Members of Baha’i faith suffer intense persecution in Iran

The war between the U.S. and Iran has put some of us in an uncomfortable position.

On the one hand, we can feel like cheering on the Iranians as we watch them stand up to the American bully. It’s like the enemy of my enemy is my friend, as the old saying goes.

On the other hand, Iran doesn’t feel like much of a friend because of its terrible human rights record — including its treatment of religious minorities in that country such as Christians, Jews and Baha’is.

Those abuses only seem to be increasing due to the war. The United Nations has condemned the Iranian government for how it is treating religious minorities during this time, saying it is using the war as “a smokescreen to deepen their machinery of repression and carry out crimes under international law with impunity.”

For the country’s 100,000 or so Christians, life was difficult before the conflict began. Although the faith is officially recognized in Iran, a report by Open Doors, an organization that supports persecuted Christians around the world, ranks Iran 10th out of 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.

The organization’s 2025 report said 43 Christians were imprisoned or punished by the government, and 17 churches or Christian buildings attacked or closed. It added that church services are monitored by police and Christians are banned from using Iran’s Persian language in religious activities and materials.

Judaism is also recognized by the Iranian constitution, but the 8,000 to 10,000 Jews in Iran face challenges. The U.S. State Department reports that members of Iran’s Jewish community are subjected to government restrictions and discrimination and that school textbooks contain content inciting hatred against Jews.

Their situation has been compounded by Israel’s attacks on Iran, which has placed Iranian Jews under even greater suspicion; several community leaders have been arrested after being accused of having ties to Israel.

But the minority religious community that may have suffered the most and the longest in Iran are members of the Baha’i faith. The religion was founded in Persia — now Iran — in the 19th century by Baháʼuʼlláh, who Baha’is believe was a messenger from God just like Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed.

Today there are about five million Baha’is in the world, and about 300,000 in Iran — the largest non-Muslim religion in that country. Baha’is believe there is only one God, and that this God is the same one worshipped by all the different religions in the world. They also believe in the equality of all races and religions, in the equality between men and women, the importance of education, the elimination of prejudice, and the importance of peace and global co-operation.

Unlike Christianity and Judaism, the Baha’i faith is not recognized by the Iranian government; it considers it to be illegal and heretical.

Ever since taking power through the Islamic revolution 47 years ago, Iran’s theocratic Shia Muslim government has made life difficult for Baha’is in various ways, such as forbidding them from holding government jobs and not allowing Baha’i youth to study at universities. Many Baha’is have also had their homes, businesses and other property seized or damaged.

Worse, many Baha’is have been imprisoned and some have been killed. According to the Baha’i International Community, the body that represents the group worldwide, thousands of Baha’is in Iran have been arrested, tortured and imprisoned since 1979. More than 200 have been executed.

The Iranian government’s persecution of Baha’is has been condemned by groups like Human Rights Watch, which calls it a crime against humanity, and Amnesty International, which has called on the government of Iran to stop its ruthless attacks on the Baha’i religious minority.

There are about 35,000 Baha’s in Canada today, including in Winnipeg. They are represented by the Baha’i Community of Canada, which supports Baha’is in this country and advocates for Baha’is in Iran.

Elham Ayafor directs government relations for that organization. She believes that Iran has used the war to scapegoat minorities for the crisis. For Baha’is, this has meant increased arrests and home raids.

Ayafor, whose family’s roots are in Iran, is very worried about Baha’is who are currently in prison.

“There’s denial of due process, they’re deprived of medical care, they’re held in solitary confinement, they’re excluded from temporary relief measures granted to other prisoners during periods of national crisis,” she said.

In one case, when the family of the Baha’i detainee sought furlough for their family member, “they were told that no Baha’i prisoner will be released,” she said.

Ayafor is grateful for how the Government of Canada has spoken up on behalf of Iran’s Baha’is over the years. She hopes it will continue condemning Iran’s treatment of Baha’is and other religious minorities in that country, and to stand up for people anywhere else in the world who are persecuted because of their race, religion or political beliefs.

“We think about all people in the world facing challenges and justices and atrocities and we’re saddened by them and we’re praying for them,” she said.

Those of us who aren’t Baha’is can join them in doing the same.

Jdl562000@yahoo.com

The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba through our Religion in the News project. This reporting continues because readers like you step forward to fund it.

Donate now to support our reporting on religion.
Your donation is eligible for a charitable tax receipt. BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER