Australian Baha’is have reacted with outrage at a crackdown on Iranian Baha’is who provide higher education to young members of their Faith banned from universities because of their religion.
Security forces carried out coordinated raids on as many as 30 Baha’i homes in the cities of Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan and Shiraz at the weekend, and arrested some 14 Baha’is.
All of the targets were individuals closely involved with the operations of the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE).
Australian Baha’i Community spokesperson Natalie Mobini said the crackdown was clearly part of the ongoing systematic campaign of persecution by the authorities designed to eliminate the Baha’i Faith, Iran’s largest non-Muslim minority, from that country.
“We are outraged at this action of the Iranian authorities, which blatantly contravenes international standards of human rights,” Dr Mobini said.
“These innocent individuals should be released immediately,” she said.
“The BIHE has worked to meet the tertiary education needs of young Baha’is whom the Iran Government prevents from going to university because of their religion.
“Such is the quality of education delivered by the BIHE that some of its graduates have been accepted for postgraduate study in universities in Australia, Canada and the United States.
“It is outrageous that the Iranian authorities deny young Baha’is the opportunity to gain a higher education in their own country’s universities and now they are cruelly seeking to close down the community’s efforts to provide such education by alternative means.”
Dr Mobini said that Australian higher education officials and academics have spoken out in the past against the Iranian Government’s ban on Baha’is entering universities and would undoubtedly be shocked at the latest developments.
“We ask that educational organisations, academics and individuals throughout Australia register with the government of Iran and their representatives in Australia their strong disapproval of its systematic, ongoing efforts to deny to young Baha’is their fundamental human right to access higher education.”
To see an international report, visit Baha’i World News Service
Further information on BIHE