Iran’s persecution of Bahais

          
          • 1'rench nuclear forces.
          Hopes should not be raised prematurely.
          But it may be significant that a proposal
          worked out by Soviet and US negotiators a
          • year ago is again surfacing in the public dis-
          cussion. Moscow and Washington rejected
          that proposal but, if they had todo it all over:
          • again, they might have been less peremptory
          • and shortsighted.
          The facts are these:
          The Soviets in the summer of 1982 had
          about 250 of the massive triple-warhead SS-
          20s positioned west of the Urals and targeted
          on Western Europe; NATO, for its part, was
          : readying to deploy 108 Pershing II missiles
          • and 464 ground-launched cruise missiles. Ne-
          • gotiations had gotten nowhere but, before the
          talks recessed, US negotiator Paul Nitze and
          his Soviet counterpart Yuli Kvitsinsky took a
          “walk in the woods” where the two worked
          out an informal agreement. Its basic ele-
          ments were that each Side would be limited to
          • 75. launchers. The Soviet Union would there-.
          fore have to destroy 168 of its modern SS-20
          launchers — in addition to 380 older SS-4s and
          SS-5s. The remainder of its SS-20. force, de-
          • ployed in the eastern part of the USSR, would
          remain at the then-current level, i.e. 90
          launchers. As for the 75 launchers permitted
          • on the American side, they would not include
          Incre.ased persecution of members of the picion with which the Bahais are viewed.
          Bahal faith in Iran should concern all people Ironically, too, the Bahais — and there are.
          of religious conscience. President Reagan in some 300,000 in Iran — are goad citizens. They
          May issued an appeal to the Ayatollah tend to be well-educated and members of the
          Khomeini to stop the planned execution of a professional class, serving as businessmen,
          number. of well-known Bahais. His appeal . teachers, middle-level government officials,..
          proved unavailing. Since then 17 Bahais have and army officers Yet as so often happens.
          been executed, and the severe repression o . with successful minorities, their very. afflu-
          the Bahaf community, including mistreat- ence and professional achievements have:.
          ment of Bahai children in the schools and . helped fuel prejudice and make them the
          even outright banning of school attendance by scapegoats for the nation's ills. .
          them, continues. If the theolOgical and historical factors
          Ironically, the fundamentalist Shia Mus- surrounding the Bahai issue were not compli-
          urns of Iran do recognize other religions. cated enough, another element now enters the
          Z.oroastrianisrn, Judaism, and Christianity . picture. This is the rising influence in Iran of
          have a special place in Islam and enjoy the the Hodjatieh faction within the fundamental-
          protection of the law. The Bahais, however, ist Islamic movement. This anticommunist
          are regarded as heretics and blasphemers be- group favors free enterprise and a more secu-
          cause they emerged out of Islam, claiming lar government. But it is extremely conserva-
          that their founder was the twelfth Shia Imam live religiously, and opposes the Bahai faith.
          whose return to earth is still awaited. The fact The fundamentalist regime of Ayatollah
          that the rites and rituals of the Bahal faith are Khomeini thus finds itself between a rock and
          secret and that the international movement is a hard place. If it comes out against persecu
          headquarted in Haifa, Israel, adds to the sus- tion of the Bahais — and this persecution
          B POOO559
          THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
          “First the blade, then the ear then the full grain in The ear .
          The Monitor's view.
          “..
          iran's persecution of Bahais
          July 18, 1983
          seems to be Iargeiy.ordered and imp mented
          at the local level — it risks being accused by
          the Ilodjatich faction of diluting Islam and
          thus its religious legitimacy. If it does noth-
          ing, it feeds Iran's disgrace in the eyes of.the
          world. °:
          Everyone who cherishes religious freedom
          will hope that the international community
          brings all possible moral pressure to bear on
          the situation. The Islamic nations and Islamic
          leaders could be especially helpful to the Ba-
          hai community both by. direct appeals to the
          government of Iran and by making clear what
          the ideals of Islam are. Surely these do not
          include intolerance and brUtal repression of
          those who choose a different religious path.
          — Printeo 'in Great Britain by Hull rwalte Printing. NotlinghsJT),
          1c The Christian Science Publishing Society,
          One NorwaySfreet Bosto4 MA., 02115. U.S.A.
          London Office. 108 Palace Gardens Tarrace. London. W84RT.
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