After launching our latest video, we received many letters of support and encouragement from readers across the world. One letter that truly touched us was from a young Iranian Baha’i whose family was forced to leave Oman - his birthplace and the only home he ever knew - simply because they were Baha’is. We were distraught to learn that 13 other families met the same fate and felt it was important that their plight is heard.

He kindly agreed to share his story with us.

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How many Baha’is do you estimate are currently in Oman?
Around 50 families.

How were you treated by Muslims around you? Were they tolerant and accepting?
They were very kind to us. I was one of them; I was born there, I studied there, and I grew up with Omanis. They never treated us according to what we believe…they treated us like human beings.

Were there any cases of Baha’is being arrested in Oman? Did you reiceve any threats?
No. But between 2002 and 2006, the government asked some families to leave Oman…and we obeyed.

How did the Omani government ask you to leave and why? Were you sent a document, a phone call? How did you react to the news?
Well, they asked our sponsor to tell us to leave Oman. We don’t know what they told them, but we had the same sponsor for more than 15 years and we did not have any problem with him. Just one day he came and informed us that the government asked him to tell us to leave the country. When we asked the government, they denied it claiming it’s the sponsor who wants us to leave. Our sponsor was very sad about it, and he kept telling us how sorry he is, but that he was forced to do it.

Recently, concern is going for the Iranian Baha’is who were arrested in Yemen as they might be deported to Iran. Upon your return to Iran, were you detained by the authorities?
After my arrival to Iran, I was asked to talk to their secret services. They had some questions about the Baha’is of Oman, and in the end the interrogator told me, “We asked the Omani government to kick you out of there”.

Muslim clerics often repeat the claim that Baha’is collaborate with foreign powers to undermine the Muslim world. How would you respond to that?
We have never done so! They think so because our Holy Land is in Israel, but it has been there since before its creation.

Besides, we are forbidden to interfere in politics. How can we make relations against anyone? Another point is that we believe in Islam and all the past religions. We never say that we are apart from them. As an example, in school, when you go to fifth grade do you deny you were in 4th grade? So we are now in fifth grade, but we never say that we don’t believe in our 4th, 3rd, 2nd teachers and books.

I hope I made myself clear.

How does it feel to be back in Iran?
Hard and strange. But now we have to stay here and help our brothers and sisters build a better Iran far from prejudice and hate and not leave the battle field. Now the Iranian government is spreading many lies about us and the Baha’i faith. If we do not stay and answer people’s questions, it would be wrong

According to the Baha’i World News Service, the six Baha’is arrested in Yemen - 3 Iranians, 2 Yemenis and an Iraqi - were arrested on a nightly raid on the 20th of June, and held under suspicion of ‘proselytizing’, a charge which the Baha’is deny. Although the two Yemeni nationals have been freed, the remaining four face the risk of deportation.

If deported, the Iranian nationals will undoubtedly not receive a warm welcome in their native country, where arbitrary arrests, arson and torture are threats Baha’is must face.

Regardless of whether or not the Baha’is were engaged in proselytizing, criminalizing the act in itself is absurd and constitutes an abuse against human rights.

Just as we Muslims value being able to share our religion with others, we should grant all faiths the right to share theirs with us.

Several days ago, the Associated Press reported that the Yemeni authorities detained six Iranian Baha’is, for allegedly belonging to a rebel group. The news came as surprising to many; Yemen had provided a relatively safer haven for Baha’is to freely practise their faith.

We contacted HOOD, Yemen’s priemer human rights NGO, requesting more information and they confirmed they’re acting as lawyers to the detained Baha’is. Contrary to news reports, not all the detainees are Iranian nationals; two are Yemenis and one is an Iraqi.

We were relieved when informed that the two Yemenis have been released, while the others are expected to be released soon.

Still, many questions remain unanswered and we will follow up once we have more information

One of the many questions people ask us here is why we are running this initiative, and one of our many answers is that Baha’is are known for defending Islam and Muslims whenever we are being attacked, which serves as an inspiration for us to defend our Baha’i brethren as well. There is something very beautiful about someone who doesn’t share your religion yet doesn’t allow that to be a barrier for defending it, loving it, and respecting it as well as its members.

