In recent years, there have been dozens of incidents of vandalism, arson, or other problems related to Baha'i-owned cemeteries or efforts by Baha'is to bury their dead. Authorities are currently trying to confiscate and destroy the Baha'i cemetery in Sanandaj, some 400 kilometers west of Tehran.

[BWNS, 19 Jan. 2012] GENEVA — Eighteen years ago, Baha’is in the Iranian city of Sanandaj were allocated a one-hectare parcel of barren land at the side of a road for use as a cemetery.

This rocky mountainside, devoid of vegetation, was hardly prime real estate but – after the first burial there in the autumn of 1993 – local Baha’is got together to landscape the site, dig out the rocks and replace the soil. They planted and watered by hand 250 cypress and fir saplings, contributed by the Office of Agriculture. They installed electricity and built a small room where bodies could be prepared for burial.

At every step of the way, proper permits were obtained. When the Baha’is wanted to dig a well, permission was sought and granted from the regional water board. At every expiry date, the permit was correctly renewed.

Impressed by the transformation of the site, the Office of Natural Resources suggested that the Baha’is consider planting trees on public land adjacent to the cemetery, thereby expanding the green zone. As a result, the largely Sunni Muslim residents of Sanandaj came to respect the place as a symbol of the Baha’i community’s peaceful presence in their city.

But now, the area’s beauty and greenery appears to have instigated a change in official attitudes. Authorities want to repossess the cemetery, reasserting the state’s claim on the land – even though Baha’is were once granted the deeds. An order for it to be confiscated, and the buildings and graves to be destroyed, will be heard in court at the end of this month.

In another example of vandalism of Baha'i-owned cemeteries in Iran, gravestones near Najafabad were left in a heap by a bulldozer that destroyed the Baha'i burial ground in September 2007.

Recent harassment of Baha’is in Sanandaj does not bode well for the verdict. On 19 December, Ministry of Intelligence agents carried out early morning raids on 12 Baha’i homes in the city. Baha’i books, pamphlets and photographs were confiscated, along with compact discs, audio cassettes, computers, mobile telephones, computer drives, and various personal documents.

“In the light of this upsurge of persecution of the Sanandaj Baha’i community, it looks like the fate of the cemetery has already been decided at the order of the Ministry of Intelligence,” said Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva.

In an announcement on 17 January, the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan called upon the authorities to practice “tolerance and acceptance of other beliefs.” It described the “new wave of pressure and restraints against the Baha’i community” as “inhumane and illegal actions…in violation of civil and political rights treaties and conventions.”

Disturbing the departed

Under Iran’s present regime, the case of Sanandaj is not unique. Since 2007, there have been more than 30 incidents of vandalism, arson, or other problems related to Baha’i-owned cemeteries or efforts by Baha’is to properly bury their dead.

“Not content with only persecuting the living, the Iranian authorities seek to disturb the peace of even those who have passed on,” said Ms. Ala’i. “This is the latest in a long string of attacks on Baha’i cemeteries and burial rites. All are in complete violation of international standards of human rights and any decent person’s understanding of respect for the dead.”

Among recent examples:

– A newly established cemetery in Sangsar, Semnan Province, given to local Baha’is by the municipality, was vandalized by unknown intruders in March 2011. The graves were piled high with dirt, the trees were uprooted, and the two small rooms were destroyed.

– In July 2010, graves in the Baha’i cemetery of Jiroft, Kerman Province, were destroyed by unknown intruders using bulldozers.

– In late May 2010, the Baha’i cemetery in Mashhad was vandalized at night using a front-end loader and other heavy machinery. The cemetery’s walls, the mortuary, and the place where prayers were recited were severely damaged.

Other incidents have involved efforts by authorities to interfere with Baha’i burial rites.

