Baha'is as a Middle East Controversy

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Baha'i schoolchildren in Iran increasingly harassed and abused by school authorities

NEW YORK, 5 April 2007 (BWNS) --

Baha'i students in primary and secondary schools throughout Iran are increasingly being harassed, vilified, and held up to abuse, according to recent reports from inside the country.
During a 30-day period from mid-January to mid-February, some 150 incidents of insults, mistreatment, and even physical violence by school authorities against Baha'i students were reported as occurring in at least 10 Iranian cities.

"These new reports that the most vulnerable members of the Iranian Baha'i community -- children and junior youth -- are being harassed, degraded, and, in at least one case, blindfolded and beaten, is an extremely disturbing development," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

"The increasing number of such incidents suggests a serious and shameful escalation in the ongoing persecution of Iranian Baha'is," said Ms. Dugal. "The fact that school-aged children are being targeted by those who should rightfully hold their trust -- teachers and school administrators -- only makes this latest trend even more ominous."

Ms. Dugal said the Baha'i International Community has been aware of scattered reports of abuse directed at schoolchildren but has only recently learned that young Baha'is are now widely being forced to identify their religion -- and are also being insulted, degraded, threatened with expulsion, and, in some cases, summarily dismissed from school.

"They are also being pressured to convert to Islam, required to endure slander of their faith by religious instructors, and being taught and tested on 'Iranian history' in authorized texts that denigrate, distort, and brazenly falsify their religious heritage," said Ms. Dugal. "They are also being repeatedly told that they are not to attempt to teach their religion."

According to Ms. Dugal, one Baha'i has reported that the school-age children of a relative in Kermanshah were called to the front of the classroom, where they were required to listen to insults against the Faith.

"Another student, accepted at an art institute, has been followed by the authorities and on three occasions seized, blindfolded, and beaten," said Ms. Dugal.

"While a few of these may be isolated attacks, the extent and nature of this reprehensible activity has led the Baha'is in Iran to conclude that this is an organized effort," said Ms. Dugal.

Of special concern, she added, was the fact that a high proportion of the attacks against high school students have been against girls.
"While the attacks reported to have taken place in elementary and middle schools were leveled evenly against boys and girls, those at the high school level targeted girls to a far greater degree: of 76 incidents, 68 were against Baha'i girls," said Ms. Dugal.

Ms. Dugal added that the ages of the children and junior youth affected are as follows: at the elementary school level, grades 1-5, students 6 to 11 years old; at the middle school level, grades 6-8, students 11 to 13 years old; and at the high school level, grades 9-12, students 14 to 17 years old.
The reports of attacks on innocent Baha'i schoolchildren come at a time when a growing number of older Baha'i students seeking to enter Iranian universities have been expelled after being identified as Baha'is.
So far this year, at least 94 college-age Baha'i students have been expelled from institutions of higher education. That figure is up from 70 as reported in late February.

Since the Islamic Republic of Iran was established in 1979, the 300,000-member Iranian Baha'i community has faced ongoing and systematic persecution. In the early 1980s, more than 200 Baha'is were killed, hundreds were imprisoned, and thousands were deprived of jobs and education.
At the present time, more than 120 Baha'is are out on bail and awaiting trial on false charges, solely because of their religious beliefs and activities. Over the last year, as well, international human rights groups have expressed concern at the Iranian government's efforts to step-up their covert monitoring and identification of Baha'is.


uno-bp-07 04 05 -1-IRANSCHOOLS-515-N

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Site describes plight of Baha'i children in Egypt:

The attached newspaper article, republished previously on this blog, states: ...the children's parents and grandparents are Egyptian. Even after the passing of more than three years of court battles, Dr. Raouf has not been able to obtain birth certificates for his children. Since Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court has prevented Bahá’ís from documenting their religion as “Bahá’í” in the religion section on all official documents—in violation of citizenship rights to freedom of belief—Dr. Raouf in collaboration with a team of attorneys, was forced to amend his request to insert dashes or leave the religion section vacant on his children’s birth certificates.

Dr. Raouf Hindy said that this amended request was caused by the fact that he must not be forced to insert incorrect statements in official documents [that is if he enters one of the three allowed religions]...if he did so, it would have given rise to more forgers and liars in the society. He stated that his elder son (the brother of the twins) is in possession of an Egyptian birth certificate with a dash inserted in place of religion, that is why he is requesting that his twin children (Emad and Nancy) be treated in the same way.