Marco, a Portuguese Baha’i, wrote a post refuting Sam Harris’ attacks on Islam. Harris is a confused author known for his mangled writings linking religion and violence, and his work clearly deserves a refutation which Marco provides below:

This is one of several posts I wrote about Sam Harris book “The End of Faith”. I usually am not sarcastic, but Mr Harris proves to be a radical atheist. He may not be a radical in the sense of inspiring suicide bombers or calling for a Holy War. But he is radical with his words that spread prejudice, ignores basic facts, and avoids the use of reason when approaching Islam. I wrote this post because Mr Harris attacks something I firmly believe: the divine origin of Islam.

Here is an English translation of the post:

Sam Harris and the End of the Faith [originally posted Friday, 25 of January of 2008]:

“We are at war with the Islam” is the one of the main ideas of the book The End of Faith by Sam Harris. The statement is an obvious simplification of the reality; the relationship between the West and some countries of the Middle East is much more complex than these simple words suggest. It is obvious that - in the last few decades - radical Islam has been a source of problems for people from the West and for Islam itself. It is often stated that the expression “radical Islam” and “Islamic fundamentalism” became part of common language after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Where was radical Islam before that time?

This is enough to question what does Mr. Sam Harris mean when he writes about Islam? Throughout the chapter “The Problem with the Islam” we understand that the author is referring to all countries whose populations are mainly Muslim. To put in other words, he includes within “Muslim” (whether liberal or conservative) Arabs, Persians, Indians, Malaysian, Indonesians & Africans… all of them are placed by Sam Harris on the same side of an imaginary trench. Wouldn’t it be more rational to consider that the problem only exists due to some dictatorships and extremist groups based in the Middle East ? Such a simplification by Mr Harris! Is it not typical of a radical thought? And isn’t it strange that we find it to be a common attitude between religious extremists and anti-religious extremists? I have to admit that I was expecting much more from Mr. Harris. After all, in this same book he proclaims the need to use reason when studying religion!

The mental attitude of radical Muslims should be compared with the mental attitude of supporters of other forms radicalism that Western countries faced in the past. It seems strange to me that Mr. Harris does not make any comparison between Muslim suicide bombers and Japanese Kamikaze during the 2nd World War. Don’t they have something in common? Both believe that they were committing a personal sacrifice in name of a supreme cause by causing death and destruction to their enemies.

So it is strange that Sam Harris was not able to establish such a comparison. He preferred over simplifications instead of a rational analysis of the situation. Maybe his sympathy for Buddhism did not allow him to make such a comparison.

INTERPRETATION OF THE SACRED TEXTS

The book, The End of Faith, presents several pages of quotation from the Quran. These are sentences that according to author disclose the violent nature of Islam. It is not necessary to be very versed in the history of Islam to understand that the texts of the Quran revealed in Medina are very different from the texts revealed in Mekka. According to some Muslim theologians, this implies that the applicability and the overall view of the text vary according to the context of the revelation itself.

But is not Mr. Harris the great defender of the use of reason in the analysis of religion? Is his literal interpretation of the sacred texts the example of the so desired rationality? Can we ignore the context (local and circumstantial) where the texts were revealed? Can we make a mere literal interpretation of the texts and nothing else? But is this not but the same method of Islamic fundamentalists? Is this what Mr. Harris means by the use of reason? …

It is obvious that Mr. Harris has a lot of prejudices against the Islam. After insisting on the literal interpretations of the Quran, he finds a verse that states: “Don’t you kill each other” (4: 29). Strangely the author avoids the literal interpretation of this verse, and states that it is “ambiguous”. One can only conclude that objectivity is not a trait of the author.

When reading the book, The End of the Faith, we perceive that the method of the author in evaluating the religions is to make a literal interpretation of the texts and to validate this literal meaning against common sense. No time to waste on searching for metaphoric or symbolic meanings; a superficial reading is quite enough. But is this the method Mr. Harris applies to all religions and belief systems?

