Aadel Collection
Summary Report of Persecution of the Iranian Baha’i Community During the Pahlavi Regime (1921-79)
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SUNW LRY RE RT OF
PERSECUTION OF. E IRANIAN B HA' co e iuNITy
DURING E PAHLhVI REGINE (1921-1979)
Introduction
The letter and spirit of Iranian law and regulations has always been strongly
antagonistic towards the followers of the Bah 'i Faith. Although, at times,
certain Bahá'is enjoyed some relief, this was simply a reflection of the degree
to which the current laws were being enforced by less prejudiced government
offices or officials, and was not the result of any deliberate protection ex-
tended by the law to members of the Bah ' coztmtunity.
The entire civil law system in Iran is based upon Islamic law, which recognizes
and protects the civil rights of Muslims and of the followers of officially
recognized minority religions. The refusal of successive governments in Iran
to accord to the Bahá' I Faith official recognition as an independent religion,
or as a religious minority, has thus deprived the Bahá' Is of many rights and
privileges under the law., has rendered them second—class citizens, and has left
the way open for continued persecution end discrimination in almost every area
of their lives,
The disabilities afflicting the Bahá'Is in Iran date from the birth of the
Bahá'I Faith in the middle of the 19th century, when religious discrimination
on the part of both clergy and government led to the martyrdom of 20,000 early
believers. Despite its rapid rise to become the largest minority religion in
Iran, the Bahá'I Faith was denied recognition under the 1906 Constitution (which
granted recognition to the ewish, Zoroastrian and Christian minorities) and
acts of persecution against the Bahá'I community continued.
Following the accession to power of Reza Shah, the persecution ceased to be
sporadic and spontaneous, and the Bahá'Is and their institutions became the
victims of official repression by the government. Reza Shah systematically in-
troduced discriminatory measures and initiated a policy - continued by his son,
Z'thammed Reza Shah - which sought to remove Bahá' Is from the protection of the
law. The numerous legal measures and discriminatory activities categorized in
this document clearly demonstrate the intention of successive Pahiavi governments
of isolating and identifying the Bahá'Is as a community of second—class citizens -
BP000086
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—2--
a coxmnunity which was then used by the government as a scapegoat to divert popu-
lar attention and provide a focus for public grievances during times of con-
stitutional crisis.
Throughout the 58 years of Pahiavi rule, the National Spiritual Assembly of the
Bahá' Is of Iran, the governing body of the Bahá' I coltnnunity, made repeated appeals
to the sovereign, to ministers of government and to the Iranian parliament, for
amelioration of the repressive legislation, and for justice and fair treatment
for the Bahá'I community. These appeals were never heeded. reover, on those
occasions when violence erupted against the Bah ' I community, the authorities
procrastinated or declined to intervene to protect Bahá' I lives and property,
and few if any attempts were made to identify or punish the perpetrators • ND-
thing has ever been done to compensate for the extensive loss of life and pro-
perty suffered by the Iranian Bahá' I community during the Pahiavi regime.
This document presents a summary of persecutions in five major areas •- Personal
Status, Education, Employment, Freedom of Religious Practice, Civil and liti-
cal Rights and Other Persecutions - to demonstrate our claim that, throughout
the Pahiavi regime, the Eahá'Is of Iran were victims of official oppression.
—3—
I. PERSO L STATUS
A. Marriage
There is no provision for civil marriage in Iran. In 1925, Islam was de-
clared the state religion, and a new law was passed permitting marriage only
according to Islamic, Judaic, ristian or Zoroastrian law. Consequently,
the Bahá'I marriage ceremony was not recognized as legal. (During the
period 1940—44, Bahá'Is who married according to the laws of their Faith
were sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from one to six months).
Bahá'I marriages could not be registered by an official notary public, nor
could Bah 'is register their own marriages, since - unlike the officially
recognized minorities - they were not allowed to have their own registrar.
The non—recognition of Bahá' I marriages imposed cruel hardships upon Bahá' I
families: wives were regarded as mistresses, and the children were con-
sidered illegitimate.
B. Inheritance
Since his marriage was not recognized, the testamentary dispositions made
by a Bahá'I husband and father were disregarded and overruled if non—Bahá'I
relatives or other interested parties contested the will. Because the
Iranian civil law governing inheritance was based on Islamic religious law,
the estate of a deceased Bahá'I was, in contested cases, divided according
to the Islamic system. As a result, the Bahá'I widow was deprived of the
inheritance bequeathed to her under Bahá' I law, and received only the purely
nominal amount apportioned to Muslim wives - an amount which frequently
proved inadequate to support her.
C. Identity Card and Passport
Because the marriage of his parents was not registered, it was sometimes dif—
ficult for a Bahá'I to obtain an identity card. Since this card is the
Iranian. equivalent of a birth certificate, it is an essential document for
every individual.
The issue of joint passports to Bah 'i married couples was prohibited, and
a wife could not obtain a passport bearing the family name.
1). Burial
Because the Bahá'I Faith was not officially recognized, some Bahá'IS were
deprived of burial according to the laws and practices of their Faith, and
non—Bahá'I relatives and others often forced, through legal means, the ob-
servance of an Islamic burial service.
E. B&ná'I Courts
The civil law system of Iran is based on Islamic law, and no secular courts
exist. Unlike the officially recognized religious minorities, the Bahá' Is
were not permitted to establish their own religious courts. They were obliged
to use the court representing their religious ancestry - Muslim, Christian,
Jewish or Zoroastrian - and to submit themselves to its rulings.
—4—
II . EDUCATION
A. Deprivation of Educational Benefits
Bah ' is were admitted to education under the public education system, but
were discriminated against under that system. They were frequently deprived
of the right to free board and, in most cases, were not eligible for scholar-
ships, further education abroad, etc.
B. Closing of Bah '1 Schools
Although the Bahá'is were the first to establish primary and secondary schools
all over the country, open to children of all religions, the government in
1934 closed all Bahá'I schools, ostensibly because they observed the Bahá'i
holy days. Other religious minorities had the privilege of closing their
schools on their holy days.
III. EMPLOYMENT
A. Denial of Employment
Bahá' is were generally denied employment in the civil service, the army and
other government agencies. In 1922, following the accession to power of
Reza Shah, a law (the Civil Service Code) was passed detailing specific con-
ditions of employment which excluded Bah 'is. Applicants for government posi-
tions had to state their religion, and any applicant listing his religion
as Bah 'i was automatically denied consideration for such employment. A
few were hired because they had special technical expextise or were on con-
tract.
‘Itwards the latter part of the Pahiavi regime, one of the responsibilities
of SAVAK was to ensure that no Bah ' í could be hired by any government agency.
B. Demotion or deprivation of Promotion
Some Bah ' Is were demoted, or were deprived of promotion, simply because they
were Bahá'Is .
C. Deprivation of Training
In certain instances, Bah 'Is were deprived of the benefits of in—service
training because of their religion, and were frequently deprived of voca-
tional training which would lead automatically to employment by the government.
D. Dismissal from Employment
Often, Bah 'Is were dismissed from their jobs becuase of their Faith. Some-
times, a Bahá'i who had received vocational education or specialized training
while employed was forced, upon his dismissal, to repay the cost of the edu-
cation or training.
E. Deprivation of Pension
Bahá'Is were sometimes deprived of their pensions. In one historic case*,
—5—
for example, over one hundred Bahá'is were deprived of their pensions from
the State Railway Administration - creating a problem for these Bahá'Is and
their families over a number of years.
*(The Civil Service Code of Iran indicates that receiving one's pension is
a right which cannot be denied, even in such severe instances as conviction
for crimes).
IV. FREEDOM OF RELIGIOUS PRACTICE
A. Spiritual and ral Training of riildren and Youth
The closure of Bahá'I primary and secondary schools, and the forced closure
of Bahá'I sunner schools at certain times during the Pahiavi regime, placed
severe restrictions u n educational activities for the spiritual and moral
training and development of Eahá'I children and youth.
B. Prohibition of open meetings
Bah 'Is were not allowed to meet openly in public places, but were restricted
to meeting in small numbers in private homes. Such meetings were often ter-
minated by the police.
C. Prohibition of Free Expression of Faith
Bahá'Is were forbidden to inform others publicly of their beliefs or to dis-
cuss openly the teachings of their Faith.
D. Places of Worship
The Bah '1s were not allowed to maintain properties as places of worship,
and were not allowed to erect houses of worship.
E. Administrative Centres and Meeting Places
Bahá'Is were not allowed to have, official administrative centres or meeting
places.
F. Publication of Bahá'I Materials
Hundreds of books and thousands of articles against the Bah '1 Faith were
published without restriction, while publication of the Bahá'I scriptures
and other materials was forbidden.
C. Importation and Exportation of Bah 'i Materials
The import and export of Bah '1 books, publications, photographs, etc. was
forbidden. Occasionally, Bahá'I travellers carrying Bahá'I materials for
their private use had these materials confiscated and bu ied.
a ‘
—6—
V. CIVIL D POLITICAL RIGHTS
A. Voting
Voting was based on recognized religious affiliation, and thus Bahá'Is could
not vote, since they would have had to do so as declared members of another
religion.
B. Holding Property
Properties belonging to the Bahá' I community could neither be held under
the name of the Bah 'I community nor registered for religious purposes.
Such properties had to be registered under the names of individual Bahá'Is,
and thus became subject to property and inheritance taxes • In some pro-
vinces, this applied even to Bahá'i burial grounds.
C. Restrictions on Military Service
While Bahá'Is were required to do military service, they could not opt to
serve in the Education Corps, which played a major part in ?.ttharnmed Reza
Shaht s campaign to eliminate illiteracy.
D. mn—recognition of Bahá'Is as a Community
Humanitarian and welfare contributions and services could not be rendered
in the name of the Bahá'I community, which was not recognized for such pur-
poses. Such contributions could be made only in the names of individual
Bahá'is.
VI. PERSECUTIONS
A. Harassment
The Bahá'Is were constantly subjected to harassment: e.g. raids on Bahá'I
homes, looting, destruction and confiscation of Bahá'I property. Bah 'iS
were killed or forced to recant their Faith.
B. Economic Pressures -
Bahá'i-owned businesses were subjected to many economic pressures and, in
some cases, were taken over by the goverument.
C. Inheritance and Property Taxes on Religious Sites
Because of the restrictions mentioned under section V (B) above, many Bah 'I
properties were registered in the name of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of
the Bahà'I Faith. After he passed away in 1957, an inheritance tax totalling
approximately six million dollars was levied upon z st of these properties.
Subsequently, the same properties were transferred to a non—profit-making
company formed by the Bahá'is for the purpose of holding them. This trans-
fer was carried out according to Iranian law. A supplementary assessment
was then made, arid a further tax of twenty million dollars was demanded,
on the grounds that the holding company had received the properties by deed
of gift, and had not given adequate commercial consideration.
—7—
D. Desecration of Holy Places
Bah ' holy places were repeatedly desecrated and, in some cases, wholly or
partially demolished. mong the most important of these were the house in
which the Bab (the Forerunner of Baha'u'llah, the Founder of the Baha'
Faith) was born and the house of the Bab in Bushihr, both of which were
demolished; the house in which the 3 b declared His mission, which was par-
tially demolished; and the House of Baha'u'llah in Takur, which was damaged.
E. Attacks in 1955 against the Baha' s
In 1955, following attacks on the Faith broadcast nationwide by government
radio, and an announcement in the Iranian parliament that the government had
ordered the suppression of the Baha' “sect”, there erupted an orgy of rape,
murder, pillage and destruction. Young girls were raped; families were
murdered; young women were abducted arid forced to marry Muslims; children
were mocked, reviled, beaten and expelled from schools; bodies of Bah ' s
were disinterred and mutilated; private homes were looted arid damaged;
government employees were dismissed; Baha properties were demolished (as
detailed above); and violent pressure was brought to bear upon Bah ' s to
recant their Faith.
F. Attacks in 1978 against Bah ' s
in 1978, in many provinces of Iran, mobs attacked, injured and killed Baha' s;
desecrated their holy places; burned their houses, business premises and
livestock; caused them to flee their homes; and tried to force them to re-
cant their Faith.
80—2022 August 1980
