Recent Stories
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Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, left, pictured with his wife, Fatemah, and their two young sons. Photo credit: Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Subject: Human Rights
Geneva—4 October 2011—The Baha'i International Community has joined the call for the release of Youcef Nadarkhani, a Christian pastor from Rasht, Iran.
Pastor Nadarkhani, who is the father of two young children, leads a network of house churches. He was found guilty of apostasy – "turning his back on Islam" – and "converting Muslims to Christianity," and sentenced to death in September 2010.
Iran's Supreme Court recently asked for a re-examination of the case to establish whether or not he had been a practising Muslim adult before he converted to Christianity. The court ruled he was not but, nevertheless, is still... Read more . . . |
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Two Nobel Peace Prize laureates – Desmond Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, and Jose Ramos-Horta, President of East Timor – who have joined the global outcry at the persecution faced by Baha'i educators in Iran. (Photo credits: left, UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre; right, UN Photo/Ky Chung) Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
New York—26 September 2011—As a number of Baha'i educators appear in court in Iran, two Nobel Peace Prize winners have sharply criticized the Iranian government, comparing its actions to "the Dark Ages of Europe" or the "Spanish Inquisition."
The remarks by Desmond Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, and Jose Ramos-Horta, President of East Timor, appear in an open letter to the academic community published today in the Huffington Post, under the title "Iran's war against knowledge."
In the letter, the Nobel... Read more . . . |
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Diane Ala'i making oral statement. Click to see video statement. Subject: Human Rights
Geneva—23 September 2011—The Baha'i International Community made a statement on the situation of the Baha'is in Iran at the 18th session of the Human Rights Council. The statement focused on the right to education and the recent crackdown on the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education. "Today, nearly 100 Baha'is are in prison because of their beliefs," the statement read. "...None are spared, not even the dead whose resting places are desecrated, not even the little girl, a six year old child, whose hand is burnt in punishment by her ethics teacher, simply because she is a Baha'i. Despite all this, the Baha'is of Iran... Read more . . . |
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25,000 marchers took part in Rio's Religious Freedom Walk on 18 September 2011. Brazilian Baha'is are seen here carrying a banner which reads, "Peace, Respect and Unity of Peoples." 1,000 yellow vests bearing the slogan, "Today, we are followers of all religions" were distributed and worn by people of all faiths at the rally. Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—20 September 2011—The ongoing persecution of Iran's Baha'i community featured prominently as 25,000 people from Brazil's diverse traditions marched to defend the right to religious freedom and call for justice.
Established in 2008 by Rio's Committee for Combating Religious Intolerance (CCIR), the Religious Freedom Walk initially aimed to call attention to the prejudice faced in Brazil by followers of traditional Afro-Brazilian religions. Since then, the march has become an annual event, growing from 2,000 participants at the first rally to this year's record figure.
Yesterday, Afro-Brazilian... Read more . . . |
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Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
Geneva—16 September 2011—
As a number of Baha'is in Iran await trial for providing higher education to youth barred from university, the Baha'i International Community has been distressed to learn of the arrest of a lawyer who was preparing to defend them.
Abdolfattah Soltani – a senior member of the legal team representing the prisoners – was arrested last Saturday. Mr. Soltani was a co-founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center along with four other lawyers including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi. The Tehran-based Center was shut down in a... |
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Workshop participants discuss values underlying sustainable consumption and production at the DPI/NGO Conference in Bonn, Germany. Subject: Social and Sustainable Development
Bonn, Germany—5 September 2011—The Baha'i International Community’s 10-member delegation took part in the 64th Annual UN DPI/NGO conference, which focused on Sustainable Societies, Responsive Citizens (Bonn, Germany, 3-5 September). Delegates came from seven countries and were led by May Akale and Ming H. Chong (Baha'i International Community's Representatives to the United Nations).
The Community's involvement at the Conference was multi-faceted and included a ... Read more . . . |
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The 16 Baha'is initially detained after Iranian authorities raided around 30 homes associated with staff and faculty of the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education, in May this year. Most recent information indicates that 11 remain in prison. Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
New York—27 August 2011—In an open letter to Iran's minister for higher education, the Baha'i International Community is calling for an end to "the unjust and oppressive practices" that bar Baha'is and other young Iranians from university.
"This letter affirms every person's duty to acquire knowledge so that they can contribute their talents and skills to the betterment of society," said Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.
"To actively deprive any youth of education is reprehensible and against all legal, religious, moral, and humanitarian standards. No... Read more . . . |
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Three recent reports published by major human rights organizations that highlight Iran's treatment of its Baha'i citizens. The reports have been issued by the International Federation for Human Rights (top left), Amnesty International (bottom left) and Minority Rights Group International (right). Geneva—23 August 2011—Iran's treatment of its Baha'i citizens has been identified as a major area of concern in three important new surveys carried out by international human rights organizations.
The reports have recently been issued by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Minority Rights Group International (MRG) and Amnesty International.
The highlighting of the situation of Iranian Baha'is within the broader framework of international human rights violations has been welcomed by the Baha'i International Community.
"Each of these reports surveys a major issue area – minorities, women... Read more . . . |
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Subject: Persecution of the Baha'i Community
Geneva—10 August 2011—
In an outrageous new incident of religious discrimination, authorities in the city of Tabriz, Iran, have refused to allow Baha'is to bury a relative in accordance with Baha'i law – and instead have promised to entomb the deceased woman without a coffin under Muslim rites.
"To anyone who understands the culture of the Middle East, the idea that the government would force a family to bury their loved one according to the rites of another religion is beyond the pale," said Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community... |
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Subject: Social and Sustainable Development
United Nations—5 August 2011—
The images, broadcast around the globe by CNN and other major news networks, were compelling in their pageantry: some 1,000 religious leaders, representing every major world religion and resplendent in an array of saffron robes, purple vestments, white turbans and black cassocks, were gathered together in the stately General Assembly building of the United Nations.
Yet more significant than the imagery of the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders, held 28-31 August 2000 at the UN and at the Waldorf-... |
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