Knowing Mr. Harris fascination with Buddhism, one wonders how he would interpret the meaning of Buddha’s words: “If you find the Buddha in the road, kills him”. Would he take those words literally and consider it an encouragement of intolerance and violence, a proof of the falsehood of Buddhism and its evil influence in the history of mankind? Or would he look for a metaphoric meaning of these words? The answer can be found here: Killing the Buddha. How strange that Mr Harris becomes more rational when he analyzes the texts of Buddhism.

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NOTE: This subject is not depleted this way; in next post I will approach other subjects that Sam Harris wrote on the Islam in the book, The End of the Faith.

We would like to thank Marco for defending our religion against ill-informed attacks.

According to the Associated Press (via The Jerusalem Post), six Iranian followers of the Baha’i faith have been detained in Yemen. Although Baha’is are known to not engage in politics, a Yemeni security official alleged the arrested Baha’is were members of a rebel group.

Unfortunately, not much information is currently available regarding the detainees, but we will be sure to keep you updated as soon as we learn more. What we do know for sure is: the Iranian government is unlikely to petition for their release.

Update: The Associated Press has a more extensive report, a copy of which can be found here:

Mansour Hayel, vice president of the Omar al-Gawi Political Forum that advocates for human rights and civil liberties in Yemen, blamed the arrests on the growing influence of extremist Muslim groups in Yemen.

Read the full report here.

2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great penned down what is regarded as the first declaration for human rights, affirming the right to freedom of worship. But centuries later, what is the situation of Iran’s largest religious minority?

Note: images for this clip were lovingly borrowed from the feature film, “Persepolis.” Marjane Satrapi’s admirable production. She continues to serve as an inspiration for us all.If you cannot access YouTube, this video is also available here in (English) and (Farsi.)
Much has been said and written on the persecution of the Baha’i minority in Iran, but in these dark days, and as troubling news continues to emerge, it is time to rise up and proclaim, enough! Whether it is justified by religion, or hidden under the guise of nationalism, or instigated by prejudice, religious intolerance is a plague that threatens the fabric of our societies. It is our moral obligation to not sit by silently as our fellow brothers and sisters are murdered, imprisoned and denied their rights as citizens due to their personal beliefs.Spread the word:

• Promote this clip by sharing it with your friends, colleagues, and on social networks.
• Stay aware of human rights abuses against this innocent minority.

Contact Iranian Embassies

• Contact your nearest Iranian embassy, expressing your concern over the treatment of Baha’is. We’ve provided a template letter, as well as contact details of embassies worldwide.

For those in Iran:

• Learn more about the faith, and be aware that the IRI and officials of other countries like Egypt have launched massive propaganda campaigns against them.
• Reach out to Baha’is, and keep an open mind.

Remember, you don’t have to believe in the Baha’i faith in order to tolerate and respect its members. We all deserve equal human rights, and an equal status in citizenship, regardless of our faiths.

[Update: a Farsi version of the template letter is now available. I’d like to take this opportunity to send out a special thank you to all the Iranian youth (who wish to remain unnamed) for their help. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.]

[If you would rather watch a higher resolution version, visit our video sharing site]

Once again, Egypt’s “Al Masry Al Youm” features an article on the Baha’i community, this time recounting the painful story of Hana and Noor, the two Baha’i children who were denied access to an education due to their lack of a computerized birth certificate.

The article is infused with satire, and ends with a humourous quip and an appeal to Egypt’s Minister of Education to end the madness at one.

While originally posted in Arabic, an English translation is available as well.

Does any of all these employees feel the crime they committed against two innocent children through all these complications and problems that have nothing to do with any religion, including Islam?

What this man asked for was simple and possible, namely being exempted – temporarily – from submitting an electronic birth certificate and being allowed to replace it with a paper one.

