A prominent Muslim cleric in Iran has made a powerful gesture of sympathy to the heavily persecuted members of the Baha’i Faith in his country, giving hope that more leading citizens will follow suit.
Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani has gifted to the Baha’is of Iran and the world an illuminated artwork he created which highlights a paragraph on religious tolerance from the writings of Baha’u’llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith.
This dramatic move by a cleric of the high rank of Ayatollah– regarded by Shia Muslims as experts in Islamic studies– follows several recent statements by Muslim scholars in other parts of the world who affirm that tolerance of all religions is upheld by the Qu’ran.
The Ayatollah’s symbolic action, announced on his website, was accompanied by an acknowledgement that Baha’is of Iran have “suffered in manifold ways as a result of blind religious prejudice”.
A spokesperson for the Australian Baha’i Community, Natalie Mobini, said the gift and accompanying statements were “courageous and unprecedented” and were deeply appreciated by Baha’is.
“The Ayatollah’s welcome move is in stark contrast to the hostile actions and statements of the clerics who hold power in the Islamic Government of Iran,” Dr Mobini said.
The Government is continuing with a widespread and systematic campaign of persecution against the Baha’is who, numbering 300,000, are the biggest non-Muslim minority in Iran.
Seven Baha’i leaders are about to mark their sixth year in jail after a trial widely condemned by the international community, including Australia. They are serving 20 year prison sentences. More than 110 other Baha’is are also imprisoned due to their religious beliefs. Baha’is are banned from higher education, and have their cemeteries desecrated and expropriated. Individuals are attacked and intimidated, and are obstructed from earning a livelihood. The official media defames them with messages of hate.
In presenting his gift, Ayatollah Tehrani said his act is “an expression of sympathy and care from me and on behalf of all my open-minded fellow citizens .
He said he created the work of art as “a symbolic action to serve as a reminder of the importance of valuing human beings, of peaceful coexistence, of cooperation and mutual support, and of avoidance of hatred, enmity and blind religious prejudice.”
His intricate artwork, painstakingly illuminated in a classical style, features a Baha’i symbol and an excerpt from Baha’u’llah’s holy scripture which reads:
“Consort with all religions with amity and concord, that they may inhale from you the sweet fragrance of God. Beware lest amidst men the flame of foolish ignorance overpower you. All things proceed from God and unto Him they return. He is the source of all things and in Him all things are ended.”
For more information: https://news.bahai.org/story/987
For the statement by Ayatollah Tehrani: https://news.bahai.org/sites/news.bahai.org/files/documentlibrary/987_website-statement-translation-en.pdf