The report – titled "Inciting Hatred: Iran's Media Campaign to Demonize Baha'is" – documents and analyzes more than 400 press and media items between late 2009 and early 2011, which clearly expose Iran's state-sponsored effort to vilify its largest non-Muslim religious minority.

[BWNS, 21 Oct. 2011] NEW YORK — In a wide-ranging media campaign that has gone largely unnoticed outside of Iran, hatred and discrimination are being systematically stirred up against the country’s 300,000-member Baha’i minority.

In a report released today, the Baha’i International Community documents and analyzes more than 400 press and media items over a 16-month period, that typify an insidious state-sponsored effort to demonize and vilify Baha’is, using false accusations, inflammatory terminology, and repugnant imagery.

Read the full report here (PDF) [click here for the PDF from Iran Press Watch repository]

“This anti-Baha’i propaganda is shocking in its volume and vehemence, its scope and sophistication,” said Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations.

“It’s all cynically calculated to stir up antagonism against a peaceful religious community whose members are striving to contribute to the well-being of their society,” she said.

Titled Inciting Hatred: Iran’s media campaign to demonize Baha’is, the report’s main conclusions are:

• anti-Baha’i propaganda originates with – and is sanctioned by – the country’s highest levels of leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who gave a highly discriminatory speech in the holy city of Qom a year ago;

• the campaign spurns international human rights law and norms, including a precedent-setting resolution passed earlier this year at the United Nations Human Rights Council that specifically condemns and combats the negative stereotyping and incitement to hatred of religious minorities;

• Baha’is are branded as “outsiders” in their own land and as enemies of Islam in a manner that is clearly calculated to provoke the religious sensibilities of Iranian Shiite Muslims;

• the campaign aims to deflect attention away from calls for democracy in Iran by using Baha’is as an all-purpose “scapegoat” – and, in so doing, to smear those who oppose the government as well as human rights campaigners as Baha’is, “as if that were the most heinous crime.”

• the authorities disseminate ludicrous conspiracy theories including that foreign broadcasters, in particular the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Voice of America (VOA), are controlled by or under the influence of Baha’is because they report stories about human rights violations in Iran;

“The diverse content of these attacks demonstrates tremendous effort and commitment of resources by the Islamic Republic,” says the report.

“Many attacks are built on gross distortions of Baha’i history; some attempt a strategy of guilt by association through lumping Baha’is together with completely unrelated groups – such as ‘Satanists’ or the Shah’s secret police; still others deploy a tactic of connecting Baha’is with ‘opponents’ of the regime, which allows the Government to discredit both the Baha’is and its opponents in a single transaction. The campaign makes extensive use of the World Wide Web, and often uses graphic images that portray Baha’is as fiendish ghouls or agents of Israel.”

Bani Dugal said the demonization of Iran’s Baha’i community is a matter that deserves the attention of governments, international legal institutions, and fair-minded people everywhere.

“The campaign not only clearly violates international human rights law,” she said, “it also utterly contradicts Iran’s long-standing claim at the UN and elsewhere that it is working to support measures to outlaw or condemn hate speech directed against religions or religious followers.”

“The parallels between the campaign of anti-Baha’i propaganda in Iran today and other state-sponsored, anti-religious campaigns of the past are undeniable. History shows us that such campaigns are among the foremost predictors of actual violence against religious minorities – or, in the worst case, precursors of genocide.

“It is time for Iran to be told that such egregious violations of international law and norms cannot be tolerated,” said Ms. Dugal.

Special Section – Inciting Hatred: Iran’s media campaign to demonize Bahá’ís

A Special Section of the Baha’i International Community United Nations Office website presents the full report, Inciting Hatred: Iran’s media campaign to demonize Bahá’ís in English and Persian, as well as an online only 197-page appendix that summarizes each of the 400-plus documents or articles that were collected during the period of this survey, from 17 December 2009 to 16 May 2011.

