2,000 Greater & Lesser Mysteries/2,000 Greater and Lesser Mysteries.iso/bahi/mys00165.txt

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                            NEWSBRIEF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 March 4, 1992

     U.N. RIGHTS GROUP CONDEMNS IRAN'S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES,
              Cites Discrimination Against Baha'is

Washington, D.C. -- Spokesmen for the American Baha'i community
 today welcomed the United Nations Human Rights Commission's
 decision to continue oversight of Iran's abuses of human rights,
 specifically including the Islamic regime's official repression of
 the Baha'i religious minority.

Despite Iran's strenuous efforts to defeat or water down the
 proposal introduced by the European Community, the U.N. Commission
 today adopted a strongly-worded resolution which expresses concern
 for "discriminatory treatment" of Baha'is, Iran's largest religious
 minority.

"This resolution, like prior U.N. actions and resolutions adopted
 by the U.S. Congress and other parliaments, will put Iran on notice
 that the world is watching.  We hope the U.N. action will inhibit
 official Iranian repression against Baha'is," said Firuz
 Kazemzadeh, Secretary for External Affairs of the 110,000-member
 American Baha'i community.

"Although international pressure has caused Iran to moderate its
 most repressive anti-Baha'i actions," Kazemzadeh explained, "the
 Baha'i community continues to suffer from officially-sanctioned
 economic and social repression aimed at destroying the very
 foundations of a peaceful, law-abiding community."

The U.S. delegation strongly backed the Commission resolution,
 which was based on recommendations of the U.N. Special
 Representative for Iran, who visited Tehran in December 1991.

The U.N. investigator cited discrimination against Baha'is among
 the "areas of greatest weakness regarding human rights in Iran."
 He concluded that Iran "should once again be urgently called upon
 to comply" with international human rights standards, "without any
 exception and any conditions, qualifications and modifications
 deriving from highly specific cultural concepts."

More than 200 Iranian Baha'is were executed on account of their
 religion during the 1980's.  Although there have been no recent
 reports of executions of Baha'is and few Baha'is remain imprisoned
 in Iran, economic and social repression against Baha'is is
 pervasive.  The Baha'i Faith is not recognized as a legitimate
 religion, and the community cannot elect its leaders, operate
 religious schools or conduct other normal religious activities.

There are more than 300,000 Baha'is in Iran, where the religion
 emerged in the mid-19th century.  The Baha'i Faith now has over 5
 million adherents worldwide.

                              # # #


     Wilmette, Illinois -- A videotape that documented the design
 and construction of the Baha'i House of Worship outside New Delhi,
 India, recently won two major awards in international competition.
 The film, "Jewel in the Lotus," was awarded the Silver Plaque in
 the religion category at INTERCOM '91 in Chicago. Described as the
 oldest and most prestigious international industrial film and video
 competition in the United States, INTERCOM '91 was held in
 conjunction with the Chicago International Film Festival. "Jewel in
 the Lotus" also won a Bronze Medal in Humanities at the 1991
 International Film and TV Festival of New York. Competition
 included more than 3,000 entries from more than 29 countries.
 "Jewel in the Lotus" was produced by the Media Services Department
 of the Baha'i National Center and has been broadcast nationwide in
 Hungary and Bulgaria. The film also was the subject of several
 regional broadcasts to millions of people in the Commonwealth of
 Independent States. "Jewel in the Lotus" also has aired nationally
 in Canada over that country's cable television network and in China
 over the weekend of February 14, 1992.

                                # # #

January 24, 1992

    SENATE ADOPTS "BAHA'I COMMUNITY EMANCIPATION RESOLUTION"
           Urges Religious Rights for Iranian Baha'is


Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Senate today approved "The Baha'i
 Community Emancipation Resolution," urging Iran to grant religious
 rights to members of Iran's largest religious minority.

Senators called for the United Nations to act against Iran's human
 rights abuses, especially its denial of rights to Baha'is.  The
 U.S. has consistently supported U.N. action to support religious
 rights of Iranian Baha'is.

Spokesmen for the American Baha'i community welcomed the bipartisan
 Senate action, which was co-sponsored by forty-six Senators.  A
 similar appeal is pending in the House.

Firuz Kazemzadeh, a member of the elected governing board of the
 120,000-member American Baha'i community, expressed hope that the
 latest congressional appeal will help persuade the U.N. Human
 Rights Commission, now meeting in Geneva, to extend its
 investigations of Iran's human rights abuses.

Even as Iran seeks to improve its relations with the west, the
 Senate resolution emphasizes that "the United States regards Iran's
 human rights practices, particularly its treatment of the Baha'i
 community and other religious minorities, as a significant element"
 in any developing relations with Iran.

The State Department's annual human rights review, issued last
 week, criticized Iran's "continuing repression of the Baha'i
 religious community" and found "no evidence of significant
 improvement in the Government's human rights practices."

The report also noted that "Iran continued its efforts to end, or
 at least restrict" the U.N. Special Representative's mandate to
 investigate its human rights abuses.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), the principal sponsor of the Baha'i
 resolution, noted that since 1979, more than 200 Iranian Baha'is
 have been executed and thousands imprisoned solely on account of
 their religion.  While no Baha'is have been executed for nearly
 three years, the Iranian government does not permit Baha'is to
 conduct the normal activities of a peaceful, law-abiding religious
 community, Dodd said.

The American Baha'i spokesman welcomed the Senate action as a part
 of a growing international effort to protect rights of Baha'is.
 "We are gratified that other countries are considering similar
 appeals," he said.  "There is good evidence that four prior
 resolutions adopted by the U.S. Congress and annual appeals by the
 U.N. over the past decade have helped persuade Iran to moderate its
 most repressive actions."

There are more than 300,000 Baha'is in Iran, where the religion
 emerged in the mid-19th century.  The Baha'i Faith now has nearly
 6 million adherents worldwide, including more than 120,000 American
 Baha'is.


                            NEWSBRIEF

     Conway, South Carolina -- A nine-year-old Baha'i girl
 organized what has been called the first ever conference on racism
 in Horry County, South Carolina that was specifically aimed at
 children. The one-day conference, held in January, was sponsored by
 the University of South Carolina's Coastal Carolina College. Anisa
 Kintz, a fourth-grade student at South Conway Elementary School,
 got together with about 10 of her friends to organize "Calling All
 Colors." The event was attended by 100 school children from grades
 three through eight. Anisa's story, originally carried by the
 Myrtle Beach (S.C.), Sun News, was picked up by The Associated
 Press and appeared in articles in at least six other newspapers in
 South Carolina.


     SENATE BACKS "BAHA'I COMMUNITY EMANCIPATION RESOLUTION"
           Urges Religious Rights for Iranian Baha'is

Washington, D.C. November 19, 1991 --  The Senate Foreign Relations
 Committee today approved a resolution urging Iran to grant
 religious rights to members of the Baha'i Faith, Iran's largest
 religious minority.

Spokesmen for the American Baha'i community welcomed the action,
 which was co-sponsored by more than forty U.S. Senators.  The House
 is considering a similar measure.

Iran's religious persecution of Baha'is was cited in a letter sent
 last week to Secretary of State Baker by fifty-eight Senators, who
 urged the administration to press for United Nations action against
 Iran's human rights violations.

In a move to create an international network to support rights for
 Baha'is, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus recently wrote to
 more than 200 members of parliaments in fifteen countries, urging
 action to help Iranian Baha'is.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), the principal sponsor of the Baha'i
 resolution, noted that since 1979, more than 200 Iranian Baha'is
 have been executed and thousands imprisoned solely on account of
 their religion.  While no Baha'is have been executed for
 nearly three years, the Iranian government does not permit Baha'is
 to conduct the normal activities of a peaceful, law-abiding
 religious community, Dodd said.

Firuz Kazemzadeh, a member of the elected governing board of the
 American Baha'i community, welcomed the Senate action as part of a
 growing international effort to protect rights of Baha'is.  "We are
 gratified that other countries are considering similar appeals," he
 said. "There is good evidence that four prior resolutions adopted
 by the U.S. Congress and annual appeals by the U.N. over the past
 decade have helped persuade Iran to moderate its most repressive
 actions."

There are more than 300,000 Baha'is in Iran, where the religion
 emerged in the mid-19th century.  The Baha'i Faith has more than 5
 million adherents worldwide, including approximately 110,000
 Baha'is in the United States.

                              # # #






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