Posts Tagged Baha’i persecution
Baha’i Week 4: Review
Allah-u-Abha!
We are here already! Man, seems like we were just doing this during my month with Hinduism. And now…I wish I didn’t have to think about it, but alas, dharma calls.
As many of you know, Week 4 of every month during Project Conversion is my time of review. This is where I share what I’ve learned, what will I take with me from the religion going forward, and what would I change/implement/add regarding Project Conversion. The last entry for the month will include a short video of the footage I’ve managed to gather during the month.
What have I learned?
1) Though I am still in the learning process even though we are in the last week, I can say with confidence that the two most important lessons I’ve learned from the Baha’i Faith is a) the concept of “Progressive Revelation”, b) the importance of community involvement (both with other Baha’is and non-Baha’is), and c) the art of long-suffering and perseverance.
Progressive revelation is the idea that God sends instructions, messages, scripture, and teachings to mankind via what Baha’is call “Manifestations” during a particular age on a linear timeline. These Manifestations bear a message and teaching appropriate for the people and times in which they live. Baha’is believe that the central, core teaching of each Manifestation is the same, however tradition, ritual, and complacency have grown like ivy over the different faiths and fleeced our eyes to the inward truths. In this case, folks like Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, and most recently, Baha’u'llah, are all Manifestations for their age. For me, this is a great way to respect and honor many of the world’s religious systems–even going as far as gleaning insight and wisdom from them all–while still being part of a faith community. You’ll be hard-pressed to find this sort of attitude anywhere else.
Community is everything in the Baha’i Faith. From February 1st, I have been showered with welcome and support from the Baha’i Family. In fact, “family” is the best way to describe the Baha’is. There are no strangers. Upon meeting various Baha’is this month I was treated as if I’d been in their lives for years. Though this is a young religion with only around 5 million members worldwide, their response to a call to action or a chance to support one of their own is second to none. At no time did I ever feel alone. Whether it was my Mentor who lives right across town, or a Baha’i in Maine who gladly donated a set of prayer beads, I’ve had constant support. Their attitudes toward service–not only to each other, but to their fellow-man–is a priceless jewel to their faith. Where their service truly shines is that seldom if ever do they serve in an attempt to convert someone. They are called to assist humanity for the sake of serving. And what’s more is that their philosophy on service is aimed more toward partnering with others to actually solve the problem, not just throw money or donations at the issue.
The Baha’i capacity for longsuffering and positive attitude is probably one of their most inspiring attributes. This disposition has its roots in the life of Baha’u'llah, his son Abdu’l'Baha, and the scores of Baha’i martyrs who have suffered for their faith since Baha’u'llah proclaimed his station in 1863. In every account I’ve read, Baha’i prisoners are a light of hope and love to all around them. As we covered the Baha’i persecution in Iran, we learned of their steadfast reliance on faith, the prayers of fellow Baha’is, and an unshakable love for God and humanity. Just as many religions suffer greatly at the hands of the status quo during their infant years, the Baha’is have taken the torch of their faith with steady hand and refuse to turn from God or even hate their tormentors. This is a lesson we can all take into our daily lives. How often do we allow petty frustrations ruin our entire day? How quick are we to show anger rather than love?
So, I’ve shared a few of the main points I’ve gleaned from the Baha’i Faith, what have you learned? Have I shared anything about the Faith that you weren’t privy to before this month? I look forward to hearing from you. Next post we’ll talk about what I’ll change/add/adapt for the next month of Project Conversion.
Baha’i Persecution: Day 4
Here is the last account by the four individuals referenced to me by the National Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is of the United States. His name is Iraj Kamalabadi, brother of Fariba Kamalabadi, an imprisoned Baha’i leader.
Personal Statement:
I was born in 1958 and was raised in a Bahá’í family in northern Iran. After obtaining my high school diploma in 1976, I moved to the United States in January 1977 to pursue higher education. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts in 1982. After graduation, I began my professional career as a civil/transportation engineer, working with a number of consulting firms in various capacities, both in the United States and abroad. I currently work with URS Corporation as a transportation department manager in Southern California.
