The House of the Bab, Shiraz, Iran, before its destruction in 1979.Reports are intensifying from Iran regarding the persecutions of Baha’is’. It is frightening to know that you are being persecuted solely for your religion, beliefs, race, creed, philosophies, gender, etc. when the person persecuting knows little about you as a human being but is using people as chess pieces, while trying to create a climate of fear based solely on their own vain imaginings.
Recent news tells us:
These acts appear to be provoked and often methodically planned by the Ministry of Information to create fear; to make the Baha’is physically vulnerable; and to instill in them social and occupational insecurity. The actions also appear intended to disengage them from their friends and fellow citizens; to generate suspicion and mistrust--even hatred--in the hearts of their fellow citizens against them and their religion; to impede critically the Baha’is’ social, economic, and cultural progress; to destabilize their community; and to block its growth.
Can this happen anywhere? One would hope that we are progressing forward and not backward in our freedom to share and express our thoughts, experiences and dreams for a brighter future. We pray that our friends, brothers and sisters, in Iran do not suffer in vain.
The future is not a sure thing no matter where we live. Our civil liberties, freedom, justice are all words with little meaning when they are not accompanied with actions. While we in the United States stand strong today we must continue to remember how and why we are strong. We must continue to fight for those voices that cannot be heard, that are being silenced, that have become weak through pain, suffering and fatigue.
Often an opportunity lost is never regained. Guard your moments well, live each to the fullest, live not only for yourself but for those whose opportunities have been stolen.
The House of the Bab in Shiraz, Iran, one of the holiest sites in the Baha'i world, being destroyed by revolutionary guardsmen in 1979. It was later razed by the Government.
2 comments:
Can it happen anywhere? Yes.
One would think Europe learned it's lesson during the Holocaust. But many of those countries are allowing Muslim-controlled neighborhoods to practice their own law. Most of which is of the "radical" interpretation ... IE; beating women. Police in those cities are basically told to ignore anything that happens in those neighborhoods.
For some reason, they don't see that such policies will naturally lead to civil war among ethnic groups in different neighborhoods. Either that, or they actually want such warfare.
There's news of yet another "honor killing" in London on cnn.com. The woman tried to get help, but in the end, her father and cousins murdered her. She was 20.
France has a dreadful problem with their Muslim populations, as well.
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