The Baha’i community in India is deeply saddened by the war in Iran, and persecution of Baha’is in Iran has increased. Many Indian Baha’is are originally from Iran and still have relatives in the country.The crackdown has been harsh on Iranian Baha’is, the country’s largest non-Muslim minority community, as the Islamic Republic’s regime tightens control during the conflict and brutally suppresses any internal opposition.“Iran’s Baha’is have a history of persecution that became a systemic state policy after the 1979 Islamic Revolution,” said Nilakshi Rajkhowa, a representative of the Baha’i Public Affairs Office. “Whenever there is a crisis in Iran, the Baha’i community becomes the scapegoat. The Islamic Republic’s constitution does not even recognize the Baha’i faith, and there is even a 1991 memorandum calling for a blockade of the development of the Baha’i faith from all sides.“The Islamic Republic has long denied Baha’is basic rights, such as access to education, government employment, and even the right to bury their dead in cemeteries. In recent conflicts, dozens of Baha’is have been detained, charged or prosecuted without due process. They include cousins Peyvand and Borna Naeimi.Pervander, 30, was arrested in Kerman on January 8, according to Human Rights in Iran. He was accused of encouraging other young Iranians to protest, was not given a lawyer and was reportedly tortured in detention, including a mock execution.Borna was arrested on March 1 and subjected to the same torture. According to the Baha’i International Community and Amnesty International, authorities used extreme coercion to force the cousins to confess to killing three security personnel.The most common accusation against Baha’is in Iran is espionage at the behest of Israel. “This is complete nonsense. Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, was exiled in the 19th century and his final resting place is near Haifa in modern Israel. Therefore, the regime of the Islamic Republic constantly associates Baha’is with Israel. But modern Israel did not exist at that time, it was part of the old Ottoman Empire,” said Farah Motalebi, who was born and raised in Tehran.“My mother-in-law died in Shahroud in eastern Iran in July last year, and she was not allowed to be buried there. They had to transport her body to another city 300 kilometers away for burial. This is the persecution we have faced for 40 years.”Another Iranian-Indian Baha’i, Romina (not her real name), detailed her family’s ordeal. “In 1980, my sister was arrested and imprisoned with her one-month-old child. She had a two-year-old at the time and she had to leave her child at home alone. My sister’s sin? She was accused of teaching children – the Iranian regime considers Baha’is to be ungodly and therefore bans them from teaching, especially values education courses.““Yes, the regime recognizes Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. But not any faith after Islam,” Motalebi said. “As a result, Baha’is are automatically excluded from the regime, making them easy targets for scapegoating.” Romina added: “Our faith teaches us to be loyal to the country and government in which we live. Iranian Baha’is want to help Iran. But the Islamic regime does not treat Baha’is as equal citizens.”“
