{"id":2666,"date":"2022-09-14T22:51:05","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T22:51:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/?page_id=2666"},"modified":"2022-09-16T01:33:23","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T01:33:23","slug":"situation-of-bahais-in-qatar","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/situation-of-bahais-in-qatar\/","title":{"rendered":"Situation of Baha&#8217;is in Qatar"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_column_text]\n\t<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/wp-content\/plugins\/jquery-vertical-accordion-menu\/skin.php?widget_id=s1&amp;skin=grey\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"screen\"  \/><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(document).ready(function($) {\r\n\t\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"#dc_jqaccordion_widget-s1-item\").dcAccordion({\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\teventType: \"hover\",\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\thoverDelay: 150,\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tmenuClose: false,\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tautoClose: true,\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsaveState: false,\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tautoExpand: true,\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclassExpand: \"current-menu-item\",\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclassDisable: \"\",\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tshowCount: false,\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdisableLink: true,\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tcookie: \"dc_jqaccordion_widget-s1-item\",\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tspeed: \"fast\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t});\r\n\t\t\t\t});\r\n\t\t\t<\/script><div class=\"dcjq-accordion\" id=\"dc_jqaccordion_widget-s1-item\"><div class=\"menu-ext-affairs-container\"><ul id=\"menu-ext-affairs\" class=\"sidebar-menu\"><li id=\"menu-item-850\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-850\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/media-information\/\">Media Information<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-961\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page current_page_parent menu-item-961\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/media-releases\/\">Media Releases<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-960\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-960\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/media-information\/bahais-in-iran\/\">Situation of Baha&#8217;is in Iran<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-2672\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2672\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/situation-of-bahais-in-qatar\/\">Situation of Baha&#8217;is in Qatar<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;3\/4&#8243;][vc_column_text]\n<h1 style=\"color: #009999; line-height: 44px; margin: 0px auto 20px!important; font-size: 38px!important;\">End blacklisting and discrimination of Baha\u2019is, Qatar\u2019s Emir told, just weeks before World Cup<\/h1>\n<p>15 September, 2022<\/p>\n<p>The Baha\u2019i community of Australia today delivered a letter addressed to His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, expressing its concerns at the discrimination, restrictions, and human rights violations that Baha\u2019is in Qatar have experienced for decades, asking him to intervene on behalf of their co-religionists in his country.<\/p>\n<p>The letter was hand delivered by representatives of the Australian Baha\u2019i communit<wbr \/>y to the Embassy of Qatar in Canberra.<\/p>\n<p>This action was taken after observing the worsening discrimination and restrictions against the Baha\u2019i community in Qatar. Millions of Baha\u2019is live in almost every country of the world, and Baha\u2019is see themselves as a global community working for the well-being of one common human race.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor years, we have observed an alarming pattern of discrimination and human rights violations against the Baha\u2019is in Qatar,\u201d\u00a0said Dr. Chris Heggie, a representative of the Australian\u00a0Baha\u2019i\u00a0community.\u00a0\u201c<wbr \/>Conveying these concerns to the Emir of the State of Qatar, in writing, speaks to the gravity of this moment. We are in danger of seeing the elimination of yet another religious minority from a Middle Eastern country. All Baha\u2019is in Australia hope that His Highness, the Emir, can intervene on behalf of their fellow Baha\u2019is before they are erased from his land.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Baha\u2019is have resided in Qatar for over 70 years, predating the independence of the State of Qatar. Despite this long presence they have experienced decades of discrimination.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0Qatari authorities have exerted systematic attempts, over many years, to remove Baha\u2019is from Qatar by blacklisting and deporting\u00a0them, and\u00a0denying them business licenses or work permits even when they had already received offers of employment from Qatari companies.\u00a0A number of\u00a0Baha\u2019is have also been denied\u00a0\u201ccertificates of good conduct\u201d\u2014despite having done nothing wrong\u2014which then disqualifies them from employment or other aspects of life.<\/p>\n<p>A few Baha\u2019is in Qatar have even faced unspecified and false criminal and national security charges.<\/p>\n<p>The blacklisting and expulsions have separated married couples and families and have forced some Qatari citizens to leave their homeland so as not to be separated from their non-Qatari spouses.<\/p>\n<p>Baha\u2019is in Qatar have also been barred from serving in \u201csensitive\u201d sectors, in particular the education sector, despite having worked in and contributed over decades to the medical sector, banking, engineering, sports, media, entrepreneurship, public policy, oil and gas, crafts and trade, the legal system, health and safety and the arts.<\/p>\n<p>The discrimination bears a striking resemblance to the treatment Baha\u2019is have faced in Iran and Yemen. Most of the Baha\u2019is in Qatar who have faced blacklisting and deportation were born and raised in the country, in families that have been there for generations, and have known no other home.<\/p>\n<p>A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/spcommreports.ohchr.org\/TMResultsBase\/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=24773\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/spcommreports.ohchr.org\/TMResultsBase\/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId%3D24773&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1663282099765000&amp;usg=AOvVaw31Z_u9Lch29kSvrwDq3imP\">2019 report<\/a>\u00a0by the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on minority issues and freedom of religion or belief said that Qatar was\u00a0\u201cundermining human rights in the areas of religion and culture\u201d, referring to the situation of the Baha\u2019is, in\u00a0\u201cwhat appears to be a disturbing pattern of discrimination against\u00a0individuals based on their religion or belief\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The Special Rapporteurs added that they were\u00a0\u201cespecially concerned\u201d\u00a0over\u00a0\u201cthe deportation and blacklisting of individuals based on their adherence to a minority religion\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>And earlier this year, in June, a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscirf.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-06\/2022%252520Qatar%252520Factsheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.uscirf.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-06\/2022%25252520Qatar%25252520Factsheet.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1663282099765000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1kssE4AFuRpyiMVAcPlxbw\">fact sheet<\/a>\u00a0released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom said that\u00a0\u201cQatar\u2019s Baha\u2019i\u00a0community faces limitations on\u00a0freedom of religion or belief that are becoming increasingly systematic\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The Baha\u2019i Faith is an independent world religion which recognises the inherent oneness of humanity. Baha\u2019i teachings advocate principles such as the equality of men and women, safeguarding the rights of all people, and the harmony of science and religion. It emphasizes obedience to government and non-involvement in partisan politics. Throughout the world, Baha\u2019is are committed to efforts to promote the betterment of society.<\/p>\n<p>The Australian Baha\u2019i Community has been a part of Australia for over 100 years.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_column_text][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;3\/4&#8243;][vc_column_text] End blacklisting and discrimination of Baha\u2019is, Qatar\u2019s Emir told, just weeks before World Cup 15 September, 2022 The Baha\u2019i community of Australia today delivered a letter addressed&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2666","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Situation of Baha&#039;is in Qatar - 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