British spy novelist Jon Stock featured the Iranian government’s persecution of Baha’is as a central element of Dead Spy Running. The book was published in 2009 by Thomas Dunne Books and is slated to be made into a movie set for release in 2014. In fact, the book’s climactic scene takes place outside the Baha’i House of Worship in India, a landmark universally known as the Lotus Temple.

Below is an interview with Stock by The American Baha’i magazine:

Q. How did you research the Baha’i Faith for the book?
A. I spent a lot of time researching online. It’s amazing how much information is out there! At one point I became so interested in the religion, I was in danger of being completely sidetracked and writing a Baha’i thriller rather than a spy thriller.

Q. What are your personal spiritual beliefs and worldview?
A. On Facebook, I describe my religion as “awe and wonder.” I was brought up a Christian but I don’t have a strong Christian faith. I guess I believe in a God of some kind and I like elements of Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. In other words, I’m a ripe candidate for converting to the Baha’i Faith!

Q. Tell us about your visits to the Lotus Temple.
A. I have a terrible confession to make. To my shame, I never visited the Temple while we lived in Delhi. It was one of those things that we kept meaning to do, but never got around to doing. We drove past it all the time and it became a part of our lives, a much loved feature of our Delhi cityscape, but we never went in. I’m sorry, it sounds so awful! As a result of our cultural indolence, I had a problem when I wanted to use the Temple for the finale of Dead Spy Running. Fortunately, there is a Google and I spent many hours poring over satellite images of the gardens, measuring out distances with a ruler and plotting the final scenes with mathematical precision. For the interior, I turned to the architectural plans. The man behind the wonderful building is Fariborz Sahba, who is, of course, an Iranian Baha’i. This was a nice twist, but I don’t want to spoil the story by saying what happens in the finale!

Q. And how did you hear about situation of the Baha’is in Iran?
A. It was while researching the Baha’i Faith that I came across a press release from Amnesty International. The organization was seeking clarity from Iranian government about a sinister letter that called for the Republican Guard to compile information on Baha’is in Iran and to report on their activities. The letter referred to Baha’is as a “misguided sect.” I was shocked to read how many Baha’is had been killed and suffered in Iran after the Revolution in 1979. Amnesty International also drew attention to an event in 2006, when 54 Baha’is were arrested in Shiraz for teaching underprivileged children. My main female character in Dead Spy Running is called Leila. She has an Iranian mother who fled after the Revolution. I decided to make the mother a Baha’i, as it provided a good motive for Leila later in the book.

Q. Since in the current reality the persecution is actually worsening, what do you think could help reduce the persecution, based on what you learned in your research for the book or from your experiences?
A. Rightly or wrongly, I hope that I might be able to draw some attention to the plight of Baha’is in Iran by writing about them in a mainstream thriller. Warner Bros are currently turning the book into a film. I haven’t seen the script yet (it’s been written by Oscar winner Stephen Gaghan, who wrote Syriana and Traffic), but it would be great if the Baha’i storyline stays in. It would draw attention to the plight of Baha’is in Iran and, hopefully, remind the regime in Tehran that the world is watching. The Baha’i Faith was the subject of a lot of positive coverage in the UK around the time of [British Baha'i] Dr. Kelly’s death, but it’s dropped off the media radar in recent years. I hope that my book has renewed some interest. Interestingly, a number of people have mentioned it to me after reading the book.

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Source: http://iran.bahai.us/2011/08/09/british-novelist-jon-stock-explores-iranian-governments-persecution-of-bahais/

]]> http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8235/feed 1 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8169 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8169#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:23:34 +0000 editor http://www.iranpresswatch.org/?p=8169 Dariush’s new song for Reza Allamehzadeh’s film “Iranian Taboo” composed by: Efandiar Monfaredzadeh for Reza Allamehzadeh’s documentary, “Iranian Taboo.”

Mr. Reza Allamehzadeh explains that his latest documentary of 78 minutes, which has consumed him in the last eight months due to his sense of responsibility, can be summarized in one sentence: “the Disclosure of Islamic Republic’s Taboo imposed on the Baha’is of Iran.”   The film will see its day view in the upcoming film season in mid-Septembre,

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Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmq3_AW_bEk&feature=youtu.be

and http://reza.malakut.org/2011/07/post_578.html

Read the entire story here: NPR

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130490915

See the play’s website: http://www.wearenotspies.com/Ma_Jasoos/Ma_Jasoos_Neesteem,_a_play_by_Mansour_Taeed.html

Elika Mahony

by Elika Mahony

also see Elika’s Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/elikamahony

Click here to view the embedded video.

