barbaric islam = Horrible Torture + Nazi Brutality + Fascist Mentality + Ignorance

Anonymous Wrote:

On Apr 13, 7:20 pm, Dan <No-email@.gov

The Islamic Republic regime has once again used one of its traditional
tricks and generated waves of anti-Baha’i attacks during these heated
days when different political parties are trying to win seats for the
executive branch of the Islamic Republic, and the regime is enveloped
with official and unofficial rumors regarding possible dialogue and
ties with the United States - all of this can be seen against a
backdrop of an extreme economic crisis which has overtaken the
majority of the people, bringing their future into serious question.
This current wave began some time ago with the arrest of dozens of
Baha’is, and has culminated in accusations of espionage against seven
leaders of the Baha’i Faith.
In the most recent phase of this anti-Baha’i wave, Ayatollah Qorban-
Ali Dorri Najafabadi, Iran’s Attorney General, wrote to his
counterpart in the Ministry of Intelligence demanding confrontation
with the “Baha’i administration”. A few news agencies directly tied to
the government have noted that this letter amounts to license on
behalf of the Attorney General to instigate a “serious attack against
elements of the Baha’i organization” and to see this confrontation
through to “complete obliteration of the same”. For this purpose,
during Friday prayer sessions, officials of the Islamic regime
gathered signatures on a petition calling for “the elimination of the
wayward sect [i.e. Baha'i Faith] and the Baha’i organization.” These
actions, which are considered the most extreme efforts to eliminate
the Baha’is during the 30-year of Islamic Republic regime, could
transform existing anti-Baha’ism into widespread genocide and create a
complete catastrophe.
Anti-Baha’ism in the Islamic Republic is as old as the regime itself.
The Constitution of this regime recognized only a few known religions,
and deliberately left out the Baha’i Faith, thus by exclusion making
it invalid and outside of any religious category. In practice also,
since the inception of the Islamic regime, not only have the followers
of this religion [i.e. Baha'is] been deprived of their rights as human
beings, but they have also been stripped of all civil rights due to
them as citizens of this country.
Many times Baha’is have been subjected to pressure and harm. Their
property has been confiscated. Their children have been barred from
school. They have been summarily dismissed from work and left without
job security. They have been denied pensions and in many cases had to
reimburse salaries they had received while working. Their homes and
dwellings have been attacked and confiscated. Their places of worship
and gathering sites have been demolished and destroyed. Hundreds, nay
thousands of them have been arrested and have fallen victim to torture
and suffering. More than two hundred of them were executed during the
first decade after the revolution. During the reign of the Islamic
Republic, apart from political groups, the Baha’is have been more
intensely and more bitterly persecuted and suppressed than any other
group with a distinct social and belief structure.
The principle reason for anti-Baha’ism in the Islamic Republic is
ideology. One religious order, by definition, rejects other religions.
With regard to some religions, such as the people of the Book [a term
used to refer to the Jewish and Christian religions - translator] or
those of Sunni persuasion, such denial becomes relative. However, it
becomes absolute when a religion is in direct conflict with the
dominant religion. A regime that derives its influence by appealing to
the idea of the Hidden Twelfth Imam cannot coexist with any belief
that directly challenges that premise [Note: the Baha'i community
believes that the Bab represented the Promised One of Islam and that
the messianic expectations of Islam have been fulfilled in the persons
of the Bab and Baha'u'llah - translator].
From this perspective, it is expected to see the authorities of this
regime tormenting, torturing, harassing and executing Baha’is more
than any other group, as well as periodically arresting individuals
claiming to be the expected Promised One or in communication with Him
and executing these individuals.
Since the suppression of the Baha’is is rooted in ideology, that means
the intensity of the oppression of Baha’is is directly proportional to
the power of “messianics” in the government, rather than to the
openness of the country’s political atmosphere. However, these two
issues are related to each other.
In the years immediately after the revolution, elements associated
with the Hojjatiyeh penetrated the government, and through their
influence over various layers of government were able to pressure and
suppress Baha’is.
However, harassing and persecuting Baha’is was not exclusive to this
group. Many of those competing with Hojjatiyeh or combating against it
were also involved in oppressing the Baha’is because of ideological
reasons. Many senior people in the government were personally involved
in this effort or would lend it their complete support. For example, a
large number of religious leaders such as the late Ayatollah
Gulpaygani or Khamenei, the current supreme leader of the Islamic
Republic, have issued instructions for limiting the Baha’is and
barring them from access to educational facilities or from enjoying
civil rights.
In fact, so far — that is, after three decades of the Islamic regime —
only one senior religious leader — namely, Ayatollah Montazeri — has
emphasized the civil rights of the Baha’is and has defended their
rights in this regard. Apart from this case, while currently the