In Tabriz, for example, Baha’is had been allowed access to the city’s public cemetery for years. In August last year, the family of a recently deceased Baha’i woman was told that she would have to be interred with Muslim rites. The woman’s remains had to be buried in a Baha’i cemetery in another town. A similar incident occurred last October when the body of a Baha’i man was taken from Tabriz to another Baha’i cemetery some 100 kilometers away and buried without his family being informed.

“Iranian officials in international fora consistently claim that Baha’is are not treated differently from others and are only ‘punished’ when they do something illegal,” said Diane Ala’i. “What precisely have these dead people done to deserve such treatment?”

“The beautification of the cemetery in Sanandaj and its surroundings is evidence of the sincere and positive contribution Iranian Baha’is wish to make to their country. What is equally evident is that the authorities find such a thing impossible to accept.”

Baha’i World News Service coverage of the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran

The Baha’i World News Service has published a Special Section which includes further articles and background information about Iran’s campaign to deny higher education to Baha’is. It contains news of latest developments, a summary of the situation, profiles of imprisoned Baha’i educators, feature articles, case studies and testimonials from students, resources and links.

Another Special Report offers articles and background information about the seven imprisoned Iranian Baha’i leaders – their lives, their imprisonment, trial and sentencing – and the allegations made against them. It also offers further resources about the persecution of Iran’s Baha’i community.

The International Reaction page of the Baha’i World News service is regularly updated with responses from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and prominent individuals, to actions taken against the Baha’is of Iran.

The Media Reports page presents a digest of media coverage from around the world.

—

Source: http://news.bahai.org/story/881

“To anyone who understands the culture of the Middle East, the idea that the government would force a family to bury their loved one according to the rites of another religion is beyond the pale,” said Diane Ala’i, the representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

She noted that according to Baha’i rites of burial, the deceased must be interred in a coffin, whereas under Muslim law, no coffin is used.

“This incident demonstrates the almost unbelievable length to which Iranian authorities are willing to go to express their prejudice and animosity against Baha’is,” she said.

The incident began on Monday when authorities in Tabriz told the family of Mrs. Fatemeh-Soltan Zaeri that they would be unable to bury her in the local cemetery according to Baha’i law. Instead, they said, she would have to be interred according to Muslim customs.

The family objected, noting that the cemetery has always been accessible to members of all religions in the area to bury their dead as they wished.

In response to this protest, authorities demanded that Mrs. Zaeri be buried without a coffin – and they withheld her body for 48 hours, preventing them from taking her body somewhere else.

Yesterday, when the family member contacted cemetery authorities again, pleading that her body be released so they could bury her elsewhere, they were advised that she would be buried on Thursday anyway, without a coffin, in a Muslim ceremony – and that only her husband would be allowed to be present.

This is but the most recent incident in a long history of problems facing Baha’is over the proper burial of their dead. In many cities in Iran, Baha’is have long been blocked from using Muslim cemeteries, but have instead been allowed to create their own.

However, these Baha’i cemeteries have been frequently vandalized and desecrated.

In the past year or so, Baha’i cemeteries in Tehran, Ghaemshahr, Marvdasht, Semnan, Sari, and Isfahan have been defaced, bulldozed, or in some way blocked to the Baha’i community. In late April, a small Baha’i cemetery in Gilavand with only four graves was desecrated by intruders using a tractor; all four tombs were destroyed. Earlier, in March, a Baha’i family in Najafabad was prevented from burying a loved one in the Baha’i cemetery there, despite their having secured a permit to do so.

“Iranian officials repeatedly deny that their government persecutes Baha’is on account of their religion. Harassment over Baha’i burials and the desecration of cemeteries are clear indications that the persecution is based solely on religion and not the result of any threat posed by Baha’is,” said Ms. Ala’i.

