Transcript
They are three of 54 young Baha’is in Iran who were arrested two years ago for propaganda against the state. This past November they were re-arrested and sentenced to four years in prison.
Kit Bigelow, Director of the National Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is of the U.S.: “The young people were involved in a humanitarian program to educate under privileged children, working with non-profit organizations, and they were in the southern city of Shiraz.”
In reaction to international concerns over this incident, Iran’s Foreign Ministry responded: “religious minorities enjoy freedoms,” including religion and education.
While Baha’is are Iran’s largest religious minority, the constitution does not recognize their faith… and universities haven’t been admitting students who identify themselves as Baha’is.
One leaked confidential letter shows the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology banning Baha’is from 81 universities in the country in 2006. But Baha’is have always found a way to get educated.
Bigelow: “The faculty who were not permitted to teach would then begin to teach students who were not permitted to learn. They organized themselves initially out of garages and living rooms and had courses in accounting, dentistry, in chemistry and business administration. “
Eventually that created the Bahai Institute for Higher Education, which the government attempted to shut down in 1998. A decade ago, 29-year old Pegah Parvini studied there part-time.
Pegah Parvini, Iranian Bahai in the U.S.:"The degrees that this institution grants are not acceptable by the outside community. They don’t recognize our university, so it makes it difficult to be able to use the knowledge you obtain at the school.”
So at the age of 20, Parvini had to leave Iran and continue her higher education in the U.S. to become a patent consultant. But she and her family still feel a special connection to home.
Parvivi: “Iran is a special country for Baha’is. Iran is where Baha’ u’llah, the founder the Bahai faith was born, so many Baha’is feel very connected to Iran and don't want to leave. They struggle but stay.”
And in that same country they also found an ally:
Bigelow: “If it were not for the Muslims of Iran, who are friends, neighbors and family of the Baha’is, it would not be possible for the Baha’is to survive under those conditions that they have had to experience over the last almost 30 years.”
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