founders of the so-called sect of Qa’imis [those who expect the
immediate arisal of the Promised Imam of Shi'i Islam] have taken over
the government and once more waves of anti-Baha’ism are sweeping
across the country, governmental authorities and different agencies
are competing with one another in a game to see who can become more
antagonistic towards Baha’is!
In addition to ideological motives, other factors are also involved
with anti-Baha’ism. Frequently, during periods in which no major
changes in government personnel have taken place, there have been ups
and downs in pursuing anti-Baha’i policies. For example, the current
government structure has been the same for the last three years,
whereas the current anti-Baha’i wave has become intense only in recent
weeks and months.
What has changed in these weeks that on one hand seven imprisoned
Baha’i leaders are being charged with espionage and are on the verge
of execution, while at the same time the country’s Attorney General
orders the complete eradication and obliteration of all Baha’is, and
urges all government agencies to increase their propaganda against the
Baha’is?
Is this not because the government wants to divert public opinion from
certain issues, or to conceal a certain crisis, or to promote a
certain group through diversionary propaganda and tactics?
Experience has proven that during periods of crisis or uncertain
times, corrupt totalitarian regimes adopt such techniques as provoking
public opinion against a helpless minority so they can divert public
thoughts and preoccupy people’s minds, thereby gaining relief from
popular criticism. Under the present theocracy in Iran, the minority
group that more than any other can be used as an instrument for this
purpose is the Baha’i community, which has to pay through the
sacrifice of the lives and possessions of its beleaguered members the
high cost of deceit by Iran’s rulers.
Ayatollah Dorri Najafabadi, who under the rule of so-called Islamic
“justice” administers the judiciary branch, has boldly issued orders
to eliminate and remove all Baha’is, while the entire propaganda
machine of the government is feeding the fire that this man has
ignited.
Najafabadi has a long and checkered history in confronting through
legal means as well as by direct action the religious or political
opponents of the Islamic Republic. Ten years ago, he was the Minister
of Intelligence, and all his deputies and managers had significant
roles in slaughtering such dissidents as Forouhar [see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dariush_Forouhar], [Mohammad] Mokhtari
[see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_murders_of_Iran], Pooyandeh
[see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Jafar_Pouyandeh], and many
others. He himself is one of those principally accused for issuing the
command for all these killings through his religious verdicts. It was
for this reason [i.e. excess brutality] that he was dismissed from the
office of Minister of Intelligence.
Now it very likely that once again Najafabadi is the leader in
suppressing a vulnerable and defenseless minority group, and
officially presides over a planned massacre and annihilation of this
group. He could be the instigator aiming to use the Baha’is as
scapegoats for hiding internal conflicts within the government and to
divert attention from political and social unrest.
Whatever his motive, there should be no doubt that this action could
lead to total tragedy - a tragedy that elements in the government
would use to incite public and religious sentiment against the
Baha’is, which would be intended to bring about waves of terror and
fear among the Baha’is in order to completely suppress and silence
them.
The suppression of the Baha’is within the religious community of Iran,
especially given the massive and intense propaganda against them over
the course of so many decades, is not a difficult task. Most certainly
a universal protest and movement would be required to repel the
onslaught of this coming suppression of the Baha’is and its resultant
calamity. The recent open letter, “We are Ashamed” signed by more than
two hundred Iranian prominent figures residing outside the country is
a serious measure in this direction. [Ayatollah] Montazeri’s
pronouncement a little while ago in defending the rights of Baha’is to
citizenship and to civil rights is also a noteworthy and helpful step
in changing the view of Islamist groups, particularly his own
followers, about the Baha’is.
Within the country, enveloped in a most alarming and dangerous
atmosphere, [Nobel prizewinner] Mrs. [Shirin] Ebadi and other members
of the Human Rights Defenders have courageously arisen to defend the
legal rights of the imprisoned Baha’is.
It is also time for other civil rights activists to join this growing
and historic movement, and to neutralize governmental propaganda
against the Baha’is. In addition, it is possible that reformists and
heterodox thinkers within the religious fold may follow the example of
[Ayatollah] Montazeri, and such activists as Emad al-Din Baqi, and
defend the rights of the Baha’is, and prevent government authorities
from taking advantage of their silence to profit from anti-Baha’i
policies.
The suppression of the Baha’is, like the suppression of any other
defenseless minority, is a national tragedy no matter what the pretext
or excuse. Remaining silent places an awful burden of responsibility
on those who are able to raise their voices but who fail to do so.
[This essay was posted on http://iranian.com/main/2009/feb-22 and on
http://iranbbb.org/37763.htm in Persian. Translation by Iran Press
Watch.]
http://www.iranpresswatch.org/2009/04/why-suppress/