Baha'i Faith in Egypt: Baha'is of Egypt: Update on One of the Lawsuits

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Iranian Baha'i students shut out of vocational education

NEW YORK
31 July 2007 (BWNS)

Iranian Baha'is seeking to enter Iran's technical and vocational institutes have been effectively barred from admission for the coming academic year, since the application to sit for the entrance examinations leaves them with no option but to deny their faith, which Baha'is refuse to be coerced into doing.

The Baha'i International Community learned recently that the 2007 form for the entrance examination for undergraduate courses under the technical and vocational education system indicates that only one box may be marked for religion.

The applicant is given three choices - Zoroastrian, Jewish, or Christian - and if none of the boxes is marked, the form explains, the applicant will be considered Muslim. This is unacceptable to Baha'is.

"Under this system, Baha'is cannot fill out the application without a de facto denial of their faith, which is against their religious principles," said Bani Dugal, the Baha'i International Community's principal representative to the United Nations.

"Accordingly, Iranian Baha'is will not be able to take this entrance examination, and so they are effectively blocked this year from obtaining technical and vocational education in Iran.

"Such a denial of access to education violates the internationally established right to education, to which the government of Iran has agreed, and reflects yet another facet of Iran's continuing persecution of the Baha'i community of Iran," said Ms. Dugal.

The Baha'i International Community decries the government's actions not only against Baha'i students - who are deprived of higher education solely for their religious beliefs - but also against any other Iranian students who are being denied access to higher education on clearly insupportable grounds, such as for giving voice to beliefs or opinions that are not officially endorsed, Ms. Dugal said.

Last autumn, after more than 25 years during which Iranian Baha'is were outright banned from attending public and private universities, several hundred Baha'i students were admitted to various educational institutions around the country. This came about after the government stated its position that the reference to religion on entrance examination papers to nonspecialized universities and colleges did not identify university applicants by their religion, but only gave the religious studies subject on which they had been examined. This clarification was accepted by the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith.
The acceptance of Baha'i students at Iranian universities has, however, been short-lived, Ms. Dugal said.

According to the latest figures from Iran, of the Baha'i students who took the national entrance examination last year, ultimately some 200 were admitted and enrolled. Over the course of the school year, however, over half that number - at most recent count, at least 128 - have been expelled as school officials discovered they were Baha'is. This has led observers to conclude that Iran's statements last year were nothing more than a ruse intended to quell international protest over the denial to Baha'i students of access to higher education.

"This latest news about the registration form for technical and vocational education only serves to further confirm that Iran continues to play games with Baha'i students in their country, and that its promises of access to higher education for them are hollow," said Ms. Dugal.

To read this news story in Persian, go to http://www.bahai.org/persian/persecution/newsreleases/31-07-07

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Iran harrassing Baha’i kids on a massive scale

Omid T (Iran/USA)
August 1st, 2007

Baha’i students in primary and secondary schools throughout Iran are increasingly being harassed, vilified, and held up to abuse, according to recent reports from inside the country.

During a 30-day period…some 150 incidents of insults, mistreatment, and even physical violence by school authorities against Baha’i students were reported as occurring in at least 10 Iranian cities.

“These new reports that the most vulnerable members of the Iranian Baha’i community — children and junior youth — are being harassed, degraded, and, in at least one case, blindfolded and beaten, is an extremely disturbing development,” said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations.

“The increasing number of such incidents suggests a serious and shameful escalation in the ongoing persecution of Iranian Baha’is,” said Ms. Dugal. “The fact that school-aged children are being targeted by those who should rightfully hold their trust — teachers and school administrators — only makes this latest trend even more ominous.”

Read more:






Source:

Mideast Youth - Thinking Ahead » Blog Archive » Iran harrassing Baha'i kids on a massive scale

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Another piece of information about the issue of Baha'i students in Iran came out recently in the form of a memo apparently issued in 2006 by Iranian authorities:

Confidential Iran memo exposes policy to deny Baha'i students university education

NEW YORK 27 August

The Baha'i International Community has received a copy of a confidential 2006 letter from Iran's Ministry of Science, Research and Technology instructing Iranian universities to expel any student who is discovered to be a Baha'i.
The letter refutes recent statements by Iranian officials, who say Baha'i students in Iran face no discrimination - despite the fact that more than half of the Baha'i university students enrolled last autumn were gradually expelled over the course of the 2006-2007 academic year.
"This latest document, which flatly states that Baha'i students should be expelled from universities once they are discovered, proves unequivocally that Iranian authorities remain intent on utterly blocking the development of Iranian Baha'is, despite what they say to the outside world," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

See the article:

Bahá'í World News Service - Bahá'í International Community - Confidential Iran government memo exposes duplicitous campaign to deny Baha’i students university education

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IRANIAN GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGN AGAINST BAHA'IS SHOWS NEW FACETS

NEW YORK, 21 September 2007 (BWNS) -- The bulldozing of a Baha'i
cemetery in Iran last week is the latest in a series of incidents in a
government-led campaign of hatred against Baha'is.

The destruction of the cemetery by individuals using heavy equipment
occurred between 9 September and 10 September near Najafabad, on the
outskirts of Isfahan. What happened there is nearly identical to what
happened in July in Yazd, where another Baha'i cemetery was extensively
damaged by earth-moving equipment.

The list of anti-Baha'i incidents is growing, as are human rights
violations against other groups in Iran.

In Najafabad, a few days before the destruction of more than 100 Baha'i
graves, threatening letters were delivered to some 30 Baha'i families.
In May, in Mazandaran province, the unoccupied homes of six Iranian
Baha'is were set on fire. In June, in Abadeh, vandals wrote hateful
graffiti on Baha'i houses and shops.

Since May, Baha'is in at least 17 towns have been detained for
interrogation. Six new arrests have been reported. In Kermanshah, a 70-year-old
man was sentenced to 70 lashes and a year in prison for "propagating
and spreading Bahaism and the defamation of the pure Imams." In
Mazandaran, a court has once again ruled against three women and a man who are
charged with "propagation on behalf of an organization which is
anti-Islamic."

All these events are results of the Iranian government's long campaign
to incite hatred against Baha'is, a spokeswoman for the Baha'i
International Community said today.

"This should be a cause for concern among human rights activists
everywhere," said Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International
Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

She appealed to the world to hold the Iranian government accountable
for its actions and to help prevent the situation from deteriorating into
further violence. Baha'is in Iran number about 300,000 and represent
the largest religious minority in the country.

"Put in a historical context, these kinds of attacks too often have
been a prelude to campaigns of oppression and violence that are far worse.

"While some of these incidents may seem to be minor, the fact that such
events are increasingly commonplace and reported as occurring in
virtually every region of Iran shows that the persecution of Baha'is remains
official government policy, and therefore is something for which Iran
must be held accountable," she said.

"The graffiti in Abadeh included slogans such as 'Death to Baha'is, the
mercenaries of America and England,' 'Hezbollah despises the Baha'is,'
'Baha'is - mercenaries of Israel' and 'Baha'is are unclean' - phrases
that relate directly to government propaganda that has been
disseminated in Iranian news media in recent years," Ms. Ala'i said.

She noted that other groups in Iran are also suffering human-rights
violations.

"In recent months, the Iranian authorities have been carrying out a
widespread crackdown on civil society, targeting academics, women's rights
activists, students, and journalists," said Ms. Ala'i.

[For more details go to http://www.news.bahai.org]


To view the photos and additional features click here:
http://news.bahai.org

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"I tried to obtain the national ID card. In the application, I wrote that my religion was Baha'i. The officer refused to accept the application and asked me to present my birth certificate. I showed it to him. It stated that I was Baha'i and so were my parents. He still refused to accept the application and asked me to apply in Cairo. When I went to Cairo, I met an officer called Wa'il who opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a big pile of documents and said, 'You see, all these applications are from Baha'i who want IDs. You will never ever get them.' "

—Nayer Nabil, Cairo

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HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ISSUE REPORT ON EGYPT

NEW YORK, 16 November 2007 (BWNS) --

Egypt should end discriminatory
practices that prevent Baha'is and others from listing their true
religious beliefs on government documents, said Human Rights Watch and the
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights in a major report released this
week.

The 98-page report, titled "Prohibited Identities: State Interference
with Religious Freedom," focused on the problems that have emerged
because of Egypt's practice of requiring citizens to state their religious
identity on government documents but then restricting the choice to
Islam, Christianity, or Judaism.

"These policies and practices violate the right of many Egyptians to
religious freedom," stated the report, which was released on 12 November
2007.

"Because having an ID card is essential in many areas of public life,
the policies also effectively deny these citizens a wide range of civil
and political as well as economic and social rights," the report said.

The Baha'i International Community welcomed the report.

"We want to thank Human Rights Watch and the Egyptian Initiative for
Personal Rights for calling the world's attention to the human rights
situation in Egypt," said Bani Dugal, the Baha'i International Community's
principal representative to the United Nations.