Let us wait for the day in which the Egyptian administrative bodies will implement the judicial ruling that Bahais should have a slash written on their ID card instead of their religion. Otherwise, shall we wait for the day when Obama will slam us in a report in which he accuses us of religious discrimination?

To Minister Yousry el-Gamal: stop this farce immediately!

Following the baseless accusations thrown by Tehran’s deputy prosecutor, in which he alleged that the 7 arrested Baha’i leaders forged links with Israel, Shirin Ebadi - the famed lawyer, human rights activist and Nobel Laureate - made a brave decision to defend them before court. Shirin Ebadi has long been a thorn at the side of the Iranian authority, actively speaking out for the rights of the marginalized in Iran.

And now, Iranian state media has stooped to a very low level, attempting to smear Ebadi’s efforts through claiming her daughter converted to the Baha’i faith almost a year ago. The implications of such an accusation are dire; conversion from Islam is a crime that is punishable by death.

We at the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights applaud Ms. Ebadi’s courage and willingness to stand up for her fellow citizens. Fear and distrust of the Baha’i minority is entrenched in Iranian society - an aftermath of decades of villification. We hope that Ms. Ebadi’s efforts will signal a new beginning in Iran, and allow more and more Muslims to voice their sympathy and concern for their Baha’i brothers and sisters.

Last May, it was revealed that Iranian authorities detained the leaders of “the Friends”, an informal group that oversaw the needs of the Baha’i community. For months, they were held without charge or access to due process, and as the days and weeks passed, concern was growing for their safety.

Iran, with its history rife with incidents of abuse against the Baha’i minority, is known to target leaders of the faith. In August 1980, all members of the National Spiritual Assembly were abducted and are believed to have been killed. A year later, the Baha’i community was gripped again as members of their newly elected National Spiritual Assembly were executed. Soon after, the government banned all Baha’i institutions, thus leaving the Baha’i community with no other choice but to suspend all organizational and administrative activities.

Now a troubling development has ensued, with Resalat - a conservative newspaper in Iran - publishing a report that claims “7 Israeli spies were arrested”.

Speaking to ISNA (Iranian Students’ News Agency), Deputy of Tehran’s General and Revolutionary Dadsara mentioned the case of illegal Bahai establishment and said: 7 Bahais made an illegal group and had some sort of relations with few countries including Israel, taking directives from them to commit acts against IRI. This led to their arrest and they have admitted their charges including making an illegal group and having relations with Israel. This case is being investigated in First Branch of Security Dadsara.

Allegations that the Baha’i community works hand-in-hand with foreign powers are not new; they have been surfacing since the earliest days of the faith, with the supposed foreign power changing (from Russia, to Britain, Freemasons and now Israel) with every new turn in events.

We at the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights cannot comprehend the Iranian authority’s ceaseless efforts to persecute a small, peaceful minority, and only shudder when we try to imagine what the motives behind the supposed confessions might be.

We will continue to pray and hope for our brothers and sisters in Iran and elsewhere. This unjustifiable madness must come to an end!

“Al Masry Al Youm”, one of Egypt’s most popular newspapers, recently published an interview with representatives from the National Spritual Assembly of Baha’is in the United States. The article went beyond highlighting the difficulties Baha’is in Egypt face, but also provided an objective overview of the Baha’i faith and its tenets.

Baha’is denied that they split up from Islam, but that they rather believe that their ideology is a natural progress of faiths.

In this concern, Aaron Emmel, in-charge of human rights in National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, said that as law of Jesus Christ is a progress to the message of Moses, the message of Baha’i is a progression and confirmation of the Sharia of Mohammed, PBUH, as each messenger has a pledge that should be fulfilled.

He added that the pledge of Islam Prophet is to unify the world and the Baha’i will act to achieve it

While originally published in Arabic, a translated version is available too.

Just over a year ago, Al Masry Al Youm had reported on our “Egypt Tourism Ad” video. This is a very welcomed step - it is necessary for the public to be made aware of the obstacles their fellow citizens have to endure. And as several comments on the article have shown, much has to be achieved on that front.