[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 19161-19162]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           THE BAHA'I FAITH AND ABUSE OF ITS LEADERS IN IRAN

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I have one other comment I would like 
to make while I am here. It involves the Baha'i faith and the abuse of 
its leaders in Iran.
  I rise today to discuss an issue that some constituents of mine 
brought to my attention when I was in Nashville this summer. We met to 
discuss the plight of the Baha'i in Iran.
  The Baha'i faith was founded in Persia in 1844 and is one of the 
fastest growing religions in the world, with more than five million 
followers in more than 200 countries and territories. It is the largest 
non-Muslim religious community in Iran today.
  Baha'i followers have been persecuted for their faith by the Iranian 
Government since their religion was established, but the frequency and 
severity of the persecutions has increased under the Presidency of 
Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad. More than two years ago, a group of seven Baha'i 
leaders, often referred to as the ``Yaran'' or ``friends,'' were 
arrested. They were charged with pursuing propaganda activities against 
Islam and for spying on behalf of Israel. After more than two years of 
``temporary'' confinement, the seven were tried in a closed court 
proceeding that did not meet even the minimum international standards 
for proper criminal procedure and protection of civil rights. The six 
men and one woman were each sentenced to 20 years in prison on August 
8.
  This is yet another example of the Iranian Government striking out 
against its own people. We saw violent examples of this in June of last 
year, when Iranian citizens began protesting the unfair Presidential 
election. Those who dare differ with the government face baseless 
charges, closed court proceedings, extremely harsh sentences, and 
possibly even death. The international community has expressed its 
outrage about the sentencing of this

[[Page 19162]]

group, and Secretary of State Clinton issued a statement on August 12 
that reaffirms our country's commitment to protecting religious freedom 
around the world, including that of the Baha'i in Iran.
  This is more than a story from the other side of the world. There are 
more than 168,000 Baha'i in the United States. There are more than 
2,000 in my home State of Tennessee. The men and women with whom I met 
in August have family members--fathers, mothers, sons, brothers, and 
in-laws--who have been arrested and imprisoned in Iran simply because 
of their faith. Their only request was that we, as Members of the 
United States Senate, continue to do all that we can to keep the 
spotlight on Iran and its persecution of peaceful citizens.
  That is why I wanted to bring this matter to the attention of the 
Senate today. The United States has already imposed sanctions on Iran 
by enacting the Iran Sanctions Act. I hope by shining a spotlight on 
this extreme and continued abuse of peaceful adherence of the Baha'i 
faith by the Iranian Government, we can, No. 1, reaffirm our commitment 
to religious freedom around the world; and No. 2, make a little more 
uncomfortable the regime in Iran which perpetrates these crimes against 
its own people.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Begich). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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