"The discriminatory practices identified by the report do indeed
gravely affect Egypt's Baha'i community, as well as others in Egypt who seek
to enjoy the freedom to believe as they choose, a right that is
guaranteed by international law.

"Our hope is that Egyptian authorities will now be encouraged to end
their discriminatory practices, which could be dissolved with the stroke
of a pen without harming the majority religious communities in the
least," said Ms. Dugal.

The joint HRW/EIPR report examined in detail how the limited choice
offered to citizens in declaring their religion affects the daily life of
Baha'is and converts from Islam, who also face problems under the
policy.

"While the Egyptian government's approach adversely affects anyone who
is not Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, and anyone who would prefer to
keep their convictions private, in Egypt today the greatest impact has
been on adherents of the Baha'i faith and on persons who convert or wish
to convert from Islam to Christianity," said the report.

Further, the report said, this "limited choice is not based on any
Egyptian law, but rather on the Ministry of Interior's interpretation of
Shari'a, or Islamic law. An Egyptian citizen has no option to request a
religious identification different from one of these, or to identify him
or herself as having no religion. If he or she insists on doing so,
authorities refuse to issue a national ID or related document reflecting
the requested religious identification."

"People without national IDs forfeit, among other things, the ability
to carry out even the simplest monetary transactions at banks and other
financial institutions. Other basic daily activities - engaging in a
property transaction, acquiring a driver's license, obtaining a pension
check - also require a national ID.

"Employers, both public and private, by law cannot hire someone without
an ID, and academic institutions require IDs for admission. Obtaining
a marriage license or a passport requires a birth certificate;
inheritance, pensions, and death benefits are contingent on death certificates.
The Ministry of Health has even refused to provide immunizations to
some Baha'i children because the Interior Ministry," the report
continued.

"These policies and practices violate Egyptian as well as international
law," said the report. "Logically, it makes no sense for the
government to say to citizens that they are free to believe what they like and
then deem it unacceptable when citizens respond honestly when the
government requires them to state what they believe."

Human Rights Watch is the largest human rights organization based in
the United States, according to its Web site. Human Rights Watch
researchers conduct fact-finding investigations into human rights abuses in all
regions of the world. It is based in New York.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights is an independent Egyptian
human rights organization that was established in 2002 to promote and
defend the personal rights and freedoms of individuals, according to its
Web site. It is based in Cairo.

The report received considerable media attention after its release. The
Associated Press, Agence France Presse, the BBC, Reuters, and the
Voice of America all carried stories on the report.

To read HRW's summary of the report, go to this link:

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/11/12/egypt17306.htm


To view the photos and additional features click here:
http://news.bahai.org

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U.N. COMMITTEE APPROVES RESOLUTION EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS IN IRAN

NEW YORK, 20 November 2007 (BWNS) -- NEW YORK - A committee of the
United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution today expressing
"deep concern" about "ongoing systematic violations of human rights" in
Iran.

Put forward by Canada and co-sponsored by 41 other countries, the
resolution took note of repression and persecution aimed by the Iranian
government at groups ranging from women and women's rights defenders to the
news media and labor groups, as well as various ethnic and religious
minorities, including Iranian Baha'is.

The resolution passed the General Assembly's Third Committee by a vote
of 72 to 50 with 55 abstentions on 20 November 2007. The vote
essentially assures passage of the resolution in a final vote by the entire
Assembly scheduled for December.

Its passage followed a call by Iran for "no action" on the motion, a
vote that itself failed by 78 to 79, with 24 abstentions. That vote, also
taken today, was seen as an important test of the General Assembly's
will to examine human rights issues in specific countries when
warranted.

"We are pleased that the General Assembly did not shy away from its
responsibility to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, as
identified in the U.N. Charter," said Bani Dugal, the principal
representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

"Not only for Iranian Baha'is but for other persecuted groups and
individuals in Iran, expressions of concern by the international community
such as this remain the most important source of protection and
encouragement.

"And it is especially important that Iran's efforts to sideline this
kind of resolution through procedural maneuvering has failed again this
year," said Ms. Dugal. "The vote against the so-called 'no action'
motion before passage of the resolution itself makes a powerful statement
about the importance of country-specific resolutions such as this."

A "no action" motion is a procedure that, if passed, will prevent
member states at the United Nations from even debating a particular
resolution. It is being increasingly used to allow countries to avoid having to
give a yes-or-no vote on politically sensitive issues, such as human
rights, and so to escape the scrutiny of the world at large, Ms. Dugal
explained.

