[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1627]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE NEW TERROR AGAINST THE BAHA'I IN IRAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRISTOPHER SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 6, 1998

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, the long and brutal campaign of 
terror against the Baha'i in Iran is unfortunately not a new issue to 
this House. Congress has passed resolutions on any number of occasions 
condemning the vicious persecution of the Baha'i at the hands of the 
Teheran regime, but the persecution continues.
  In the last month the persecution has intensified, resulting in the 
death by execution of at least one man, Ruhollah Rowhani. The law under 
which he was convicted--which makes it a crime to convert a Muslim to 
the Baha'i faith or any other faith--is a clear and flagrant violation 
of the God-given and internationally recognized right to freedom of 
religion. Other Baha'i prisoners, who like Mr. Rowhani are guilty of 
nothing other than the nonviolent exercise of their faith, are now 
believed to be in grave and imminent danger. Since the current regime 
took power in 1981, over 200 Baha'is have been executed on account of 
their religion. Many were executed for the spurious and absurd crime of 
``Zionist Baha'i activities,'' others for apostasy, conversion, or 
various charges that boil down to ``disagreement with the regime.''
  The Baha'i are a peace-loving community, members of a religion that 
had its origin in Iran but that has adherents the world over, including 
many Americans. The extremist regime in Iran considers the Baha'i 
religion to be a kind of heresy or group apostasy, and so it persecutes 
them even more severely than it persecutes Christians, Jews, and 
Muslims who are not in accord with the views of the extremists. Baha'is 
cannot elect institutional leaders, organize schools, or conduct other 
religious activities. The elected assemblies which had governed the 
religious community were disbanded by government order in 1983. All 
Baha'i cemeteries and holy places were seized soon after the 1979 
revolution. Under the law now in force in Iran, Baha'is may not hold 
government jobs, Baha'i students may not attend universities or even 
graduate from high school. Baha'i marriages and divorces are not 
recognized, the right to inherit is denied, and contracts with Baha'is 
are not legally enforceable. And now the government has gone back to 
murdering them.
  Ironically, the latest crackdown comes at a time when Western 
government officials had been prematurely congratulating themselves on 
the emergence of an ostensibly ``moderate'' regime in Iran. As often 
turns out to be the case in such instances, we have now learned either 
that the moderates are not really in charge or that they are not really 
so very moderate after all.
  Mr. Speaker, the White House reacted to the execution of Mr. Rowhani 
with a statement noting that ``[t]he world ha[d] been encouraged by the 
recent statements from Iranian leaders about the need for rule of law 
and the rights of individuals.'' The White House statement correctly 
noted that ``[s]uch words have little meaning so long as the rights of 
the Iranian people, including the right to worship freely, are not 
upheld.'' Our government must take care, however, to head its own 
advice. The best words in the world can be rendered meaningless by 
inconsistent actions. A government that commits such gross forms of 
persecution on account of religious belief and practice as have been 
perpetrated against the Baha'i must not be accorded the privileges of 
membership in the community of civilized nations. The United States 
must bring all of its dealings with Iran into conformity with this 
principle, and must encourage other nations, international 
organizations, financial institutions, and other public and private 
entities to do likewise.




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