Bahai'at

[Rasputin]

UNITED NATIONS - An Iranian of the Bahai faith has died in his jail cell of unknown causes, 10 years after being imprisoned by Tehran for abandoning Islam, the Bahai International Community said on Monday.

Zabihollah Mahrami, 59, had been sentenced to death by Iran's Revolutionary Court in January 1996, but the sentence was later commuted to life in prison following an international outcry.

"His death comes amidst ominous signs that a new wave of persecutions has begin" in Iran, the group's UN office said in a statement. At least 59 Bahais have been arrested, detained or imprisoned so far this year, up sharply from the last several years, it said.

The Bahai faith, an offshoot of Islam, originated in Iran 150 years ago. It claims five million members in 191 countries world-wide, including thousands in Iran where it is officially considered "a misleading and wayward sect."

Mahrami died in his cell last Thursday in a government prison in Yazd, where he had been forced to perform arduous physical labor and was the regular target of death threats, said Bani Dugal, Bahia's principal representative to the United Nations. She did not say where her information came from.

"In this light there should be no doubt that the Iranian authorities bear manifest responsibility for the death of this innocent man, whose only crime was his belief in the Bahai faith," Dugal said.

Mahrami was a civil servant who, like many other Bahais, lost his job following Iran's 1979 revolution. More than 200 Iranian Bahais have been killed and hundreds more imprisoned since 1978, the group said.

He was earning a living installing Venetian blinds when arrested in 1995 on charges of "apostasy," a term used in Iran to denote abandoning Islam.

He was sentenced to death in January 1996, triggering protests from the European Parliament and numerous governments including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Britain and the United States.

Iranian officials later said he had been sentenced to death for spying for Israel rather than following the Bahai faith. His death sentence was in any case quietly dropped in 1999.

[Rasputin]

NEW YORK,A Baha'i who was wrongly jailed in Iran for 10 years died in his prison cell of unknown causes on Thursday, 15 December 2005, the Baha'i International Community has learned.
Mr. Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, 59, was held in a government prison in Yazd under harsh physical conditions at the time of his death.

His death comes amidst ominous signs that a new wave of persecutions of Baha'is has begun. This year so far, at least 59 Baha'is have been arrested, detained or imprisoned, a figure up sharply from the last several years.

Arrested in 1995 in Yazd on charges of apostasy, Mr. Mahrami was initially sentenced to death. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment after an international outcry and widespread media attention.

"The worldwide Baha'i community mourns deeply the passing of Mr. Mahrami, who was unjustly held for a decade on trumped-up charges that manifestly violated his right to freedom of religion and belief," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

"While the cause of his death is not known, Mr. Mahrami had no known health concerns," said Ms. Dugal.

"We also know that Mr. Mahrami was forced to perform arduous physical labor and that he had received death threats on a number of occasions.

"In this light, there should be no doubt that the Iranian authorities bear manifest responsibility for the death of this innocent man, whose only crime was his belief in the Baha'i Faith," said Ms. Dugal.

"In our mourning, we nevertheless hope that Mr. Mahrami's unexplained passing will not go unnoticed by the world at large and, indeed, that his case might become a cause for further action towards the emancipation of the Baha'i community of Iran as a whole," said Ms. Dugal.

Born in 1946, Mr. Mahrami served in the civil service but at the time of his arrest was making a living installing venetian blinds, having been summarily fired from his job like thousands of other Baha'is in the years following the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Although Iranian officials have asserted that Mr. Mahrami was guilty of spying for Israel, court records clearly indicate that he was tried and sentenced solely on charge of being an "apostate," a crime which is punishable by death under traditional Islamic law.

Although Mr. Mahrami was a lifelong Baha'i, the apostasy charge apparently came about because a civil service colleague, in an effort to prevent Mr. Mahrami from losing his job, submitted to a newspaper an article stating that he had converted to Islam.

When it later became clear to Iranian authorities that Mr. Mahrami remained a member of the Baha'i community, they arrested him and charged him with apostasy for allegedly converting from Islam to the Baha'i Faith. On 2 January 1996, he was sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court, a conviction that was later upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court.

The death sentence against Mr. Mahrami stirred an international outcry. The European Parliament, for example, passed a resolution on human rights abuses in Iran, making reference to Mr. Mahrami's case. The governments of Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States also registered objections.

There was also significant media coverage of the case, in Le Monde and Liberation in France, as well as reports by the BBC, Reuters and Agence France Presse.

Although the authorities did not publicly bow to international pressure calling for Mr. Mahrami's release, in December 1999 they took the occasion of the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad to declare an amnesty and commuted his sentence to life imprisonment.

Since 1978, more than 200 Iranian Baha'i have been killed, hundreds more have been imprisoned, and thousands have been deprived of jobs, pensions and education as part of a widespread and systemic religious persecution by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

As of October, Mr. Mahrami was one of nine Baha'is being held in Iranian prisons. However, all of the others had been arrested in 2005.

Mr. Mahrami is survived by his aged mother, his wife, his four children, and his grandchildren.

Mr. Mahrami's funeral was held on Friday, 16 December 2005, the same day that the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution expressing "serious concern" over the human rights situation in Iran, making specific mention of the ongoing persecution of the Baha'i community there

[Rasputin]

UN calls on Iran to stop persecution of Baha'is

UNITED NATIONS, 17 December 2005 (BWNS) -- For the 18th time since 1985, the United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution expressing "serious concern" over the human rights situation in Iran, also making specific mention of the ongoing persecution of the Baha'i community there.
The resolution, which had been put forward by Canada and co-sponsored by 46 countries including Australia, the European Union, and the United States, passed by a vote of 75 to 50 on 16 December 2005.

Among other things, it called on Iran to "eliminate, in law or in practice, all forms of discrimination based on religious, ethnic or linguistic grounds, and other human rights violations against minorities, including Arabs, Kurds, Baluchi, Christians, Jews, Sunni Muslims and the Baha'i...."

The resolution quite specifically takes note of the upsurge in persecution against Iran's 300,000-member Baha'i community, noting the "escalation and increased frequency of discrimination and other human rights violations against the Baha'i, including cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, the denial of freedom of religion or of publicly carrying out communal affairs, the disregard of property rights, the destruction of sites of religious importance, the suspension of social, educational and community-related activities and the denial of access to higher education, employment, pensions, adequate housing and other benefits...."

The resolution also encourages various agencies of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to continue to work to improve the human rights situation in Iran, and at the same time it calls on the government of Iran to cooperate with these agencies.

[Michellica]

ey cyrus kojayee ke ina daran tof mikonan be karaye ke kardi

[EverGreen]

Bahai'at

Woooow. Damet garm bache tehroon.

[khanoomi]

Bahai'at

Donsaeid az man khast yekam information darbareye dine Bahai beheton bedam manam nakhastam harfesho zamin bezanam vali aslan dost nadaram kasi behem ya be dinam tohin kone.

امر بـهائی جوانترين دين از اديان مستقلّ جهان است و تجديد دين از اصول اين آئين است زيرا در هر زمان مقتضيّات جامعه بشری تغيير ميپذيرد و در هر عصری دينی جديد موافق با مقتضيّات جهان و نيازمندی جهانيان ظاهر ميگردد. بـهائيان معتقدند که
حضرت بـهاءالله، بنيانگذار امر بـهائی (۱۸۱۷- ۱۸۹۲) جديدترين فرستاده الهی در سلسله پيامبران پيشين چون حضرت ابراهيم، موسی و بودا و زردشت و مسيح و بالاخره حضرت محمّد است و رسالتش برای ايجاد تمدّنی جديد و جهانی است که بشر در اين زمان بدان نيازمند است.
محور تعاليم پيام بـهائی وحدت عالم انسانی است يعنی وقت آن آمده است که بشر از هر قوم و نژادی به يگانگی رسند و همه در ظلّ يک جامعه جهانی درآيند. حضرت بـهاءالله فرموده است که خداوند بيمانند نيروهائی را در جهان بکار گماشته است تا آنچه را که بر حسب سنّتهای پيشين سبب جدائی و اختلاف ميان اقوام و طبقات و اديان و ملل عالم گشته است از ميان بردارد و مهمترين کاری که امروز بشر بايد بآن پردازد وحدت عالم انسانی و تلاش و کوشش در راه اتّحاد و اتّفاق اهل عالم است.

يکى از اهداف و مقاصد دين بـهائی بذل و همّت و مساعدت در اين مسير است. از اين روی امر بـهائی جامعهای جهانی مرکّب از قريب به ۵ ميليون نفر از اکثر ملل و نژادها و فرهنگهای جهان بوجود آورده و تعاليم حضرت بـهاءالله را در آن جامعه تجسّم بخشيده است. آزمايشی که بهائيان در اين راه کردهاند سبب تشويق کسانی است که از همان راه ميپويند و نوع انسان را اعضاء يک خاندان و کره زمين را يک وطن ميدانند

[khanoomi]

Amaken moghadase dine Bahai

inja man axhaye moghadase dine Bahai ro mizaram

[Rasputin]

Thx for info

[khanoomi]

Redwin jan sharmande man nemidonestam to darbarash neveshti sorry aziz

[Rasputin]

Through the desert
A message of religious tolerance




June 8, 2006
iranian.com

Excerpt from "Veiled Souls" by Katrin Kassiri & Reza Safarnejad (PublishAmerica 2006).

In 1976 Iran is a peaceful, prosperous and Westernized country. Katrin is an eight year old girl growing up in Northern Iran in a family who follows a minority religion known as the Bahai Religion. Katrin's seventeen year old sister, Nassrin, commits suicide when Katrin's father disapproves of Nassrin's relationship with Hossein who came from a Moslem family.

As the family works through their grief, Iran's political situation destabilizes when various political factions such as pro-democracy students and Islamic fundamentalists vie to overthrow the government through a violent revolution. The bloody revolution is followed by a full-scale with Iraq, as Iran's government cracks down on the civil rights of its citizens and openly discriminates against Bahais. Katrin who sees no future for herself in Iran decides to leave for the United States, but she has to brave a trip through the desert of Eastern Iran into Pakistan with the aid of human traffickers.

Her story in the United States is a personal account with a fresh view of an Iranian Bahai who is new to the Western culture as she struggles to find her place in life. There are more twists and turns when she falls in love with a Moslem man who is younger than her and his mother will not give her blessing to their marriage.

The main subject of this "Veiled Souls" is Katrin's emotional story with a message of religious tolerance. It is an allegorical tale for all who have ever lost control of their lives as a consequence of unforeseen events or prejudices of society. This book is very unique because it gives the readers a first hand and unbiased view of Iran's revolution, the Iran-Iraq war and the changes that took place in post-revolution Iran. It is also unique because this is the only known book written by a Bahai without the review and approval of the Bahai religious governing council.


I put the picture in a frame in plain view to help me remember her from a kinder, gentler time of her life. Perhaps someday it would help me tell my children the story of where their parents and grandparents came from, to pass on the lessons of our lives onto my children. How would I tell them my story, when so much of it took place in a different world? A world that is completely unknown to them. It scares me to think that my children and I come from two different worlds. How can I bridge the gap between these two worlds? How can I make them understand? Then again, I think that all parents and their children come from different worlds; some separated by the physical distance of their cultures, others by the generation gap.

My parents came from a small village in northern Iran by the Caspian Sea where everything is lush green and beautiful unspoiled beaches are just a brisk walk away. This quiet and inconsequential farming village was where they grew up, fell in love and got married. My mother was only seventeen and two years younger than my father when they married, although they had a good reason to get married at such a young age. My mother was already pregnant with their first child and in such a small community this was about as scandalous as it could get. Having a child so soon into their marriage was not a problem for my parents because they both loved children. Naturally they did not stop after the first one. I was the last of eight children; four boys followed by four girls, as they reached for hormonal balance in the house.

My parents had a wonderful relationship. They used to play cards and joke around when they were together. My father had a government job administering basic health exams and vaccinating children in small towns that paid enough to make a modest living. Even though we could not afford most luxuries, it never bothered us. The economy had been growing rapidly in the last thirty years and the country’s standard of living was in line with most Western nations. My family moved to a town about a hundred miles away called Gonbad before I was born when my father received a well deserved promotion. Gonbad is made of a mix population of mostly Turkman, Mazandarani, Persian and Azari ethnics.

