Message from Vali, a Bahai citizen who, according to the decision of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, has been systematically and extensively deprived of his citizenship rights solely because of being a Bahai. In a conversation about peace, he recounts what has happened to him over the past three decades:

As a Baha’i citizen in Iran, please share your experience regarding the discrimination and persecution faced by the Baha’i community.

What stands out most in my memory, as a child and later as a teenager, was the poisonous propaganda that was spread against the Baha’is through media outlets such as newspapers, mosques, radios, and domestic media. As a child, I felt that the things being said against the Baha’is, including my own family, were not true. At the time, because I was young, I didn’t understand why they were doing this and the impact it had. For example, in school, especially in middle school, I was looked at with a very negative view as a Baha’i. There were days when we would be beaten by some students in front of the school doors just because we were Baha’is.

Of course, this poisonous propaganda and spread of hatred was even worse in neighborhoods where Baha’is lived. They even put up banners in front of mosques and religious gatherings, spreading lies and false accusations against Baha’is, inciting hatred among neighbors

Do you confirm that there is a kind of mistreatment towards Baha’is in the society and public sphere?

After the revolution, a large portion of the people followed the policies of the government and were influenced by the propaganda against the Baha’is. For example, when a clergyman, in the year 1968, came to our village mosque and started spreading hatred by saying “Baha’is are impure” or “Baha’i blood is permissible” or “Baha’is are Zionist spies” or “If someone kills a Baha’i, all their sins will be forgiven and they will go to heaven,” two young men from our village were negatively influenced and killed my 12-year-old brother, named “Afshin,” when I was 10 years old, under the false belief that they would go to heaven and their sins would be forgiven. However, now, due to media and social media, many truths have been revealed to the people and even some parts of the government have realized that these accusations were false.

What do you think is the root of this situation?

My opinion is that religious biases have caused such attacks against the Baha’i community in Iran. On the other hand, I also believe that the thoughts of the “Hojjatieh group”, which emerged before the revolution to oppose the Baha’is, still exist in their minds even though this group was declared rejected by the government after the revolution. The actions that this group has taken against the Baha’is, including the executions that took place in the 1960s, issuing heavy sentences such as long-term imprisonments, expulsion from universities and government or even private jobs, when I talked to them, I saw that the same anti-Baha’i propaganda of the “Hojjatieh” is present in their thoughts.

One of the reasons that may worry the clergy that Baha’i followers may pose a threat to them and therefore they must eliminate them from the field in any way possible, is that there is no clergy in the Baha’i Faith. Naturally, this order

Given the level of obvious injustice and oppression, what options do you have at your disposal if you decide to seek justice, whether individually or as a community? How far is it possible to seek justice according to existing laws?

Regarding your question, I can share my own experience on this matter. Since 2008, when my business was shut down, I spent a year and a half every day pursuing my rights through various institutions such as the judiciary, governor’s office, unions, commerce, law enforcement, and anything that was available to seek justice and hopefully reopen my business. However, the response I received was to be falsely accused, detained for over two months, and subjected to psychological torture in order to intimidate me from pursuing justice.

From the 1960s until now, the majority of Baha’i citizens in Iran, when their rights are violated, face similar situations when seeking justice. The path to justice for Baha’is in Iran exists, but it is highly likely that they will face even more severe threats if they pursue justice. For example, students who have been expelled from universities and when seeking justice, are faced with charges of acting against national security or promoting Baha’i beliefs. Currently,

You mentioned the sealing of your store, what excuse are they using to do this? What notification have you received? Are they officially declaring the reason as being related to the Baha’i Faith?

For example, 11 years ago when my place of business was sealed, it was coordinated among government and judicial institutions. It was clear that they did not want to acknowledge that the reason for the sealing was solely because I was a Baha’i, and they tried to justify it with other excuses. For instance, they brought up not having a permit from the Health Network as the reason for this action. This was despite the fact that I had a permit from the Union and did not need one from the Health Network. I believe the reason for this was that they did not want the news of such discrimination to reach human rights institutions or international organizations. In fact, they pretended that the rights of Baha’is are not violated in Iran and that they have equal rights as other citizens. Therefore, when they take actions to violate the rights of Baha’is in Iran, they must do it in secret and under the guise of seemingly legal excuses. In regards to the expulsion of Baha

As you know, the majority of society is not complicit in the systematic persecution faced by the Baha’i community and even stands against it. The question that arises is whether the Baha’i community is only striving for its own liberation or can it have a constructive interaction with other social groups who are seeking their own rights?

Regarding the question that was asked of me, about whether all this letter-writing and drafting leads to any results or not, I must say that I believe we are all like one human body in Iranian society, and discrimination is like a cancerous gland that first appears in one part of the body and if left untreated, will gradually take over the entire human body. In fact, this discrimination will affect all groups and ethnicities. As we can see now. Therefore, when I, as a Baha’i citizen, am striving to prevent the growth of this cancerous gland, it is not just for the sake of upholding the rights of individuals or the Baha’i community, but it is an effort for the rights of all citizens of Iran. In recent years, many kind-hearted Iranians and civil activists have also supported the rights of Baha’i citizens and have suffered greatly in this regard, and I thank them all from here.

A Baha’i citizen is very sensitive and precise about social

If there is any point at the end, please mention it.

The point that I request to be mentioned is that many people and some officials of the city and the country are currently opposed and saddened by the discrimination against the Baha’is and express their sympathy.

Thank you for the time you have dedicated to the peace line.