The seven Baha'is in Iran, who had been imprisoned for over two years awaiting trial, have been sentenced. According to news reports coming out of Iran, they have been found guilty and each has been sentenced to twenty years of imprisonment. Considering the age they are and the prison conditions, it is akin to a death sentence. Lawyers are working on the appeal. 

They have been held these last two years at the notorious Evin Prison. Once a week the prisoners have been allowed out of their cell for two hours. Occasionally they are granted visits from family but stay behind thick glass, unable to hold or touch them.

Governments from around the world have submitted petitions for their release and have called for justice. For the first time in the history of our Faith, Iranian intellectuals and prominent citizens are daring to voice shame of their government's treatment of the Baha'is.

False accusations and injustice is nothing new for the Baha'is in Iran. This has happened since it's inception. What the Iranian Government never seems to notice is every time they level persecutions against the Baha'is it increases the fascination of the public. 

At the very beginning of this Faith in 1844,  mobs, incited by clergy, would literally tear the believers limb to limb. They would parade them in the streets having bored holes in their bodies and inserted them with burning candles. European newspapers of the day recounted most of the brutality. They did not report everything because it was too gruesome. All the Baha'is had to do to stop the torture was recant their Faith. Their refusal and willingness to endure the seemingly unendurable lead thousands to investigate this Faith and embrace it themselves. In those early years over 20,000 were killed. More joined. Even with the ongoing persecutions there are over 300,000 Baha'is in Iran, making it the largest minority religion in the country.

Akka, prison city in present day Israel.

Because torture and ghastly killings had no effect, in 1853, the Persian (now Iran) government exiled Baha'u'llah, the prophet founder, first to Baghdad and eventually to Akka, a prison city in Israel. Akka was reported to have such foul air that birds flying over it dropped from the sky.

This exile had no lasting impact. Believers from Iran traveled on foot for months over rough and dangerous terrain to the prison city. They contented themselves with a wave of His hand from the cell window.  Even the guards came to revere Baha'u'llah and asked His permission to enter the jail cell. Eventually, they allowed whoever He wished to see to enter as well. The last few years of His life were spent in an abandoned mansion outside the prison city. The officials in charge of the prison begged Him to accept more comfortable accomodations.

During Baha'u'llah's forty year imprisonment, He wrote over one hundred volumes covering subjects such as the unity of humanity, the equality of women and men, the complementary reality of science and religion and spiritual solutions to the inevitable economic problems. All were written, recorded and preserved though Baha'u'llah died as a prisoner in exile. I saw some of them when I went on Pilgrimage to Israel a few years ago.

The current Iranian Government, influenced by fanatical Muslim clergy, have done everything in their power to eradicate the Baha'is. Thirty years ago they made it illegal to have an organized Baha'i community. 

There is no Baha'i clergy. Baha'u'llah stated humanity has reached a stage of maturity in which each individual is capable and responsible for spiritual growth. In lieu of clergy we have governing bodies elected by the believers yearly to serve the community. The emphasis is on service, not power. The elections are unique. No campaigns. No nominations. No discussion of "candidates" or their views. The Baha'is gather, pray, and through secret ballot, vote for people who they feel are spiritually mature, compassionate, just-minded, and wise. This is the way Baha'i communities operate throughout the world.

In the early 1980's the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Iran were secretly arrested and executed. Another body was elected to take their place and met the same fate. And then another. The Iranian government then made it illegal to have organized Baha'i communities so there are no more elections or governing bodies.

The civil rights of the Iranian Baha'is were revolked which resulted in businesses and personal property seized, students banned from Universities and marriages not recognized by the state. Married Baha'i women are arrested as prostitutes, since their marriages are not recognized. Baha'is created their own schools and when caught the teachers were jailed. They were interrogated, threatened and tortured in an effort to force them to recant their Faith and renounce Baha'u'llah. When they refused to recant they were left to languish in prison. Sometimes they were executed.

The Iranian government has no cause to fear the Baha'is. There are no plots to overthrow them. We believe in unity not dissention. Baha'is obey their government with one noted exception: if the government demands we recant our Faith, we will not.

This is a Faith of personal responsiveness. It becomes a natural part of your life. One of the most important teachings of Baha'u'llah is to care for others. "Let deeds not words be your adorning." These Baha'is had joined together to be of service to others in need. There was no mention or attempt to teach the Baha'i Faith. This charity work is cited as one of the offenses. The official charge against them for this is "spreading corruption on earth".

The arrests and trial of these seven prisoners has led to world wide coverage about the Baha'i Faith in newspapers, radio and television. Information is on the internet. The traffic on these sites is daily increasing. Iranian citizens are some of the most frequent visitors.  This is why I continue to post this story on my blog and add the updates. Once again, the Iranian government's attempt to destroy the Baha'i Faith leads to more people learning of its existence.

The prisoners are aware of the prayers and public outcry that has taken place since their arrest. They have conveyed their gratitude, and say they gather strength from the prayers. They have no attachment to their personal outcome. There has long been a saying among the Iranian Baha'is that "When they arrest you, be grateful they did not beat you. When they beat you, be grateful they did not beat you badly. If they beat you badly, be grateful they did not kill you. When they decide to kill you, be grateful your spirit will be released to soar to the heavens."

I am grateful for the Baha'is in Iran who have withstood every unimaginable indignity. They are my spiritual ancestors. They are my spiritual heroes and heroines. Because of them, this Faith has grown and flourished and will never be extinguished.

Baha'i World Center, Haifa, Israel on Mount Carmel. Baha'u'llah came here in exile and died a prisoner. The Baha'i Faith  is now the second most wide spread faith in the world.

For more information on the Baha'is in Iran:

http://news.bahai.org/

More information about the Baha'i Faith:

http://www.usbahai.org/