Friday, November 23, 2012

Resources for Baha'i Persecution

Since the 1979 revolution in Iran, Baha'is have been systematically persecuted, even though they do not involve themselves in affairs of the government and are non-violent. The Baha'i Faith is the largest minority group in Iran. However, Baha'is are treated as second-class citizens. They cannot pursue higher education or hold state funded positions. Below is a list of resources for those interested in learning more about the persecution of Baha'is in Iran.

Iran Press Watch regularly documents arrests, detentions, etc. of Baha'is in Iran. The site is not maintained by Baha'is and is a good source of up-to-date persecution of Baha'is. Click here for the website: Iran Press Watch: Documenting the Persecution of the Baha'i Community in Iran

The Baha'i World News Service (BWNS) regularly reports on activities of interest to the global Baha'i community. Here is a link to the BWNS archive of reports on persecution of Baha'is in Iran and elsewhere.

The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights is a Network of Muslim activists who speak out against the persecution of the Baha'is. Their website includes a good timeline of Baha'i arrests, etc., which can be accessed here. Comics and videos can be found here. The website also has a map plotting recent arrests, etc. here.

7 Baha'i Leaders (Yaran) in prison since 2008. They did not have a fair trial and had very little access to legal representation, even though Shirin Ebadi (first Muslim woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize) agreed to represent them.
Baha'is have been persecuted in Iran since the Baha'i Faith began in in the mid-1800s. This image was published in a Persian magazine in 1911.