—
‘ / . . —‘ “ .- -‘
in Iranian purge of Bahais
B Grant 4arde The gov?rnment n Ira n Idemes
1 t 4-i-s - .4- The religious persecution of
Rthg;on V r e z Ot i..ii.e vic... .Lil'flS iBahais But th United “ Iations - ‘
On June 18 J.slantc Sundamen u; r tu 1J.. and President Reagan have oon-
talists in the southern iran city of de ied Iran because of reports
SWiraz hanged Thhirth Siyavãshi. known Báhàjs. . ti grou n that Bahais
the sister of unnyvá ifldu$trial have been killed tortured, kid
ehgineet ParroiJi Iirjomandi imprisoned solely napped and raped and their prop-
Nuse other ahai women also rty destroyed. :ot taken from
were hanged in the town that day. . because of their m . - v
Two da vs befoie, her husband. . “Tahirih and her hu 5barsl were -
JaWisheed. and flee ether Bahai Bahai activities. arreste 1 four months agoFóur -
men had been marched before — Farrokh Arjomazldi times following their arresis.. they 1
firing squads and shot to death. . were taken to a local mog ue in
The 16 were executed late at Sunnyvale ep ineer Shiraz and ordered to curse Baha
night without ‘warning, without Ullah and recant their fait•h ”
trial. Arjomandi said.
The executions have generated had to-make, to accept Caesar as Their crime: teaching Bahái
anxiety among the Bay Area°s Lord or die.” children about the Baha faith.-
community of about 2,000 Bahais — A memorial service will be “She loved her country.”
who have watched the purge held for the tc o and for other Arjomandi said of his sizer. a
escalate from kil ngs of top Bahais executed in Iran at 1 p.m. nurse. “She had a chance to come
Bahai leaders to members July 9 at the San Jose Main to the United States but rthised. - . . Cap Ca p nt r -- .cy
charged simply with teaching the - Library 180 W. San Carlos St. She was very serious about her “ • ‘ . r b -
• faith to their children. . - - Bahais have t*en persecuted in religion. Had been since shewas a .Farrokh Arjomandi holds ooks o z aLa; c t
• About 509 Bahais live in Santa iran since their sect began there young girl. Unlike the rest of US. . . . . - . ‘ . :
Clara County dutmg the 19th century but never she did not Waste her time on sacred rituals and seek intellee supersede the prophet Muham-
“I -am not grieving.” said worse than new. movies or -on other frivolous thai freedom and equality for mad.
Arjomandi ho said that he first Shute Moslems Iran s dorm- things but spent her spdre time women. For more than a eenturj, The attack on the 300 000
learned of his ‘sister's fate June nant religious sect, always have -niere'ioriziitg aha Ifllah. ” . ‘they .a) o have called for est.ab- member religious minority
20. “She could have saved her 11I looked upon Bahais -as dangerous The Bahais are followers qf a ‘lishment of an international court appears to be a campaign to
easily by r cantmg her faith, by heretics rehgKnt ci hose ph losophv I -“ . .es of u . . - cc and cite ‘sioi of ciu ' eli'rnr. te the R:h'ii faith from
•embraçcg Islani. - “All of the victims of the latest. ‘no room for mullahs. 1rania reli- Lion ti all on a ujiivei'sal. cciuipui- Iran. Since the s.zi't of the revolu-
- -. -. . - executions were well-known gious leaders who reportedly ‘sory basis. . i:, - .‘ ‘- Lion in 1979, 141 Bahal are known
- “She knew what she was doing. Bahais imprisoned solely because •hav conducted the current war . Bahaism springs from the Babi to have been killed. .and 200 Bahai
She made the ultimate sacrifice f their Bahat activities,' said against flahaism Bahai docnine riovemeat in Persia that began in ‘eaders are believed 10 be in Ira-
for the love of Baha (Jl lah,' ArjoMa id i the bnly Sante Clara includes a numbet of controver- 4B44 when Mirza Au Mohammed man jails
• - the prophet of the Bahai faith, he Valley Bahal known to have lost a sial doctrines that mullahs d em -—- known as The Bab — pro. .
said ‘hat is not unlike he deci- close relative in the Iranian too radical -s lainieah that a new messenger of J .nff u” 'rter Connie Ski pttares
sions early Christians martyrs pogrom Bahais have ZIP Clerg3, es ew d od , ,soen would appear and -i. natrfbute4 to thts articLe
- - EFUOO539
• . . - - - ‘ - ‘ - ‘: -‘ - - - - .- - - -
-i
$utiiyva ie engineer - - -
and brother4n4aw are slain --
. . -‘ . loSe