Relationship with my sister, Fariba Kamalabadi:
I am the elder brother of Ms. Fariba Kamalabadi, one of the seven Bahá’í leaders who was summarily arrested in the spring of 2008. These seven Bahá’í leaders are currently being held in Gohardasht prison in Iran, solely for their religious beliefs.
The Kamalabadi family’s experience with religious persecution dates back to the late 1980s when our father, Dr. Vali Kamalabadi, was arrested and imprisoned, following his dismissal from work without any pension or retirement; simply for being an active member of his local Bahá’í community. While in prison, he was severely tortured and brainwashed with electric shocks, which caused him to suffer a series of strokes after being released from prison and eventually resulted in his death in 1992.
My sister Fariba, who is a developmental psychologist and a mother of three, was arrested twice previously because of her active involvement in the Bahá’í community and her voluntary service to society at large. As a Bahá’í, she holds a very strong conviction and desire to be of service to her country and fellow citizens — a common belief shared by all Bahá’ís in the world.
No evidence was presented at my sister’s trial to support the accusations leveled against her, or any of the Bahá’í leaders who are currently serving 10-year sentences in Iran. This injustice has prompted me to speak publicly to journalists and at various human rights events to raise awareness about my sister’s case, and that of all the Bahá’ís in Iran.
—————
Photo taken by CNN
Here is a photo of the four individuals we’ve heard from this week. Each of them speak around the country to media outlets and government officials in an effort to bring awareness to the lack of human rights suffered by Baha’is and other religious minorities in Iran. You can find additional coverage here and here.
What we must understand and take from these stories isn’t one of animosity or hatred toward the Iranian government. Baha’is have a strict moral code to obey their government, which is why many stay to try and foster change from within. They are patriots. Despite the torture and loss of life and freedom, the Baha’is there aren’t asking for your anger or outrage, because they exhibit none. Like Baha’u'llah and Abdu’l'Baha before them, the tighter the authorities squeeze them and increase their suffering, the more their light spills between the fingers of Iran’s fist. What we can do–from the outside–is increase awareness and political pressure on Iran. There is no room in our world for behavior like this. Visit the Iran page at the United States Baha’i site to learn more and find out what you can do to help with this cause.
On a local and everyday level, I want you to walk away from this with a new appreciation for your rights as a free citizen to worship as you please. However, while our laws do not discriminate based upon one’s faith, we as individuals too often do. Much of this is due to misunderstanding and a failure to communicate. Why not set up a prayer meeting for multiple faiths? Or how about a local seminar and invite leader from different faith organizations from around your area to share information about their religion? Organize an interfaith community outreach program…these are only the tip of the iceberg. The point here is to rise to action. Instead of feeling sorry for the Baha’is imprisoned in Iran, take the torch they have extended to us and run. If enough of us take up the fire of change, unity and love, the whole world will be illumined.
Here is a prayer we can all say:
With great humbleness and entire devotion I pray to Thee to make me a minaret of Thy love in Thy land, a lamp of Thy knowledge among Thy creatures, and a banner of divine bounty in Thy dominion.
Baha’i Persecution: Day 3
Today we will hear from 21-year-old Sina Sabet Sarvestani, first cousin to Raha Sabet. Sina’s story is one of bravery in the midst of great difficulty, and the ability to peel darkness away from light. Please read and pass along the following account:
Personal Statement:
My name is Sina Sabet Sarvestani and I spend most of my week working with other Dallas youth, trying to make a difference in the lives of younger youth in our neighborhoods. Raha Sabet, my first cousin, is imprisoned for doing the exact same thing in Iran.
I serve as a coordinator for the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program in Dallas, Texas, a
Bahá’í-inspired program that empowers junior youth (ages12-15) to take charge of their own spiritual and intellectual growth and to contribute to the betterment of their communities. Currently, we have 16 junior youth groups in different neighborhoods of Dallas; consisting of more than 135 diverse participants. The program has provided an environment of mutual support for the group members and an opportunity for the Dallas youth to take part in social action. Our work has gained the support of Dallas Police and the Dallas Independent School District.
