The Daily Republic. Fairfield, Calif.. Sun., Au5. 14. 1583—Page 3
Local-Baha'isworry about safety of kin in Iran.
A story of prisons and pe,secution
By JERRY BEAUL IEU
Daily Rspabile staff Wfft.r
FAIRFIELD — Victoria and
Mike don't hear much from their
relatives In Iran anymore. This
worries them.
The Fairfield mother and son
are from Iran and both are
ha'is, members of a religious sect
that has been the subject of perse-
cution, arrest and even death in
Iran.
“All the mail leaving the coun-
try is censored,” said Mike.
“We got one letter from my hus-
band's cousin,” Victoria said,
“and all It said was ‘Hello. How
are you? We are fine.' That's all. I
even got one letter that they eves
opened and didn't bother to re-
close.”
“They make no attempt to even
hide the fact that all the mall is
opened,” Mike said.
But censored mail is one of the
minor problems facing Victoria
and Mike. Many of their friends
and relatives in Iran are,bldden
away in prisons or even dead be-
cause they wouldnt deny their re-
ligion.
Mike and Victoria are in this
• country but wouldn't allow their
real names to be used for fear of
what would happen to their loved
ones still in Iran.
Persecution of Baba'is In Iran is
• not new. It's been going on for
years. According to Mike, It's
caused by a difference in religion “It's not a matter of convenience.
between the Baha'ls and Islam. ‘You can't change It like a shirt.”
“Islam doesn'tbellvelnzheyal- According to local Baha'l
idity of other prophets,” Mike spokesman Sandra Jack, word has
said. “They believe that Moham- been received recently that 17
med was the last prophet.” more Baha'is were arrested by an- -
Babel's, on the other hand, be- thorities In Iran, bringing to 39 the
lieve that Mohammed was one ma number of Bshs'is Inigrisoned In
line of prophets, the last three weeks of July. On
“We believe that this progres- July 23, two Baha'is in Tebran and
alon of truths doesn't stop. We be- 15 more in the suburb of Karaj
love that Baha'u'llah (founder of were taken into custody. -
the religionl wasn't the last Jack said the July arrests came
prophet. Another prophet will take in the wake of 17 hangings in Sill-
• hisplaceoneday.” - ‘ ‘raz.
Because of their religion, the Fairfield Eaha'is recently held a
Bahal'a have been persecuted by memorial service for the 17 Ba-
the ruling Muslims in Iran. ha'is executed in Shlraz.
- “Before the revolution there Further, said Jack, there Is still
was only so much the Shah could no news of the fate of two promi-
do because be bad to answer to sent Baha'is who were abducted
other countries like the United at the end of Jane in Teliran, or of
States,”Mlkesa ld.”Buttodaythe the 130 Baha'irnen, women and
clergy have absolute power. They children who were attacked by
have to answer to no one but them- •. mobs on July 1 and forced to flee
selves.” - their village of Ival.
Of the hundreds of Bsha'ls who These same villagers were re-
have been executed in Iran, Mike portedly confined for three days
callsit”genoclde. .‘ anddeniedfoodanddrinkinanef-.
“It's just like the early Chris-- fort to force them to convert to Is-
hans or the Jews in pre- war Ger- lam, then attacked the night of
many. The only difference Is the their relase.
Jews had no choice. They were “We are shocked• by Iran's
killed just because they were continuing brutal persecution of
Jews. - the Baha'is despite international
“The Babai's have i choice, protests and appeals,” Jack said.
They have the chance to say ‘rm “It is a nightmare to Imagine
not a Baha'i' and get out Irons on- what would happen without the
der it. But to deny Baha'i Is break- voice of world opinion.
toga covenant with God,” he said. “Baha'l appeals to the Iranian
authorities about the kidnappings
of Jaliangir Hidayti and Ahman
Bashirl In Tebran have so far gone
unheeded,” Jack said.
“The government is denying
any knowledge of the abduction or
the whereabouts of the two.”
Since their beginning in Iran in
1844, the Baba'is have been the
-- target of persecution, arrest and
execution.
Founded In Shirsz by a mer-
chant who was later known as the
Bab, Baha'is rejected the literal
interpretation of tile Koran and
believed that the Bab's religion
was a fulfillment of prophecy and
that a new messenger of God
would appear on earth.
In 19th-century Iran, the idea of
freedom of religion didn't exist,
and the teachings of the Bab
sparked violent reaction. Accused
of heresy, the Bsb was Imprisoned
for several years, and finally exe-
cuted in 1850.
But his death did not end the
spread of his teachings nor dim
the faith of his followers, who
were now forced to defend them-
selves from attacks by both the
church and the government.
Thirteen years years after the
death of the Bab, one of his follow-
ers, who bad been exiled to Bagh-
dad, proclaimed bimsell to be the
new messenger. He became
known as Baha'u'Uah. Most of the
follewers of the Bab accepted his
claim and became known as Ba-
ha'is.
Religious and secular authori-
ties kept Baha'u'llah in confine-
meal and exile until ills death in
1892. During the 40 yearn be was in
prison he wrote a number of works
which today are the scriptures of
the religion.
As the number of Baha'is grew,
the Muslim clergy felt increas-
ingly threatened by the spreading
religion and demanded the exter-
mination of its members, who they
branded as heretics. The tolerant,
non-violent nature of the Balia'is
made it possible to attack them
without fear of retaliation.
Baha'is were blamed for fam-
ines, revolutions, invasions and
other turmoil. If you didn't want to
pay a debt, you could accuse the
creditor of being a Baiss'i. If an
epidemic swept the country, It
could be blamed on the Baha'ls.
The Baha'l idea of world unity
was seen as a lack of patriotism.
Their acceptance of all the world's
religions was seen as a betrayal of
Islam.
The persecution of the 300,000-
member Baha'i community In
Iran has drawn a flood of protests
from President Reagan, the U.S. -
Csngress, the United Nations Ru-.
man Rights Commission, the Par-
liamentary Assembly of the -
Council of Europe, and the parlla-
monte of Great Britlan, West Ger-
many, Canada and Australia.
Since the 1979 revolution, 142 Ba-
ha'ls have been executed or assas-
sinated. More than 200 are
imprisoned without charges In cit-
ies throughout Iran, Jack said.
The Islamic regime has also im-
prisoned hundreds sf Baha'is, de-
stroyed moot of the religion's holy
places and cemeteries and de-
prived Baha'is of their pensions,
jobs and trade licenses. -
BP00025&
- - - DR Pilate by Ulke J,',y
Two local Baba'ls, Victoria and Mike — aflhouetled hero to obscure their Idenihlee — tell of the persecution of
fellow Baha'ls in Iran.
