From: towfiq@justice.UUCP (Mark Towfiq)
Date: 13 Oct 92 21:53:35
Organization: Towfiq System
In-reply-to: adam@endor.uucp's message of 1 Oct 92 13:13:15 GMT
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast,soc.rights.human,talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Arab Jews are ARABS
Posting-Software: GNUS 3.13: NNTP-based News Reader for GNU Emacs
Distribution: talk

>>>>> On 1 Oct 92 13:13:15 GMT, adam@endor.uucp (Adam Shostack) said:

as> In Iran, racism is institutionalized, and Jews must vote for
as> Jewish candidates, who get a number of seats proportional to the
as> Jewish population.  The group that sufers the worst in Iraq are
as> the Bahai, who are unique in not getting any voting rights.

as> (Mark Towfiq can probably post more on the situation of the
as> Iranian Bahai.)

  What a coincidence that this press release came out the day you
mentioned the Baha'is in Iran!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
                  RENEWED PERSECUTION OF BAHA'IS IN IRAN

      The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United
States has alerted U.S. government officials of the following news
regarding the continued persecution of Baha'is in Iran. The
following letter was sent today to government officials and it has
been distributed to national news media in the U.S. 

                              October 1, 1992

      We have just received the following news about the continued
persecution of the Iranian Baha'i community and wish to bring it to
your attention.

      During the past few weeks Iranian Islamic revolutionary
institutions in Yazd, Tehran, and Isfahan have confiscated a number
of private homes and other property belonging to Baha'is.  The
Baha'is concerned are neither prominent in the community nor were
they engaged in Baha'i organizational activities.

      We  understand that in Yazd these confiscations have been
based on a religions edict that was issued to the Iranian Judiciary
by the late Ayatollah Saduqi, the former Imam of Yazd.  On the
basis of the edict members of the Imam Khomeini Foundation  are
seizing the homes of Baha'is and are harassing the occupants.

      We understand as well that the late Ayatollah had issued the
edict at the instigation of a certain Mr. Kashmiri, who had played
an active role in the oppression of the Baha'is in Yazd and who has
been keenly interested in taking over their properties.

      We are concerned that these actions against the Baha'is, that
are occurring almost simultaneously in different parts of Iran, and
which follow an intensification of persecution over the last
several weeks since the execution in March 1992 of a Baha'i leader,
Bahman Samandari, may signal the beginning of a new phase in the
persecution of the beleaguered Baha'i community in Iran.

      The details are as follows:

Yazd:

      In  Yazd, eleven families are at present affected by the
confiscations.  Mr. Dariush Dahmoubidi's family, now residing in
Taft, had already been evicted forcibly and their house with all
its furnishings had been taken over by the Imam Khomeini
Foundation.

      The families of ten other Baha'is named below were served 
notice by the Islamic revolutionary institutions to vacate their
homes and hand them over to the Government.  Although the houses
have not yet been evacuated, because the Baha'is have appealed to
higher authorities, they are under severe pressure to relinquish
their homes.

Mr. Ataollah Lur                        Mr. Khodayar Akhtarkhavari
Mrs. Irandokht Hakhamaneshi             Mr. Jamshid Lur
Mr. Ghulam-Hoseyn Shadpour              Mr. Panjali Arabi
Mr. Ruhollah Rostami                    Mr. Habibullah Tafakkori
Mr. Attaollah Rostami                   Mr. Adib Daneshniya

Tehran:

      In Tehran three cases were reported as follows:

      Mrs. Mehrangiz Rowhani, who had been dismissed from her
position as midwife at the Public Health Department, was served an
order by the Islamic Revolutionary Court that her house had been
confiscated.  Although she has appealed, no action has been taken
yet by the Court and the case is not resolved.

      A complex consisting of a large shop and ten apartments, as
well as a two story residential building, belonging to Mr.
Qodratollah Heshmati were occupied by members of the Imam Khomeini
Foundation against the will of the owner.  In this case there was
no official order from the judicial authorities.  To date his
appeals and complaints to the authorities have not succeeded in
returning his properties to him.

      Mrs. Mowhebati was forcibly evicted from her  home after being
served an order by the Attorney-General that her house was to be
confiscated.

Isfahan:

      In Isfahan the following cases were reported:

      Mrs. Badkubei had donated a two story building to the Baha'i
community before the Islamic Revolution, retaining tenancy for life
in one apartment while renting out the other as her only source of
income.  According to Islamic as well as civil law, she is entitled
to occupy the building for life.  However, she has been pressured
to vacate the house and the authorities have already compelled the
tenant of the other apartment to leave the premises.

      Perhaps the most tragic case is that of Mr. Ahmad Eshraqi,
resident of Isfahan, who is over 80 years of age.  In mid-September
1992, several government officers invaded his home and took away
all his books, numbering several thousand volumes.  They ejected
him from his home and took possession of the building.  Mr. Eshraqi
was not able to take anything with him and is now dependent on his
friends.  The authorities have not responded to any of the appeals
or complaints in his case.

      Officers of the Attorney-General of Isfahan have entered eight
other Baha'i homes during the past two weeks, taking away books,
household items, radios, television sets, recorders, cameras, and
cash.  The Baha'i owners have lodged complaints with the judicial
authorities without any result so far.

      The Baha'i community of the United States is anxious that the
news of the recent confiscations and harassment of the Iranian
Baha'is be made public and that the U.S. Government use every means
to protest the continued denial of rights to that country's largest
religious minority.  We hope that the current session of the United
Nations General Assembly might provide numerous opportunities for
mentioning the increase in persecution since last year's human
rights resolution on Iran.

      We shall also be alerting the media to the recent actions of
the Iranian authorities and shall keep you informed when further
news becomes available.  Please do not hesitate to contact us
should you have any questions.

                       Sincerely,

                       Firuz Kazemzadeh
                       Secretary for External Affairs
--
Mark Towfiq				towfiq%justice@eingedi.newton.ma.us

"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens" -- Baha'u'llah
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast