iran wikipedia

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Iran

Jomhr-ye Eslm-ye rn

Islamic Republic of Iran

Flag Coat of arms

Motto: Persian:Esteqll, zd, jomhr-ye eslm(English: "Independence, freedom, the Islamic Republic")

Anthem: Sord-e Mell-e rn

Capital Tehran3540 N 5125 E

Largest city Tehran

Official language(s) Persian

GovernmentSupreme LeaderPresident

Islamic republicAli KhameneiMahmoud Ahmadinejad

RevolutionDeclared

Against Mohammad Reza PahlaviFebruary 11, 1979

Area- Total

- Water (%)

1,648,195 km (17th)636,372 mi0.7%

Population- 2005 est.- 2000 census- Density

68,017,860 (18th)N/A41/km (128th)106/mi

GDP (PPP)- Total

2005 estimate$560,348,000,000 (19th)
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- Per capita $8,065 (77th)

HDI(2006) 0.736 (99th) medium

Currency Rial () (IRR)

Time zone

- Summer (DST)

(UTC+3.30)

not observed (UTC+3.30)

Internet TLD .ir

Calling code +98

Iran (Persian: ,rn), formerly called Persia, is a Middle Eastern country located inWestern Asia. Northern Iran is also a part of the Caucasus. It borders Armenia,Azerbaijan (including itsNakhichevan exclave), and Turkmenistan to the north, Pakistanand Afghanistan to the east, and Turkey and Iraq to the west. In addition, it borders thePersian Gulfacross which lie Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatarand the United ArabEmirates. The official name of the country is the Islamic Republic of Iran and a citizenof Iran is called an Iranian. During the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979, the AyatollahKhomeini transformed Iran into a democratictheocracy. Shi'a Islam is the official statereligion and rule of law.

Throughout history, Iran has been of great geostrategic importance due to its positionbetween the Middle East, Caucasia, Central Asia and the Persian Gulfand its proximityto Eastern Europe and the Indian subcontinent.

Iran is currently led by PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad and overseen by the SupremeLeader Ali Khamenei. Iran is a member and co-founder of OPEC and is important ininternational politics due to its large supply ofpetroleum. Recently, controversy haserupted overIran's nuclear program.

Contents

[hide]

1 Name 2 History 3 Government and Politics

o 3.1 The Supreme Leadero 3.2 The Presidento 3.3 The Parliamento 3.4 The Assembly of Expertso 3.5 The Council of Guardianso 3.6 The Expediency Councilo 3.7 The Judiciary

4 Geography
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meinihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayatollah_Khomeinihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theocracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi'ahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostrategichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Easthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasus_(geographic_region)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Iranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Leader_of_Iranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Leader_of_Iranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Khameneihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPEChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_politicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_supplyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran's_nuclear_programhttp://toggletoc%28%29/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#Name%23Namehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#History%23Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#Government_and_Politics%23Government_and_Politicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#The_Supreme_Leader%23The_Supreme_Leaderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#The_President%23The_Presidenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#The_Parliament%23The_Parliamenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#The_Assembly_of_Experts%23The_Assembly_of_Expertshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#The_Council_of_Guardians%23The_Council_of_Guardianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#The_Expediency_Council%23The_Expediency_Councilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#The_Judiciary%23The_Judiciaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#Geography%23Geography


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o 4.1 Climate 5 Provinces 6 Economy 7 Demographics

o 7.1 Ethnic groups

o 7.2 Major Languageso 7.3 Religiono 7.4 Major cities

8 Culture 9 Miscellaneous topics 10 Notes and references 11 External links

o 11.1 Official Government Links

o 11.2 Other links

Name

Main article:Iran naming disputeEver since the Sassanian period, Persian-speaking Iranians have referred to their countryas Iran, which means Land of the Aryans. The Greeks called the country Persis; thispassed into Latin asPersia, which has been the name most used in the West. [1][2][3].

On March 21, 1935Reza Shah Pahlavi issued a decree asking foreign delegates to use theterm Iran in formal correspondence. After Persian scholars protested, Mohammad RezaShah in 1959 announced that bothPersia andIran could be used interchangeably.

The Iranian Revolution of 1979 ultimately led to the establishment of a theocratic IslamicRepublic. The country's political title was changed to theIslamic Republic of Iran.
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History

Main article:History of Iran

The 2500 year old ruins ofPersepolis.

Written history in Iran begins with the Jirfoft Kingdom around 5000 BCE, and continueswith the arrival of the Aryans and the establishment of the Median dynasty. The

Achaemenids followed by building the Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great in 546BCE. Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 331 BCE, soon only to be succeeded bythe Parthian and Sassanid dynasties, which followed the Achaemenids as Persia's greatestpre-Islamic empires.

The Middle Ages saw the unfolding of many critical events such as the Islamic Conquestof Iran, the destruction of Iran under the Mongol invasion beginning in 1220, theconquest ofTamerlane, and the establishment of Iran's first Shi'aIslamic state under theSafavid dynasty in 1501. From then on Persia increasingly became the arena for rivalcolonial powers such as Russia and the United Kingdom. With the arrival ofmodernization in the late 19th century, Iranians longed for a change and thus the Persian

Constitutional Revolution of 1905/1911 followed.

9th-11th century Persia was at the center of what came to be known as the Golden Age ofIslam.
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In 1953 Iran's prime ministerDr. Mohammed Mossadegh, was removed from power in aplot orchestrated by British and U.S. intelligence agencies to protect their oil interests(dubbed "Operation Ajax"). The operation was conducted following the Prime-Minister'snationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. It reinstated the Iranian monarchy,

handing power back to former Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Following Dr. Mosaddegh's fall, the Shah's rule became increasingly dictatorial,particularly in the late 1970s. With strong support from the USA and the UK, the Shahfurther modernized Iranian industry but crushed civil liberties. His autocratic rule led tothe Iranian revolution in 1979. An Islamic republic was soon established under theAyatollah Khomeini.

The new theocratic political system instituted some conservative Islamic reforms as wellas introducing an unprecedented level of direct clerical rule. It also engaged in an anti-Western course due to Western support of the Shah. In particular Iranian-American

relations were severely strained after the Iranian seizure of U.S. embassy personnel in1979, Iran's subsequent attempts to export its revolution, and its support of anti-Westernmilitant groups such as Lebanese Hezbollah.

In 1980 Iran was attacked by neighbouring Iraq and the destructive Iran-Iraq Warcontinued until 1988. The struggle between the reformists and conservatives over thefuture of the country continues today through electoral politics and was a central Westernfocus in the 2005 elections where conservative candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejadtriumphed.

Government and Politics

Main article:Politics of Iran

Iran defines itself and is widely viewed as a constitutional Islamic Republic, whose political system is laid out in the 1979 constitution called Qanun-e Asasi (literally'Fundamental Law'). Iran's makeup has several intricately connected governing bodies,some of which are democratically elected and some of which are appointed. Somepolitical scientists might argue that the structure of the government is actually more inline with an elective monarchy, as the Supreme Leader is elected and rules for life with broad powers. If viewed from this perspective, Iran would be the largest electivemonarchy in the world.
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The Supreme Leader

Azadi Tower("Tower of Freedom")The concept ofvelayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist) plays a crucial role in thegovernmental structure of Iran. [4] According to the Constitution, the Supreme Leader of

Iran is responsible for the delineation and supervision of "the general policies of theIslamic Republic of Iran." The Supreme Leader is commander-in-chief of the armedforces and controls the Islamic Republic's intelligence and security operations; he alonecan declare war. He has the power to appoint and dismiss the head of the judiciary, thestate radio and television networks, and the commander of the police and military forces.He also appoints six of the twelve members of the Council of Guardians. He is elected bytheAssembly of Experts, on the basis of his qualifications and the high popular esteem inwhich they are held. [5]. Based on the constitution the Assembly of Experts is alsoresponsible for supervising the Supreme Leader to perform his legal duties and has thepower to dismiss and replace the Supreme Leader at anytime. The Supreme Leader isarguably an elected monarch (see elective monarchy), by the definition of that term.

Please see Politics of Iran for more details.

The President

The President of Iran is responsible for implementing the Constitution and acting as thehead of the executive, except in matters directly concerned with (the office of) theLeadership. According to the law, all presidential candidates must be approved by theCouncil of Guardians prior to running, after which he is elected by universal suffrage to afour-year term by an absolute majority of votes. After his election, the president appointsand supervises the Council of Ministers (the cabinet), coordinates government decisions,and selects government policies to be placed before the Parliament. Eight vice presidents

serve under the president, as well as a cabinet of twenty-one ministers. The Council ofMinisters must be confirmed by Parliament. Unlike many other states, the executivebranch in Iran does not control the armed forces.
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The Parliament

Parliament of The Islamic Republic of Iran.

The unicameral Iranian parliament, the Islamic Consultative Assembly or "Majles-eShura-ye Eslami", consists of 290 members elected to a four-year term. The members areelected by direct and secret ballot. It drafts legislation, ratifies international treaties, andapproves the country's budget. All MP candidates and all legislation from the assemblymust be approved by the Council of Guardians.

The Assembly of Experts

The Assembly of Experts, which meets for one week every year, consists of eighty-six"virtuous and learned" clerics elected by the public to eight-year terms. Like presidentialand parliamentary elections, the Council of Guardians determines eligibility to run for aseat in this assembly.

Members of the Assembly of Experts in turn elect the Supreme Leader. The assembly hasnever been known to challenge any of the Supreme Leader's decisions, althoughaccording to the Iranian constitution it has the authority to remove the Supreme Leaderfrom power at any time.

The Council of Guardians

Twelve jurists comprise the Council of Guardians, six of whom are appointed by theSupreme Leader. The head of the judiciary recommends the remaining six, which areofficially appointed by Parliament.

The Council of Guardians is vested with the authority to interpret the constitution anddetermines if the laws passed by Parliament are in line with sharia (Islamic law). Hencethe council can exercise veto power over Parliament. If a law passed by Parliament isdeemed incompatible with the constitution orsharia, it is referred back to Parliament forrevision.
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In a controversial excercise of its authority, the Council has drawn upon a narrowinterpretation of the Iranian constitution to veto parliamentary candidates. See Council ofGuardians.

The Expediency Council

The Expediency Council has the authority to mediate disputes between Parliament andthe Council of Guardians, and serves as an advisory body to the Supreme Leader, makingit one of the most powerful governing bodies in the country.

The Judiciary

Main article:Judicial system of Iran

The head of the Judiciary is appointed by the Supreme Leader, who in turn appoints thehead of the Supreme Court and the chief public prosecutor.

Public courts deal with civil and criminal cases. "Revolutionary" courts try certaincategories of offenses, including crimes against national security. Decisions rendered inrevolutionary courts are final and cannot be appealed.

The Special Clerical Court handles crimes allegedly committed by clerics, although it hasalso taken on cases involving lay people. The rulings of the Special Clerical Court, whichfunctions independently of the regular judicial framework and is accountable only to theSupreme Leader, are also final and cannot be appealed.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Iran
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Map of Iran

Iran borders Azerbaijan (length of border: 432 km / 268 mi) and Armenia (35 km / 22 mi)to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan (992 km / 616 mi) to thenortheast, Pakistan (909 km / 565 mi) and Afghanistan (936 km / 582 mi) to the east,Turkey (499 km / 310 mi) and Iraq (1,458 km / 906 mi) to the west, and finally the watersof the Persian Gulfand the Gulf of Oman to the south. Iran's total land mass is 1,648,000km / 636,300 mi (Land: 1,636,000 km / 631,663 mi, Water: 12,000 km / 4,633

mi). That is approximately the land mass ofAlaska.

Iran's landscape is dominated by rugged mountain ranges that separate variousbasins orplateaus from one another. The populous western part is the most mountainous, withranges such as the Caucasus, Zagros and Alborz Mountains, the latter of which alsocontains Iran's highest point, the Damavand at 5,604 metres (18,386 ft). The eastern halfconsists mostly of uninhabited desert basins like the saline Dasht-e Kavir, with theoccasional salt lake.

Iran's highest mountain, Mount Damavand, standing at 5,604 m (18,286 ft)

The only largeplains are found along the coast of the Caspian Sea and at the northern endof the Persian Gulf, where Iran borders on the mouth of the Arvand river (Shatt al-Arab).Smaller, discontinuous plains are found along the remaining coast of the Persian Gulf, the
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Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman. The Iranian climate is mostly arid or semiarid,though subtropical along the Caspian coast. Iran is considered one of the fifteen statesthat comprise the so-called "Cradle of Humanity".

Climate

The Zagros Mountains are Iran's second largest range in territory. Dena Mountain, rises4,359 m (14,301 ft)

Iran's landscape produces several different climates. On the northern edge of the country(the Caspian coastal plain) the temperatures nearly fall below freezing and remain humidfor the rest of the year. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 29C (84F). Annualprecipitation is 680 millimetres (26 in) in the eastern part of the plain and more than1,700 millimetres (75 in) in the western side of the plain. To the west, settlements in theZagros Mountains basin experience lower temperatures. These areas have severe winters,

with average daily temperatures below freezing and have heavy snowfall. The easternand central basins are arid. They get less than 200 millimetres (8 in) of rain and haveoccasional desert. The average summer temperatures exceed 38C (100F). The coastalplains of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in southern Iran have mild winters,experience very humid, and hot summers. The annual precipitation ranges from 135 to355 millimetres (6 to 14 in).

Provinces

Main article:Provinces of Iran

Iran consists of 30provinces:
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1. Tehran2. Qom3. Markazi4. Qazvin5. Gilan6. Ardabil7. Zanjan8. East Azarbaijan9. West

Azarbaijan10. Kurdistan11. Hamadan12. Kermanshah13. Ilam14. Lorestan

15. Khuzestan

16. Chahar Mahaaland Bakhtiari

17. Kohkiluyeh andBuyer Ahmad

18. Bushehr

19. Fars20. Hormozgan21. Sistan and

Baluchistan22. Kerman23. Yazd24. Esfahan25. Semnan26. Mazandaran27. Golestan28.North Khorasan

29. RazaviKhorasan

30. South Khorasan

The islands of Iran are not shown in this picture. They belong to the province ofHormozgan (# 20 on the map).

Economy

Main article:Economy of Iran

TheRialis Iran's official currency.

Iran's economy is a mixture ofcentral planning, state ownership ofoil and other largeenterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures. Thecurrent administration has continued to follow the market reform plans of the previousone and has indicated that it will pursue diversification of Iran's oil-reliant economy. TheIranian government is attempting to diversify by investing revenues in other areas,including, carmanufacturing, aerospace industries, consumerelectronics, petrochemicalsand nuclear technology. Iran is also hoping to attract billions of dollars worth of foreigninvestment by creating a more favorable investment climate, such as reduced restrictionsand duties on imports and the creation of free-trade zones like in Chabaharand the island
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ofKish. Modern Iran has a solid middle class and a growing economy but continues to beplagued with high inflation and unemployment.

Iranian budget deficits have been a chronic problem, in part due to large-scale statesubsidies totaling some $7.25 billion per yearincluding foodstuffs and especially

gasoline.

The towering Alborz mountains in Tehran rising above modern high rises of the Elahiyehdistrict.

Iran is OPEC's second largest oil producer and holds 10% of the world's proven oilreserves. It also has the world's second largest natural gas reserves (after Russia). Thestrong oil market in 1996 helped ease financial pressures on Iran and allowed forTehran's timely debt service payments.

A busy commercial street in Tehran.

State investment has boosted agriculture with the liberalization of production and theimprovement of packaging and marketing helping to develop new export markets. Large-scale irrigation schemes, together with the wider production of export-based agriculturalitems such as dates, flowers andpistachios, produced the fastest economic growth of anysector in Iran over much of the 1990s. Even though a series of droughts has held backoutput growth substantially, agriculture remains one of the largest employers. Iran hasalso developed abiotechnology, nanotechnology and pharmaceuticals industry.

Iran's major commercial partners are France, Germany, Italy, Russia, China, Japan andSouth Korea. Since the late 1990's, Iran has increased its economic cooperation withother developing countries, including Syria, India, Cuba, Venezuela and South Africa.Iran is also expanding its trade ties with Turkey and Pakistan and shares with its partnersthe common goal for the creation of a single economic market in West and Central Asia.

Demographics
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Main article:Demographics of Iran

Ethnic groups

Ethnic groups in IranThe majority of Iran's population speak one of the Iranian languages, though Persian isthe official language. While the number, percentage, and definition of the differentIranian peoples is disputed, the major ethnic groups and minorities in Iran include thePersians (51%), Azeris (24%), Gilaki and Mazandarani (8%), Kurds (7%), Arabs (3%),

Baluchi (2%), Lurs (2%), Turkmen people (2%), Qashqai, Armenians, Georgians,Assyrians, Circassians, Tats, and others (1%).[6]. The literacy rate in Iran is above 89%and closer to 100% for its younger population.

Iran's population size increased dramatically during the latter half of the 20th century toreach 70 million in 2006, although in recent years Iran appears to have taken control ofits high population growth rate and many studies show that Iran's population growth ratewill continue to decline until it will reach replacement level and stabilize by the year2050 (100 million). Iran'spopulation density is forty persons per square kilometer. [7][8][9]

Iran hosts more than one million foreignrefugees (mainly from Afghanistan with somefrom Iraq), one of the largest figures on earth, and official government policy and social

factors aim towards repatriation.[10]

[11]

[12]

Inversely, Iran has a diaspora estimated at over three million people who emigrated toNorth America,Western Europe, and South America, for the most part occurring after theIranian revolution.
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Map showing ethnic and religious diversity among the population of Iran.

Major Languages

The number of native speakers of Persian language in Iran is estimated around 70million, (see: Persian people) ( Ethnologue using an obsolete and old information claimsthat in 1997 there were 22 million native speakers of Persian language spoken in Iran).Because of the spread of broadcast media, central education system, and migration tolarger cities nearly all Iranians speak and understand Persian as a native speaker.However, there are other regional languages used mainly as a second language and forinformal and non-official verbal communications. Other major languages in Iran areAzeri (c. 16.8 million), Kurdish (7.6 million) (Northern, Central, Southern and Laki),Gilaki (3.265 million), Mazandarani (3.265 million), Luri (2.375 million), Turkmen (2million), Bakhtiari (1 million). Arabic (1 million). By and large, speakers of these otherlanguages are fluent in Persian as well, as Persian is the lingua franca of the country.

Religion

Most Iranians are Muslims; 90% belong to the Shi'a branch of Islam, the official statereligion, and about 9% belong to the Sunni branch (many of whom are Kurds). Theremainder consists of non-Muslim religious minorities, mainly Bah's, Zoroastrians,Jews and Christians.[6]

The latter three minority religions are officially recognized and have reserved seats in theMajles (Parliament), and are officially protected religions. In contrast, the Bah' Faith,the largest religious minority in Iran, is not officially recognized, and has been persecuted

during its existence in Iran. Since the 1979 revolution the persecution has increased withexecutions and the denial of access to higher education. More recent persecution towardsBah's has led to the United Nations Special Rapporteur of the United NationsCommission on Human Rights stating on March 20, 2006 that "The Special Rapporteur isconcerned that this latest development indicates that the situation with regard to religiousminorities in Iran is, in fact, deteriorating." [13]

Persecution of Bah's

The persecution of Bah's refers to the religious persecution of Bah's in variouscountries, especially in Iran, the nation of origin of the Bah' Faith, Iran's largest

religious minority and the location of one of the largest Bah' populations in the world.

Bah's and various third party entities such as the United Nations, AmnestyInternational, the European Union, the United States and peer-reviewed academicliterature have stated that the members of the Bah' community in Iran have beensubjected to unwarranted arrests, false imprisonment, beatings, torture, unjustifiedexecutions, confiscation and destruction of property owned by individuals and the Bah'community, denial of employment, denial of government benefits, denial of civil rightsand liberties, and denial of access to higher education.
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Contents

1 Contextso 1.1 Historical contexto 1.2 Legal context

2 Current situationo 2.1 Monitoring of activitieso 2.2 Deathso 2.3 Barriers to higher educationo 2.4 Destruction of holy siteso 2.5 Media attackso 2.6 Other eventso 2.7 Secret memorandum

3 Statementso 3.1 Statements by the United Nationso 3.2 Statements by Amnesty International

o 3.3 Statements by the European Uniono 3.4 Statements by the United States

governmento 3.5 Response from the Iranian

governmento 3.6 Belief by the Iranian populationo 3.7 Response from the United Nations

4 Outside Irano 4.1 Egypt

5 References

Contexts

Historical context

The Bah' Faith grew out of the Bbs which was estabilished in 1844 by the Bb inPersia, which is current-day Iran. 89% of Iranians adhere to the Twelver school of theShi'a sect of Islam, which holds as one of its core doctrines the expected advent of aMessianic figure, the Qa'im (Imam Mahdi). The Bb claimed he is the Imam Mahdi andthus he has equal status to the Prophet Muhammad with the power, which he exercised,to abrogate the final provisions of Islamic law.

