zhekoy, and Peter Shupov.
Arrested in March during a government crackdown on religious
groups, it appears that they have been singled out for especially
harsh treatment because of the rapid growth in membership of the Pentecostalist
church, particularly among young people. Bulgarian officials are also
reported to be anxious about the amount of religious literature from the
West coming into Bulgaria.
Seized with them was literature production equipment, including
typewriters, duplicators, cassettes, and manuscripts.
Freedom of Faith calls on Christians to express their concern
for these people who are attempting to live out their faith in witness,
and to keep them in their prayers and thoughts.
For further information, please contact the FOF offices at 170 East 64th
Street, New York, NY 10021.
(for further details, please call John Hays-Greene at 212-831-7002).
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