Islamic Tolerance Alert from the Islamic Republic. Watch for CAIR's Ibrahim Hooper, Honest Ibe himself, to dash off a CAIR Action Alert about how the Islamic Republic is Misunderstanding Islam, and calling for the release of these Baha'is. It's coming right up, isn't it, Honest Ibe?
"Five Baha'i followers arrested in Iran," from Reuters, February 14 (thanks to Kambiz):
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Five members of the outlawed Baha'i faith, which has been a target in a security crackdown sparked by post-election violence in Iran, have been arrested on unspecified charges, an Iranian newspaper said on Sunday."Iran's security forces have arrested five members of the outlawed Baha'i faith in Tehran," the pro-government Javan newspaper said, without giving a source.
It identified the fives detainees as Niki Khanjani, Ashkan Basari, Maria Jafari, Houman Sisani and Romina Zabihian.
"Some of the Baha'i leaders have escaped to Dubai and Turkey while others went to border cities to find human smugglers to get them out of Iran illegally," Javan said....
Seven Baha'is went on trial last month on charges of spying and collaborating with Israel. One Baha'i is among 16 being tried on connection with opposition protests that turned violent on December 27.
Exiled Baha'i leaders say hundreds of followers have been jailed and executed since 1979. The government denies it has detained or executed people for their religion....
The Iran mullah regime has been on a long campaign to destroy the Baha'i and all memory of them and their spiritual leaders. Shrines have been destroyed and adherents of the faith tortured and killed. It is not surprising because the Baha'i are the opposite of their persecutors. Their message is one of love and reconciliation between peoples. Having a majestic Baha'i center in a Garden of Eden setting in Haifa, Israel certainly must infuriate Iran's leaders.
"Iran's security forces have arrested five members of the outlawed Baha'i faith in Tehran,"
Now, now. Let's not get distracted from really important issues like the Swiss ban on minarets.
"The government denies it has detained or executed people for their religion...."
the clanging you hear in the background is that of the cell doors slamming shut after the Baha'i followers were thrown in....
"The government denies it has detained or executed people for their religion...."
The Iranian government lies...a lot...but what's new about that...If The supreme leader said he had egg for breakfast and there was egg on his shirt, I still would not believe him...
Just after Khomeini came to power, the hanging judge Khalkhali went into full swing. And there were firing-squads too, and the leaders of the Jewish and Baha'i communities were executed for...for being the leaders of the Jewish and Baha'i communities.
The Baha'is may even have it worse than the Jews in Iran, if such were possible, under the new regime. Why? Because Baha'is offer a way out of Islam, with a syncretistic religion that allows them to step away from Islam while retaining a few familiar and therefore comforting bits. And while Muslims disaffected with Islam do not convert to Judaism, they in the past could convert, and did, to the Baha'i faith. So it represents a threat to the Muslim order, however infinitesimal that threat may seem to us. And since those who guard Islam are terrified of the slightest crack, knowing how brittle the faith is, and how difficult, especially with the flow of information, to keep people from discovering all that is wrong with it, they have to stamp out the slightest perceived threat. And Baha'ism is, in Iran, one such threat. Besides, Baha'ism does not fit into the estasblished list of prior monotheisms, those of the Ahl al-Kitab or "People of the Book" and therefore is not entitled even to the official, most circumscribed and uncertain, "tolerance" as dhimmis (humiliated, degraded, subject to physical insecurity) allowed, under Islam, to Christians and to Jews.
Hugh wrote:
The Baha'is may even have it worse than the Jews in Iran, if such were possible, under the new regime. Why? Because Baha'is offer a way out of Islam
...............
Very true, Hugh.
There is another reason the peaceful Baha'i are especially hated, as well. Baha'i's prophet, Baha'ullah, came well after the "Prophet" Muhammed.
Muslims hold that Muhammed was the "seal of the prophets", and anyone claiming prophethood after him is singled out for the most vicious reprisals under Islam.