The Turkmans are descendants of Mongolian tribes. They would be considered Asian in America. The Persians look Middle Eastern by American standards and the Mazandarani are fair skinned and lite colored people, although the various races have been mixing for so many generations that it is impossible to find anyone of a single pure background. The Turkmans are mostly Sunni Moslems, while the Persians and Mazandaranis are mostly Shiite. A trip to Gonbad would leave a lasting impression on even the most unimaginative visitor, as the visions of men and women dressed in traditional Mongolian tribesmen clothing clashes with the machinery and glitter of modern day life in this thousand year old city.

Iran is one of the few countries in the world like the United States or Canada where people of all colors, ethnic and religious backgrounds live on the same street peacefully. This becomes an important issue to my story because my family follows a small and little known religion called the Bahai faith. The Bahai religion is not accepted by Moslems because Moslems believe Mohammad was the last prophet, while the Bahai faith was started by a man known as The Báb (The Gate) who promised a new prophet was to come about twelve hundred years after Mohammad.

Our home was a modest three bedroom with a large courtyard in the front that led to the street. The front courtyard was surrounded by tall brick walls with a metal gate that opened to the sidewalk outside. The yard’s ground was covered with white mosaic tiles and there was a small fountain pool at the center of the yard. Adjacent to each wall there was a flower garden.

Growing up in a Bahai family, I felt no different from other children my age. My earliest childhood memories are of playing with my sisters and friends. But my most vivid childhood memory is of a terrible night when I woke up to the sound of my mother screaming. It was still dark outside. I slipped out of bed rubbing my eyes and stumbled toward the door as I made my way through my room side stepping the toys on the floor. There were about a dozen men and women in our living room. Four women surrounded my mother who was sitting on the couch and sobbing out loud. I heard the words death and tragic over and over again as the men and women whispered to each other. I looked around the room for my sisters and my dad but I could not find them. Had something happened to my father? I felt confused and scared and I began to cry. So much had changed in the past year. We had lived in the same house as long as I could remember and life was just a comfortable childish routine for me, but then everything began to change.

By winter of 1976, my four brothers and my oldest sister had all left the house. Only the three youngest girls, Nassrin, Jacklyn and I were still living in the house. My youngest brother, Ghobaud, who had recently finished his military duty, was living with us temporarily until he found a job. Having Ghobaud in the house was both good and bad. My father was away most of the time on business trips. It was nice having a man in the house. It made me feel safe. At the same time Ghobaud was very strict with us, especially with my sister Nassrin who was seventeen and a high school senior. Like most Iranian teenagers in the seventies she wanted to freely date whomever she wished. I used to hear Ghobaud and Nassrin argue often about her makeup, whom she was with, and how late she came home. But to be completely honest, being a kid I was distracted easily by my friends playing outside and never paid much attention to their fights.

I was in the second grade and I envied Jacklyn who was four years older than me and sometimes got away with wearing make up. But of all my siblings, I loved Nassrin the most. She always looked out for me and bought me toys or ice cream when she had money. I used to watch Nassrin in the morning as she brushed her long straight brown hair and put on her makeup. She was beautiful. I wanted to be like her when I grew up. I tried to mimic her by brushing my hair with her brush and putting on her makeup. But I had curly hair and always ended up with knots in my hair and makeup ended up everywhere on my face except where it should go.

Nassrin had been spending less time with me since she started dating Hossein in early fall. I was jealous that Nassrin was not spending as much time with me as she used to, but I noticed how happy my mom was for the two of them. My mom invited Hossein over for dinner often and she always cooked something fancy when he came over. Through winter Nassrin and Hossein became closer and they were spending more and more time together. I asked my mother why they were always together. I did not quite understand the whole being in love thing, but I had heard enough love stories to accept it. I had seen them kiss, although they never kissed in public. But being the youngest child I could sometimes go unnoticed and see things others in the house did not.

[meysam_bache_bahal]

Through the desert
A message of religious tolerance




June 8, 2006
iranian.com

Excerpt from "Veiled Souls" by Katrin Kassiri & Reza Safarnejad (PublishAmerica 2006).

