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