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Source: http://news.bahai.org/story/861

HARANA News, Thursday 20th Aban 1389 [11 Nov 2010] - In a letter written to [Ayatollah Ahmad] Jannati, Secretary General of the Guardian Council, by ten Muslim residents of Ivel village, reference is made to the 100 year residence in Ivel of Baha’is, who own more than 30 hectares of land and many homes, requesting that a price be set and ownership of the properties be transferred to Muslims. Mr. Jannati, in consultation with Mr. ['Ali] Larijani, head of the judiciary, agreed that the properties belong to Ayatollah Khamanei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, and that the transfer of ownership would require that the Article 8 Foundation* of the Imam come on the scene. That letter is among the attachments.

As indicated by HARANA Reporters, following this development the Islamic Council of Ivel wrote a letter to neighbouring villages in which they ask these villages not to provide tractors to Baha’is, nor to help with the fall planting of the land, something that these Baha’is have done every year, inasmuch as the land supposedly “belongs to” the Supreme Leader and comes under the control of the Article 8 Foundation of the Imam. A copy of this letter is also attached.

Ivel village Baha’is, whose homes were destroyed this past summer, as they were carrying out their 27 year practice of planting their land, went to the Kiasar [a nearby village] court judge Nasseri and submitted to him a letter (dated 18/7/’89 [10 Oct 2010]) to this effect. The judge issued an order allowing them to plant, in coordination with, and with the personal attendance of,the Talma Darreh [a nearby village] military unit. The judge’s first letter was approved, and an order was issued to the military unit on 22/7/’89 [14 Oct 2010]. However, planting did not proceed, due to the lack of rain, and was delayed until a rainfall, following which the farmers went to Talma Darreh to obtain tractors. At that point they were faced by the letter from Ivel Council mentioned earlier. Therefore, they wrote a second letter to the Court, and the judge sent another order to allow them to plant dated 15/8/’89 [6 Nov 2010]. On that basis,Mr Fegh’hi provided two tractors to the Baha’is of Ivel, to enable them to do their planting. (both letters are attached [scans of the original letters in Persian see below])

Ivel Baha’i farmers, accompanied by Talma Darreh officials and two tractors, headed for Ivel village and their farms. They planted the land and the tractors began ploughing the fields, whereupon an Ivel Muslim named Hossein-gholi Ghaffari came to them, and stated that the land belonged to the Imam, and that no one had the right to plant it. He ordered the two tractor drivers to stop. The Military official asked him for an official letter to this effect, which he could not produce; therefore the officer ordered that the work continue. The man retorted that in another hour people would arrive from town and prevent the work, which is exactly what happened.

SafarAli Isma’ili, along with Feyzollah Isma’ili, Sayyid Javad Darakhshan, Mansoor Liali, NadAli Fallahpour, HosseinAli Rajabi and others came into the field; SafaAli in an angry tone dictatorially ordered that the tractors be turned off and that planting cease. The officer, Sgt KheshtZar, tried to persuade him to desist but it had no effect — he kept repeating that the land belonged to the Supreme Leader’s office, and that no one was allowed to plant in it. In the video clip, he is sitting on top of the tractor, talking. Due to the distance and the dangers involved in filming the event, his voice is not recorded, but he is insulting, belittling and cursing the Baha’i farmers who are around him, watching his ignorance, law-breaking and mischievous actions. As the possibility of violence existed, the Baha’is did not argue with him. At this point, officer KheshtZar left for his office so that he could relay the matter to his commander and the judge. Upon his return he ordered that the planting continue; the tractors drivers turned on their engines, but SafaAli, Feyzollah and Sayyid Javad stepped forward and prevented the work from proceeding. They sat on the tractors and in front of them, preventing the tractors from moving. This situation lasted for some time; as the work could not continue, KheshtZar told the Baha’is that he would stay there, but to avoid a confrontation, they should go to the officials and obtain a court order. So the Baha’is left and he prepared his report, dated 16/8/’89 [7 Nov], attached.

