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The Banning of Bahá'í
Religious Institutions
An Open Letter
[by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Iran]
(translated from Persian)
12 Shahrivar 1362
September 3, 1983
[also printed in The Bahá'í World, Volume 19]
In response to the ban, on 3 September 1983, the National Spiritual
Assembly immediately informed the Attorney-General of its willingness
to obey the law, and took the opportunity to refute all the false
charges that had been made against the Bahá'ís. The text
of this document, `An open letter from the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá'ís of Iran about the banning of the
Bahá'í Administration', copies of which were distributed
to more than two thousand important officials and other prominent people
in Iran, and, through the Universal House of Justice, to all National
Spiritual Assembies, is as follows:
Revolution of the country, in an interview that was published in the
newspapers, declared that the continued functioning of the
Bahá'í religious and spiritual administration is banned
and that membership in it is considered to be a crime. This declaration
has been made after certain unjustified accusations have been levelled
against the Bahá'í community of Iran and after a number
of its members - ostensibly for imaginary and fabricated crimes but in
reality merely for the sake of their beliefs - have been either executed,
or arrested and imprisoned. The majority of those who have been
imprisoned have not yet been brought to trial.
The Bahá'í community finds the conduct of the authorities
and the judges bewildering and lamentable - as indeed would any fair-
minded observer who is unblinded by malice. The authorities are the
refuge of the people; the judges in pursuit of their work of examining
and ascertaining the truth and facts in legal cases devote years of their
lives to studying the law and, when uncertain of a legal point spend
hours pouring over copious volumes in order to cross a "t" and dot an "i".
Yet these very people consider themselves to be justified in bazenly
bringing false accusations against a band of innocent people, without
fear of the Day of Judgement, without even believing the calumnies they
utter against their
victims, and having exerted not the slightest effort to investigate to
any degree the validity of the charges they are making. "Methinks they
are not believers in the Day of Judgement." [Hafiz, a 14th century Persian
poet]
The honourable Prosecutor has again introduced the baseless and fictitious
story that Bahá'ís engage in espionage, but without providing
so much as one document in support of the accuation, without presenting
proof in any form, and without any explanation as to what is the mission
in this country of this extraordinary number of "spies": what sort of
information do they obtain and from what sources? Whither do they relay
it, and for what purpose? What kind of "spy" is an eighty-five-year-old
man from Yazd who has never set foot outside his village? Why do these
alleged spies not hide themselves, conceal their religious beliefs and
exert every effort to penetrate, by every strategem, the Government's
information centres and offices? Why has no Bahá'í "spy"
been arrested anywhere else in the world? How could students, housewives,
innocent young girls, and old men and women, like those blameless
Bahá'ís who have recently been delivered to the gallows in
Iran, or who have become targets for the darts of prejudice and enmity,
be "spies"? How could the Bahá'í farmers of the villages
of Afus, Chigan, The Fort of Malak ["Qal`ih Malik" in B.W. Vol. 19] (near
Isfahan), and those of the village of Nuk in Birjand, be "spies"? What
Secret Intelligence documents have been found in their possession? What
espionage equipment has come to hand? What "spying" activities were
engaged in by the primary schoolchildren who have been expelled from their
schools?
And how strange! The Public Prosecutor perhaps does not know, or does not
care to know, that spying is an element of politics, while non-interference
in politics is an established principle of the Bahá'í
Faith. On the contrary, Bahá'ís love their country and never
permit themselves to be traitors. `Abdu'l-Baha, the successor of the
Founder of the Bahá'í Cause, says: "Any abasement is bearable
except betraying one's own country, and any sin is forgivable other than
dishonouring the government and inflicting harm upon the nation."
All the other accusations made against the Bahá'ís by the
honourable Public Prosecutor of the Revolution are similarly groundless.
