An evening in support of the Baha'is in Iran

The Yaran, imprisoned in Iran.

 If you can make it down to George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium on Saturday, Sept 12, 7pm - by all means, do. 

For over 150 years, the Baha'is have been oppressed in Iran. Waves of systematic persecution at the hands of the government and clergy has sought to expel, intimidate, and eliminate those who would believe in Baha'u'llah. It has taken various forms: harassment of school children, dismissal from jobs, revoked pensions, denial of university education, imprisonment for administrative activity or teaching children's classes, burning of homes, destruction of holy sites, demolition of grave sites, torture and death. This is all because the Baha'is believe another Messenger from God has come again after Muhammad. 

The response of the Baha'is, however, has been noted by increasing numbers both within and outside Iran, for what could be a characteristically unique phenomenon in contemporary history. The Universal House of Justice recently wrote to the believers in Iran:

You have demonstrated in the example of your lives that the proper response to oppression is neither to succumb in resignation nor to take on the characteristics of the oppressor.

Rather, they have engaged in something that is coming to be recognized as ‘constructive resilience’, a term used by the Universal House of Justice. As they indicated, this community has never turned violent, descending to the level of inhumanness exhibited by the aggressor. While they continue to seek justice through legal channels, they engage in personal Baha’i worship, carry out social action that lends benefit to the common good (such as holding junior youth groups for the underprivileged), and elevate the level of discourse in society to address issues such as gender equity and personal investigation of truth, among their friends and colleagues. It is constructive in that they are continually striving to be of service and advance civilization. It is resilient because while the community has bent and made superficial changes in obedience to the government, it has never broken – neither turning aggressive nor giving into the desires of those who would have them eliminated – as has happened in many a social movement.

For almost a year and a half, there have been 7 particular individuals imprisoned for serving on an ad hoc administrative committee to oversee the national affairs of the Baha'is. They are called the 'Yaran' or 'Friends', and have been charged with "espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic republic" - claims that are categorically false. They have never been granted access to their lawyers and continue to reside in the infamous Evin Prison. Trial dates have periodically been set and then postponed at the last minute. It is to these steadfast servants that the public gathering at GWU is dedicated. 

Here are the details of the evening event, more of which can be found on http://www.dcbahai.org/:

• What: A moving and dignified evening of arts, multimedia and presentations.
• When: Saturday Sept 12th - 7PM
• Where: George Washington University, Lisner Auditorium. 730 21st St NW, Washington, DC‎
• Admission: This event is free and open to the public.

Confirmed guests include:

Ms. Shohreh Aghdashloo - Academy Award Nominated Actress, House of Sand & Fog, The Stoning of Soraya M.

Dr. Azar Nafisi - Johns Hopkins Visiting Professor and NY Times Bestselling author of Reading Lolita in Tehran

Dr. Dwight Bashir - Associate Director for Policy - US Commission on International Religious Freedom

The program will also feature arts and a moving multimedia presentation with comments from local Washington DC Metro Area Baha'is that have been personally affected by the continued persecution in Iran. 

For more information on the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran, visit http://iran.bahai.us/ and http://www.iranpresswatch.org/ .