Rosa Vasseghi, faithful to her belief in nobility of humanity and absolutely convinced by the truth of the core teaching of the Baha’i Faith on oneness of mankind, sets out to “tell” the world, in her book Where is the Justice: stories from behind closed doors, about her life in her homeland Iran, and the life of her dear sister, Rozita, who is at this moment in prison in Iran for her belief in same truth that motivates millions of Baha’is around the world to dedicate themselves at the hour of down of every day to the dual character of their purpose in life: to achieve a personal transformation, and to effect a social transformation to help bring about an ever advancing civilization.

Some excerpts from Rosa’s interview at Treasures of Wonderment:

“I came from across the ocean to tell you stories from behind closed doors.
I came to tell you about the ugly face of our world and of humans.
I came to tell you about women’s lives, their light, their hope, their fears and death.
I came from the world where blind law and power denies truth and smiles.
It is time that our stories shock the conscience of humanity.”

Annick: Thank you Rosa for taking the time to share your story with us. I know that you were born in Iran; how old were you at the beginning of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran?

Rosa Vasseghi: I was 24 years old.

Annick: How did you first feel discriminated against?

Rosa Vasseghi: When the new government took power they didn’t let me continue my work and my studies and they also took everything I had built for my future. I remember I was working in a big company in the South of Iran. I was asked by the people who had taken over the company to change my religion and sign a paper that I was not Baha’i any longer to allow me to continue working, which I didn’t do. So they fired me and confiscated all the valuable things I had in my house in the South. Also they blocked my savings in the bank and took all the savings I had. And at the same time two of my sisters could not continue their studies at their universities as they were prohibited from attending. They took the house where my parents lived and my mother’s shop and all her inheritance. My sisters’ children also could not study at universities and many times were harassed by teachers, the principals and people from The Centre of Education in their cities because their parents were Baha’i. It is important to remember that all these things that I mentioned have been happening to other Baha’is too. Many people were thrown from their homes, jobs and universities – their only crime was that they were Baha’i.
…
Annick: You mention that the birth place of your faith is in Iran, so why would the Iranian government attack its own people and destroy its own cultural treasures?

Rosa Vasseghi: I really can’t understand why the authorities always attack Baha’i people but if you look at the history of Iran you can see, the manifestation of God , the founder of the Baha’i Faith, Baha’u’llah, was born in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Baha’u’llah came from a noble family. But He refused to accept a high position in the court of the King. He spent his time helping the oppressed, the sick and the poor, and championing the cause of justice. People in Iran really should be very proud and happy to have a manifestation of God in their own land. A person who prefers to give His life for people rather than hold more power. Someone who brings messages of love, unity and peace for the world. But the Iranian government cannot realize and understand what a valuable treasure it has. In reality I think people who have power are afraid of knowing new things. They don’t want to accept the value of the lives of all people. When they have chosen materialism, fundamentalism or other belief systems, it is difficult for them to have their principles challenged and also they are afraid of losing their power. The clergy in Iran have always interpreted Islam in their own way and as a result the Iranian government attacks its own treasure.
…
Annick: If the persecution ends, and we hope that it is soon, would you move back to Iran and could you find happiness there?

Rosa Vasseghi: We are citizens of the world, and, Iran is the land of my Beloved, my birth place and where I grew up. But I also love Australia too because when I didn’t have any place to go Australia opened its door for me and accepted me for who I am. I think if one day I will be able to go back to Iran, I will be very happy but I can’t gave up the country and people who showed their love and support to me when I needed it.

Please read the full article here: http://www.treasuresofwonderment.com/story/2010-06-19/i-came-tell-you

Editor
Iran Press Watch.

Editor: “Whangarei Art Museum opened a suite of powerful art exhibitions including ‘The Baha’i Martyrs of Iran’ and ‘ey! iran’ and ‘Exiles’. Here is just a taste of what is on offer.”
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeEm7v4OxtY

[Editor: For more information about the exhibition "Baha'i Martyrs of Iran" please click on the links below to view the press release and to watch the video documentary about the artworks.

http://www.worldartcollective.org/video.php

http://www.worldartcollective.org/

http://www.whangareiartmuseum.co.nz/news_events/press_releases/bahai_martyrs.php

For more information about the exhibition please contact world.art.collective@gmail.com ]

A few months ago at Mideast Youth, we wrote about the Bitfilm Festival, whom we are a partner with, to give attention to some digital mash-ups that we have done in the past few years. All but one of these videos have to do with Baha’i human rights abuses in Iran and Egypt.

This morning, the Bitfilm Festival’s website just started accepting votes. Four of our videos are currently competing for an award for the “Politicool” category.

We hope you will register and vote for us! We worked very hard on our videos and hope you can take the time to appreciate them, as it really helped spread the message about Baha’i human rights abuses in a creative, sometimes satirical way.

Our videos are the following:

Iran’s New Voice

Safeguard the Innocent 

Egypt Tourism Ad  

We have nothing else to count on but your vote! Please register and vote for us, and help spread the word by requesting that others do so via Twitter, Facebook or your own blog! The deadline for voting is the 24th of September.