Bahá’ís in Mount Vernon/Franconia Distressed by Iranian Persecution

Bahá’ís are the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran, unrecognized in its constitution, subject to unrelenting discrimination, and demonized in hate propaganda.

We Are a Land of Immigrants

Fairfax County is home to immigrants from all over the world, including from Iran. The local Bahá'ís are devastated by the latest news of the escalating persecution of their fellow believers, family members, and friends who are harshly treated in Iran because of their religious beliefs. Four of the nine members of the local elected council of the Bahá’ís of Mount Vernon/Franconia are of Iranian background as are about a third of the community members. The other two-thirds are native born Americans and immigrants from other countries.

[Note: below only first names are used for Bahá’ís from Iran to ensure protection of their relatives there]

Farshad and Nazanin have been in the United States since the early 2000s and live in Franconia District. Because Bahá’ís are denied access to higher education in Iran solely because of their religion, the Bahá’í community developed the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), a network of university level courses taught online, with occasional in person gatherings which Iranian authorities regularly raid. Farshad and Nazanin were both denied entrance to any Iranian university because they were Bahá’ís. More Bahá’í students in Iran have this year been denied higher education, despite having high scores on national entrance exams. Through BIHE, Farshad studied chemistry and Nazanin studied accounting and business. They came to the United States to ensure further education and the right to earn a livelihood.

Taj is a Bahá’í from Iran in Franconia district. Farzad, the husband of Taj’s niece, is currently in prison, far from his wife and children, solely because he engages in normal Bahá’í activities such as hosting and teaching children’s character development lessons and arranging monthly Bahá’í gatherings for prayer and consultation. Her nephew Iman and his wife Shabnam were imprisoned for three years. Although now released, they could be rearrested any time on trumped-up charges.

William and Rachel Collins, like many American followers, know several Bahá’ís with relatives in prison or whose spouse or parent was an elected member of a Bahá’í institution in Iran. After the Islamic Revolution began arresting and executing Bahá’ís in 1980, the entire membership of several Bahá’í local and national councils disappeared or were condemned to death and executed for membership in the Bahá’í Faith. The husband of a Bahá’í in Alexandria was one of those executed in 1980.

Ritah Sakwa, a Bahá’í from Kenya in Mount Vernon, says that “the persecution of people in their own land over their beliefs is against all moral sensibilities. The relentless attack on Bahá'ís is a human rights violation of the highest order.”

Hold Iran Accountable for Violating Human Rights

The Iranian government has signed International Covenants on Human Rights. We must hold them to account for their maltreatment of religious minorities.

The Iranian government has, since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, conducted a state-sponsored campaign against the Bahá'í community, falsely claiming that it poses a threat to Iran and Islam. The government expropriated all community properties; fired Bahá'ís from state jobs and demanded that they pay back their salaries; barred students from higher education; shut down Bahá’í-owned businesses; imprisoned Bahá'ís who sought the betterment of their country; and bulldozed cemeteries. In return for service to the people of Iran, Bahá’ís have been falsely charged with being spies and agents of various countries or enemies of Islam. Recent arrests involve ludicrous charges of “colonialism” and “infiltrating educational environments.”

In August, 200 government agents sealed off a village in Mazandaran province where a large number of Baháʼís live. They blocked roads, used heavy equipment to demolish Bahá’í homes, and took mobile phones to prevent recording. Video of the traumatized children, women, and men, were taken by Muslim neighbors who were ashamed of what was being done. Around the globe, governments and civil society have condemned this outrageous violation of human rights.

Comfort Bahá'ís here and act on behalf of the Oppressed

Bahá’ís ask neighbors in Fairfax County to join in praying for the well-being of all persecuted religious minorities in Iran, and request that you comfort local Bahá’ís whose loved ones in Iran are under duress.

Everyone can contact Senator Warner to ask that he co-sponsor Senate Resolution 183 (S.Res.183), thank Senator Kaine for co-sponsoring that resolution, and thank Congressman Beyer for co-sponsoring House Resolution 744 (H.Res.744) “condemning the Government of Iran’s state-sponsored persecution of its Bahá'í minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.” Join Amnesty International’s call for urgent action on this case.

We are citizens of one planet. Our voices can deter the tyrant and relieve the suffering of the dispossessed in Iran and the distress of their fellow Bahá'ís in Mount Vernon.