Posts from — May 2008

The Rt Revd Dr Tom Butler, Anglican Bishop of Southwark, has issued a statement on behalf of the Church of England, condemning the arrests on 14 May of members of the Bahá’í leadership group in Iran.

The Bahá’í community has for long played a distinguished role in fostering positive inter faith relations in this country both through its membership of the Inter Faith Network UK and in many other ways as individuals and as a community. It is therefore deeply concerning to hear reports of the arbitrary arrest by the Iranian authorities on 14th May of six members of the leadership of the Iranian Bahá’í community.

Mrs Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr Afif Naeimi, Mr Saeid Rezaie, Mr Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr Vahid Tizfah, all members of the informal leadership group that coordinates the Iran’s Bahá’í community activities, are now in custody in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, having had their houses searched by agents of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry. The Bahá’í community is also anxious about the safety of Mrs Mahvash Sabet, secretary of the leadership group, who has been detained in Mashhad since 5 March.

There is a worrying similarity of these arrests to the abduction in 1980 of all nine members of Iran’s Bahá’í National Assembly. None of them were ever seen again and there must be a presumption that they were killed. The Assembly was reconstituted, but eight of its members were executed on 27 December 1981 and since then the Bahá’ís have been deprived of their elected administrative institutions.

These arrests are an extremely worrying development, especially when added to the rising tide of persecution against the Bahá’ís in Iran. Everyone, whether holding a religious faith or not, should be deeply concerned that these people have been detained solely on the basis of their religious affiliation. I hope that all those who believe in the fundamental freedoms of religious belief will join in calling on the Iranian authorities to ensure the immediate and safe release of these prisoners.

The Rt Revd Dr Tom Butler
21 May 2008

This is a tremendously helpful statement and the UK Bahá’í community is most grateful to Dr Butler for issuing it. Dr Butler is not only one of the senior bishops of the Church of England - he is one of the 26 bishops who have seats in the House of Lords - but he is also Co-Chair of the Inter Faith Network for the UK and a great supporter of inter-faith dialogue. He’s a regular broadcaster, particularly on the “Thought for the Day” spot on BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme.

Perhaps the Iranian authorities will take notice of what a Christian religious leader says than they do of the condemnations issued by governments and politicians.

Iran Baha’i arrests - previous posts

Read some of my previous posts on the arrests of Bahá’í leaders in Iran:

Baha’is arrested in Iran - grave news
Baha’i leaders arrested in Iran - Baha’i World News Service story
Bahá’í arrests in Iran - Wendi’s excellent article
Baha’i arrests in Iran - more coverage
EU condemns arrests of Baha’is in Iran
Iran - whereabouts of arrested Baha’is unknown
More danger signs for Baha’is in Iran

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, persecution, Iran, Church of England, Bishop of Southwark, Tom Butler, human rights, religious freedom

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White Horse pub, Burnham Green

Erica waiting for her lunch

The pub’s duck pond - with the pub’s duck

Erica and I treated ourselves to a walk and a pub lunch today. A cloudy sky, but warm and rather humid. Good enough to sit out in the pub garden right next to the duck pond. The White Horse has rather good food. I had tuna loin with chips and salad. Erica had very good chickpea patties and a jacket potato. It was a tad pricey, but a relaxing thing to do.

It takes about 30 minutes to walk through the fields and woods to get to the pub and around 45 minutes to get back (we walked slower and took a slightly longer route).

Walking home through Harmer Green Wood

Technorati Tags: England, Hertfordshire, Burnham Green, pub, countryside, walking, Barnabas, Erica

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Dalai Lama with senior faith representatives at Lambeth Palace [Photo: © Lambeth Palace]

Here’s a picture of the Dalai Lama with the religious representatives at Lambeth Palace on 23 May. You can find my post about this wonderful encounter here.