When we fled Iran in 2005, my family and I traveled by train to Turkey and went to the United Nations office in Ankara. After a series of interviews, the U.N. decided to send us to the United States, which was already accepting Iranian Bahá’í religious refugees. I was not fluent in English when we arrived in New York City on September 8, 2006. The next day, we flew to Dallas to take a shot at the American dream and, for the first time, experienced religious freedom.
After my intense culture shock subsided, I immediately got involved with soccer, the yearbook committee, track and field, cross country, Link Crew leadership program and student government at Emmet J. Conrad High School, in addition to academic achievements. I even ran for junior class president. I just wanted to try every opportunity possible. I was like a caged bird, who had just gained his freedom. After a year and a half at Emmet J. Conrad High School, I transferred to Plano West High School. I’m currently studying to be a middle school teacher at Richland College, an opportunity that would not be available to me if I had stayed in Iran.
I was born in January 1990 in Shiraz, Iran. I grew up in a Bahá’í home. Very soon, I learned about my family members, who were imprisoned and killed in 1983, a few years after the revolution in Iran. Ahmad Ali Sabet, my grandfather, and Akhtar Sabet, my second cousin, were among hundreds of Bahá’í martyrs after the revolution. Their crime was simply being Bahá’ís and serving their fellow countrymen. I grew up knowing that I was being persecuted.
In first grade, my parents had to explain to me why I should stop teaching my classmates Bahá’í songs and prayers. I also had to be careful about revealing my Bahá’í identity to teachers, students, officials, etc… In 5th grade, my opportunity to enroll in a special talented and gifted middle school was taken away simply because my mom refused to recant our Bahá’í Faith. In middle school, I was making the highest grades in all my classes including the “Islamic Religious Teachings” and “Quran” courses. But opportunities for academic leadership were always denied to me and given, instead, to the Muslim students.
Often in school, certain teachers would talk about how nasty, unclean, and evil the Bahá’í people are. In 8th grade, once again I was denied the opportunity to enroll in a special talented and gifted high school. When I told my friend, on the last day of school, that I would not join him in the new school next year, he asked me why. He was shocked to hear that I was a Bahá’í. His best friend all year long had been a Bahá’í. How is that possible? He left me with a “Good Luck!” and a confused face. My non-Bahá’í, Iranian classmates would tease me and ask why I even bothered coming to class since I knew that I could not continue my education after high school.
Relationship with my cousin, Raha Sabet:
While we have the freedom to promote the junior youth spiritual empowerment program here in the United States, the story is different for my cousin. Raha Sabet was arrested in 2006 for putting
together a similar program in a few deprived neighborhoods of Shiraz. Even though Raha’s group became integrated with a local non-governmental organization and had the support of a number of Muslim residents, the Iranian government eventually caught wind of the group and arrested everyone involved. After the arrests, the government decided to release the Muslim participants, but detained the Bahá’ís, convicting them of “indirect teaching of the Bahá’í Faith.” Raha and two other Bahá’í colleagues were sentenced to four years in prison. Haleh Rouhi and Sasan Taqva were released from the temporary detention center where they had been held for the duration of their incarceration, on December 8, 2010.
I’ve had a few opportunities to talk to Raha. Since the government monitors these phone calls, we have to be careful about what we talk about. She wishes that she was free to continue her social work and be of service to her country.
Update: On February 2, the Bahá’í World News Service reported that Raha Sabet is on temporary release until the receipt of her official pardon.
——–
Thank you Sina for sharing this inspiring account. What a fantastic method of honoring your mentor, family member, or hero: take their persecution/imprisonment and use their so-called “crime” to build your own social movement. This is a classic case of turning lemons into lemonade that we could all learn from. Baha’u'llah and his son, Abdu’l'Baha, made a great example of this whereby the founding of the Baha’i Faith was in essence founded by two men who spent most of their lives in prison.
