a
TX P. —.
VIA WUI
1612 01/O64
46626 BAYT IL
JAN 07 i oc.
82/306 273L
B 1CNY666363Uw
6 JANUARY 1982
UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
FOLLOWING WIRE STORY WAS PROVIDED BY TONY GOODMAN, REUTERS UN, WHO
INFORMS US THAT AUTHOR IS IRANIAN MEMBER OF REUTERS LONDON STAFF PRE-
VIOUSLy MENTIONED TO YOU:
QUOTE
LONDON, JAN 6, REUTER — IRAN'S ISLAMIC REGIME HAS ASKED.
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES TO STATE THEIR RELIGION, A MOVE IRANIANS
SAY IS AIMED AT SACKING MEMBERS OF THE BAHA'$ FROM THEIR JOBS.
IRANIAN SOURCES, CONTACTED BY REUTERS FROM LONDON, SAID
CIVIL SERVANTS AND MILITARY PERSONNEL ARE REQUIRED TO FILL IN A
FORM GIVING THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
THOSE WHO REFUSE TO COMPLY WiTH A GOVERNMENT DECREE ISSUED
TO THOUSANDS OF iNSTITUTIONS AND FACTORIES THROUGHOUT IRAN WILL
BE EXPELLED FROM THEIR JOBS AND PERHAPS JAILED, THE SOURCES
SA I D.
“IF SOMEBODY GAVE FALSE INFORMATION CONCERNING HIS RELiGIOUS
BACKGROUND, HE WOULD RISK THE DANGER OF BEING IDENTIFIED AND
EXECUTED,'' A CIVIL SERVANT SAID.
HE SAID THE ACTION WAS CLEARLY AGAINST MEMBERS OF THE BAHA'I
FAITH, THE LARGEST RELIGIOUS MiNORITY IN THE COUNTRY. THE RULING
MOSLEM CLERGYMEN CONSIDER THE FAITH HERETIC AND SOME MEMBERS OF
THE GOVERNMENT ARE ENCOURAGING AN OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST
BAHA' I SM.
THE BAHA'I RELIGION, WITH SOME 400,000 MEMBERS THROUGHOUT
THE COUNTRY, WAS FOUNDED BY SHI'ITE CLERGYMEN IN IRAN IN THE
19TH CENTURY.
ENDQUOTE
WILL CALL BACK WITH CONTINUATION OF ARTICLE IN A FEW MINUTES.
WARMEST LOVE
BAHA I NTCOM
46626 BAYT IL.....
VIA WUI
1653 o1/o6
46626 BAYT IL
B I CNY666363UW
6 JANUARY 1982
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CONTINUATION OF TLX 82/306, REUTERS ARTICLE:
QUOTE
BAHA'IS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER EMPLOYMENT AND APPLICANTS
FOR JOBS MAY ONLY BE MOSLEMS, CHRISTIANS, JEWS OR ZOROASTRIANS.
EXILED BAHA'I LEADERS HAVE ALLEGED THAT THOUSANDS OF BAHA'I
CHILDREN WERE DEPRIVED OF EDUCATION LAST SEPTEMBER WHEN SCHOOLS
AND COLLEGES STARTED THEIR ACADEMIC YEAR.
THE AUTHORITIES HAD INSTRUCTED SHCOOL OFFICIALS NOT TO
REGISTER BAHA'IS, THEY SAID. THERE HAS BEEN NO WORD FROM THE
GOVERNMENT, BUT PRO-.CLERGY NEWSPAPERS HAVE REPEATEDLY PUBLISHED
ARTICLES By CHURCHMEN WHO HAVE CALLED FOR REPRESSION OF MEMBERS
OF THE FAITH.
IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ALl AKBAR VELLAYATI IS A LEADER OF
AN ANTI—BAHA'I GROUP CALLED HOJATIYEH WHICH HAS OFFICIALLy
DECLARED A WAR ON BAHA'Is AS A RELIGIOUS DUTY.
LAST MONTH THE CLERGY—LED GOVERNMENT ORDERED THE EXECUTION
OF EIGHT BAHA'I LEADERS AFTER A SECRET TRIAL.
THE EIGHT, MEMBERS OF THE BAHA'I NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IN IRAN,
HAD BEEN ABDUCTED TWO WEEKS BEFORE THEY WERE SHOT, ACCORDING TO
EXILED LEADERS.
IT WAS THE SECOND T 1ME MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL
ASSEMBLY OF BAHA'IS IN IRAN HAD BEEN SEIZED IN THE PAST TWO
YEARS. THE FIRST GROUP OF NINE DISAPPEARED ON AUGUST 20, 1980.
MOSLEMS ARE PARTICULARLY INTOLERANT OF THE BAHA'I RELIGION
BECAUSE IT POSTDATES THE MISSION OF THE PROPHET MOHAMMED. THEY
BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE NO RELIGION AFTER ISLAM.
OTHER FACTS HELD AGAINST BAHA'IS ARE THAT SOME PROMINENT
LEADERS OF THE SHAH'S REGIME, INCLUDING EXECUTED PRIME MINISTER
AMIR ABASS HOVEYDA, WERE BAHA'lS AND THAT THEIR HEADQUARTERS ARE
IN HAIFA, ISRAEL, A COUNTRY CONSIDERED THE NUMBER ONE ENEMY OF
ISLAM AND IRAN 0
SOME OF THE DOZENS OF BAHA' IS EXECUTED IN I RAN WERE
CONVICTED OF SPYING FOR ISRAEL.
ENDQUOTE
WARMEST LOVE
BAHAI NTCOM
46626 BAYT IL.....
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