I’m in the back row on the left of the line-up, next to Cardinal Cormac Murpy-O’Connor.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Buddhism, Barnabas Quotidianus, Dalai Lama, faith leaders, Archbishop of Canterbury

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The room in which Bahá’u'lláh passed away in 1892 [Photo: Nancy Wong, 2007]

Today is the 116th anniversary of the Ascension of Bahá’u'lláh in 1892. Bahá’ís around the world commemorated this solemn occasion at 3 a.m. (by the sun), turning to face the Shrine of Bahá’u'lláh, the holiest spot on earth for Bahá’ís, and reciting a special prayer that is used on such anniversaries and when visiting the Holy Shrines.

‘Andalib’s lament

This heartbroken lament is by the Bahá’í poet ‘Andalib (Mirza ‘Ali Ashraf Lahijani), who was present when Bahá’u'lláh ascended:

He is the Powerful, the Mighty, the Beloved!

Today the cupbearer, by God’s design,
poured bile into the cup of life, not wine.

Every wound has its balm, each ache a cure –
except this wound! this endless ache of mine!

The nightingales refuse to sing. No trees.
The world’s gone dark. Now every eye is blind.

Calamity! The universe unbuilt.
Calamity! The reign of God undone.

On the Sea of Mercy all waves lie still.
But waves of woe rise high! The storm’s begun.

The banner of God’s Name collapsed. Such grief,
such grief that heaven will be overrun.

Through Him the Day of Resurrection dawned:
Now earth quakes at the setting of His Sun.

From Sinai He called, “Come see!” Now Moses
hears these final words: “You shall never see.”

On the Most Great Ocean the Crimson Ark
has sunk. The tears of Noah drown the sea.

Look west! The Sun of Holiness has set.
Look up! and in His placeless place He’ll be.

We’ll never hear His voice again, but there
the Nightingale of Paradise flies free.

[Thanks to the folks at Kalimat Press for sharing this poem with their friends and customers.]

The Shrine of Bahá’u'lláh [Photp: John Barnabas Leith]

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Baha’u'llah, Bahaullah, Ascension, Holy Day, ‘Andalib, poetry

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Two Iranian leaders have recently called for Bahá’ís to be “cleansed” from Iran.

“Murderous spies”

Last Friday, Mashhad’s Friday prayer leader, Alam Al-Hoda, accused Bahá’ís of being “Zionist spies” and called for them to be executed. According to this gentleman, not only is “Bahaism” not a religion, it is not even a belief system:

Countries such as the United States, Canada and EU, which deliberately ignore the atrocities committed by Israelis in Gaza strip, have raised their voice to express their concern for the recent arrest of these murderous spies [Friends in Iran] accusing Iran of violating human rights. Not only is Bahaism not a religion, but also it is not a belief system! How can we let these Israeli mercenaries [Iranian Bahais], who have had a hand in the murder of millions of innocent people [Palestinians], live freely in our country and exploit a bunch of political perverts, prostitutes and promiscuous people to sign petitions for the abrogation of Islamic laws [emancipation of the Faith in Iran] ? Our country is the homeland of the Expected One [the12th Imam] and a true theocracy in which there is no way to enter into dialogue with this spy network. Rather, this satanic movement must be forcefully destroyed, and its members have to be executed.

You can read the original in Farsi here.

Bahá’ís accused of Shiraz mosque bombing

Hamid Reza Taraghi, Secretary-General for International Affairs of the Motalefeh Party in Iran, also claims that the Bahá’í leaders arrested on 14 May are being accused of involvement in the Shiraz bombing and calls for Iran to be purged of Bahá’ís:

Talking to IRNA [Islamic Republic News Agency] on Monday, Hamid Reza Taraghi [known as a member of Hojjatiyih, the Iranian anti-Baha'i society], the Secretary-General of International Affairs of the Motalefeh Party, referred to the recent arrest of a few members of the wayward Bahai sect who are accused of perpetrating the terrorist attack in Shiraz and of collaborating with American secret agents. He commented: so long as Bahais had not risen to oppose the regime, Iranians had peaceful coexistence with them. Now Iranians ask security and judicial officers to forcefully counter this sect that has turned to terrorist attacks against people and the regime. He added: in the past few years Bahais have extended their subversive activities with the help of United States and England. It is now legally permissible to deal with this illegitimate sect, which seeks recognition as a religion, as an anti-revolutionary group. The very fact that foreign powers such as United States have immediately expressed their concern about the arrest of these people proves that they are nothing but American agents/spies in Iran. American regime has double standards; how come it did not pay any attention to international protests when it suppressed Branch Davidians who were accused of subversive activities against the American regime, while it supports a sect that is engaged in subversive activities in another country? Iranians have always taken a strong position against subversive groups, and they now ask that Iran will be cleansed/purged from this terrorist sect.