He brands the BBahá'í community with accusations of subversion
and corruption. For example, on the basis of a manifestly forged interview,
the falsity of which has been dealt with in a detailed statement, he accuses
the Bahá'í community of hoarding, an act which its members
would consider highly reprehensible. The Prosecutor alleges that the
Bahá'í administration sanctioned the insensible act of
hoarding, yet he subtly overlooks the fact that with the proceeds that
might be realized from the sale of
unusable automobile spare parts whose total value is some 70 million
tumans--the value of the stock of any medium-sized store for spare parts -
it would be impossible to overthrow a powerful government whose daily
expenditures amount to hundreds of millions of tumans. If the Public
Prosecutor chooses to label the Bahá'í administration as a
network of espionage, let him at least consider it intelligent enough not
to plan the overthrow of such a strong regime by hoarding a few spare
parts! Yes, such allegations of corruption and subversion are similar
to those hurled against us at the time of the Episcopalian case in
Isfahan when this oppressed community was accused of collaboration with
foreign agents as a result of which seven innocent Bahá'ís
of Yazd were executed. [Footnote 1 below, in Bahá'í World
Vol. 19] Following this the falsity of the charges was made known and
the Public Prosecutor announced the episode to be the outcome of a
forgery.
Bahá'ís are accused of collecting contributions and
transferring sums of money to foreign countries. How strange! If
Muslims, in accordance with their sacred and respected spiritual beliefs,
send millions of tumans to Karbia, Najaf and Jerusalem, or to other
Muslim Holy Places outside Iran to be spent on the maintenance and upkeep
of the Islamic Sacred Shrines, it is considered very praiseworthy; but
if a Bahá'í - even during the time in which the transfer
of foreign currency was allowed - sends a negligible amount for his
international community to be used for the repair and maintenance of
the Holy Places of his Faith, it is considered that he has committed an
unforgivable sin and it is counted as proof that he has done so in
order to strengthen other countries.
Accusations of this nature are many but all are easy to investigate. If
just and impartial people and God-fearing judges will only do so, the
falsity of these spurious accusations will be revealed in case after case.
The Bahá'í community emphatically requests that such
accusations be investigated openly in the presence of juries composed of
judges and international observers so that, once and for all, the
accusations may be discredited and their repetition prevented. The
basic principles and beliefs of the Bahá'ís have been
repeatedly proclaimed and set forth in writing during the past five
years. Apparently these communications, either by deliberate design
or by mischance, have not received any attention, otherwise accusations
such as those described above would not have been repeated by one of
the highest and most responsible authorities. This in itself is a proof
that the numerous communications referred to were not accorded the
attention of the leaders; therefore, we mention them again.
The Bahá'í Faith confesses the unity of God and the
justice of the divine Essence. It recognizes that Almighty God is an
exalted, unknowable and concealed identity, sanctified from ascent and
descent, from egress and regress, and from assuming a physical body.
The Bahá'í Faith which professes the existence of the
invisible God, the One, the Single, the Eternal, the Peerless, bows
before the loftiness of His Threshold, believes in all divine
Manifestations, considers all the Prophets from Adam to the Seal of
the Prophets as true divine Messengers Who are the
Manifestations of Truth in the world of creation, accepts Their Books
as having come from God, believes in the continuation of the divine
outpourings, emphatically believes in reward and punishment and,
uniquely among existing revealed religions outside Islam, accepts the
Prophet Muhammad as a true Prophet and the Qu'ran as the Word of God.
The Bahá'í Faith embodies independent principles and laws.
It has its own Holy Book. It prescribes pilgrimage and worship. A
Bahá'í performs obligatory prayers and observes a fast.
He gives, according to his beliefs, tithes and contributions. He is
required to be of upright conduct, to manifest a praiseworthy character,
to love all mankind, to be of service to the world of humanity and to
sacrifice his own interests for the good and well-being of his fellow
kind. He is forbidden to commit unbecoming deeds. `Abdu'l-Baha says:
"A Bahá'í is known by the attributes manifested by him,
not by his name; he is recognized by his character, not by his person."
Shoghi Rabbanni, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, says:
"... a person who is not adorned with the ornaments of virtue, sanctity,
and morality, is not a true Bahá'í, even though he may
call himself one and be known as such".
He also says: "The friends have been required to be righteous, well-
wishing, forbearing, sanctified, pure, detached from all else save God,
severed from the trappings of this world and adorned with the
mantle of a goodly character and godly attributes."
