Increased persecution of members of the
Bahal faith in Iran should concern all people
of religious conscience. President Reagan in
May issued an appeal to the. Ayatollah
Khomeini to stop the planned execution of a
number of well-known Bahais. His appeal
proved unavailing. Since then 17 Bahais have
been executed, and the severe repression of
the Bahai community, including mistreat-
ment of Bahai children in the schools and
even outright banning of school attendance by
them, continues.
Ironically,. the fundamentalist. Shia Mus-
lims of Iran do recognize o.ther religions..
Zoroastrj.anism, Judaism, and Christianity
have a special place in Islam and enjoy the
protection of the law. The Bahais, however,
are regarded as heretics and blasphemers be-
cause they emerged out of Islam, claiming
that their founder was the twelfth Shia Imam
whose return to earth is still awaited. The fact
that the rites and rituals of the Bahai faith are
secret and that the international movement is
headquarted in Haifa, Israel, adds to the sus-
picion with which the Bahais are viewed.
Ironically, too,.the Bahais — and there are
some 300,000 in Iran — are good citizens. They
tend to be well-educated and members of the
professional class, serving as businessmen,
teachers, middle-level go ernrnent officials,
and army officers. Yet, as so often happens.
with successful minorities, their very afflu-
ence and professional achievements have
helped fuel prejudice and make them the
scapegoats for the nation's ills..
If the theological and historical factors
surrounding the Bahal issue were not compli-
cated enough. another element now enters the
picture. This is the rising influence in Iran of
the Hodjatich faction within the fundamental
ist Islamic movement. This anticommunist
group favors free enterprise and a more secu-
lar government. But it is extremely conserva-
tive religiously, and opposes the Bahai faith.
The fundamentalist regime of Ayatollah
Khomeini thus finds itself between a rock and
a hard place. lilt comes out against persecu-
tion .of the Bahais — and this persecution
seems to be largelyordered..a implemented
at the local level it risks being accused by
the Hodjatich 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 t.he 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 p l •
•ns SSS
BOSTON, MASS.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
EASTERN ED.
—D. 151,823—
BOSTON-LOWELL METROPOLITAN AREA
t, ,c '
BOSTON, MASS.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
(New England Ed.)
—0. 151,823—
BOSTON-LOWELL METROPOLITAN AREA
BOSTON, MASS.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
(Western Ed.)
—0. 151,823—
BOSTON-LOWELL METROPOLITAN AREA
JUL 14: I9 33 JUL 14 (983
/ Iran's persecution of Bahais
- BP000244