You can read the Farsi original here.

The reality – Iranian Bahá’ís wish to serve their country

The allegation that the Bahá’ís have been arrested on issues of state security is utterly baseless and the Iranian government knows this very well. What is actually happening here is further action in pursuit of the Iranian government’s 1991 policy (approved and countersigned by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei) of stifling and ultimately extinguishing the Bahá’í community in Iran.

The charge that Bahá’ís are “Zionist spies” has been made against Bahá’ís by Iran for the last 30 years. In the past, Bahá’ís have been accused of being British spies, Russian spies and American spies. All of these accusations are baseless. They are used to foment hatred against the Bahá’ís.

The Iranian Bahá’ís have a great love for their country and are committed to serving the people of Iran. It is outrageous that figures of authority in Iran, be they religious or political, should be using their access to the media to stir up hatred against the Bahá’ís (or against any other minority, come to that).

What happens next?

The question that is hanging over the heads of the Bahá’ís in Iran - and over all those anywhere in the world who love and support them - is this: “What happens next?”

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, persecution, religious freedom, human rights, Alam Al-Hoda, Hamid Reza Taraghi

This week’s Reporting Religion on the BBC World Service (25 May 2008) includes an interview with a UK Bahá’í whose cousin is one of the Bahá’í leaders recently arrested in Iran.

On Reporting Religion this week we examine what life is like in Iran if you follow the Baha’i faith. We hear from one woman whose cousin is in jail because she’s a Baha’i. Plus we hear from the BBC’s Religious Affairs Correspondent, Frances Harrison, who explains why Iran takes such a strict stance on Baha’is.

The interview is right at the beginning of the programme. Visit the site and listen soon. Once next week’s programme has been broadcast, this week’s one will be removed.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, arrests, BBC World Service, Reporting Religion, Frances Harrison

It turns out that the families of the six Bahá’í leaders arrested in Tehran on 14 May have not been able to find out where they are.

At first we were under the impression that they had been taken to Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, but it seems this is not the case.

Relatives of the six have made repeated attempts to locate them, but officials have either been evasive or have told conflicting stories. As far as anyone can tell, the six have not had access to legal advice and no formal charges have been laid against them.

Nor has there been any explanation about what the Iranian government spokesman who baselessly claimed that the Bahá’ís had been arrested on national security grounds meant by what he said.

As you can imagine, Bahá’ís across the world will now be even more anxious about the safety and health of the Friends in Iran.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, human rights, Evin prison, incommunicado

The newly elected National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the UK met last night to elect its officers, as follows:

• Chair: Dr Shirin Tahzib
• Vice Chair: Dr Vafa Ram
• Secretary: Dr Kishan Manocha
• Secretary for External Affairs: Mr Rob Weinberg
• Treasurer: Mr Patrick O’Mara

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, National Spiritual Assembly, UK

The members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the UK near the Shrine of the Báb

The results of the election of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the UK have just been announced by the Chief Teller at our National Convention in North Wales. In alphabetical order:

• Mrs Rita Bartlett
• Mr Peter Hulme
• Mr Barney Leith
• Dr Kishan Manocha
• Ms Fidelma Meehan
• Mr Patrick O’Mara
• Dr Vafa Ram
• Dr Shirin Tahzib
• Mr Robert Weinberg

The announcement was preceded by slides, prayers and readings devoted to the remembrance of the Bahá’ís in Iran.

And then each of the members of the National Assembly shared with the delegates and observers at our National Convention a few experiences and impressions from the Tenth International Bahá’í Convention that took place in Haifa at the end of April.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, National Spiritual Assembly, National Convention, Iran

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