The teachings and laws of the Bahá'í religion testify to
this truth. Fortunately, the books and writings which have been
plundered in abundance from the homes of Bahá'ís and are
available to the authorities, bear witness to the truth of these
assertions. Bahá'ís, in keeping with their spiritual
beliefs, stay clear of politics; they do not support or reject any
party, group or nation; they do not champion or attack any ideology
or any specific political philosophy; they shrink from and abhor
political agitations. The Guardian of the Bahá'í Cause
says, "The people of Bahá under the jurisdiction of whatsoever
state or government they may be residing, should conduct themselves
with honesty and sincerity, trustworthiness and rectitude.... They
are neither thirsty for prominence, nor acquisitive of power; they
are neither adepts at dissimulation and hypocrisy, nor are they
seekers after wealth and influence; they neither crave for the pomp
and circumstance of the high office, nor do they lust after the glory
of titles and ranks. They are averse to affectation and ostentation,
and shrink from the use of coercive force; they have closed their eyes
to all but God, and set their hearts on the firm and
incontrovertible promises of their Lord.... Oblivious to themselves,
they have occupied their energies in working towards the good of
society.... While vigilantly refusing to accept political posts, they
should whole-heartedly welcome the chance to assume administrative
positions; for the primary purpose of the people of Bahá is
to advance the interests and promote the welfare of the nation....
Such is the method of the Bahá'ís; such is the conduct
of all spiritually illumined souls; and aught else is manifest error."
Also, Bahá'ís, in accordance with their exalted teachings,
are duty bound to be obedient to their government. Elucidating this
subject, Shoghi Rabbanni says: "The people of Bahá are required
to obey their respective governments, and to demonstrate their
truthfulness and good will towards the authorities.... Bahá'ís
in every land and without any exception, should ... be obedient and bow
to the clear instructions and the declared decrees issued by the
authorities. They must faithfully carry out such directives."
Bahá'í administration has no aim except the good of all
nations and it does not take any steps that are against the public good.
Contrary to the conception the word "administration" may create in the
mind because of the similarity in name, it does not rsemble the current
organizations of political parties; it does not interfere in political
affairs; and it is the safeguard against the involvement of
Bahá'ís in subversive political activities. Its high ideals
are "to improve the characters of men; to extend the scope of knowledge;
to abolish ignorance and prejudice; to strengthen the foundations of
true religion in the hearts; to encourage self-reliance and discourage
false imitation; ... to uphold truthfulness, audacity, frankness, and
courage; to promote craftsmanship and agriculture; ... to educate, on
a compulsory basis, children of both sexes; to insist on integrity in
business transactions; to lay stress on the observance of honesty and
piety; ... to acquire mastery and skill in the modern sciences and arts;
to promote the interests of the public; ... to obey
outwardly and inwardly and with true loyalty the regulations enacted
by state and government; ... to honour, to extol and to follow the
example of those who have distinguished themselves in science and
learning". And again, "... to help the needy from every creed or
sect, and to collaborate with the people of the country in all welfare
services".
In brief, whatever the clergy in other religions undertake individually
and by virtue of their appointment to their positions, the
Bahá'í administration performs collectively and through
an elective process.
The statements made by the esteemed Public Prosecutor of the Revolution
do not seem to have legal basis, because in order to circumscribe
individuals and deprive them of the rights which have not been denied
them by the Constitution, it is necessary to enact special legislation,
provided that legislation is not contradictory to the Constitution. It
was hoped that the recent years would have witnessed, on the one hand,
the administration of divine justice - a principle promoted by the
true religion of Isl m and prescribed by all monotheistic religions--
and, on the other, and coupled with an impartial investigation of the
truths of the Bahá'í Faith, the abolition or at least
mitigation of discriminations, restrictions and pressures suffered by
Bahá'ís over the past 135 years. Alas, on the contrary,
because of long-standing misunderstandings and prejudices, the
difficulties increased immensely and the portals of calamity were
thrown wide open in the faces of the
long-suffering and sorely oppressed Baha'is of Iran who were, to an
even greater degree, deprived of their birthrights through the systematic
machinations of Government officials who are supposed to be the refuge
of the public, and of some impostors in the garb of divines, who
engaged in official or unofficial spreading of mischievous and harmful
accusations and calumnies, and issued, in the name of religious and
judicial authorities, unlawful decrees and verdicts.
Many are the pure and innocent lives that have been snuffed out;
many the distinguished heads that have adorned the hangman's noose;
and many the precious breasts that became the targets of firing squads.
