A delegation of religious leaders in the United Kingdom today met with Alistair Burt, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, presenting him with an open letter calling for the release of the seven imprisoned Iranian Baha’i leaders.
Addressed to UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, the letter was signed by 50 individuals representing virtually every religious community in the United Kingdom, including the Baha’i Faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, and Sikhism.
Signatories to the letter included Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, and Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra. His Grace Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church Centre, handed the message to Mr. Burt.
The 50 leaders asked Mr. Hague to renew his support for the seven and “all members of Iran’s long-suffering and largest religious minority, the Baha’i community.”
“Iran has abandoned every legal, moral, spiritual and humanitarian standard, routinely violating the human rights of its citizens,” they wrote. “The government’s shocking treatment of its religious minorities is of particular concern to us as people of faith.”
Mr. Burt responded after the meeting, saying: “I am happy to accept this open letter calling for the release of seven Baha’i leaders currently in prison in Iran. It is a fine example of interfaith co-operation from across the many faith groups in the UK.”
“I urge Iran to release the seven Baha’i leaders and to take immediate steps to stop the systematic persecution of the Baha’i community. Iran should stop the repression of any group on the grounds of their religion or belief, should respect the human rights of all its citizens, and engage seriously with the international community on improving its human rights record,” said Mr. Burt.
Also among the religious leaders who signed the letter were:
- The Most Revd Dr Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales
- Mr Vivian Wineman, President, Board of Deputies of British Jews
- Mr Swaminathan Vaidyanathan, Acting Secretary-General, Hindu Forum of Britain
- Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE, Network of Sikh Organisations
- Maulana M Shahid Raza OBE, Chief Imam of Leicester Central Mosque, Chairman of Imams and Mosques Council
- Imam Mufti Dr Abduljalil Sajid, Chairman Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony UK
- Acharya Modgala Duguid, Amida London Buddhist Centre
- Dr Natubhai Shah MBE, Founder Chair of the Jain Network
- The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United Kingdom
- The Revd Jonathan Edwards, General Secretary, Baptist Union Great Britain
The Foreign Office press release about the event can be read at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-office-urges-iran-to-free-bahai-leaders
To read the UK Baha’i News story, go to: http://news.bahai.org.uk/index.php/2013/05/15/faith-leaders-urge-william-hague-to-call-for-release-of-imprisoned-bahais-in-iran/
A PDF copy of the letter and list of signatories can be found here: Open letter to Foreign Secretary 14 May 2013 final