Iran Accuses 7 Jailed Leaders of Bahai Faith of Espionage
The Washington Post / Thomas Erdbrink
18-Feb-2009 (6 comments)

Seven leaders of the Bahai faith who have been detained for more than eight months in Iran have been officially accused of espionage, a spokesman for the Iranian judiciary said Tuesday. "Next week, an indictment will be issued and will be discussed in court," judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi told reporters, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency. The seven leaders were arrested in May, prompting international criticism of Iran for its treatment of Bahai followers. The prosecutor general, Ayatollah Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi, wrote in a letter made public Sunday that there are "strong and long-term relations between the Bahais and the Zionists," as Iranian officials often refer to Israelis. The Bahai headquarters is in Haifa, Israel, but the denomination says it has adherents in virtually every country

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News Goffer

how news of "israel covert ops" is used

by News Goffer on Wed Feb 18, 2009 02:21 AM PST

IRI has had it in for Bahais since its inception.  Bahais have been harassed, imprisoned, and executed over the past three decades.  However, news of Israel "covert" activities in Iran only provides further excuses for IRI officials to act even more brutally toward Bahais, long accused of being Israeli spies to deflect attention from IRI's lack of tolerance for religious minorities.

I believe Bahais are paying the price for both Israel and IRI's actions and for members of a faith which promotes non-involvement in politics, this seems to be a very high and unjustified price to pay.



Balatarin
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Parthian

I say:

by Parthian on Wed Feb 18, 2009 08:41 PM PST

Nonsense! I usually like Gofer's stuff, but on this one he is dead wrong. This notion that IR needs an excuse to somehow do "bad" deeds is a huge logical flaw perpetuated by many. As Nateghnouri, and Kashani have said in their sermons, we need no legitimacy from the outside world, or even the people of Iran, IR is a government of God(Allah).

The news about covert op came out after Bahais had been arrested. How about the thousands bahais before, or for that matter thousands of Iranians being persecuted. The fact is that if IR wants someone jailed, it will do so.


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Your question

by Ali Najafi (not verified) on Wed Feb 18, 2009 11:39 AM PST

I think that Leonard shared the letter written by Kurds to show that there is international outrage at the persecution facing the Baha'is in Iran. As you know, Baha'is believe in obedience to government and do not work to undermine or overthrow any government. This is strictly followed.

Please read the October 2008 message from the Universal House of Justice (the international governing body of the Baha'is) to the Baha'is of Iran. The whole letter is remarkable. However, paragraph 3 on page 1 specifically answers your question.

//www.bwns.org/sites/news.bahai.org/files/doc...


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Is this a convenience

by ?? (not verified) on Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:20 AM PST

Is this a convenience marriage of the Bahais and the seperaist kurds ?


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Hope to save 7 lives.. through the online press... like M. Luthe

by Leonard Musta (not verified) on Wed Feb 18, 2009 09:27 AM PST

Hope to save 7 lives.. through the online press... like M. Luther was saved by the printing press 488 years ago

//www.iranpresswatch.org/2009/02/kurdish-stat...

We, writers and journalists from Kurdistan in adherence to our humanitarian responsibilities, wish to inform the people of Kurdistan in general, and in particular those who live in Iran, of the reality that the Baha’i Holy Places and the World Centre of the Baha’i Faith were established 80 years prior to the formation of the State of Israel and during the reign of the Ottoman Empire in the two cities of Haifa and ‘Akka; that the Founder of the Baha’i Faith – an independent religion with its own exclusive order – was exiled to that land by the order of the Iranian rulers of the time; that there is no relationship between Zionism, in a political sense, and Baha’ism with its religious foundations; and that we wish to announce our unconditional support for Kurdish Baha’is, for non-Kurdish Baha’is living in Kurdistan, for the nearly 350 thousand Baha’is living in Iran (and constituting the largest religious minority in the country), and for over six million Baha’is living across the globe bringing this religion to recognition as the second most widespread religion on earth.


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Right!

by NotYourBusiness (not verified) on Wed Feb 18, 2009 06:12 AM PST

You say:
I believe Bahais are paying the price for both Israel and IRI's actions and for members of a faith which promotes non-involvement in politics, this seems to be a very high and unjustified price to pay.

I say:
exactly!


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