The next day, his report along with another letter were submitted to the Kiasar judge, informing him of what had transpired. The judge again approved the earlier order for planting. This letter dated 17/8/’89 [8 Nov], which is attached, was given to the military office, but as the commander was not available and no manpower was at hand, nothing happened. What did transpire was that, as with the destruction of the homes, most of the land was planted by these individuals in the dark of night. This had been anticipated; as had been observed the day before, they had been working on the property of the Baha’is. The matter had been reported again to the military officers who had verified this illegal activity in their night tour, but there was no action taken to prevent the criminal activity, so it was easily accomplished.

Today, 18/8/’89 [9 Nov], all that had happened was submitted in written form to judge Nasseri. As was expected, he issued an order that the land be planted under the supervision of the military office. The commander of the office, who had initially said that the judge’s order must be carried out and that it did not matter whether the farmer was Baha’i or Muslim or Jew, this time did not follow through. All the orders were just on paper. The law, the enforcer, the judge and his judgement, were all — as in the incident of the destruction of Baha’i homes — of no value or effect. But the actions of SafarAli, a retired enforcer who spent 30 years at the Justice Ministry, and his side-kick Rahim Liali at the Supreme Leader’s office and elsewhere, are the law, the enforcer, the judge, and the true legal force in the land. He entered the scene in the presence of representatives of the law and declared, as had happened before with the houses, that their war with Baha’i farmers of Ivel was like the Battle of Khaybar [a battle between Muhammad and a Jewish group -- see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khaybar. The defeated Jews were forced to contribute tribute; later their land was confiscated.], removing Baha’is from the scene and clearing the space, destroying their homes and now taking over their land — and that the Supreme leader and his Foundation was the best vehicle for all this.

What happened during the summer, the destruction of more than 50 homes and animal barns and straw and feed containers of Baha’i farmers of Ivel, and now the confiscation of their land, part of which had been confiscated in 1362 [1983-4] after the expulsion of Baha’is in the name of the Prince of Martyrs [Imam Husayn], and now the remaining part being taken away and confiscated in the name of the Supreme Leader, are all evidence of the government-in-the-shadows acting against religious minorities and other groups, much more forcefully and colorfully than the seeming government.
Aban 1389 [Nov 2010].

* Article 8 of the Iranian Constitution reads: “In the Islamic Republic of Iran, al-’amr bilma’ruf wa al-nahy ‘an al-munkar is a universal and reciprocal duty that must be fulfilled by the people with respect to one another, by the government with respect to the people, and by the people with respect to the government. The conditions, limits, and nature of this duty will be specified by law. (This is in accordance with the Qur’anic verse; “The believers, men and women, are guardians of one another; they enjoin the good and forbid the evil” [9:71]).

See a related video here: https://hra-news.org/Video/eyval002.mp4

Documents obtained in this respect:

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Translation by Iran Press Watch
Source: http://www.iranpresswatch.org/fa/post/1615, http://www.hra-news.org/1389-01-27-05-24-07/5093-1.html

Source: HRANA, 30-April-2010

[Source: Baha’i World News Services in Persian; Translated by Iran Press Watch]

According to a report by the Baha’i Committee of Human Rights Activists in Iran, towards the end of last week, agents of the Public Properties went to the optical shop of Sohrab Laqa’i, a Baha’i prisoner, and without presenting any evidence, proceeded to close and seal that business location.  Afterwards, the same agents went to the shop of Mr. Laqa’i’s wife, Mrs. Zahra Golabian, and closed that business as well.

It should be noted that Sohrab Laqa’i was arrested at the place of his work on July 8 by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence of Sari on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”  He was kept at the incarceration center of the same Ministry.

After 38 days in solitary confinement in Shahid Kachouie detention center, he was transferred to the general prison facility of Qa’emshahr.  Despite continual efforts of his lawyer and family, he continues to languish in prison.  It should be noted that security agents had previously threatened this prisoner of conscience with the closure of his business.

[Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009, at hra-news and hra-iran.  Translation by Iran Press Watch.]

Independent and reactionary elements have set on fire the harvest of a Baha’i.