What can you do today to draw light from darkness? How can you take a bad situation and transform it into a blessing to others? The opportunity to do great good doesn’t always come at the most convenient times, but often in the blackest of night, when nothing seems possible. I encourage you today to be the light that scatters the night and brings forth a new day.
Baha’i Persecution: Day Two
As we continue our week exploring the issue of Baha’i persecution in Iran, we are given the account of Mr. Kamal Khanjani, brother of Jamaloddin Khanjani, imprisoned Bahá’í leader. His statement follows:
Personal Statement:
I arrived in the United States in 1978 after studying electrical engineering Isfahan, Iran. In the United States, I started my own business doing air conditioning, heating and refrigeration. After running this business for almost 25 years, I sold it last year. I received awards for excellence, including the Pinnacle Award from the Better Business Bureau for five years in a row.
My childhood and elementary school years were spent in a town in northern Iran called Sangsar. For high school, college and the rest of my time in Iran, I lived in Isfahan. As a Bahá’í, I was often confronted by teachers, the school’s faculty, and other students, as well as ordinary people outside of school.
Relationship with my brother, Jamaloddin Khanjani:
Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani is my oldest brother. I am the youngest of the seven siblings. He is not
only my oldest brother, but was a father to me, as well as a friend. Before the revolution, I witnessed his life and routine. He was up until midnight, or later, six nights a week, serving as a member of the Bahá’í Local Spiritual Assembly, which has since been disbanded, and assisting with other needs of the local Bahá’í community.
The seventh night he hosted a study session for 40 students, both boys and girls, who, for various reasons, could not go to school. Jamaloddin and his wife, Ashraf, took full responsibility for these kids and supervised their needs, including accommodations, food, medication, and other daily necessities. All of these students finished elementary school and most of them finished high school. A few were even sent abroad to pursue higher education.
My brother and I managed and operated a brick factory which, at that time, was uniquely sophisticated. After the Islamic Revolution, it was confiscated by the regime. Jamaloddin was arrested several times and his incarceration lasted from a few days to a few months at a time. Since the last incarceration on May 14, 2008, I have received some phone calls from him. The first time he called, I was away from my phone, but he was able to leave me a message. I have had the privilege of speaking with him in more recent phone calls.
My beloved brother’s character, his belief in his faith, his sincerity and his devotion have inspired, and continue to inspire, my life.
————
Again, I only ask that you share these stories with others. So often we take our freedoms of religious expression and assembly for granted. The Baha’is of Iran and indeed other minority faiths in that nation and elsewhere do not have such privileges. Only when we put aside our differences and struggle to ensure that ALL of mankind’s basic rights are observed can we call ourselves noble, good…Human.
Baha’i Persecution: Day 1
I’ve waited all month for this. The Baha’is have been exceedingly kind to me as I’ve explored their faith. They’ve welcomed me into their world with open arms…as if I were already one of them. Now, I get the chance to compensate them for their hospitality.
Week Three of Project Conversion in any given month covers social issues within the faith. Few struggles penetrate the hearts of the Baha’i faithful as deeply as the their persecution in Iran. For the next four days, I will post an account of one person with a family member currently serving jail time in Iran…simply for being Baha’i.
The first account is that of Ms. Azadeh Rohanian Perry, sister-in-law of Mr. Saeid Rezaei, a Baha’i leader currently in prison. Thank you Ms. Ariel Olson Surowidjojo, Media Relations Officer of External Affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the U.S. for providing this information. You can read more about the situation in Iran here.
Personal Statement:
“I was born into a Bahá’í family in Shiraz, Iran. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the persecution of Bahá’ís increased significantly. My family members lost their jobs and were expelled from school. My sister’s house was burned, and she and another sister lost everything in the fire. Almost all our Muslim ‘friends’ turned away from us, and my classmates couldn’t talk to me if they wished to go to University. I was not expelled, but I had constant difficulties, including psychological manipulation and pressure not only from teachers and administrators, but from religious clerics. For example, at one time people used to come and throw stones at our house and break windows. They even said that they would attack the house and rape the girls, so we had to go and stay at a friend’s house for a week or so, until the group got tired and gave up.