The resolution itself clearly describes a deteriorating human rights
situation in Iran, expressing "serious concern" about "confirmed
instances" of "torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment, including flogging and amputations"; public executions, including
stoning, and the "[a] rrests, violent repression, and sentencing of women
exercising their right to peaceful assembly, a campaign of intimidation
against women's human rights defenders, and continuing discrimination
against women and girls."

The resolution also notes "increasing discrimination and other human
rights violations against persons belonging to religious, ethnic,
linguistic or other minorities" including Arabs, Azeris, Baluchis, Kurds,
Christians, Jews, Sufis and Sunni Muslims and Baha'is.

Regarding Baha'is, the resolution notes particularly that there have
been "attacks on Baha'is and their faith in State-sponsored media,
increasing evidence of efforts by the State to identify and monitor Baha'is
and prevention of (Baha'is) from attending university and from
sustaining themselves economically; an increase in cases of arbitrary arrest and
detention."

The resolution also discusses "ongoing, systemic and serious
restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and freedom of
opinion and expression, including those imposed on the media and trade
unions, and increasing harassment, intimidation and persecution of
political opponents and human rights defenders, from all sectors of Iranian
society, including arrests and violent repression of labour leaders,
labour members peacefully assembling and students."

For more information, visit http://news.bahai.org

To view the photos and additional features click here:
http://news.bahai.org

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"When Vargha Payandeh applied for college in his home country of Iran, he was turned down twice because of his religion.

"You have to get a university card in order to take an entrance exam," said Payandeh, a sophomore at the U in biomedical engineering. "I applied, but I didn't receive my card."

He went to the admissions desk to see why he hadn't received the card and was told it was because he is a member of the Baha'i faith.

Payandeh, who is originally from Tehran, received the card for a second university, but it claimed he was Christian instead of Baha'i. When he confronted someone at the school about it, the card was torn apart.

Like other Baha'i students who were denied access to a university, he eventually attended the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education in Iran.

"It was (the) year 2000 that I was admitted to it, for two years. It's an underground school -- there's no building," he said. "Classes were held in students' homes."

The institute was established in 1987, according to the Baha'i International Community. In the beginning, courses were based on instruction offered at Indiana University, which was one of the first institutions in the West to recognize the institute. Later on, course offerings were developed internally.

In 1998, the institute was subject to numerous government raids.

"We really didn't have classes most of the time," Payandeh said. "We had some introductory class where they gave us our resources and told us what to study and the next meeting would be two months later. Sometimes there was no next meeting, but a midterm or final exam."

When there was a class, Payandeh said only about four to 15 students attended and the instructor would carry a whiteboard to give the lesson.

Payandeh studied computer engineering at the institute. His educational experience in Iran gave him background knowledge to understand the material he is studying at the U, but his credits were never transferred.

The Baha'i Campus Association met with U President Michael Young last year and asked him to write a letter to the United Nations in support of the Baha'i students in Iran and if credit from the institute could be accepted at the U."


To read more..go to:

From Iran to Utah, the passion for study burns - News

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U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY EXPRESSES "DEEP CONCERN" ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS IN
IRAN

UNITED NATIONS, 19 December 2007 (BWNS) -- The United Nations General
Assembly yesterday adopted a resolution expressing "deep concern" about
"ongoing systematic violations of human rights" in Iran.

Adopted by a final vote of 73 to 53, with 55 abstentions, the
resolution took note of repression and persecution aimed by the Iranian
government at groups ranging from women and women's rights defenders to the
news media and labor groups, as well as various ethnic and religious
minorities, including Baha'is.

"We are happy that the General Assembly, the most globally
representative body of United Nations, has seen fit once again this year to call
attention to the dire situation in Iran, where Baha'is and other groups
continue to face oppression and persecution by the government," said
Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International
Community to the United Nations.

"Our hope now is that the Iranian government will heed the opinion of
the international community and stop the systematic violation of human
rights directed against its own people," said Ms. Dugal.

The resolution, put forward by Canada and co-sponsored by 41 other
countries, describes the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran,
expressing "serious concern" about "confirmed instances" of "torture and
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging
and amputations"; public executions, including stoning, and "arrests,
violent repression, and sentencing of women exercising their right to
peaceful assembly, a campaign of intimidation against women's human rights
defenders, and continuing discrimination against women and girls."

The resolution, the 20th on Iran since 1985, also notes "increasing
discrimination and other human rights violations against persons belonging
to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities" including Arabs,
Azeris, Baluchis, Kurds, Christians, Jews, Sufis and Sunni Muslims and
Baha'is.

