Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

Closed Doors
Since 1979, as part of a government plan to eradicate the Baha’i community in Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran has blocked the 300,000-member Baha’i community from higher education, refusing young Baha’is entry into universities and colleges. The government has also sought to close down Baha’i efforts to establish their own institutions of higher learning. In some cases, Baha’i children and youth have even been refused enrollment at secondary and primary schools.

These actions come against a wider picture of persecution of the Iranian Baha’i community that has included arbitrary executions, unjustified imprisonment, the confiscation of property, and severe restrictions on freedom of religious practice and worship. In that context, the efforts of the Iranian government to deny Baha’is access to education can only be seen as a coordinated effort to limit their progress within Iranian society.

Documenting a Policy of Denial
A confidential letter issued in 2006 by the director general of the Central Security Office of Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology instructs 81 Iranian universities to expel any student who is discovered to be a Baha’i. This memo, made public in August 2007, confirms that the expulsion of Baha’i students from Iranian universities is government policy, something Iranian authorities have repeatedly denied.

A letter dated November 2, 2006, from Payame Noor, an Iranian university, stated that it is official government policy to prevent Baha’is from enrolling in universities and that they must be expelled if discovered to have enrolled. That year Baha’i students were permitted to sit for the required qualification examinations and about 200 Baha’i students were admitted to a number of universities and colleges in Iran. Throughout the school year, however, at least 128 of those students were expelled after their universities became aware that they were Baha’is.

Dashed Hopes
The pre-enrollment application form for the entrance examination for technical and vocational institutes for the 2007-08 academic year had a question concerning religion for which the applicant is given only three choices: Christian, Jewish or Zoroastrian. If none of the boxes is marked, the form explains, the applicant will be considered Muslim. This effectively bars Baha’is from enrolling because, as a matter of religious principle, Baha’is do not misidentify their faith.

In January 2008, almost 800 of the more than 1,000 Baha’is who sat for and properly completed the entrance exam in June 2007 received word that their files are “incomplete” — thus preventing their enrollment. As Baha’i students went to the web site in 2008 to see the results of the national entrance examinations, they were shown an error message stating “Error: Incomplete File”. The URL of this message ended with “msg=error_bah.” When non-Baha’i students filled out the same form with a possible mistake, both the error message and the URL ending were different. As there were no mistakes made on the forms filled out by Baha’is, they appear to have been pre-identified and prompted to take a different course of action from other students.

• Read these two personal accounts from Iranian Baha’i students; one who received the error message when he tried to enroll, and the other was expelled three weeks before graduation: Hulaku’s account & Mahsa’s account.

Remaining Steadfast
On September 14, 2007, in the wake of new evidence that Iran had lied about its intention to allow Baha’i students into universities, the Universal House of Justice sent a letter to Iranian Baha’i youth encouraging them to respond with composure, perseverance, and a redoubled commitment to work towards the common good in Iran.

How you can help support Baha’i students
Students, faculty and academics around the world are protesting the treatment of Baha’i students in Iran and calling for equitable access to higher education in Iran. Review the sample actions below and consider how you can help.

• Join a social network devoted to defending the rights of Baha’is in Iran
• Organize a public event on campus in collaboration with like-minded organizations on human rights or the specific right to education
• Meet with university faculty and administrators and ask them to write letters of protest
• Ask faculty or student associations to pass resolutions on this issue
• Approach campus media or write op-ed pieces
• Blog about the issue and post a button on your blog