In 1976 Iran is a peaceful, prosperous and Westernized country. Katrin is an eight year old girl growing up in Northern Iran in a family who follows a minority religion known as the Bahai Religion. Katrin's seventeen year old sister, Nassrin, commits suicide when Katrin's father disapproves of Nassrin's relationship with Hossein who came from a Moslem family.

As the family works through their grief, Iran's political situation destabilizes when various political factions such as pro-democracy students and Islamic fundamentalists vie to overthrow the government through a violent revolution. The bloody revolution is followed by a full-scale with Iraq, as Iran's government cracks down on the civil rights of its citizens and openly discriminates against Bahais. Katrin who sees no future for herself in Iran decides to leave for the United States, but she has to brave a trip through the desert of Eastern Iran into Pakistan with the aid of human traffickers.

Her story in the United States is a personal account with a fresh view of an Iranian Bahai who is new to the Western culture as she struggles to find her place in life. There are more twists and turns when she falls in love with a Moslem man who is younger than her and his mother will not give her blessing to their marriage.

The main subject of this "Veiled Souls" is Katrin's emotional story with a message of religious tolerance. It is an allegorical tale for all who have ever lost control of their lives as a consequence of unforeseen events or prejudices of society. This book is very unique because it gives the readers a first hand and unbiased view of Iran's revolution, the Iran-Iraq war and the changes that took place in post-revolution Iran. It is also unique because this is the only known book written by a Bahai without the review and approval of the Bahai religious governing council.


I put the picture in a frame in plain view to help me remember her from a kinder, gentler time of her life. Perhaps someday it would help me tell my children the story of where their parents and grandparents came from, to pass on the lessons of our lives onto my children. How would I tell them my story, when so much of it took place in a different world? A world that is completely unknown to them. It scares me to think that my children and I come from two different worlds. How can I bridge the gap between these two worlds? How can I make them understand? Then again, I think that all parents and their children come from different worlds; some separated by the physical distance of their cultures, others by the generation gap.

My parents came from a small village in northern Iran by the Caspian Sea where everything is lush green and beautiful unspoiled beaches are just a brisk walk away. This quiet and inconsequential farming village was where they grew up, fell in love and got married. My mother was only seventeen and two years younger than my father when they married, although they had a good reason to get married at such a young age. My mother was already pregnant with their first child and in such a small community this was about as scandalous as it could get. Having a child so soon into their marriage was not a problem for my parents because they both loved children. Naturally they did not stop after the first one. I was the last of eight children; four boys followed by four girls, as they reached for hormonal balance in the house.

My parents had a wonderful relationship. They used to play cards and joke around when they were together. My father had a government job administering basic health exams and vaccinating children in small towns that paid enough to make a modest living. Even though we could not afford most luxuries, it never bothered us. The economy had been growing rapidly in the last thirty years and the country’s standard of living was in line with most Western nations. My family moved to a town about a hundred miles away called Gonbad before I was born when my father received a well deserved promotion. Gonbad is made of a mix population of mostly Turkman, Mazandarani, Persian and Azari ethnics.

The Turkmans are descendants of Mongolian tribes. They would be considered Asian in America. The Persians look Middle Eastern by American standards and the Mazandarani are fair skinned and lite colored people, although the various races have been mixing for so many generations that it is impossible to find anyone of a single pure background. The Turkmans are mostly Sunni Moslems, while the Persians and Mazandaranis are mostly Shiite. A trip to Gonbad would leave a lasting impression on even the most unimaginative visitor, as the visions of men and women dressed in traditional Mongolian tribesmen clothing clashes with the machinery and glitter of modern day life in this thousand year old city.

Iran is one of the few countries in the world like the United States or Canada where people of all colors, ethnic and religious backgrounds live on the same street peacefully. This becomes an important issue to my story because my family follows a small and little known religion called the Bahai faith. The Bahai religion is not accepted by Moslems because Moslems believe Mohammad was the last prophet, while the Bahai faith was started by a man known as The Báb (The Gate) who promised a new prophet was to come about twelve hundred years after Mohammad.

