Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

On Thursday, September 9, Radio Free Europe’s “Watchdog” blog published a follow-up article on the destruction of 50 Baha’i homes in Ivel, Iran, in June.

Baha’i Ferdosieh Nikoumanesh, who now lives near Washington, D.C., spent many childhood summers at her grandparents home in Ivel before they left the village in 1983. She shared her memories of Ivel’s Baha’i community with Radio Free Europe in the following article:

Ferdosieh Nikoumanesh remembers a time when she and her family could live in peace as practicing Baha’is in the Iranian city of Ivel, where more than 50 Baha’i homes were demolished in June. Her childhood home, her grandparents’ home, and her grandfather’s store were among the many properties burned to the ground. Nikoumanesh and her husband now live in a suburb of Washington, D.C.

Nikoumanesh spent many of her childhood summers in Ivel, northeast of Tehran in Mazandaran Province, visiting her grandparents, who lived in the village until 1983.

She left Ivel when she was a little girl but still holds many memories of living alongside practicing Muslims. Baha’is have resided in Ivel for more than 160 years and once made up more than half of the population — building schools, a hospital, and stores.

While her family’s homes and shop were destroyed this summer, her memories remain alive.

“The best part of the summer was with my grandparents. The feelings I have toward the land [in Ivel] are because of how my grandparents took us there and showed us how to experience its generosity,” she said.

• Read the full Radio Free Europe article