Bah'u'llh, a Bb leader who claimed to be the one foretold by the Bb, claimed asimilar station for himself in 1863 as a Manifestation of God and as the promised figureforetold in the sacred scriptures of the major religious traditions of the past and foundedthe Bah' Faith.

Concerning the historical context of the persecutions, Friedrich W. Affolter in "WarCrimes, Genocide, & Crimes against Humanity" writes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Contexts%23Contextshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Historical_context%23Historical_contexthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Legal_context%23Legal_contexthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Current_situation%23Current_situationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Monitoring_of_activities%23Monitoring_of_activitieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Deaths%23Deathshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Barriers_to_higher_education%23Barriers_to_higher_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Destruction_of_holy_sites%23Destruction_of_holy_siteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Media_attacks%23Media_attackshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Other_events%23Other_eventshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Secret_memorandum%23Secret_memorandumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements%23Statementshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements_by_the_United_Nations%23Statements_by_the_United_Nationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements_by_Amnesty_International%23Statements_by_Amnesty_Internationalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements_by_the_European_Union%23Statements_by_the_European_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements_by_the_United_States_government%23Statements_by_the_United_States_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements_by_the_United_States_government%23Statements_by_the_United_States_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Response_from_the_Iranian_government%23Response_from_the_Iranian_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Response_from_the_Iranian_government%23Response_from_the_Iranian_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Belief_by_the_Iranian_population%23Belief_by_the_Iranian_populationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Response_from_the_United_Nations%23Response_from_the_United_Nationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Outside_Iran%23Outside_Iranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Egypt%23Egypthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#References%23Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1b%C3%ADshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1844http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1bhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelvershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi'ahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qa'imhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahdihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1'u'll%C3%A1hhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1b%C3%ADhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1bhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1863http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifestation_of_Godhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Contexts%23Contextshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Historical_context%23Historical_contexthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Legal_context%23Legal_contexthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Current_situation%23Current_situationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Monitoring_of_activities%23Monitoring_of_activitieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Deaths%23Deathshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Barriers_to_higher_education%23Barriers_to_higher_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Destruction_of_holy_sites%23Destruction_of_holy_siteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Media_attacks%23Media_attackshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Other_events%23Other_eventshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Secret_memorandum%23Secret_memorandumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements%23Statementshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements_by_the_United_Nations%23Statements_by_the_United_Nationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements_by_Amnesty_International%23Statements_by_Amnesty_Internationalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements_by_the_European_Union%23Statements_by_the_European_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements_by_the_United_States_government%23Statements_by_the_United_States_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Statements_by_the_United_States_government%23Statements_by_the_United_States_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Response_from_the_Iranian_government%23Response_from_the_Iranian_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Response_from_the_Iranian_government%23Response_from_the_Iranian_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Belief_by_the_Iranian_population%23Belief_by_the_Iranian_populationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Response_from_the_United_Nations%23Response_from_the_United_Nationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Outside_Iran%23Outside_Iranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#Egypt%23Egypthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs#References%23Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1b%C3%ADshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1844http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1bhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelvershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi'ahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qa'imhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahdihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1'u'll%C3%A1hhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1b%C3%ADhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1bhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1863http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifestation_of_God


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"Bahullhs writings deal with a variety of themes that challenge longcherished doctrines of Shi Islam. In addition to making the heretic claim of being a Manifestation of God, he suggested that school curricula should includeWestern Sciences, that the nation states (Muslim and non Muslim) should establish a world federal government, and that men and women were equal.

Bahullh also wrote that in this time and age, priests were no longer necessaryfor religious guidance. Humanity, he argued, had reached an age of maturitywhere it was incumbent upon every individual to search for God and truthindependently."These principles did not only call into question the need for priesthood, but alsothe entire Shi ecclesiastical structure and the vast system of endowments,benefices and fees that sustained it. No surprise then that in the following decadesuntil the overthrow of the Qjr dynasty in 1925, it was the mullas who instigatedattacks against the Bahs in cities or villages where the clerical establishmentwas particularly influential."

In addition to this the Bb religion, the forerunner of the Bah' Faith had a violenthistory in Iran. Friedrich W. Affolter writes:

"Initially, the mullas hoped to stop the Bb movement from spreading bydenouncing its followers as apostates and enemies of God. These denouncementsresulted in mob attacks, public executions and torture of early Bbs. When theBbs (in accordance with Koranic principles) organized to defend themselves,the government sent troops into a series of engagements that resulted in heavylosses on both sides. The Bb himself was imprisoned from 1846 until 1850 andeventually publicly executed. In August 1852, two deranged Bbs attempted tokill the Shah in revenge for the execution of the Bb. This resulted in an extensive

pogrom during which more than 20,000 Bbs among them 400 Shi mullaswho had embraced the Bb teachings lost their lives."

While Bahullh took a more conciliatory position, forbidding the use of holy wartospread his faith, instead attempting to engage various governments in dialogue, theradical nature of his religious claim to prophethood did little to change the perception ofthe people of Iran. To this day Bah's are a widely-hated minority in Iran since they areseen as apostates from Islam, and supporters of the West and Israel. Eliz Sanasarian(Religious Minorities in Iran, Cambridge UP, 2000, p. 52-53) writes:

"Persecution does not lie only in the action of a state or a community, but in themind of every individual. The Bahs represent everything that was sanctioned(by the state, the ulama, the Shi'i Muslim community, and the secular, evenWestern-educated) to hate--namely, apostasy, association with the West andIsrael, pro-monarchism, and an elite club bent on self-promotion andpropaganda."

The 1979 Islamic Revolution has refocused the persecutions against the Bah Faith.Bah sources estimate that more than 200 Bahs have been executed since that time,with many more imprisoned, expelled from schools and workplaces, denied various
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benefits, or denied registration for their marriages. Additionally, several Bah holy siteswere destroyed in the revolution's aftermath, including the house of Bah'u'llh at Takur(in Mazandaran), and the house of Muhammad-Ali Barfurushi (Qudds) in Tehran.

Legal context

The Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes four religions, whose status is formallyprotected: Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Members of the first threeminority religions receive special treatment under Iranian law. For example, theirmembers are allowed to drink alcohol, and representatives of several minoritycommunities are guaranteed seats inparliament.

However, religious freedom in Iran is far from absolute, to say the least. Conversionaway from Islam ("apostasy") is forbidden, with both convert and missionary riskingprison. Those seeking to start a new religious group (whether Muslim or not) face severerestrictions. In contrast to a country like the United States--whose inhabitants are

essentially free to establish whatever new mosques, churches, denominations, andreligions they please--none of these things are allowed in Iran. While they may betolerated up to a point, the notion that such groups might be entitled to the sameprotections as the major, ancient religions is roundly rejected.

The Bah faith faces an additional, technical hurdle in that Iranian law recognizes asMuslims, all those who accept, as Bahs do, the existence of God and the prophethoodof Muhammad. The problem is that Bahs recognize the Bb and Bah'u'llh asadditional prophets that have appeared after Muhammad, whereas Muslims insist on thefinality of Muhammad's revelation. Iranian law therefore treats Bahs as "heretics"rather than members of an independent religion, as they describe themselves.

Other unrecognized Iranian religious minorities include the Ahl-e Haqq, the Mandaeans,Bayanis and Evangelical Christians. Non-Muslims comprise less than 1% of Iran'spopulation. See Religious minorities in Iran.

Current situation

Monitoring of activities

A confidential letter sent on October 29, 2005 by the Chairman of the CommandHeadquarters of the Armed Forced in Iran states that the Supereme Leader of Iran,

Ayatollah Khamenei has instructed the Command Headquarters to indentify people whoadhere to the Bah' Faith and to monitor their activiters and gather any and allinformation about the members of the Bah' Faith. The letter was address to the Ministryof Information, the Revolutionary Guard and the Police Force. The letter was brought tothe attention of the international community by Asma Jahangir, the Special Rapporteur ofthe United Nations Commission on Human Rights on freedom of religion or belief, in aMarch 20,2006press release [1].
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In the press release the Special Rapporteur states that she "is highly concerned byinformation she has received concerning the treatment of members of the Bah'community in Iran." She further states:

"The Special Rapporteur is apprehensive about the initiative to monitor the

activities of individuals merely because they adhere to a religion that differs fromthe state religion. She considers that such monitoring constitutes an impermissibleand unacceptable interference with the rights of members of religious minorities.She also expresses concern that the information gained as a result of suchmonitoring will be used as a basis for the increased persecution of, anddiscrimination against, members of the Bah' faith, in violation of internationalstandards."The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief has closely monitoredthe treatment of religious minorities in Iran, and has long been concerned by thesystematic discrimination against members of the Bah' community. Since takingup the mandate in July 2004, the Special Rapporteur has intervened with the

Government on a number of occasions regarding the treatment of the Bah'community."The Special Rapporteur is concerned that this latest development indicates thatthe situation with regard to religious minorities in Iran is, in fact, deteriorating."(March 20, 2006 press release by the United Nations Commission on HumanRights on freedom of religion or belief[2]).

