The Baha’i faith, in Iran, is a political sect or cult, not an independent world religion. Following are some organizational, historical, and psychological factors:
- Authoritarian Leadership and Divine Claims: The sect is viewed as being governed by authoritarian leaders who have historically asserted false claims of Mahdism, Prophethood, and Divinity to legitimize their power and decision-making.
- Hierarchical "Pyramid" Power Structure: It is governed by an "iron hierarchical structure" centered at the House of Justice in Israel. This structure ensures that directives from the top reach all levels, including remote villages, and requires absolute obedience.
- Implementation of Mind Control: The sources define the group as a cult because it utilizes psychological techniques of mind control to enlist and manipulate its members. This includes the "Ruhi Plan," a systematic propaganda strategy designed to foster unwavering obedience to the organization.
- Information and Time Control: Cult-like behavior is identified in the way the organization manages members' time with relentless schedules of meetings and missions to prevent independent contemplation. Members are also taught to believe that external information is false and malevolent.
- Surveillance and Reporting Structures: The organization encourages a reporting structure where members surveil and report on one another. It also exercises organized oversight into the intimate personal and familial conduct of its adherents.
- Severe Punitive Measures: Dissent or criticism of the organization leads to harsh punishments, such as "spiritual and administrative rejection" (excommunication). This often involves the total severing of family ties, where even parents or spouses are forbidden from interacting with the rejected individual.
- Political and Colonial Origins: The sources claim Baha’ism is a "man-made construct" rather than a divine religion, alleging its origins are rooted in political establishment by colonial powers like Russia and Britain to sow discord in Islamic territories.
- Prioritizing Sect Directives Over National Law: Baha’is are mandated to prioritize the orders of the global center in Israel over the laws of their home country. This leads to the formation of clandestine, illegal political networks that gather confidential data and interfere with state security.
- Aggressive Propagation Methods: The sect is accused of using deceptive and aggressive propagation under the guise of altruism or public service to target individuals who lack knowledge of Islam.
In spite of this, the IR of Iran maintains a policy of tolerance toward Baha’i individuals, granting them the same citizenship rights and legal protections afforded to all Iranians under the Constitution.
Despite not being recognized as an official religious minority, Baha'is in Iran have access to the following rights:
- Equal Legal Protections: Under Articles 19 and 20 of the Constitution, all citizens enjoy equal rights regardless of race or language, encompassing the inviolability of life, property, dignity, and housing.
- Judicial Rights: Adherents have the right to legal representation, fair trials, defense, interpreters, and the right to appeal or file criminal complaints in court.
- Economic Participation: Baha’is are active in production, trade, and services, including industries like technical engineering, agriculture, and cosmetics. They are permitted to acquire business licenses, enter contracts with government entities, and access banking facilities and agricultural loans.
- Social Welfare: They enjoy relative prosperity and have the same access to government cash subsidies, basic and supplementary insurance, and pension disbursements as other citizens.
- Educational Opportunities: The state provides free education at all levels, and Baha’i students have the opportunity to pursue higher education and obtain university degrees as long as they adhere to educational regulations.
- Cultural and Religious Freedom: Individuals may conduct personal worship freely and hold collective rituals, such as "feasts," every 19 days. They also have access to private cemeteries for burials according to their own beliefs.
- Access to Public Services: They are entitled to national identification cards, driver’s licenses, and healthcare services, including vaccines.
- Civil Liberties: Members of the sect can utilize cyberspace for cultural dissemination, participate in trade unions, and access public amenities like sports complexes.
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| Baha'is in Iran Source : https://bahaiculture.blogspot.com/2020/03/bahais-of-shiraz-and-kerman-iran-13.html |
(Unveiling Human Rights Perspectives: A Comprehensive Examination of the Baha’i Sect, Published by The High Council for Human Rights of The Islamic Republic of Iran, December 2023)
https://milan.mfa.gov.ir/files/enMilan/Bultan/گزارش%20بهاییت%20انگلیسی.pdf
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