Baha'i Community in Crisis: The Media and Minorities in Iran

Over the last few years there has been a great deal of media coverage involving Iran, but the only issues being discussed often follow stories about nuclear deterrence or support for terrorism outside of the country. Like many stories coming out of the Middle East, the issues surrounding the people of the region is often overshadowed for more sensationalized stories which turn the region into more of a weekly soap opera than a serious discussion of human rights and foreign policy. With a lack of proper media coverage and a misunderstanding of the region, the attention given may do more to hurt the people living there than helping them.

As discussed in the April blogpost "Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries: Forgotten or Never Acknowledged?" Minority groups in the region are often not acknowledged in the dialogue surrounding the Middle East. The result of this, as mentioned in the previous article, is that many of the communities like the Jewish ones from Arab and Persian lands, have been mostly dismantled after thousands of prosperous years and relegated to history books. Only in the last 10 years has the existence and legitimacy of those small communities been acknowledged, far too late for media coverage or policy to change the outcome of past persecution.

In the modern world, the lack of media coverage of a community under stress in the Middle East could possibly result in a similar outcome of persecution. One example of a community that mirrors those of the past is that of the Baha'i community of Iran. With little media coverage and knowledge of the Baha'i in Iran by the international community, Persian Baha'i struggle to become part of the narrative of the discussion of the region, often struggling to maintain themselves in silence.

The reality of the Baha'i is that since the creation of the faith, there has been a lack of equality and rights for the community in Iran over its existence. While being the largest religious minority in Iran, numbering 350,000 followers, they were often considered as apostates of the state religion and subject to discrimination and persecution by the local government. In most cases, media coverage of the community has come only briefly after a tragedy, allowing for continuous and persistent threats to become the mainstay of being part of the Baha'i community in Iran. Government persecution of this religious minority often is recycled over history via Apostate laws, accusations of anti-state activities and associations with foreign elements, and continuous monitoring of community and community leaders leading to unpublicized tragedies in many forms. One clear example of this repeat of history was the open discrimination in the early 80's after the Iranian Revolution. In 1980-81 the arrest and the execution of the leaders of the Baha'i religious and community leaders took place. The council, named the National Spiritual Assembly, were collected and imprisoned and eventually murdered by the government. This trend continued against members of the community and any other "political" dissidents in Iran since that time. Since then, little coverage of this issue has taken place in Western and Eastern media.

With the US election dialogue from the last two years sparingly debating Iran's nuclear policy, there has been little attention given to any of the people of Iran by political leaders or the mainstream media. In some smaller media however, there were concerns raised about state sponsored media in Iran promoting the monitoring and suppression of minorities in the country in which they live. In 2006, Former Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, who commanded UN forces in Rwanda issued a statement from his office warning of possible implications of state sponsored repression of the Baha'i in Iran. He stated in a September 26th 2006 news release that:

 "My experience in Rwanda and with other conflicts tells me that the world had better pay close attention whenever a country's media begin to spread hate propaganda against one particular group,"

Dallaire was right to raise concerns, as many of the Baha'i have not only been monitored by the government in the last few years with increased intensity, but national media and official policy have set to place the community in a negative light. The end result was a partial repeat of 1980-81, when a member of the Baha'i National Spiritual Assembly was arrested in March 2008, followed by 6 more members being arrested at the end of May 2008. They are currently being held in prison in Iran.

While the arrests have taken place and human rights in Iran continue to degrade further, there have been some responses by world leaders on behalf of the 7 arrested Baha'i leaders. The US State Department as well as the Presidency of the EU have condemned the actions. As well, human rights groups have issued their condemnations, with some coverage from CNN and mainstream media mentioning the issue at the end of May as well. Despite these small efforts, there has been no real pressure on Iran or its leaders to release the Baha'i leaders from their arbitrary sentences. Despite having false accusations placed against them, even as far as accusing them of working with Israeli Zionists, there has been no concrete display of action or noticeable protests over the issue by anyone who could influence the Iranian government.

Democracy and media, while never in perfect balance, cannot live as separate entities. Freedom of Speech, and the responsible use of media to effect this human right is the only freedom that allows for other rights to be achieved and to be maintained. Without Freedom of Speech, we can see that Freedom of Religion and Political Assembly cannot exist on their own, and can be easily extinguished when debate is repressed or ignored. In the example of Iran, media misplaced, or not effectively used can do as much harm to a society as it can help it, promoting or repressing liberty and equality. Democracy, as discussed by Guillermo O'Donnell is not simply voting, but is a combination of institutions and rights, including media to be free of state control, and in a free society, openly discuss persecution of minorities in addition to nuclear policy and international relations. It is not only a right, but a duty to address these arrests for not only one community in Iran, but for society as a whole.