On August 20, 2009, the crops of Mirza Aqa Fanaian, who is the only Baha’i resident of the village of Darjazin, located 5 miles north of Semnan, was set on fire.  These products consisted of barley and hay.  Mr. Fanaian is an elderly person and this farm is the sole source of his livelihood and was valued at 10 million rial [equivalent of US$1,000]. 

The province of Semnan has seen considerable increase in anti-Baha’i activities during the current year by independent and reactionary forces.  The Baha’i appeals to law enforcement agencies to prevent these elements from perpetrating these violent acts have not produced any results and have fallen on deaf ears.

[Posted on Saturday, August 29, 2009, at hra-news. Translation by Iran Press Watch.]

Shiraz: Temporary leave of two Baha’i youth prisoners

Haleh Rouhi and Raha Sabet, two Baha’i youth who have been incarcerated since October 2007 on the charge of indirect teaching of the Baha’i Faith under a pretext of social projects, were given a temporary leave from prison on July 14, 2009.  This leave is for one week to 10 days.

Qa’emshahr: Simin Gorji summoned for interrogation

On July 7, 2009, two agents of the Ministry of Intelligence went to the home of Mrs. Simin Gorji in Qa’emshahr carrying a letter from the country’s Attorney General, asking her to present herself the following day at the office of the same Ministry in Sari.  The following day, Mrs. Gorji went to the office, where she was interrogated.

Our previous report regard her trial going to court on July 8, 2009, was incorrect.

Bushehr:   New updates on Baha’is who have been arrested

Further to our previous reports regarding Miss Aliyih Jaberi, a resident of Bushehr, we have learned that on July 12, 2009, she was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence and interrogated for the entire day.  Even though at night she was permitted to return to her residence, the interrogation continued on July 13 and 14, and consumed those entire days as well.

Previously, we had reported in error that Miss Jaberi was arrested on July 9 along with her father and brother, Asadollah and Amad Jaberi, [see http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/4349]

Tonekabon: Badi’u'llah Abu’l-Fazli completed his prison sentence

Mr. Badi’u’llah Abu’l-Fazli (or Fazli), a residence of Tonekabon, in the province of Mazandaran, had been serving a prison sentence since March 2, 2009, and was released from incarceration after completing his term.  We do not know the exact date of his release.  Mr. Abu’l-Fazli was imprisoned on the charge of “active membership in the Baha’i community”, “propagation of the Baha’i faith and activities against the Islamic Republic”, “secretly teaching Muslims through sharing books or other Baha’i materials”.

Mr. Abu’l-Fazli was a shopkeeper; in July 2008 he was arrested at work by an agent of the Ministry of Intelligence on unfounded work-related charges.  He was taken to the prison facility of Sari, where he was kept for 29 days in solidarity confinement.  During the course of his incarceration, he was interrogated 8 times and subjected to verbal abuse and ridicule.

Karaj:  Special form for Baha’i applicants

It is reported that the Passport Office in Karaj (in the province of Tehran) has asked Baha’i applicants to complete a special form, which has written at the top, “Biography of a member of the wayward Baha’i sect”.  In this form, applicants are asked to fill in such information as their name, occupation, education, address and phone number.  In the same form, a section is devoted to the primary and secondary relatives of the applicant, which include the same type of information in addition to the birth certificate number and birth date.

Following a trend of attacks by unknown individuals on Baha’i-owned businesses in Semnan, another business was set on fire.  A Baha’i-owned repair shop has been set on fire.

At midnight on Saturday, July 18, 2009, unidentified persons raided the automobile repair shop of Mr. Shirdel Pirasteh, a Baha’i resident of Semnan, and set it on fire, thereby causing significant financial damage. 

Regrettably, despite their knowledge of several such attacks against Baha’i businesses in Semnan within the past month, the security forces have not made any effort to identify or arrest the perpetrators. 

In should be kept in mind that in addition to the desecration of the Baha’i cemetery of this city and arson against a number of Baha’i homes and businesses in Semnan, some time ago several government organizations, in a strange move, published a list of Baha’is with their work addresses in that city on the public bulletin-boards without any explanation.

