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EXCLUSIVE Interview: Baha’i Iranian refugee
Baha’ism is a faith founded in the 19th century, which groups an international community of…
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http://www.euronews.com/2013/06/14/bonus-interview-sobhan-an-baha-i-iranian-refugee
Baha’ism is a faith founded in the 19th century, which groups an international community of believers who wish to be considered as members of an “Independent, world religion”.
Since the creation of the Iranian Islamic Republic in 1979, the 350000 baha’i of Iran have been discriminated and repressed, to an extent which has been denounced by international human rights organisations.
Their faith having been created after Islam, it is not considered as a religion by the regime.
Ali Khamenei, the Supreme guide of the Revolution, has alledgedly recommended in an internal document to “block their progress and development”, “ban them from University”, and “block their access to employment if they identify themselves as baha’i”.
Many members of this community have been executed. Many others have left Iran.
Among them , we met Sobhan, who sought refuge in turkey in the hope of getting asylum in another country, where he can build his future, which he explains is denied him in Iran.
Interview:
“I think the principles are not the issue. The issue is you are not part of us. If you say a lot of good things it doesn’t matter, it’s not the point. You are not muslim so is enough for you to be denied your rights. Our principles I think are very modern, very good. They talk about truth,they talk about equal rights between men and women. We have about 12 principles and if you talk with anyone, any logical person would accept these principles as good modern community principles.
When I was in school, we had religious courses, and our teacher was saying Islam is the best religion in the world. And other religions are completely wrong and you cannot go by their rules. So as a baha’i child, I was thinking that maybe there was something wrong with me.Maybe my family is saying wrong things to me. Or maybe school teaching something wrong. I had a conflict with myself and after that…playing in the street, the other kids were pointing at me as a baha’i child; “you are not clean, you are dirty..” As a child I couldn’t imagine what was the problem. Maybe I would just wash my hands and its goes ? But it wasn’t like that…I carried this feeling until I went to high school. Again a lot similar stories happened to me: “you are baha’i, you have to change your mind, you have a lot of problems in your mind, you’re wrong”.
After my high school I went to play music, I play the guitar. One of my friends introduced me to a composer, we played music and we even made four tracks. But once they understood I was baha’i they didn’t continue working with me. Because they told me “you don’t have the permission to work, because you are baha’i, and you won’t get permission”.
When I wanted to enter University, as a baha’i, we can’t go. We don’t have education rights to go to university. So we just we built a very small organisation, as Bihd. Our teachers, students, had classes in houses. We didn’t have many classes, we just studied the books, and at the end of the term we just passed the quizzes, and it was the end of our University. So after 2 terms I decided to go to other universities, the official universities.
I just filled my application, with my name, my family name, but at the end you have to chose your religion. This is something I don’t want to share, this is my private belief. But they asked and they forced me to answer. As a baha’i, as a person, as a child raised in a baha’i family, what did they expect from me? I will answer as a baha’i. I’m not afraid of anyone. But the result is that I can’t go to university. And we pay this price, and we go to our private university with low quality.”
Question: Would you say that you left Iran because you couldn’t do anything as a baha’i or because you couldn’t do anything as a young man?
“No, no. Even if just a young man its enough to decide to leave Iran. Because right now Iran doesn’t have a good government, doesn’t have good conditions. But as a baha’i I have a lot more specific problems.
Baha’is can’t get official jobs, they can’t work for government. If a baha’i becomes rich, they will stop them, limit them, they want to restrict them because they don’t want a baha’i to become powerful.
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@yurijdosvidank9743
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
People from Iran are fool enough who believe that there are no other religions beside Islam. How old is Islam religion again 1440+ years while Judaism's how old? I thought islam is the religion of peace what happened to these muslim? After world war 2 still these people are like them. There are many things in Koran that are questionable compared to Bible and of course also Torah. Do you want other people to examin Koran. Their gonna get shock when they've found out. Hhh. See for yourself. Hhhh
@blackrain6093
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
The largest Jewish community in the world after Israel is in Iran.
@lazorplayz4556
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
He is now in Pakistan?
@glennmillerfan
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
I feel that Iran needs to immediately launch a brutal extermination war against all Baha’i followers. The Baha’i are agents of the Zionists, the Freemasons, the US, UK, and the remnants of the Pahlavi Regime and lost their right to life as a result.
@NaserEmtesali
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
Some lesser-known facts about the Baha'i Faith:
1) Women are not allowed to serve the most Supreme Administrative Body, the Universal House of Justice. So there is no Equality of Men and Women.
2) Baha'is are working to establish a Baha'i inspired New World Order, a Baha'i Super-state, headquartered in Haifa, Israel.
3) Baha'is shun (ex-communicate) Covenant-Breakers and execrate them.
4) Baha'is persecute the so-called covenant-breakers, they have desecrated the grave of Diya'u'llah who was buried next to his father Baha'u'llah.
5) Baha'is have as many as 15 splinter groups, sects.
6) Baha'is have their religious text Copyrighted and religious symbols Trademarked.
7) Baha'is teach their 'faith' everywhere except in Israel for unknown reasons!
8) Baha'is lie regarding their population, they claim their population in India to be over 1.8 Million, while the government census of 2011, reveals their figure to be 4572.
9) Baha'is selectively translate their writings for english speaking members and there is a very heavy Baha'i censorship.
10) There is no independent Baha'i Scholarship, all Baha'i texts need to be approved before publication.
11) Baha'is see all other religions as corrupted and dead. They believe that every religion has a life of 1000 years. There is nothing like "unity of religions" – they believe their religion is superior to all other religions.
12) Baha'is believe that Baha'u'llah is the sender of all prophets, the revealer of all holy books and Lord of the Lords!
13) Babis (predecessors of Baha'is) have killed many Muslims in Iran. Baha'is have also killed a few Azalis.
14) Baha'is believe their supreme body (The UHJ) to be infallible, they call it as 'Seat of God'!
15) Baha'i guardian Shoghi Effendi was a closeted Homosexual, he used to spend months in Switzerland with Baha'i money.
@ryansyd4224
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
Baha'ism is a pro feminist religion though, which I why I don't agree with it. Bahai's believe if they have a boy and girl they will only educate the girl because she is considered more important? Also I knew many Iranian Bahai's who hide behind their religion and at home they were bashing up their wives.
@thegreatman5312
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
مرگ بر بهائیت
@user-xu3qc1wy8w
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
Isolate radical islam from the world.
@liveforloveforall163
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
I have many friends that are Baha'i who had to leave Iran for their safety. They have share horrible stories to me. It is very hard to comprehend when you are a Canadian. However, I have learn from my Baha'i friends and people that I work with and colleagues.
@francismausley7239
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
Feb 2020, the persecution goes on. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Wednesday condemned an Iranian court order allowing authorities to confiscate properties owned by Baha’is in the village of Ivel in Mazandaran Province. The Baha’i faith is not officially recognised in Iran. Established by a Persian religious leader Baha’u’llah in 1863, it initially grew in Persia and parts of the Middle East where it has faced ongoing persecution since its inception.
@fltronic
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
no one likes a terrorists and a terrorist religion
@IsItEvenWorthIt
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
Bro this whole comment section is so rad like a bunch of crazy people obviously you guys need to take a second to chill out
@annstuart2947
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
Bahia is a great religion. Please never apologize. Praying that Iran (Persia) will be restored and the Muslims are expelled.
@muchrisrosyta7318
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
Handsome jantan ni..
@rezadaftarian8696
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
Kiram too koone bab
@domeonce9006
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
This is a very moving video. If you listen to what he says with the ear of discernment, it is clear that the trolls making comments here are evil.
@thewendigo5992
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
Islam is the best. ALLAHU AKBAR
@aidenw207
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
Im an Iranian Jew and they would also call us Najest (Unclean). Im so glad to be out of that country. Iran has turned away from its several thousand year old root country which was based on 3 principles, Freedom, Dignity, Prosperity. It was the worlds leader in Equality & Freedom for thousands of years. Iran as a country has become unrecognizable from what it was once was, what it once stood for.
@sambrimo7086
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
Iranian people are very lairs
they came to EU- countries to get money and they claimed that they want to change their religions and they are gays
@alenapeace1457
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
why religion matrers anyway? my religion is humanism, God is one, meditation is prayer
@abhaidevabhaya1451
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
hey you baha'i refugee, stop reading from scripts and give a chance to think for yourself and read the message i sent you below. baha'i are as hypocrites as any other religion in this world. the one who preaches the most is the greatest hypocrite of all. even baha'i religion never settles down with science.
@AJatheistgod
April 19, 2024 at 3:56 am
"He it is Who hath sent forth the Messengers, and sent down the Books to proclaim “There is none other God but Me, the Almighty, the All-Wise”." – Kitab-i-Aqdas 163