The characteristics that differentiate various religions from each other are not few, but it can be said that at least in terms of two fundamental principles, religions agree: the sanctity of life and the reverence for death. Religions consider human life as a journey that usually begins with birth and continues after death. In some religions, life even begins before birth and humans continuously embark on different stages of their journey in the earthly world. Even those who do not believe in religion still value life and view death as a respectable phenomenon in the cycle of nature.

However, in the midst of all this, when the fire of prejudice and narrow-mindedness blazes and the pride and desire for superiority of the powerful becomes so overwhelming that it tramples upon the peace of life and death, it seems that even the fundamental principle agreed upon by the religious and the non-religious is sacrificed and the meaning of living and dying is lost, and the respect for life and death is buried deep within the ground.

This is an image that the Baha’i community in Iran has been facing since the early days of the revolution. The birth of a human being, the honor of creation, which is celebrated and revered in every society, is conditional and dependent on one’s beliefs in Iran. If one is born with a certain belief, their life is considered sacred and blessed, full and active, happy and attached. A newborn who has not yet chosen their own beliefs, is sent to prison from the beginning of their birth with their mother, is humiliated and ridiculed from the start of their education in kindergarten and elementary school, is punished and reprimanded in high school, and ultimately deprived and neglected in university. The continuation of their journey in this tumultuous life does not include any celebrations, as they are deprived of employment and prohibited from doing business. Their marriage is considered abhorrent (and in fact, not recognized at all according to their beliefs), and their blood is wasted. They are not

In the midst of all this destruction, humiliation, excommunication and annihilation, why the resting place? A sacred place for eternal peace, and a place that only serves as a reminder for the survivors, what else is safe? How is it that every religion and belief, even the non-believers and atheists, do not do this one thing? But in Iran, the Bahai cemeteries and shrines in several cities, including Najafabad, Isfahan, Qaemshahr (which has been destroyed not once, not twice, but four times), Yazd, Marvdasht (twice), Abadan, Gilavand, Mashhad, Borujerd, Jiroft, Semnan, Sangsar, and Sari have been destroyed and this destruction and disrespect continues. In many of these cemeteries, in addition to destroying the shrines, they even set fire to the mortuary buildings. In Mashhad, the

On the 11th of Ordibehesht month this year, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran began excavation at a cemetery in Shiraz that was once owned by the Bahá’í community and holds historical significance for them. This cemetery, known as the “Eternal Garden” by Bahá’ís, has been in their possession since the early 1920s and has been used for burials in Shiraz. In 1984, it was confiscated by the government and at that time, the gravestones were destroyed and the main building was demolished. Ownership of the land changed hands and three years ago, the Revolutionary Guard Corps of the province announced that they are the owners and plan to build a “cultural and sports center” on the site. Was the unjust, unreasonable, and inhumane confiscation of this cemetery not enough, that now the honorable citizens of Iran must “exercise” on the bodies of the dead and engage in “cultural”

In that eternal garden, approximately 950 Bahá’ís have been buried, among them 10 Bahá’í women from Shiraz who were hanged on June 18, 1983, at the peak of the campaign against Bahá’ís and their condemnation to execution. These 10 women, the youngest of whom was 17 years old and the oldest was 57, were accused of completely fabricated, baseless, and meaningless charges (such as being “Zionists”) and an illegal accusation that is not even considered a crime (such as teaching children’s classes). They proudly chose the noose over this fleeting world. They were deprived of the right to live and the right to choose. They endured immediate torture for the sake of an eternal reward, to rest in peace in the heart of that eternal garden. But the hand of injustice and the heart full of hatred took even that peace away from them. Just as they were deprived of the right to live and the

I swear to you, what you believe in, the dead have nothing to do with you. At least do not take this one right from them. Let them rest in peace…