[Chicago Sun-Times] Mark Kirk - There is a little-told story from Iran - a story we thought would forever stay buried in the darkness of 1930s Europe. The Baha'i faith - a faith of tolerance and diversity of thought - was founded in Iran in the mid-1800s and has become Iran's largest religious minority with over 250,000 members. In March 2006, just a few months into Ahmadinejad's presidency, the Command Headquarters of Iran's Armed Forces ordered the police, Revolutionary Guard and Ministry of Information to identify all Baha'is and collect information on their activities. Two months later, the Iranian Association of Chambers of Commerce began compiling a list of Baha'is serving in every business sector. In August, Iran's feared Ministry of the Interior ordered provincial officials to "cautiously and carefully monitor and manage" all Baha'i social activities. The Central Security Office of Iran's Ministry of Science, Research and Technology ordered 81 Iranian universities to expel any student discovered to be a Baha'i; this year, 104 Baha'is were expelled from Iranian universities. In April, the Iranian Public Intelligence and Security Force ordered 25 industries to deny business licenses to Baha'is. Banks are closing Baha'i accounts and refusing loans to Baha'i applicants. According to the U.S. State Department's 2007 Report on International Religious Freedom, "Broad restrictions on Baha'is severely undermined their ability to function as a community. The Government repeatedly offers Baha'is relief from mistreatment in exchange for recanting their faith....Baha'is may not teach or practice their faith or maintain links with co-religionists abroad. Baha'is are often officially charged with 'espionage on behalf of Zionism.'" We have seen this movie before. What happened to our solemn promise of "never again" made in 1945? U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is co-chairman of the House Iran Working Group and a member of the Human Rights Caucus.
2007-10-05 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive