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A “fresh measure of tribulation” has befallen the Baha’is of Iran who seek to educate their youth banned from universities because of their religion, the Baha’i International Community (BIC) says.
The letter follows reports that seven imprisoned Baha’i educators are set to face trial on charges of conspiracy against national security and the Islamic Republic of Iran by establishing the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE).
Following their arrests in May, the BIHE was declared illegal. It had been set up to provide informal tertiary education to young Baha’is, who are banned from university because of their religion.
In addition to the forthcoming trial, other Baha’is are being subjected to harsh interrogations and threatened with imprisonment, says the BIC, which represents the five million-member worldwide Baha’i community.
“Parents who host classes are notified that their homes will be expropriated if the classes continue.
“And students are warned against attending their classes and are instructed that they will never obtain a higher education so long as they do not abandon their faith and declare themselves to be Muslims.”
In an open letter to Iran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Kamran Daneshjoo, the BIC calls for him to work to end to the “unjust and oppressive practices” that ban Baha’is and certain other young Iranians from university.
“One strains to cite another example of a government that has devoted itself so systematically to blocking the education advancement of a minority community,” the BIC said.
“Since the inception of this initiative, the Islamic Republic has made repeated attempts to hinders its progress and harass its participants,” the letter says.
Australian universities
A spokesperson for the Australian Baha’i Community, Natalie Mobini, many BIHE students have gone on to be accepted for postgraduate study at universities worldwide, including in Australia.
Dr Mobini said the peak body representing universities throughout Australia, Universities Australia, has repeated its concerns about the denial of university education to members of the Baha’i Faith in Iran.
“Universities Australia has sent a letter to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova bringing the matter to her attention with the hope the situation can be remedied,” Dr Mobini said.
“We have also received support from many individual academics in many universities throughout Australia,” she said.
For more information and to read the open letter: https://news.bahai.org/story/848