—

Source: http://news.bahai.org/story/845

]]> http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/8243/feed 0 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/6252 http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/6252#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:47:23 +0000 editor http://www.iranpresswatch.org/?p=6252

Mashhad (Persian: مشهد, ‹Mašhad›, literally the place of martyrdom)

HRA News- On the morning of Monday Tir 28th [July 19th] , officers of “Behesht Reza” [i.e. the public cemetery] of Mashhad refused to release corps of a Baha’i woman named Marziyeh Gholamy (Pardel), who had passed away the day before, to her family.

According to HRA reporters, related officials stated that the reason for their actions is the payment payment of a high amount (about 360,000 Tooman) for the provided services.

The land of “Behesht Reza” cemetery is located in a remote area and more than 30 years ago it was given to the Bahai’s of Mashhad by the city officials and so far any service such as digging the grave or washing the corps has not been provided to the Bahai’s of Mashhad. Therefore, requesting this amount could only be a method of increasing the intensity of the recently employed pressures on Bahai’s of Mashhad.

Last month the cemetery of Bahai’s of Mashhad was completely destroyed with a loader by unknown individuals and since then the above mentioned woman is the first Baha’i to be taken there for burial.

It should be mentioned that in 1363 [1984] Firouz Pardel, son of Mrs. Marziyeh Gholami was executed in Mashhad with the charges of being a member of Baha’i Faith.

Translation by Iran Press Watch
Also see: http://www.iranpresswatch.org/fa/post/984
Source: http://www.hra-news.org/1389-01-27-05-24-07/2829-1.html

Semnan, Iran

[Edior: Semnan seems to be a testing ground of systematic anti-Baha'i activities in form of persecution, arrests, refusal to education, and refusal of all community life including burial. Iran Press Watch has carried many stories covering these actions against the Baha'is in Semnan.

You may wish to ask Mr Khosravi, the Mayor of Semnan, if he is aware of this systematic persecution of the Baha'is in his city. you can use his website: click here. or email him at khosravi@semnan.ir]

The Life of Mr Hedayati, a Baha’i Resident of Semnan

RAHANA – Semnan, known for its carpets and textile industry, is a small city at the southern foot of the Alborz Mountains in Northern Iran. The small city is also a fertile breeding ground for anti-Baha’i activities, and the anonymity prevalent in larger cities is non-existent. Members of the city’s Baha’i community are regularly harassed, their houses and businesses set on fire, and their cemetery desecrated by unidentified gangs – gangs that walk away unpunished and unprosecuted by the authorities. For their part, city and government authorities have not stopped bullying the Baha’i community, with tactics ranging from flat-out arrests and day long interrogations to refusal to issue burial permits for the deceased members of the community.

No one knows the scope of the difficulties of life as a Baha’i in Semnan better than Yahya Hedayati, who has spent over 4 years of the past decade in prison in Semnan and Tehran. His family members have not been immune to the persecution, either; the authorities after him held his father, and Hedayati’s wedding had to be delayed until after his release. These are a just a few chapters of his life.

As recently as two weeks ago, his house, along with the store of another Baha’i resident, Akbar Pour Hosseini, was set on fire in the middle of the night by arsonists. The fires caused damage to the properties, and the two men plan to pursue the matter with the authorities.

Between April 9 and May 24, 2009, Mr. Hedayati’s house was attacked in the middle of the night on 8 separate occasions by unknown assailants riding on motorcycles. The incidents terrorized Mr. Hedayati’s family members and often involved rocks being thrown at his windows. His car’s windshield was shattered on April 22, and the note left by the culprits cited his Baha’i faith as the reason for the attack. Mr. Hedayati has written to many officials, including the Prosecutor General, Dori Najaf Abadi, to complain about his treatment.

As for Mr. Pour-Hosseini, he has had his fair share of unpleasant past incidents. Prior to the recent arson and during the Ashura and Tasoa ceremonies – two of the most important mourning days for Shiites – his store windows were broken and his store sign was vandalized. Last summer, arsonists set fire to his shop and watched as the fire immolated and nearly destroyed Mr. Pour-Hosseini’s workplace.
In other news, city officials refuse to issue a burial permit for Ms. Nabili, a Baha’i resident who died two weeks ago.