Deaths

Amnesty International and others report that 202 Bahs have been killed since theIslamic Revolution (see below). The most recent death of a Bah in custody of the

Iranian government occurred on Dec, 15, 2005, in the city ofYazd. Zabihullah Mahramihad been sentenced to death in 1995, but in 1999 this was commuted to life in prison. Hisarrest was for the crime of apostasy against Islam, but he was convicted of spying forIsrael. He was approximately 59 years old. He died in his prison cell of unknown causes.The United States condemned the imprisonment and alleged persecution of ZabihullahMahrami, and State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli said that Mr. Mahramihad received death threats in prison and been forced to perform arduous physical labour.

The most recent Bah execution apparently occurred in 1998, when the Iraniangovernment hanged Ruhollah Rohani in Mashad, on the charge of converting a woman tothe faith, who herself stated that she had been a lifelong Bah. Newspaper accountsdescribe this as the first Bah execution in six years. Death sentences had also been passed against Sirus Zabhi-Moghaddam and Hedayat Kashefi-Najabadi, which haveapparently not yet been carried out, while Ataollah Hamid Nazrizadeh received a ten-yearprison sentence, for related offenses arising from the same situation.

Barriers to higher education

Bah youth are not permitted to attend institutions of higher education in Iran unlessprospective students identify themselves as one of the four religions recognized by the
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state on university entrance exams. The Iranian government has said that if Bahsidentify themselves as Muslims on the exam they would be allowed to enroll, butBahs, as a matter of religious principle, refuse to dissimulate their belief.

In an effort in which the New York Times called "an elaborate act of communal self-

preservation," the Bah' community in 1987 established its own program of highereducation to meet the educational needs of their young people, which evolved to beknown as the Bah Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), whose classes were held in private homes and had an enrollement of approximately 900 students. In 1998 (29September - 2 October), Iranian authorities broke up the underground institution whilearresting hundreds and confiscating books and computer equipment. To this day Bahyouth are not permitted to attend institutions of higher education. [3]

Iranian columnist Iqbal Latif calls Iran's denial of access to university education forBah's "[i]ntellectual cleansing of their ethnic brothers by the clergy-dominated regime."

Destruction of holy sites

In April of 2004, Iranian authorities demolished the shrine and gravesite of Muhammad-Ali Barfurushi (Qudds), a Bb leader. In June of that same year, the Tehran house ofMirza Abbas (or Buzurg) Nuri (Bah'u'llh's father.) was destroyed. The previous suchincident occurred in 1993, when a Bah' cemetery in Tehran was bulldozed in order tobuild a municipal centre.

Media attacks

In the later months of 2005, an intensive anti-Bah' campaign was conducted by Iranian

newspapers and radio stations. The state-run and influential Kayhan[4] newspaper, whosemanaging editor is appointed by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei [5], rannearly three dozen articles defaming the Bah' Faith. The articles, which make use offake historical documents, engage in a distortion of history to falsely describe Bah'moral principles in a manner that would be offensive to Muslims, thus inducing feelingsof suspicion, distrust and hatred to members of the Bah' community in Iran.

The articles claim, in the face of all historical data, that the religion was invented andimplanted by colonialist powers to subvert Islam and to subjugate the Muslim peoples ofIran. They use fake historical documents such as the memoirs of Prince Dolgorouki, amid-nineteenth century Russian minister in Tehran, to substatiate their claims; the

memoirs were however manufactured in Iran in 1937 and have long been exposed asinvented.

The articles also state the Bb, one of the Bah' Faith's central figures, was taughtsimultaneously by the Jews and the Tsarist government of Russia, even though the Tsaristgovernment have not been known to have been favourable towards the Jews. The Bah'World Centre claim that the linking of Bah's with Zionism serves to provoke suspicionand hatred towards the Bah's.
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