[Posted: http://www.hra-iran.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1436:46566&catid=84:502&Itemid=219. Translation by Iran Press Watch.]

           The first is a memorandum to government offices and agencies written by Mr. Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who served as the fifth and last Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1981 to 1989, before the constitutional changes which removed the post of prime minister:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir-Hossein_Mousavi.

            The second document is written by Hojjat ol-Eslam Seyyed Mohammad Ali Abtahi who is an Iranian theologian, scholar and chairman of the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue. He is a former vice president of Iran and a close associate of former President Mohammad Khatami:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad-Ali_Abtahi

First Document

In The Name of God

Section seven/Minorities 

Number 11-4462

February 1, 1989

Memorandum to all Ministries, Organizations, Government Agencies, Islamic Revolutionary Foundations, and Governors of all Provinces across the country:

Based on the reports received, there have been no coordinated, unified instructions for confronting members of the misguided Baha’i sect available to the executive branch .  Therefore, with the approval of the respected President of the Islamic Republic, it is necessary that all ministries, organizations, government agencies, Islamic revolutionary foundations and governors of all provinces across the country to implement the guidelines outlined below as the official policy of the government.

Spies should be sternly confronted based on established laws and regulations, but with respect to other citizens, regardless of their beliefs, they should be treated as ordinary citizens in a manner consistent with the latter part of Article 23 of the Constitution.  However, attempts should be made to correct their beliefs.

No official or representative of the Islamic Republic is permitted to deprive citizens of their civil or social rights unless they have been proven to be spies, or as stipulated by laws established by the official legal authorities of the country.

It should be noted that based on Article 13 of the Constitution, Zoroastrian, Jewish and Christian Iranians are the only religious minorities that are free to practice their religious duties within the framework of the laws of the country.  They are permitted to conduct their personal lives and activities based on their respective religious laws and ordinances.

Mir Hussein Mousavi

Prime Minister

Second Document

The weighty responsibility of supervising the implementation of the constitution

In The Name of God

Number 80-7662

December 31, 2001

Dearly esteemed brother, Mr. Sayed Mohammad Khatami, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

With Greetings:

Based on a report presented at the official meeting of the respected Committee of the Islamic Parliament on December 30, 2001, which I attended, with respect to principals 88 and 90 of the Constitution, some of the Baha’is employed in government offices and agencies will lose their rights as citizens of the country due to their belief and their association with the Baha’i religion.

I remind you that on February 1, 1989, the respected former Prime Minister [Mir Hussein Mousavi] with the approval of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a memorandum to all ministries, organizations, government agencies, Islamic revolutionary foundations, and governors of all provinces across the country indicating:

“No official or representative of the Islamic Republic is permitted to deprive citizens of their civil or social rights unless they have been proven to be spies, or as stipulated by laws established by the official legal authorities of the country.”

By presenting the above-mentioned background information and with respect to Article 23 of Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, your views and recommendations as the President of the country and the authority responsible for the implementation of the Constitution will provide us with guidance regarding the necessity of considering the civil rights of the Baha’i sect workforce.

Signed

Seyyed Mohammad Ali Abtahi

In a highly questionable legal act, the shop of a Baha’i in Semnan was closed and sealed.

On March 10, officers of the Edareh Amaken [Buildings and Municipality] came to Mrs. Shamil Pirasteh’s store and announced that her store should be vacated in one week and then be sealed, because they had received a warning notice from the Clothing Union of Semnan stating that her store did not qualify [for selling cloths] and that her business license was terminated.

The ambiguity of the legal procedure for preventing from operation and prohibiting the means of livelihood of this Baha’i citizen rests on the fact that for the past five years she had been allowed, legally, to continue her business and no warning had ever been issued.  According to industrial law, there must be a sequence of four warning letters before a business may lose its license and be forced into closure.  In this case, none of these procedures were followed.

[Source: http://www.iranpressnews.com/source/056218.htm.  Translation by Iran Press Watch. The incident was also reported by HRA Iran at http://hra-iran.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=699:215&catid=84:502&Itemid=219 with these pictures]