Regarding Baha'is, the resolution notes particularly that there have
been "attacks on Baha'is and their faith in State-sponsored media,
increasing evidence of efforts by the State to identify and monitor Baha'is
and prevention of (Baha'is) from attending university and from
sustaining themselves economically; an increase in cases of arbitrary arrest and
detention."


To view the photos and additional features click here:
http://news.bahai.org

--

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EGYPT COURT TO RULE NEXT WEEK ON NEW RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CASES

CAIRO, 20 December 2007 (BWNS) -- A court is expected to rule early
next week on two cases related to the government's policy on religious
affiliation and national identity papers, an issue that has been hotly
debated here in recent months and a focus of international human rights
concerns.

The first case involves a lawsuit by the father of twin children, who
is seeking to obtain proper birth certificates for them. The second
concerns a college student, who needs a national identity card to re-enroll
in university.

Both are set for "final judgment" by the Court of Administrative
Justice in Cairo on 25 December 2007. In both cases, the individuals involved
are unable to obtain government identification papers because they are
Baha'is.

"The world has increasingly come to understand the basic injustice
imposed by the Egyptian government's policies on religious affiliation and
official documents -- and the court has before it in these two cases
the chance once again to right that wrong," said Bani Dugal, the
principal representative of the Baha'i International Community.

"Last year, under pressure from Muslim fundamentalists, the Supreme
Administrative Court rejected a lower court decision that had required the
government to include the word 'Baha'i' on official documents. These
two new cases offer a compromise solution, asking merely that the
religious affiliation field be left blank or filled in with the word
'other,'" added Ms. Dugal.

The government requires all identification papers to list religious
affiliation but then restricts the choice to the three officially
recognized religions -- Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Baha'is are thus
unable to obtain identification papers because they refuse to lie about
their religious affiliation.

Without national identity cards -- or, as in the case of the twin
children, birth certificates -- Baha'is and others caught in the law's
contradictory requirements are deprived of a wide range of citizenship
rights, such as access to employment, education, and medical and financial
services.

MORE

These problems were highlighted in a report issued in November by Human
Rights Watch and the Cairo-based Egyptian Initiative for Personal
Rights (EIPR).

"Employers, both public and private, by law cannot hire someone without
an ID, and academic institutions require IDs for admission," said the
report. "Obtaining a marriage license or a passport requires a birth
certificate; inheritance, pensions, and death benefits are contingent on
death certificates. The Ministry of Health has even refused to provide
immunizations to some Baha'i children because the Interior Ministry
would not issue them birth certificates accurately listing their Baha'i
religion."

The issuance of birth certificates is at the heart of the first case,
which concerns 14-year-old twins Imad and Nancy Rauf Hindi. Their
father, Rauf Hindi, obtained birth certificates that recognized their Baha'i
affiliation when they were born.

But new policies require computer generated certificates, and the
computer system locks out any religious affiliation but the three officially
recognized religions. And without birth certificates, the children are
unable to enroll in school in Egypt.

The second lawsuit was filed by the EIPR last February on behalf of
18-year-old Hussein Hosni Bakhit Abdel-Massih, who was suspended from the
Suez Canal University's Higher Institute of Social Work in January 2006
due to his inability to obtain an identity card because of his refusal
to falsely identify himself as either a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew.

In both cases, lawyers representing the Baha'is have made it clear that
they are willing to settle for cards or documents on which the
religious affiliation field is left blank or filled in, perhaps, as "other."

This solution is what makes these two cases different from the lawsuit
that was rejected by the Supreme Administrative Court last year, said
Hossam Baghat, director of the EIPR.

"The negative ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court has forced us
to file these new cases," said Mr. Baghat, whose organization has been
at the forefront of defending Egyptian Baha'is in this controversy.
"The facts are extremely similar to the case that we lost last year, but
we are calling this time for documents without any religious
affiliation.

"For us, this is really the test for the government and the judiciary
on this issue. Because if the main problem is the fact that the Baha'i
Faith is not recognized in Egypt, then there should be no grounds for
them to deny these Egyptian citizens documents that are necessary for
their daily life without any reference to religion."

Mr. Baghat said the cases also have implications for religious freedom
in general in Egypt.

"So far, the problem only affects Egyptian Baha'is, but the same
problem could arise in theory with Egyptians who are adherents of Buddhism or
Hinduism," said Mr. Baghat. "But it is also important for people who
do not wish to be identified with any religion, which is a right
guaranteed by both Egyptian and international law."

For Egyptian Baha'is, the facts of life on the ground continue to
deteriorate in the absence of a solution, said Labib Hanna, a spokesperson
for the Egyptian Baha'i community.