Source: http://www.rhairan.org/en/?p=1245

Also see: Sen’a Daily: http://sensday.wordpress.com/

Map from Vikkipedia, and read more about Semnan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semnan_(city)

Semnan’s Municipality Website: http://www.semnan.ir/Homepage.aspx?site=DouranPortal&lang=fa-IR&tabid=0

Leave a note for Mr Khisravi, the Mayor of Semnan, at his website: click here. or email him: khosravi@semnan.ir

According to Human Rights Activists News Agency, Religious Minorities Rights: The body of Mrs. Puran Bahrampour, a Baha’i in [the city of] Vila-Shahr who passed away on the 5th of Azar [26 Nov. 2009] at the Montazeri Hospital in Najaf-Abad, has been kept at the hospital’s morgue; the authorities refuse to deliver the body to her family.

Notwithstanding the efforts of the family of the deceased, the Security Office of the city of Najaf-Abad has refused to deliver the body to the family, and has made the delivery of the body conditional on the family’s consent to inter [the body] in Sagzi Cemetery in Isfahan. The Security Office officials declared that should the family not consent to this condition, they will bury the body at this cemetery on their own authority.

It is important to note that in the second half of the month of Shahrivar [Sept. 2009] the Baha’i Cemetery of Vila-Shahr and Najaf-Abad, two cities in the Province of Isfahan, were destroyed for the 18th time, and since then the Ministry of Intelligence has not permitted any burials there. Also, on the 5th of Mehrdad 1388 after the passing of another Baha’i in the same area, city officials arrived at the Shahid Montazeri Hospital, took the body from the hospital morgue, and without informing the family of the deceased and without any funeral ceremony, transferred the body secretly to the Baha’i Cemetery of Isfahan and buried it.

According to Baha’i belief, the body of a deceased person may not be transferred to distant locations for burial. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” [1] Notwithstanding the fact that Iran is a signatory to these Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Baha’is in Iran, over the past 30 years, have been denied the most basic rights such as respect and personal security. Even their cemeteries have been subjected to raids many times over; now they are even barred from burying their dead according to Baha’i beliefs.

[1] Editor’s Note: the exact wording of the Declaration is reproduced here. See http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml#a18

[Source: HRNA, http://www.hra-news.org/news/9416.aspx; Translated by Iran Press Watch]

After the destruction in recent days of the Baha’i cemetery of Vilashahr and Najafabad [see ipw], agents of the Ministry of Intelligence are preventing the burial of a deceased Baha’i in that same cemetery.

Azizu’llah Subhi Najafabadi, born 1924, was a resident of Najafabad.  He passed away on Tuesday, September 15, 2009, in Namazi Hospital due to old age.  Since then, the family’s effort to receive the body has been unsuccessful.

The family’s appealed to authorities in the local police station, the security office and the local branch of the Ministry of Intelligence, the law enforcement agency, the municipality, and the mayor’s office in Najafabad.  But they have only met with the same consistent response:  “His remains will be given to you only if you do not bury him in the [recently destroyed] Baha’i cemetery of vilashahr-Najafabad, and inter him instead in the Baha’i cemetery of Isfahan.”

According to Baha’i teachings, Baha’is are not permitted to bury their dead far from the place of passing.  It is for this reason that the family is exerting efforts to bury their dead in the aforesaid cemetery, near the place of his passing.

Currently, because of the destruction of the Baha’i cemetery of Vilashahr and Najafabad, the Baha’is of these towns have no place for the burial of their dead.

Reports receive from the field indicate that authorities are putting considerable pressures on Baha’i residents in this region aiming to prevent them from adhering to their religious percepts. 

Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

More details are available in Persian at hra-news.  For description of a similar incident in Semnan, see: ipw

[Posted on Friday, September 25, 2009, at chrr.  Translation by Iran Press Watch.]