In this period, in Shiraz, hundreds of Bahá’ís were imprisoned and 27 were executed—a majority of these were our close family friends, including the 17-year-old Mona Mahmudnizhad (executed in 1983 for teaching Bahá’í children’s classes) and her dear father Yadu’llah Mahmudnizhad, two eminent Bahá’ís, our family doctor, and my sisters’ and brothers’ close friends.
Three months before Mona Mahmudnizhad’s arrest, in the summer of 1982, we moved to Mazindaran (a province in the North of Iran). Our house was in the middle of nowhere. When I went to my first day of school there, I refused to demonstrate against America, England and Israel in political rallies, and the principal would not allow me into the class. For two or three months, I sat in the schoolyard every day with nothing to do. Our family eventually moved back to Shiraz in 1986.
I left Iran in May 1987. My parents asked me to leave Iran because they feared for my safety, especially in the event anything were to happen to them. My brothers were leaving, my parents’ extended families were Muslim, and with women’s rights as they are in Iran they thought it best that I also escape. With little choice, I left Iran on May 6, 1987.
At that time, Bahá’ís couldn’t get passports and the only way one could leave Iran was to escape through either Turkey’s or Pakistan’s border. I left with a group of 15 people, including my oldest brother and his family. The trip was difficult, dangerous and took 10 days. We went from one smuggler’s hands to the next, all in great secrecy. We walked over mountains and desert under the cover of night, and several times our lives were in danger. The smugglers stole all my belongings. Eventually, I got my asylum paper and arrived in Lahore, Pakistan. Two weeks later, I was hit by a car, breaking my back. I was put in a body cast and was told I would probably never walk again. (Of course, I did.)
I lived in Lahore, Pakistan for 19 months as a Bahá’í refugee and then went to Melbourne, Australia in December 1989. I met my husband, Mark Perry, in Haifa, Israel in June 2000 and we got married in January 2001. I then moved to the United States, and we settled in Chapel Hill, NC in August 2001.
Relationship with my brother-in-law Saeid Rezaie:
On May 14, 2008, we received a phone call from Iran. It was my sister Shahin and her husband Saeid telling us that they just sent us a package of goodies. Our relationship had been refreshed by two recent reunions after not having seen each
other for 18 years. In March 2005, my husband Mark and I had a joyful meeting with them and other family members in Dubai. After 18 years, we were finally together again, and it was so wonderful to see my sisters, their families and my mother. We all had a great time together and decided that, while we can, we should meet again soon. So in August 2006, we had another reunion—this time in India—and again had a great time. Now on the phone, we remembered those reunions and laughed. At the end of the conversation, Saeid said let’s plan another trip where we can get together again.
Three days later, another one of my sisters called and gave me the news that Saeid had been arrested, along with other members of the Yaran, the appointed stewards of the Iranian Bahá’í community. I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock and kept saying “Are you sure? I just talked to him three days ago.” My sister said, unfortunately, it was true. I then called my sister Shahin. I knew I had to be careful what I said because their phone would be tapped. She confirmed that he had been arrested. She said they had been taken to Evin prison and then apologized she hadn’t called me herself. The authorities had taken their address book along with many of their other possessions.
This was not the first time Saeid had been arrested. In April 2005—right after our reunion in Dubai—he had been arrested and held in Evin prison with five other Bahá’í men for six weeks. He told us about his experience in prison when we visited in India. He told us how he had been thinking about all of us and praying for us. We also heard stories from their two daughters, Martha and Maaman, and my other niece Rahil, who had been arrested and held for a week in May 2006 along with 51 other youth from Shiraz for conducting a Bahá’í-inspired literacy program with underprivileged youths. As part of their punishment, they were required to attend a three-year Islamic re-education class. This required the two young women to travel from Tehran to Shiraz every month.
Saeid’s second arrest was a different matter. For the first six months, all seven of the Yaran were held in solitary confinement and no family members were allowed to visit. Finally after six months, they let them have visitors, so my sister, her two daughters and pre-adolescent son were once again able to see him. Since that time, I have been calling Shahin once or twice a week to see what is happening, to hear any news and to make sure my sister and her family are doing okay. Of course, they try to be strong for one another, but they miss him very much. My nephew Peyvand has just started high school and he recently commented to my sister that he went through his entire middle school without having his dad around.
Saeid is such a wonderful father, a great husband and a very kind human being. I have known him for a long time and all I remember is how he has wanted to serve his faith and to help people. To see him now imprisoned (going-on three years) for no reason is truly heartbreaking. These individuals are innocent and don’t deserve to be in prison for a single day. I am very worried about his and the others’ health.
I met Saeid when I was very young, before he married my sister. We were living in Shiraz. At one point, we moved to a house and some of our neighbors were relatives of his. When Saeid graduated from university, he moved to the northern part of Iran where he and a friend planned to start an agricultural endeavor and to serve the Bahá’í community. He would come to visit his family as much as he could, and each time he came, we would see him and hear of all the activities he was engaged in. One of these times when he came to visit, he showed his interest in my sister and asked her to go out. His trips back to Shiraz increased. He would travel all the way just to see my sister for a short time, and then he would return home on the bus. The care he had for family and the people around him always amazed me.
When he and my sister got married, she moved to the north with him. It was so hard for us to say goodbye, but we knew she would be happy because Saeid was so wonderful. A year later, my family moved, as well, to the north in order to be close to them, and also because they needed a Bahá’í family to move there. There Saeid had many classes for youth and older children, which I attended. Saeid was unable to get a job after his graduation because he was a Bahá’í, so he would do any job to make a living.
One summer he was working on his sister’s house, and my brother and I would go and help him. It was so much fun. We laughed a lot together, and again I got to see again how wonderful and caring he was. I have so many memories of Saeid, and it makes me so proud to know him and to have him as my brother-in-law. Eventually, we all moved back to Shiraz, where Shahin and Saeid raised their children up until four years ago, when their family moved to Tehran in order for him to fulfill his responsibilities as one of the seven members of the Yaran.
In August, when the judge announced the 20-year sentence for the seven Yaran, it was shocking news. Then, without informing their families or lawyers, they moved them to Gohardasht prison in the city of Karaj. We heard that the conditions of this prison are even worse than in Evin prison. One of the few improvements is that they are now able to call their family members from a phone in the prison. So early one morning, about 4 am, in late summer, we awoke to our phone ringing. We picked it up to hear—after two years time—Saeid’s voice on the other end. We couldn’t believe it. He told us how much he missed us all and how he thought about all the wonderful times we had together in Dubai and India. He said that he was praying for everyone and wanted us to be strong and content. After hanging up, I couldn’t fall back asleep; I was so thrilled to hear his voice. Twice since then we have been able to speak with Saeid over the phone.
Since the members of the Yaran were moved to Gohardasht prison, the female and male members of the family can’t visit in the same week; so my sister and her two daughters make the two-hour trip and visit Saeid one week and my thirteen-year-old nephew visits him the next week.
My heart is in Iran every day. I think about the seven members of the Yaran all the time and can’t stop worrying about them. I miss Saeid and his family very much, and every day I pray for all of them and ask God to protect them. This is all I can do.”
—————-
For the whole week, I don’t want you to simply read these stories and feel sorry for the people, I want you to take action. Read and then tell someone about it–pass along the link to either these posts or the address to the Baha’i website above. We need to talk about this and start turning the wheels of change. Iran is a breath away from committing outright genocide against these people. Isn’t it time we did something about it? Write your governement representatives and demand action to be taken. Blog about it. Start a petition. Organize a talk in your school. Seek out Baha’is in your community and join Study Circles to learn more. Don’t know how to find a study circle? No problem. You can do it the same way I did by going here.
We can turn this thing around, people. I swear we can.
-
Project Conversion in the News
-
In the News
-
Follow Me!