Vast amounts of money and great quatities of personal property have been
plundered or confiscated. Many technical experts and learned people
have been tortured and condemned to long-term imprisonment and are
still languishing in dark dungeons, deprived of the opportunity of
placing their expertise at the service of the Government and the nation.
Numerous are the self-sacrificing employees of the Government who spent
their lives in faithful service but who were dismissed from work and
afflicted with poverty and need because of hatred and prejudice. Even
the owners of private firms and institutions were prevented from engaging
Bahá'ís. Many privately-owned Bahá'í
establishments have been confiscated. Many tradesmen have been denied
the right to continue working by cancellation of their business licences.
Bahá'í youth have been denied access to education in many
schools and in all universities and institutions of higher education.
Bahá'í university students abroad are deprived of receiving
money for their education, and others who wish to pursue their studies
outside Iran have been denied exit permits. Bahá'ís,
including the very sick whose only hope for cure was to receive medical
treatment in specialized medical centres in foreign lands, have been
prevented from leaving the country. Bahá'í cemeteries have
been confiscated and bodies rudely disinterred. Numerous have been the
days when a body has remained unburied while the bereaved family
pleaded to have a permit issued and a burial place assigned so that the
body might be decently buried. As of today, thousands of
Bahá'ís have been divested of their homes and forced to
live as exiles. Many have been driven from their villages and dwelling
places and are living as wanderers and stranded refugees in other parts
of Iran with no haven and refuge but the Court of the All-Merciful God
and the loving-kindness of their friends and relatives.
It is a pity that the mass media, newspapers and magazines, either do
not want or are not allowed to publish any news about the
Bahá'í community of Iran or to elaborate upon what is
happening. If they were free to do so and were unbiased in reporting
the daily news, volumes would have been compiled describing the inhuman
cruelty to and oppression of the innocent. For example, if they were
allowed to do so, they would have written that in Shiraz, seven
courageous men and ten valiant women - seven of whom were girls in the
prime of their lives - audaciously rejected the suggestion of the
religious judge that they recant their Faith or, at least, dissemble
their belief, and preferred death to the concealment of their Faith.
The women, after hours of waiting with dried lips, shrouded themselves
in their chadours, kissed the noose of the gallows, and with intense
love offered up their souls for the One Who profereth life. The observers
of this cruel scene might well ask forgiveness for the murderers of
Karbila, since they, despite their countless atrocities, did not put
women to the sword nor harass the sick and infirm. Alas, tongues are
prevented from making utterance and pens are broken and the hidden
cause of these brutalities is not made manifest to teach the world a
lesson. The Public Prosecutor alleges that they were spies. Gracious
God! Where in history can one point to a spy who readily surrendered
his life in order to prove the truth of his belief?
Unfortunately it is beyond the scope of this letter to recount the
atrocities inflicted upon the guiltless Baha'is of Iran or to answer,
one, by one, the accusations levelled against them. But let us ask all
just and fair-minded people only one question: If, according to the
much publicized statements of the Public Prosecutor, Bahá'ís
are not arrested and executed because of their belief, and are not
even imprisoned on that account, how is it that, when a group of them
are arrested and each is charged with the same "crime" of "spying", if
one of them recants his belief, he is immediately freed, a photograph
of him and a description of his defection are victoriously featured
in the newspapers, and respect and glory are heaped upon him? What
kind of spying, subversion, illegal accumulation of goods, aggression
or conspiracy or other "crime" can it be that is capable of being
blotted out upon the recantation of one's beliefs? Is this not a
clear proof of the absurdity of the accusations?
In spite of all this, the Baha'i community of Iran, whose principles
have been described earlier in this statement, announces the suspension
of the Bahá'í organizations throughout Iran in order to
establish its good intentions and in conformity with its basic tenets
concerning complete
obedience to the instructions of the Government. Henceforth, until
the time when, God willing, the misunderstandings are eliminated and
the realities are at last made manifest to the authorities, the National
Assembly and all Local Spiritual Assemblies and their Committees are
disbanded, and no one may any longer be designated a member of the
Bahá'í Administration.
The Bahá'í community of Iran hopes that this step will be
considered a sign of its complete obedience to the Government in power.
