Could Baha’is be scapegoated for Shiraz mosque explosion?

Could the Baha’is in Shiraz be scapegoated for Saturday night’s explosion in the Hosseynieh Seyed al-Shohada Mosque in Shiraz? It would be quite convenient for the authorities and the ill-wishers of the Baha’is.

This story on the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty website states that some observers are concerned that the Baha’is might be blamed for the explosion. Hojatoleslam Mohammad Enjavinejad, the mosque’s main cleric and leader of Friday prayers, regularly preaches against the Baha’i Faith and against Wahhabism.

Apparently Enjavinejad told Kayhan, a newspaper that is generally regarded as an Iranian government mouthpiece:

We believe that it’s possible that Baha’is had a hand in this.

Various listeners to Radio Farda have expressed concern about the possibility that attempts may be made to blame the Baha’is. One caller said:

For now the police forces are trying to portray this as an accident, on the other hand they’re pretending they’re the victims by showing the injured and dead. It seems that they want to use this in the right moment for their benefit; it means that because of what was being said against our dear Baha’is in the meetings [in the mosque] they want to put the blame on the Baha’is.

Fifty-four Baha’is, aged between 18 and 37 were arrested in Shiraz in May 2006. They had been involved in an educational programme for underprivileged children in the city for which they had official permits.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Islam, mosque, explosion, Shiraz, Iran

One of the 54, who was disabled, was released immediately. Fourteen were let out after five days and 36 after six days. But three of these Baha’is, Miss Haleh Roohi, Mr Sasan Taqva and Miss Raha Sabet were held for a month before they were released.

In August last year a court in Shiraz handed down one-year jail terms for most of the Baha’is. The court suspended the sentences for three years, provided the Baha’is attended classes organized by the Islamic Propaganda Organization. No prizes for guessing that the Baha’is would be learning about how evil their Faith is.

But court dished out harsher treatment to the “Shiraz Three” - Roohi, Taqva and Sabet. They are now serving four-year terms, not in a regular prison (which would be bad enough) but a Ministry of Information detention centre. They’re allowed family visits once a week - for three minutes