"We are not able to do anything without valid identification papers,"
said Dr. Hanna, who is a professor of mathematics at Cairo University.
"We cannot renew a driver's license, we cannot obtain permanent
employment, and we cannot send our children to school."

He said many Baha'is are able to meet the needs of daily life by taking
temporary positions, dealing with banks, schools, or other
institutions where they have an established relationship, or by continuing to use
old, paper-based identification cards that allowed for other options in
the religious affiliation field.

"We are trying to survive," said Dr. Hanna. "But it is difficult. We
are struggling."


To view the photos and additional features click here:
http://news.bahai.org

--

[arthra]

EGYPT COURT UPHOLDS BAHA'I PLEA IN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CASES

CAIRO, 29 January 2008 (BWNS) -- In a victory for religious freedom, a
lower administrative court here today ruled in favor of two lawsuits
that sought to resolve the government's contradictory policy on religious
affiliation and identification papers.

The Court of Administrative Justice in Cairo upheld arguments made in
two cases concerning Baha'is who have sought to restore their full
citizenship rights by asking that they be allowed to leave the religious
affiliation field blank on official documents.

"Given the degree to which issues of religious freedom stand at the
heart of human rights issues in the Middle East, the world should cheer at
the decision in these two cases today," said Bani Dugal, the principal
representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United
Nations.

"The compromise offered by the Baha'is in these two cases opens the
door to a way to reconcile a government policy that was clearly
incompatible with international law -- as well as common sense," said Ms. Dugal.

"Our hope now is that the government will quickly implement the court's
decision and allow Baha'is once again to enjoy the full rights of
citizenship to which they are duly entitled," said Ms. Dugal.

The decisions today concerned two cases, both filed by Baha'is, over
the issue of how they are to be identified on government documents.

The first case involves a lawsuit by the father of twin children, who
is seeking to obtain proper birth certificates for them. The second
concerns a college student, who needs a national identity card to re-enroll
in university.

The government requires all identification papers to list religious
affiliation but restricts the choice to the three officially recognized
religions -- Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Baha'is are thus unable to
obtain identification papers because they refuse to lie about their
religious affiliation.

Without national identify cards -- or, as in the case of the twin
children, birth certificates -- Baha'is and others caught in the law's
contradictory requirements are deprived of a wide range of citizenship
rights, such as access to employment, education, and medical and financial
services.

These problems were highlighted in a report issued in November by Human
Rights Watch and the Cairo-based Egyptian Initiative for Personal
Rights (EIPR).

"Employers, both public and private, by law cannot hire someone without
an ID, and academic institutions require IDs for admission," said the
report. "Obtaining a marriage license or a passport requires a birth
certificate; inheritance, pensions, and death benefits are contingent on
death certificates. The Ministry of Health has even refused to provide
immunizations to some Baha'i children because the Interior Ministry
would not issue them birth certificates accurately listing their Baha'i
religion."

The issuance of birth certificates is at the heart of the first case,
which concerns 14-year-old twins Imad and Nancy Rauf Hindi. Their
father, Rauf Hindi, obtained birth certificates that recognized their Baha'i
affiliation when they were born.

But new policies require computer generated certificates, and the
computer system locks out any religious affiliation but the three officially
recognized religions. And without birth certificates, the children are
unable to enroll in school in Egypt.

The second lawsuit was filed by the EIPR last February on behalf of
18-year-old Hussein Hosni Bakhit Abdel-Massih, who was suspended from the
Suez Canal University's Higher Institute of Social Work in January 2006
due to his inability to obtain an identity card because of his refusal
to falsely identify himself as either a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew.

In both cases, lawyers representing the Baha'is have made it clear that
they were willing to settle for cards or documents on which the
religious affiliation field is left blank or filled in, perhaps, as "other."

This solution is what makes these two cases different from the lawsuit
that was rejected by the Supreme Administrative Court last year. In
that ruling, the Supreme Administrative Court rejected a decision by the
lower that upheld the right of Baha'is to be properly identified on
government documents.

For more information go to:

<a href="<http://news.bahai.org/">http://news.bahai.org/</a>

[arthra]

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, US STATE DEPARTMENT CALL FOR RELEASE OF BAHA'I
PRISONERS IN IRAN

GENEVA, 30 January 2008 (BWNS) -- In the wake of a US State Department
call for Iran to release Baha'i prisoners, Amnesty International has
issued an "urgent action" appeal on their behalf.

