{"id":1347,"date":"2016-09-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/news\/call-to-lift-economic-apartheid\/"},"modified":"2017-10-14T04:48:38","modified_gmt":"2017-10-14T04:48:38","slug":"call-to-lift-economic-apartheid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/call-to-lift-economic-apartheid\/","title":{"rendered":"Call to lift \u2018economic apartheid\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/Portals\/0\/business-sealed.jpg\" alt=\"Call to lift \u2018economic apartheid\u2019\" \/><figcaption>Iranian authorities padlock Baha&#8217;i-owned shops as part of their widespread campaign of economic oppression.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Economic apartheid in Iran is a gross violation of human rights that risks serious damage to the country&#8217;s economic recovery, and should come to an end, an Australian Baha\u2019i spokesperson, Natalie Mobini, said today.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dr Mobini said the deliberate policy of the government &#8212; which locks out economic participation by Iran\u2019s biggest non-Muslim religious minority, members of the Baha\u2019i Faith &#8212; is a classic example of self-harm.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It also stands in stark contradiction to the government\u2019s claim to promote equal citizenship rights and opportunities for all its people,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Mobini\u2019s comments were made after the Office of the Baha\u2019i International Community at the United Nations, representing Baha\u2019is in more than 230 countries and territories, urged President Hassan Rouhani of Iran to call upon his government to lift the four-decade long economic oppression of Baha\u2019is.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter addressed to President Rouhani, the Baha\u2019i International Community highlighted many examples of economic oppression of Baha\u2019is including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>mass expulsion of employees and an ongoing prohibition against employment of Baha\u2019is in the public sector<\/li>\n<li>severe limitations on participation in the private sector<\/li>\n<li>exclusion from a wide range of trades and professions on the offensive pretext that Baha\u2019is are religiously \u201cunclean\u201d<\/li>\n<li>confiscation of land, property superannuation, and pensions from Baha\u2019is<\/li>\n<li>harassment of businesses<\/li>\n<li>closure of shops<\/li>\n<li>a ban on Baha\u2019is attending university.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The letter said that there has been no sign of improvement since the inauguration of President Rouhani\u2019s government in 2013, despite public statements regarding \u201ccreating justice for all Iranians equally\u201d. On behalf of Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds worldwide, it asked the president to \u201ccall upon your government to undertake an immediate review of the economic oppression imposed on the Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds, the largest non-Muslim minority in your country, and to remove the obstacles over time but with reasonable pace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples in Australia<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dr Mobini said: \u201cThe letter points out that this economic apartheid against a significant segment of Iran\u2019s population has undeniable negative consequences for the economic dynamism of the country, and has ultimately deprived Iran of considerable human and financial resources.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Baha\u2019i community of Iran is known for having in its ranks many entrepreneurial and talented individuals who want to contribute to their country\u2019s economic revival but are banned from doing so because of the religious prejudice of clerics in the government,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Mobini said examples abound in Australia and many other countries throughout the world where young Iranian Baha\u2019is, forced out of their country to complete their education and to begin their careers, have made major contributions to the industrial and commercial sectors, to medical and technological research, and to the professions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>International corporate values<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cCorporations throughout the world, including Australia, who are now doing due diligence before entering the Iranian economy have every right to ask why such talented individuals are being prevented from economic participation, and how this accords with the government\u2019s claim to be seeking economic development for the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompanies entering Iran could well find that if the economic apartheid continues, they may become unwitting partners in policies contrary to the corporate values and policies designed to prevent them from being complicit in human rights abuses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr Mobini said that providing economic justice to the Baha\u2019is of Iran is not only the solemn duty of the government of Iran as a signatory to UN human rights conventions, but would provide a win-win result for the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would unleash the talents of the Baha\u2019is, and would give international corporations confidence that Iran is moving towards a free and open marketplace operating on acceptable and legal principles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bic.org\/sites\/default\/files\/pdf\/their-progress-and-devlopment-are-blocked.pdf\">Read the special report from the Baha&#8217;i International Community, &#8220;Their progress and development are blocked&#8221;, highlighting the economic oppression of Iran&#8217;s Baha&#8217;is<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Economic apartheid in Iran is a gross violation of human rights that risks serious damage to the country&#8217;s economic recovery, and should come to an end, an Australian Baha\u2019i spokesperson, Natalie Mobini, said today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media-releases","category-uncategorised"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.2 - 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