Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

For a group that prides itself on tolerance, Baha’is have drawn a lot of intolerance, especially in Iran, where the religion originated. Ever since Baha’i began, its followers have come under attack by fundamentalist Muslims. An early incarnation of Baha’is, the Babis, saw 20,000 of their members killed in the mid-19th century, and Baha’is founder, Baha’u’llah, spent most of his life either in prison or in exile.

In an article published July 22, 2009, in the National Review Online, J. K. Choksy & Nina Shea call attention to Iran’s harsh treatment of religious minorities, including Baha’is. From the article: Thus Iran’s Zoroastrians, Jews, Mandeans, Christians, and Bahais are subordinated and indeed treated as a fifth column by the revolutionary Islamic Republic. No [...]

The Jerusalem Post published an article about the Middle East Youth organization’s initiative encouraging people to send postcards to Iranian officials in an effort to challenge the country’s recent claim that it is protecting its national security by arresting rights activists, outspoken critics and religious minorities like the Baha’is. Visit Postcards for Iran

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today called on the Iranian judicial authorities to account for the detention of the six leading members of the Baha’i Faith, who have been taken to Evin prison.

On Thursday, March 13, witnesses testified about the human rights situations of Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities before the Iran Working Group, a Congressional body co-chaired by Congressman Mark Kirk and Congressman Robert Andrews. The meeting included a testimony on the situation of the Baha’is in Iran, by Ms. Kit Bigelow, Director of External Affairs [...]

The New York Times published a piece by Lionel Beehner, staff writer for the Council on Foreign Relations, about human rights in Iran. The section about the persecution of religious or ethnic minorities makes reference to the the Baha’is: