Political Quotes

“it has been 5 years since the Iranian regime arrested and imprisoned seven members of the Baha'i community's ad hoc leadership group. Today I rise to mark this sad anniversary and to remind folks of the persecution that religious minorities continue to face in Iran. The Baha'i faith was founded in Iran during the 19th century. It is an independent religion not a sect of Islam and it rejects violence. The Baha'i faith is practiced today by more than 5 million people around the world, roughly 300,000 of whom still live in Iran. But rather than celebrate its own religious history, the Iranian regime considers the Baha'i faith to be a heresy and brutally represses its practitioners. The regime routinely seizes personal property from members of the Baha'i community, denies them access to education and employment opportunities, and detains them based solely on their religious beliefs. According to some reports, more than 600 Baha'is have been arrested since 2004. The American Baha'i community counts 115 Baha'is currently in Iranian prisons and another 437 awaiting trial, appeal, sentencing, or for their sentence to begin. Five years ago, the Iranian regime arrested seven leaders of the Baha'i community--Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm--and detained them in Iran's notorious Evin prison.…”