It further hopes that the authorities - including the esteemed Public
Prosecitor of the Islamic Revolution who says that there is no
opposition to and no enmity towards individual Bahá'ís,
who has acknowledged the existence of a large Bahá'í
community and has, in his interview, guaranteed its members the the
right to live and be free in their acts of worship--will reciprocate
by proving their good intentions and the truth of their assurances by
issuing orders that pledge, henceforth:
1. To bring to an end the persecutions, arrests, torture and imprisonment
of Bahá'ís for imaginary crimes and on baseless pretexts,
because God knows--and so do the authorities--that the only "crime" of
which these innocent ones are guilty is that of their beliefs, and not
the unsubstantiated accusations brought against them;
2. To guarantee the safety of their lives, their personal property
and belongings, and their honour;
3. To accord them freedom to choose their residence and occupation
and the right of association based on the provisions of the Costitution
of the Islamic Republic;
4. To restore all the rights which have been taken away from them
in accordance with the groundless assertions of the Public Prosecutor
of the country;
5. To restore to Bahá'í employees the rights denied
them by returning them to their jobs and by paying them their due wages;
6. To release from prison all innocent prisoners;
7. To lift the restrictions imposed on the properties of those
Bahá'ís who, in their own country, have been deprived of
their belongings;
8. To permit Bahá'í students who wish to continue
their studies abroad to benefit from the same facilities that are provided
to others;
9. To permit those Bahá'í youth who have been
prevented from continuing their studies in the country to resume their
education;
10. To permit those Bahá'í students stranded abroad
who have been deprived of foreign exchange facilities to receive their
allowances as other Iranian students do;
11. To restore Bahá'í cemeteries and to permit
Bahá'ís to bury their dead in accordance with
Bahá'í burial ceremonies;
12. To guarantee the freedom of Bahá'ís to perform
their religious rites; to conduct funerals and burials including the
recitation of the Prayer for the Dead; to somemnize Bahá'í
marriages and divorces, and to carry out all acts of worship and laws
and ordinances affecting personal status; because although
Bahá'ís are entirely obedient and subordinate to the
Government in the administration of the affairs which are in the
jurisdiction of Bahá'í organizations, in matters of
conscience and belief, and in accordance with their spiritual principles,
they prefer martyrdom to recantation or the abandoning of the divine
ordinances prescribed by their Faith;
13. To desist henceforth from arresting and imprisoning anyone
because of his prevous membership in Bahá'í organizations.
Finally, although the order issued by the Public Prosecutor of the
Islamic Revolution was unjust and unfair, we have accepted it. We
beseech God to remove the dross of prejudice from the hearts of the
authorities so that, aided and enlightened by His confirmations, they
will be inspired to recognize the true nature of the affairs of the
Bahá'í community and come to the unalterable conviction
that the affliction of atrocities and cruelties upon a pious band of
wronged ones, and the shedding of their pure blood, will stain the
good name and injure the prestige of any nation or government, for
what will, in truth, endure are the records of good deeds, and of
acts of justice and fairness, and the names of the doers of good.
These will history preserve in its bosom for posterity.
Respectfully,
(signed) The National Spiritual Assembly of
the Bahá'ís of Iran
(12 Shahrivar 1362)
[3 September 1983]
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1. The executions took place on 8 September 1980. Ayatollah Khomeini,
in his lectures on Islamic Government (1973), had for his own
purposes falsely linked the Christian missions in Iran with the
Bahá'ís as corrupters of Muslim youth. In August 1980
pressure against the Christian community in general began to mount.
The 27 August 1980 issue (No. 1079) (5 Shahrivar 1359 A. H.) of the
Tihran-based newspaper Kayhan carried a story released through the
Paris agency about the discovery in an Episcopalian church in Iran
of a document purporting to be a receipt of US $500 million signed
by a clergyman who was said to be spying for the C.I.A. The sum was
the report said, to be split among various agencies including `the
head of the Bahá'ís and anti-revolutionary groups' and
was described as a preliminary step in the anticipated terrorist
activities including bombing the residence of Ayatollah Khomeini.
Soon after the hanging of the seven Bahá'ís, and it
may be concluded because groups other than Bahá'ís
were affected, the Public Prosecutor announced that the document
was a forgery.
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©Copyright, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Iran
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