Author: Bani Duggal
Publication: Kashmir Times
Date:
URL: www.kashmirtimes.com
(Iran's largest religious minority, the three-lakh
strong Baha'is community has been facing a systematic and religious persecution
by the Iranian Government since 1979, when the Islamic Republic was established,
says the author, who is the Representative of the Baha'is International Community
to the United Nations.)
Respect for human rights is a clear indication
of a nation's commitment to the rule of law, to humanitarian principles and
to honesty in its public affairs. And there is no better measure of Iran's
genuine commitment to human rights than the way it treats its largest religious
minority, the 300,000-member Baha'is community of Iran, who are by their religious
principles committed to non-violence and non-involvement in politics.
Unfortunately, since 1979, when the Islamic
Republic of Iran was established, Baha'is have faced a systematic and ongoing
religious persecution at the hands of the Iranian Government.
In the early 1980s, until international pressure
caused Iran to pull back from the brink, some 200 Baha'is were killed, hundreds
were imprisoned, and thousands were deprived of their livelihood, access to
education, and virtually all civil rights.
Today, there are deeply disturbing signs that
the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is gearing up for a new round
of persecution against this innocent community.
Most worrisome is the news of the discovery
by United Nations officials of a secret letter from the Iranian military's
high command to various Government agencies calling for them "to identify
persons who adhere to the Baha'is faith and monitor their activities".
Sent on 29 October 2005 to the Ministry of
Information, the Revolutionary guard and the police force, the letter states
that Iran's Supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, had ordered that such information
be collected "in a highly confidential manner".
Asma Jahangir, Special Rapporteur of the Commission
on Human Rights on freedom of religion or belief, told the world about the
letter's existence in a statement on 20 March 2006, saying that "such
monitoring constitutes an impermissible and unacceptable interference with
the rights of members of religious minorities."
Jahangir also expressed concern that the information
gained as a result of such monitoring will be used as a basis for the increased
persecution of, and discrimination against, members of the Baha'is faith.
Anyone familiar with some of the last century's
most egregious episodes of human rights violations can easily read between
the lines of such a letter.
The identification and monitoring of minority
groups are rarely undertaken with good intentions, especially when it involves
the state military, police and other authorities.
Other recent trends and events in Iran likewise
contribute to a great sense of urgency when Baha'is look to the near future.
First, there is the re-emergence of the Hojjatieh Society. Founded in 1953
as a specifically anti-Baha'is organization by a charismatic Shiite Muslim
cleric, the Hojjatieh Society has today reemerged in Iran as an influential
if secretive faction that has been linked in news articles and Web blogs with
the current Iranian administration.
Second, Iran's Government-controlled news
media has begun a propaganda campaign against the Baha'is. Kayhan, the official
Tehran daily newspaper, has carried more than 30 articles about the Baha'is
and their religion in recent months, all defamatory in ways that are meant
to create provocation.
Radio, television and internet programmes
have joined in as well with broadcasts condemning the Baha'is and their beliefs.
We all know what hateful propaganda can lead to. Again, recent history offers
too many examples of its horrific consequences.
The ghastly deeds that grew out of similar
circumstances in the past should not now be allowed to happen. Not again.
Not ever.
