State Of Religious Freedom Worsens In Iran

I am concerned to learn that according to Dr. Richard Land, a commissioner with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the state of religious freedom in Iran has “worsened” during the past year.

 “In Iran, government rhetoric and actions worsened conditions for nearly all non-Shi’a religious groups, most notably for the Baha’is, as well as Sufi Muslims, evangelical Christians, and members of the Jewish community. The Commission has decided to designate Iran as a country of particular concern again because the situation has worsened,” said Land.

He added that the Iranian Parliament has been considering a law since September 2008, which includes a bill enshrining the death penalty for apostasy. “This proposed penal code should be rescinded,” said Land.

“The Commission urges the US government to call for the release of Muslim minorities and dissidents, including those Sufi Muslims in prison, as well as Ayatollah Boroujerdi, a senior Shi’a cleric who advocates the separation of religion and state,” he continued.

“The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and executions based on primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused,” USCIRF’s 2009 report concluded.

Source:  WashingtonTV

Sufi Shrine Destroyed By Extremists In Pakistan

It seems that extremists have declared war upon their own history and culture. The BBC reports that the grave of a 17th Century Sufi poet ‘Rahman Baba’ has been destroyed and the shrine building severely damaged. Thankfully no casualties are reported. Apparently extremists had warned that the shrine would be bombed if women continued to visit and worship. Abdul Rahman known affectionately as ‘Rahman Baba’ is considered the most widely read poet in Pashto speaking regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.  He has been described in the following terms-

Abdul Rahman grew to be a man of great character, and charisma. God’s blessings made him understand the true way of life was to be found through his religion, Islam. Rahman lived a life of solitude and honored God through his prayers and the writing of his magnificent poetry.

Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7925867.stm

http://www.rahmanbabadiwan.com/index.htm

Sufi Holy Place Destroyed In Isfahan

I am concerned by the report that a place of worship of the Gonabadi dervishes in Isfahan has been demolished by the Iranian authorities. Golnaz Esfandiari of Radio Free Europe writes

The reason for the destruction — which reportedly took place shortly after midnight on February 18 — is not clear, but it comes amid growing pressure on dervishes, who practice the Sufi tradition of Islam, and other religious minorities in Iran.

The dervish house of worship, or hosseinieh, was located next to the tomb of the great poet and dervish Naser Ali at the historical Takht-e Foulad cemetery, where a number of respected Iranian figures are buried.

Dervishes gathered there to pray, meditate, read Sufi poetry, and perform religious ceremonies. In recent months, following the demolition of several dervish sites throughout Iran, dervishes in Isfahan had expressed concern that their hosseinieh could meet a similar fate.

To prevent that from happening, several of the local dervishes were spending nights at the hosseinieh to keep watch.

But there was little they could do when, in the early hours of February 18, some 200 members of the security forces, police, and plainclothes agents arrived.

The dervishes’ mobile phones were taken away to prevent them from informing others of the raid, and they were detained and transferred to a police station.

Abdol Saleh Loghmani, one of the Isfahan dervishes, told RFE/RL that the security forces cut off water and electricity to the area, and destroyed the walls around the poet’s tomb with a bulldozer.

“They also destroyed the library where [religious] books were kept. They demolished the big hall where we had our Monday and Friday ceremonies and also our Sunday dawn meetings. They took away all the carpets and other property,” he said.

He said the five people were detained, but they were released after the authorities completed the demolition. He that added authorities then dispersed the dervishes who, after hearing the news about the destruction, had gathered around the site.

Source: Radio Free Europe