Only an extremely insecure culture and religion has to lock up those who offer an alternative vision.
“Iran Sentences Baha’i Women to Jail,” Iran Wire, September 6, 2024 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
A Revolutionary Court in Iran’s northern city of Rasht has sentenced two Baha’i women to prison terms and additional penalties.
Shiva Kashani-Nejad and Mozhgan Samimi, both residents of Rasht, have been sentenced to two years and one day in prison by the 3rd branch of the Rasht Revolutionary Court.
They were sentenced for educational activities and promoting matters related to the Baha’i faith, according to the Hengaw human rights organization….
mike says
Rule thru fear
Westman says
Beautiful people being persecuted by the jealous rotten.
The Baha’i faith, a far more evolved form of Islam, is what Islam could have been without the notion of conquering the world and if having tolerance for unbelievers plus true respect for women. One could think of it as if another “Jesus-like” reformer came to Islam. If all Muslims were Baha’i there would be no need for Jihad Watch.
They have a beautiful temple, north of Chicago, in Wilmette, that is worth a visit if touring in the area. It is 9 sided, representing Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, the Babi Faith, and the Baha’i Faith – the message being those of the many paths to the true God are all wecome.
As one can imagine, this Baha’i religion doesn’t have a system of corporeal power over people and so, is soundly rejected by mainstream Islam. Can’t have any of that Kumbaya, tolerant, “get along”, stuff.
Islamic leadership can be an alternate pathway to power and security for those who don’t want a working life and a justifying belief for the contentious – it’s easy to conjure up the images of Iranian Ayatollahs and Mullahs being like Shriners who “Broke Bad” and their paid jihadists are a religious Mafia.
Kosh's Shadow says
The Baha’i religion came out of Persia but the Mullahs threw its main temple out of Iran.
Baha’i is now based in Israel, and is doing fine there.
rick says
Islam has the tendency to be a very Fascist religion. It is “My Way or the Highway ( jail)”. I cannot think of one place where Islam is dominant that anyone would call an open minded and tolerant of other faiths society. Why?
I believe because Islam knows that competing equally with Christianity would be a total loss for Islam. If Christianity was given free and open reign in Islamic countries to try and convince people to join the Christian Faith, the drop in the Islamic population would be breath taking. First women would rush to Christianity and then work on the male population to adopt it as well. Within a quarter of a century the change would be dramatic. Islam would be headed for the dustbin of History unless it had a serious
Reformation and adopted much of the Christian faith’s basic teachings.
The Baha’i Faith is a very inclusive one which respects all the other faiths in the world. It is a human faith and a faith looking for Peace. The opposite of Islam. Iran has lead serious political crackdowns on the Baha’i Faith in Iran. Iranian government agencies arrest and imprison Baha’is arbitrarily, confiscate their property, restrict their education and employment opportunities, and even deny them dignified burial.
“Iranian authorities deprive Baha’is of their fundamental rights in every aspect of their lives, not due to their actions, but simply for belonging to a faith group. After the 1979 revolution, Iranian authorities executed or forcibly disappeared hundreds of Baha’is, including their community leaders. Thousands more have lost their jobs and pensions or were forced to leave their homes or country. “They are an outlawed religious group in Iran. (see Human Rights Watch April 2024 Iran: Persecution of Baha’is”
If you want to consider who the Baha’is are think of them as Jews without the IDF, an Air Force, or a Navy.
Westman says
Good coverage, Rick, of what happened to the Baha’i when Iran went back to oppression in 1979.
Iran reminds me of the Morlocks of the H. G. Wells’ novella, “The time machine”. They have the technology of the time yet lack humanity. How do we explain the religious attitude difference in, say, Indonesia, Iran, and Pakistan when they all claim the same religion? It seems to be the “Mean as I wanna be” religion – just make the choice which fits your locality.
Leonidas says
Islamic jihad is a global threat.Fortunately
Islam ( submission)will collapse ,like USSR in 1989,if we DENOUNCE pseudo prophet MUHAMMAD,who according to his biography( Sira) and traditions( Hadith) was a pedophile( wife Aisha was 9 yo), rapist, murderer, bandit (keeping20% of the booty for himself),liar and sex-slave trader and also LIBERATE THE MUSLIM WONEN from barbaric Sharia Law.The Koran states women are dumb, less intelligent than men,wives must be beaten for disobedience by their hudbands ,all women will go to hell unless in the last day their husband says he was pleased with her and all women must hide their curves and wear burkas ,so that men will not be aroused to rape them.Islam is a misogynistic ,violent , imperialist political ideology of Arab supremacy ISLAMOFASCISM(~70%), DISGUISED AS A RELIGION(~ 30%) that strives through violent Jihad and soft cultural Jihad ( dawa)to subjugate the World.Jihadists are promised, if killed battling infidels-kafirs,) they will go to Paradise to enjoy 72 virgins ,taking along 70 of their relatives regardless of their sins!Muslim Immigration is Hijra( flight)to take over the country they settle in ,like Muhammad did to Yatrib-Medina.This, along with forced child marriages and four wives per man ( Bin Laden had 52 siblings and 16 children),the muslims will soon outnumber the local populations and will impose Sharia law .Withdraw from UN MIGRANT COMPACT ,that falsely claims immigration is a Human Right expecting Western countries to accept and provide for an endless number of muslim illegal immigrants ,thus islamizing them. Muslim “refugees “should stay in Turkey or vast rich Saudi Arabia with international support ,until they can return to their countries.We must denounce islamic Sharia (=way)law of blasphemer,apostate ,homosexual , adulterer and hypocrite executions,misogyny,honor killings by stoning,hand amputations for theft,child brides,girls exclusion from schools,halal meat from tortured animals,clitorectomies,subjugation and segregation of women,burkas and Sharia banning of short skirts,bikinis,dancing,singing,painting ,sculptures of people,dogs,pork,alcohol and beauty contests .Demand gender equality for ALL muslim women.Punish severely those that kill apostates from Islam,blasphemers,adulterers or muslim hypocrites.Islam is incompatible with our freedom of speech, gender equality, values,way of life, Human Rights, Constitution, Republic and population stability needed to sustain Life on Earth.Tolerating intolerant Islam is cultural suicide!For more info on Islam go to YOU TUBE for: ApostateProphet,Exmuslims,David Wood,Ayan Hirsi Ali,BrigitteGabriel,BillWarner,Politicalislam.org,PamelaGeller,Jihadwatch,Nonie Darwish , Wafa Sultan,Richard Dawkins on Islam,Ani Cyrus , Geert Wilder,obsession – what the West needs to know.Also Google: Wikiislam, The religion of peace,barenakedislam, MEMRI etc.Watch the deposition of Ayan Hirsi Ali in Congress on how to defeat Islam:https://www.hoover.org/research/challenge-dawa-political-islam-ideology-and-movement-and-how-counter-it
Lyone Fein says
I think it’s important to note that Baha’I is NOT a branch of Islam whatsoever. Islam considers Muhammed to be the last of the prophets. On the other hand, the Baha’Is believe that God continues to send new prophets to all of humanity, as our needs dictate.
Baha’Is strongly support the notion that God has revealed Himself to many different peoples throughout history. Thus they take from every religion teachings that are uplifting, morally sound, that are unifying rather than divisive, etc. And they discard what seems to be culturally relative, or intent on elevating one group of people over others. They reject any establishment of permanent offices of power, and believe in absolute equality of all human beings.
The primary reason they are headquartered in Haifa is that it is the city to which their Iran/Persian born founder was exiled in the 19th century, when he began to teach about his visions and revelations.