How Iran has justified the persecution

nevitably, Iran’s responses to the world outcry on behalf of the Bahá’ís have proven entirely unsatisfactory. The reaction has ranged from simple silence to attempts to justify the persecutions by charging the Bahá’ís with a wide variety of offenses.

An examination of the charges that have been made against the Bahá’ís illuminates the depth of animosity and prejudice directed towards them — as well as the degree of ignorance regarding the basic principles and history of the Bahá’í Faith.

Despite the overwhelming proof that the Bahá’í community in Iran is being persecuted solely because of its religious beliefs, the Iranian government continues — in both public and private forums — to justify its behavior with unsubstantiated accusations.

Here follow some of the principal accusations advanced by the government:

The accusation: That Bahá’ís were supporters of the Pahlavi regime and the late Shah of Iran; that they collaborated with SAVAK, the secret police; and that the Bahá’í Faith is a political organization opposed to the present Iranian government.

The reality: Bahá’ís are required by the basic principles of their Faith to show loyalty and obedience to the government of the country in which they live. The Bahá’í community in Iran thus did not oppose the Pahlavi regime, just as it does not oppose the present government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Indeed, members of the community have obeyed every law and instruction of the present government, including the instruction to disband all Bahá’í administrative institutions in Iran.

Bahá’í principles also require the avoidance of any form of involvement in partisan politics. Accordingly, Iranian Bahá’ís were precluded by membership in their faith from accepting cabinet posts or similar political positions under the Pahlavi regime. They did not collaborate with SAVAK. On the contrary, the Pahlavi regime consistently persecuted the Bahá’í Faith, and SAVAK was one of the main agencies of this persecution.

The Iranian government has alleged that certain SAVAK officials were Bahá’ís. These allegations are completely untrue, fabricated to mask the religious nature of the persecutions.

Indeed, the non-political nature of the Bahá’í case was significantly bolstered by the 1996 report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance. Professor Abdelfattah Amor of Tunisia wrote: “With regard to the Bahá’ís, the Special Rapporteur hopes that a clear distinction will be drawn between questions of belief or other questions of a political nature. In that connection, it should not be presumed that the entire community has been politicized or is engaged in political or espionage activities. Considering the religious principles of the Bahá’í community, the Special Rapporteur believes that there should not be any controls that might, through prohibition, restrictions or discrimination, jeopardize the right to freedom of belief or the right to manifest one’s belief.”

The accusation: That Bahá’ís are heretics or enemies of Islam.

The reality: Such charges are false. The Bahá’í Faith is widely recognized as an independent world religion — even by Islamic scholars. As long ago as 1924, a Sunni appellate court in Egypt recognized that the Bahá’í Faith was an independent world religion, stating that, in its judgment, “The Bahá’í Faith is a new religion entirely independent.... No Bahá’í therefore can be regarded as Muslim or vice versa, even as no Buddhist, Brahmin or Christian can be regarded as Muslim.” Accordingly, no charge of heresy can be made.

Bahá’ís revere Muhammad and His Book, the Qur’an, as they do Jesus, Buddha, and the founders of the other great religions. Indeed, alone among the followers of the world’s other major independent religions, only Bahá’ís recognize the station of Muhammad as a Prophet of God.

The accusation: That Bahá’ís are agents of Zionism.

The reality: This charge is based on the fact that the Bahá’í World Centre is in Israel. The Bahá’í World Centre was, however, established on Mt. Carmel in the 19th century, long before the State of Israel came into existence, in accordance with the explicit instructions of Bahá’u’lláh, who was exiled there from Iran.

The accusation: That Bahá’ís are involved with prostitution, adultery and immorality.

The reality: This charge, like the others, is without foundation. Bahá’ís have a strict moral code and attach great importance to chastity and to the institution of marriage.

The Bahá’í marriage ceremony is not recognized in Iran and no civil marriage ceremony exists. Consequently, Bahá’ís have been faced with the choice of denying their faith in order to be married according to the rites of one of the religions recognized in Iran, or of marrying in accordance with the rites of their own faith. They have consistently chosen to be married in accordance with Bahá’í law. The government does not recognize these marriages and denounces Bahá’í wives as prostitutes.

The other charges of adultery and immorality against Bahá’ís are based on the fact that, in accordance with the Bahá’í principle of the equality of men and women, there is no segregation of the sexes at Bahá’í gatherings.

The accusation: That the Bahá’í Faith is not a religion but a political movement, devised by colonial powers in the 1800s to influence and control the Persian government.

The reality: The Bahá’í Faith has been widely recognized by Western historians, religious leaders, and others as an independent world religion. Its founding had nothing to do with the work of British or other colonial powers. Moreover, as noted, the teachings of the Faith explicitly prohibit Bahá’ís from involvement in partisan politics.