Monday, November 26, 2007
Baha'I International Community letter to URI
BAHÁ’ÍINTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY
United Nations Office
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120, New York, NY 10017 USA
Telephone: 212-803-2500, Fax: 212-803-2566, Email: uno-nyc@bic.org
OCTOBER 23, 2007
Honorable Board of Political Executives Cuncil of United Republicans of Iran,
Please accept our warmest greetings.
Hereby the Baha'I International Community extends its gratitude to you for following Human Rights issues in Iran, in particular, defending the rights of the Baha’is.
As you already know, your fellow Iranian Baha’is have been persecuted in Iran since the inception of their faith. Currently there has been many attempts to label them as foreign spies or raise suspicion in public eyes that they corroborate with foreign governments against national interest of Iran. This offensive has been led by the Islamic religious figures and the government of Islamic Republic of Iran. The majority of Iranians have all along been deprived of learning the truth about the Baha’i faith. The reason being, in Iran, Baha’is have never enjoyed freedom of expression to respond to accusations or to write about the misinformation and unfounded allegations being disseminated regarding their beliefs. Additionally the adopted policies towards Baha’is worry the sincere Iranians who want to assist them and therefore, they shun away. In fact in the past 150 years, the effect of counter-Baha’i campaign in the country has prevented the Iranian intellectuals from opposing the injustice that goes on against them. Now the real intentions of those, who over the past 2-3 centuries, have impeded the majority of Iranians from nurturing their talents and their capabilities and employing them for the advancement of the country is becoming to light. In recent years we have witnessed that increasing numbers of Iranian thinkers and scholars have defended the rights of Baha’is every time they have a chance to do so. Your courage and sincerity in declaring your stance to support the Baha’i faith as a minority religion deserving equal rights with the rest of the society in Iran is praiseworthy.
Today the problems facing Iran are not limited to harassment of minority religious groups. To name a few others, one can mention poverty, unemployment, addiction to substance abuse, gender inequality, and discrimination against seculars. All these issues make people’s daily life more and more difficult. They also hinder the progress of the country as a whole. Commitment to elimination of prejudice, maintaining the grounds for equal rights of all the citizens, defending freedom of expression, and backing the disadvantaged will bestow our country with divine benediction and a guaranteed future that everyone would benefit from. We assure you that Iranian Baha’is, without siding with any political party or without opposing any government or state (because political impartiality is in accordance with our beliefs), will cooperate in foremost candor with the rest of the society to bring about progress and advancement in our country. In this endeavor, we will not fall short of any undertaking. Also millions of Baha’is who regard Iran as the birthplace of their faith will be honored to give a helping hand in order to move Iran forward with its progressive national goals.
Once again we present our heartfelt gratitude for your support of Baha’i community of Iran.
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Again BIC does splendidly. Who could not take heart from its message.
I, however, an American, am wondering how long it will take BIC to face some of the "bad" news out of the Baha'i community (in the U..S. at least) and by doing so replicate the goals of its reports against the regime in Iran and the Baha'is there.
In my region, an innocent Baha'i was driven out of the Faith by an ignorant and cowardly Assistant to an Auxiliary Board Member for Protection, when she dutifully,confidentially, and obediently reported to him a suspicion of violation. This Assistant went from door to door demanding that believers report to him any real or imagined wrongdoings of this woman, and adding fuel to the fire by alleging that she had made derrogatory and inflamatory statements about the believers to him. He filed a report to the ABM who accepted it without question and refused this woman a hearing. She never saw the charges or was permitted to face her accusers. She was shunned (unofficially of course) and effectively cut off from Baha'i Administration.
Now doesn't this sound like the reports from Iran, or any place where the Faith is under fire? It's the same fascism, the same curb on freedom of expression and obedience to law.
The Writings say that when "bad" news reaches the media from the Faith, great advances in proclamation, teaching and enrollment will follow? What agency of the Baha'i Faith will have the courage to bring these accounts of local Baha'is and Baha'i administrators crossing over to actions unquestionably violational?
Does not the public grow weary of hearing of the unrelenting tyranny of the Foe against the innocent peace-loving Victims? Would not a word about the capacity of a member of the Baha'i Faith to sink to new levels and uses of gossip and backbiting go far towards assuring the public that yes, the Baha'is are real, they are human, like us, not saints; we do not see their begging bowls but we see the characters in this human comedy that we can identify: the power-hungry administrator, the naive woman, the gullible and docile community.
I dare say more non-Baha'i Iranians would find genuine sympathy and empathy for the Baha'is if the Baha'is would just admit through their media that they, too, have failings, are human, and ofter err.
Does BIC include theU.S. in its coverage area? Would it step forward and tell the world, as it has told the world many times before, that the Baha'is are under attack, and that this time the enemies are the Baha'is themselves. That day, my friends, is here.
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I, however, an American, am wondering how long it will take BIC to face some of the "bad" news out of the Baha'i community (in the U..S. at least) and by doing so replicate the goals of its reports against the regime in Iran and the Baha'is there.
In my region, an innocent Baha'i was driven out of the Faith by an ignorant and cowardly Assistant to an Auxiliary Board Member for Protection, when she dutifully,confidentially, and obediently reported to him a suspicion of violation. This Assistant went from door to door demanding that believers report to him any real or imagined wrongdoings of this woman, and adding fuel to the fire by alleging that she had made derrogatory and inflamatory statements about the believers to him. He filed a report to the ABM who accepted it without question and refused this woman a hearing. She never saw the charges or was permitted to face her accusers. She was shunned (unofficially of course) and effectively cut off from Baha'i Administration.
Now doesn't this sound like the reports from Iran, or any place where the Faith is under fire? It's the same fascism, the same curb on freedom of expression and obedience to law.
The Writings say that when "bad" news reaches the media from the Faith, great advances in proclamation, teaching and enrollment will follow? What agency of the Baha'i Faith will have the courage to bring these accounts of local Baha'is and Baha'i administrators crossing over to actions unquestionably violational?
Does not the public grow weary of hearing of the unrelenting tyranny of the Foe against the innocent peace-loving Victims? Would not a word about the capacity of a member of the Baha'i Faith to sink to new levels and uses of gossip and backbiting go far towards assuring the public that yes, the Baha'is are real, they are human, like us, not saints; we do not see their begging bowls but we see the characters in this human comedy that we can identify: the power-hungry administrator, the naive woman, the gullible and docile community.
I dare say more non-Baha'i Iranians would find genuine sympathy and empathy for the Baha'is if the Baha'is would just admit through their media that they, too, have failings, are human, and ofter err.
Does BIC include theU.S. in its coverage area? Would it step forward and tell the world, as it has told the world many times before, that the Baha'is are under attack, and that this time the enemies are the Baha'is themselves. That day, my friends, is here.
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