contemporary Iran and the plight of the Baha'is

i am continuing my search for readings for my course in Comparative Education. this evening I have been reading "Children of Jihad" by Jared Cohen. In his first chapter he describes his trip to Iran in 2004 to conduct research for his studies at Oxford University. He juxtaposes the severely repressive regime and the constraints it imposes upon its citizens with the vibrance, warmth, resistance and openness of Iran's youth. He describes the power of the use of technology for giving the youth of Iran a means of connecting with each other and also with the rest of the world.

Technology is also offering Baha'i youth in Iran an opportunity to get an education. Baha'is represent the largest religious minority in Iran, the birthplace of this cause that aims to reinvigorate human civilization and unite the hearts of all the diverse inhabitants of the planet. Baha'is have been persecuted in Iran since the inception of the Faith. A renewed wave of persecution began in 1979 at the time of the Iranian revolution. When I was growing up as a Baha'i youth we were all galvanized by the story of the ten Baha'i women who were executed for their Faith in 1983. Among these ten women was a 16 year old named Mona Mahmudnizhad who was found guilty of crimes such as "corrupting and misleading the youth" for her work teaching children and also for being a Zionist (the Baha'i World Center is in Israel. Baha'u'llah was exiled to Palestine in the latter half of the 1800s and so this is where He is buried and this is the reason that Baha'is are often accused of being Zionists though they take no sides in the current conflict.) Really the only crimes of these women were that they were Baha'is. They were given the opportunity to recant their Faith and "return" to Islam and all of the women refused.

Jack Lenz is a tireless champion for the rights of the Baha'is in Iran. He has spent a great part of his life trying to bring Mona's story to the world. You can find out how you can help and listen to a continuous stream of songs that various artists have produced over the years about these "martyred" women including the beautiful song "Traces" by Seals and Crofts (who are also Baha'i musicians by the way).

On the website above be sure to click on the tab "freedom" to read a paper that Mona turned in to her teacher on one of her assignments and you will see how "dangerous" and courageous she was in her speaking out against the tyranny and injustice her co-religionists were enduring.

In the 1980s Jack Lenz made a music video about Mona, Mona with the Children, sung by Doug Cameron, to inspire youth around the world to carry out her wish that youth around the world would gather together and create unity.

But back to the theme of the role of technology in granting greater freedom and access to education for the youth of Iran. In Iran today Baha'i's suffer many restrictions including the fact that they are denied access to higher education. The Baha'is have established the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education so that Baha'i youth can have access to distance education offered by faculty members around the world. Would you like to be a volunteer faculty member or an ESL tutor for these youth? See what you can do here at BIHE. I have sent in my volunteer application.

Find out more about the project:

The Bahá'í Institute Of Higher Education: A Creative And Peaceful Response To Religious Persecution In Iran