Our home was a modest three bedroom with a large courtyard in the front that led to the street. The front courtyard was surrounded by tall brick walls with a metal gate that opened to the sidewalk outside. The yard’s ground was covered with white mosaic tiles and there was a small fountain pool at the center of the yard. Adjacent to each wall there was a flower garden.

Growing up in a Bahai family, I felt no different from other children my age. My earliest childhood memories are of playing with my sisters and friends. But my most vivid childhood memory is of a terrible night when I woke up to the sound of my mother screaming. It was still dark outside. I slipped out of bed rubbing my eyes and stumbled toward the door as I made my way through my room side stepping the toys on the floor. There were about a dozen men and women in our living room. Four women surrounded my mother who was sitting on the couch and sobbing out loud. I heard the words death and tragic over and over again as the men and women whispered to each other. I looked around the room for my sisters and my dad but I could not find them. Had something happened to my father? I felt confused and scared and I began to cry. So much had changed in the past year. We had lived in the same house as long as I could remember and life was just a comfortable childish routine for me, but then everything began to change.

By winter of 1976, my four brothers and my oldest sister had all left the house. Only the three youngest girls, Nassrin, Jacklyn and I were still living in the house. My youngest brother, Ghobaud, who had recently finished his military duty, was living with us temporarily until he found a job. Having Ghobaud in the house was both good and bad. My father was away most of the time on business trips. It was nice having a man in the house. It made me feel safe. At the same time Ghobaud was very strict with us, especially with my sister Nassrin who was seventeen and a high school senior. Like most Iranian teenagers in the seventies she wanted to freely date whomever she wished. I used to hear Ghobaud and Nassrin argue often about her makeup, whom she was with, and how late she came home. But to be completely honest, being a kid I was distracted easily by my friends playing outside and never paid much attention to their fights.

I was in the second grade and I envied Jacklyn who was four years older than me and sometimes got away with wearing make up. But of all my siblings, I loved Nassrin the most. She always looked out for me and bought me toys or ice cream when she had money. I used to watch Nassrin in the morning as she brushed her long straight brown hair and put on her makeup. She was beautiful. I wanted to be like her when I grew up. I tried to mimic her by brushing my hair with her brush and putting on her makeup. But I had curly hair and always ended up with knots in my hair and makeup ended up everywhere on my face except where it should go.

Nassrin had been spending less time with me since she started dating Hossein in early fall. I was jealous that Nassrin was not spending as much time with me as she used to, but I noticed how happy my mom was for the two of them. My mom invited Hossein over for dinner often and she always cooked something fancy when he came over. Through winter Nassrin and Hossein became closer and they were spending more and more time together. I asked my mother why they were always together. I did not quite understand the whole being in love thing, but I had heard enough love stories to accept it. I had seen them kiss, although they never kissed in public. But being the youngest child I could sometimes go unnoticed and see things others in the house did not.

thanks god that bahais are the only people that are free to come to usa and canada.since 1999 over 1 million bahais have came to usa and canada for better life that they deserve and religion freedom that everybody deserves.

[Cop]

man ye soal dashtam, in din az iran omade biron doroste? age are, pas chera zabanesh farsi nist va arabiii hast??

[abadani69]

mamad, man javabesho midoonam, vali mizaram ke az zaboone ye shakhse bahai beshnavi, choon momkene ke harfe man ro ghabool nakonan, akhe hameye bahaiha ye nazari daran raje be in masale

[donsaeid]

thanks god that bahais are the only people that are free to come to usa and canada.since 1999 over 1 million bahais have came to usa and canada for better life that they deserve and religion freedom that everybody deserves.

we all hope that some day they can go back to their orgin countries to live in peace and harmony... religion is actually something to keep us united and in peace with eachother... its sad to see it used as a splitter...

[donsaeid]

mamad, man javabesho midoonam, vali mizaram ke az zaboone ye shakhse bahai beshnavi, choon momkene ke harfe man ro ghabool nakonan, akhe hameye bahaiha ye nazari daran raje be in masale

arman jan shoma javabesho bego... hala age kasi bahai omad miad harfeto takmil ya tasrih mikone