The three prisoners were taken into custody in Shiraz, Iran, last
November and are serving a four-year sentence on charges connected entirely
with their belief and practice in the Baha'i Faith.

"We urge the regime to release all individuals held without due process
and a fair trial, including the three young Baha'i teachers being held
in a Ministry of Intelligence detention center in Shiraz," said Sean
McCormack, a spokesman for the State Department on 23 January 2008.

Amnesty International issued its appeal on 25 January. It calls for
human rights activists around the world to write directly to Iranian
government officials on behalf of the Baha'i prisoners, asking why they have
been detained and calling on authorities not to ill-treat or torture
them.

"Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, Raha Sabet Sarvestani and Sasan Taqva, all
Baha'is (a religious minority), have been detained by the Ministry of
Intelligence in Shiraz since 19 November 2007," states the appeal, which was
posted on Amnesty International's Web site on 25 January 2008.

"Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian,
Arabic, English or your own language," the appeal advises, "stating that
Amnesty International would consider them to be prisoners of conscience
if they are detained because of their Baha'i faith... calling for their
release if they are not to be charged with a recognizably criminal
offence and brought to trial promptly and fairly" and "calling on the
authorities not to torture or ill-treat them..."

The Amnesty International appeal recounts the story of the three
prisoners, who were initially part of a group of 54 Baha'is who were arrested
in May 2006 as they took part in an effort to educate underprivileged
children in Shiraz.

Most of the 54 were released after a few days, although Ms. Rouhi, Ms.
Sabet and Mr. Taqva were held for about a month. Then, in August 2007,
53 of those arrested were notified by a local court that they were
accused of "offenses relating to state security," according to the appeal.

Ms. Rouhi, Ms. Sabet and Mr. Taqva, moreover, were sentenced to four
years in prison, although they remained out on bail. Then, on 19 November
2007, the three were told by telephone to go to the Ministry of
Information office in Shiraz to retrieve items that had been confiscated in
the May 2006 arrests. Instead, they were incarcerated.

"When they did not return home, family members who had accompanied them
were given conflicting information by intelligence officials," says
the appeal. "The officials tried to claim that the three had not entered
the building, even though their relatives had seen them do so.
Eventually, their relatives were informed that the three were still being held
at the Office of the Ministry of Intelligence in Shiraz."

The appeal lists the ages of the prisoners as follows: Ms. Rouhi, 29;
Ms. Sabet, 33; and Mr. Taqva, 32.

According to the AI Web site, urgent action appeals are transmitted to
a network of more than 100,000 human rights activists in 70 countries.

Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community
to the United Nations in Geneva, said that the BIC is gravely concerned
for the welfare of the three Baha'i prisoners.

"We hope that the urgent action appeal from Amnesty International, as a
signal from human rights defenders worldwide, and the US State
Department's statement, will help resolve their unjust detentions," she said.

Ms. Ala'i said the appeal was especially timely because Mr. Taqva has
an injured leg, from an automobile accident before his imprisonment,
which requires medical attention.

"The problem with his leg is extremely serious and painful," said Ms.
Ala'i. "It is understood that he requires surgery to remove a metal pin
that had been inserted previously."

Ms. Ala'i said that charges against the three, rather than involving
any legitimate concern over "state security" stem entirely from
accusations by the court that the Baha'is had been involved in the "indirect
teaching" of the Baha'i Faith.

"In fact," said Ms. Ala'i, "the three individuals were engaged in an
effort to help underprivileged children in their city, through a program
of training that emphasizes moral virtues.

"It is mind-boggling that the government of Iran would consider such
efforts to be any type of threat -- and wholly unwarranted that such
activities should result in lengthy prison sentence.

"There is no doubt that these three are prisoners of conscience, held
solely because of their belief in and practice of the Baha'i Faith,"
said Ms. Ala'i. "We know this because among those arrested in May 2006
were some individuals who are not Baha'is. They were released within a day
and have never faced charges."

The US State Department statement also took note of the "death under
suspicious circumstances" of Ebrahim Lotfallahi, an Iranian student of
Kurdish descent detained by the Ministry of Intelligence on January 6.
"We call on Iranian authorities to conduct a full investigation," said
Mr. McCormack. His statement also expressed concern over the continued
detention of three Amir Kabir University students.

The Amnesty International appeal can be read in full at
http://www.amnesty.org/en/report/info/MDE13/017/2008

The US Department of State statement can be read at:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/jan/99632.htm


To view the photos and additional features click here:
http://news.bahai.org

[Dah-veeth]

I just remembered! There are Muslims standing up for the rights of Baha'is!

The Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights