Archives › 2010 › February
Orlando, Fla.
Baha’i since May 2009
There were a lot of things, a lot of different ideas, that propelled me to the Baha’i Faith.
Ruth G. Richardson is a member of the Baha’i Faith and lives just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Today, Ruth is in her 80’s and enjoying her second career as a painter.
Baha’is celebrate the festival of Ayyam-i-Ha each year from sunset on Feb. 25 to sunset of March 1 as a preparation for the Fast, which begins March 2 and ends March 20. During Ayyam-i-Ha, members of the Faith perform acts of charity, give gifts to friends and family, and attend social gatherings.
Human Rights Watch calls on Iran to end persecution of Baha'is
On February 23, 2010, Human Rights Watch issued the following statement calling on Iran to end its persecution of the country’s Baha’i minority. The Iranian government should immediately stop harassing and arbitrarily detaining members of the Baha’i community, Human Rights Watch said today. The detention of 13 Baha’is on February 10 and 11 follows the [...]
Court date for Baha'i leaders now announced as April 10
The third court session for seven Baha’i leaders imprisoned in Iran is scheduled for April 10, a day earlier than originally announced. Diane Ala’i, representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva, said attorneys in Iran have now received written notice of the court date, confirming it as Saturday, April 10. [...]
He was ready to call it a night when the wheels started turning. Bobby Picker Jr. jumped out of bed, grabbed some graph paper, and began to draw. "It was very linear when I first started, but now it’s a beautiful piece of artwork,” he said about his creation.
–UPDATE – Feb. 22, 2010: The third court session for seven Baha’i leaders imprisoned in Iran is scheduled for Saturday, April 10, a day earlier than originally announced.
Next court date for Baha'i leaders will be April 11
The trial proceedings for seven Iranian Baha’i leaders who have been in prison for nearly two years will continue on Sunday, April 11, according to information conveyed orally to their attorneys. Government-sponsored news media reported that at their first hearing on January 12, 2010, the seven were charged with espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic [...]
Iran rejects U.N. human rights recommendation about Baha'is
On February 17, Amnesty International issued a statement criticizing Iran for rejecting “important recommendations by the United Nations to improve human rights in the country,” including a recommendation that would end discrimination against the nation’s Baha’i minority. From the statement… While accepting a recommendation to cooperate with UN’s human rights experts, Iran rejected several others [...]
Washington Post's "Faith Complex" program interviews D.C. Baha'i about Baha'is in Iran
On February 16, “Faith Complex,” a program of the Washington Post and Georgetown University, published an interview with Baha’i author Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing of Washington, D.C. The 11-minute program provides an overview of the past and present persecution of the Baha’i Faith in Iran. You can watch it via the Washington Post.
United States among international voices calling for human rights in Iran
On February 15, 2010, the United States and other member-nations of the U.N. Human Rights Council expressed concern over Iran’s human rights record, particularly since the crackdown that followed the country’s disputed presidential election last June. The session was part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a relatively new procedure that seeks to review the [...]
AP, Reuters report more Baha'is arrested in crackdown
On February 14, 2010, English-language news outlets, including the Associated Press, Reuters and Voice of America, reported that at least five more Baha’is have been arrested in Iran. This follows the arrest of 13 Iranian Baha’is on January 3; ten of whom remain in prison. There are currently around 60 Baha’is in prison throughout Iran, [...]
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Little Tina Rose Wome came into the world on 28 January in a makeshift clinic, fashioned from a classroom at the Anis Zunuzi Baha’i School on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.
Since the Baha’i Faith originated in Shiraz, Iran, in 1844 (then part of the Persian Empire) the country continues to be cherished by some 5 million Baha’is living in over 200 nations and territories. Despite heavy persecution since their faith’s inception, the Baha’is of Iran have made historic contributions to the social, economic, and moral [...]
On Thursday, February 4, 2010, Members of Congress introduced the groundbreaking International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA)! The bill is H.R. 4594 in the House and S. 2982 in the Senate.
Second closed session in trial of Iranian Bahá’í leaders held on February 7
Seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders appeared in court yesterday in Iran for the second closed session of their trial. Family members were not permitted into the courtroom and the hearing, which lasted just over one hour, does not seem to have gone beyond procedural issues. No date was given for any future sessions. The seven defendants—Mrs. [...]
Second closed session in trial of Iranian Bahá’í leaders held on February 7
Seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders appeared in court yesterday in Iran for the second closed session of their trial. Family members were not permitted into the courtroom and the hearing, which lasted just over one hour, does not seem to have gone beyond procedural issues. No date was given for any future sessions. The seven defendants—Mrs. [...]
Baha’i communities across the United States and the globe are demonstrating their concern and support for seven Iranian Baha’i leaders who are scheduled to appear before an Islamic Republic Revolutionary Court on February 7, 2010.
BWNS: Baha'is condemn lack of due process at trial in Iran
The Baha’i International Community has issued a statement condemning the trial of 16 individuals in Iran on January 30 as a “violation of all internationally accepted standards of legal due process.” The statement highlights the lack of proper legal representation for the defendants and the use of unreliable “confessions” in the trial. One of the [...]
BWNS: Baha'is condemn lack of due process at trial in Iran
The Baha’i International Community has issued a statement condemning the trial of 16 individuals in Iran on January 30 as a “violation of all internationally accepted standards of legal due process.” The statement highlights the lack of proper legal representation for the defendants and the use of unreliable “confessions” in the trial. One of the [...]