WASHINGTON – A February 15 reception in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center drew a crowd of over 100 congressional staff members, State Department staff members, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and local community members. The event, which focused on the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran, and in particular on the imprisoned Baha’i leaders and educators, featured U.S. Congressman Robert Dold of Illinois, U.S. Congressman Michael Grimm of New York, U.S. Congressman Howard Berman of California, Victoria Alvarado, Director of the Office of International Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State, and Felice Gaer, Commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Kenneth Bowers, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, with Congressman Dold and Congressman Grimm at a February 15 reception on Capitol Hill spotlighting the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran. "We cannot allow the Baha'is to be left alone," said Congressman Grimm. Photo by Jack Gordon.
In his remarks, Congressman Dold noted that, with respect to Iran’s “state-sponsored brutality towards the Baha’is . . . our fight is certainly far from over,” and that “it is incumbent on the United States of America to make sure we are shining a light on the violations and atrocities that are happening all over the globe.”
Congressman Grimm discussed the unique Baha’i response to oppression, stating that, while “in many parts of the world people respond to injustice usually with violence, with anger, even with hatred, the Baha’is in Iran respond to this darkness with light,” remaining non-violent and obedient to the government, wishing their oppressors well, and seeking to serve their communities and their society. Stating that “we cannot allow the Baha’is to be left alone,” and noting that the Iranian government and the Iranian people are listening, he concluded that we must “make sure that they hear us, and that they hear us loudly and clearly.”
Congressman Howard Berman described the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran, stating, "We must not forget what the Iranian government is doing to their own people in their country." Photo by Jack Gordon.
Congressman Berman enumerated the many abuses the Iranian government perpetrates against the Baha’is, including executing and imprisoning Baha’is, and denying Baha’is the right to work, the right to obtain higher education, the right to bury their dead, the right to have their marriages recognized, and the right to practice their faith. He noted that the government’s use of the phrase “deviant sect” to describe the Baha’is “tells us almost everything we need to know about this dark regime.” He stated that “we must not forget what the Iranian government is doing to their own people in their country,” and urged the audience to raise awareness and take action for the Baha’is in Iran. Each of the Congressmen encouraged the support and passage of House Resolution 134 and Senate Resolution 80, identical concurrent resolutions that condemn the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran.
Ms. Alvarado spoke of the deepening human rights crisis in Iran and Iran’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” by the Secretary of State. She noted that Iran does in fact respond to international pressure, and discussed the U.S. government’s efforts to hold the Iranian government accountable for religious persecution and other human rights violations. She stated, “Calls for tolerance, condemnation of violations of human rights, and communications from religious leaders all contribute to lessening of the severity of punishments and improvements in prison treatment. If we can save one life, it is worth the effort.”
Victoria Alvarado, Director of the Office of International Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State, discussed the U.S. government's efforts to hold the Iranian government accountable for human rights violations against Baha’is and other religious minorities. "If we can save one life, it is worth the effort," said Ms. Alvarado. Photo by Jack Gordon.
Ms. Gaer noted that, while 200 Baha’is have been killed in Iran since 1979, “that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” as the Iranian government has engaged in a “systematic dehumanization and a systematic denial of human rights” designed to destroy the culture, religion, and community of the Baha’is of Iran. She noted the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s consistent efforts to combat religious persecution, and referred audience members to USCIRF’s most recent annual report, which documents “particularly severe religious freedom violations” against the Baha’is in Iran. Speaking of the need to resist the government’s attempts to dehumanize the Baha’is, she read the names of each of the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders known as the Yaran, and the names of each of the six imprisoned educators associated with the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education, and urged everyone to learn these names and learn about these individuals, and to remember them when engaging on Iran.
Speakers and audience members at the February 15 event promoting passage of House Resolution 134 and Senate Resolution 80. Photo by Jack Gordon.
The event featured music by harpist Alicia Zareey and guitarist John Albertson, including the performance of “One Hundred Thousand Veils,” a piece composed by Luke Slott for the Baha’is of Iran. The program also featured Cler Baheri and Naim Sobhani, Iranian-American Baha’is who spoke about their experiences of persecution in Iran. Ms. Baheri spoke of her father, who was executed in 1981, when she was 15 years old, for serving on the local Baha’i governing council of Tabriz. She stated that, “When I think of my father, I can take comfort in knowing that, because the international community spoke out – because the United States spoke out – there are now thousands of Baha’i youth whose fathers have not been killed.” Mr. Sobhani spoke of his own imprisonment in Iran as a young man, of his family’s long history of persecution because of their faith, and of his father, Riaz Sobhani, who is currently imprisoned in Iran because of his involvement with the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education. He stated, “My father needs you. Every Baha’i imprisoned in Iran needs you. Join me in calling on the government of Iran to release the Baha’is and all those who have been unjustly imprisoned, and to allow all Iranians to educate themselves, to practice their Faith, to express themselves, and to do all the other things that make us human.” He concluded, “I ask you to remember the people of Iran, and raise your voice.”
QUICK FACTS:
About the event:
Speakers included: U.S. Congressman Robert Dold; U.S. Congressman Michael Grimm; U.S. Congressman Howard Berman; Victoria Alvarado, Director at the Office of International Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State; Felice Gaer, Commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Cler Baheri; Naim Sobhani.
Musicians were: Alicia Zareey and John Albertson
Related News Story: http://news.bahai.org/story/888
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Tags: Baha'i educators, Baha'i Institute for Higher Education, bahai leaders, bahais in iran, BIHE, Capitol, Congress, Congressman, Felice Gaer, House Resolution 134, Howard Berman, Michael Grimm, persecution, religious freedom, Riaz Sobhani, Robert Dold, Senate Resolution 80, State Department, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF, Victoria Alvarado, Yaran
