Bahá'í Community Worldwide: Closure of Dozens of Bahá'í Shops Across Iran

The Bahá'í Community, based in Geneva, Switzerland, announced on Monday, November 8, that over a hundred shops owned by Bahá'ís across Iran, including in the cities of Sari, Qaemshahr, and Bandar Abbas, have been sealed by Iranian authorities. According to the community's website, the closures occurred because the owners did not work during the two Bahá'í holy days on November 3 and 4. Reports from Bahá'í News indicate that at least 61 Bahá'í businesses in Qaemshahr and Sari were sealed by public places officials due to their closure during the Bahá'í holy days. Previously, there had been reports of the closure of several Bahá'í businesses in Iran. The Bahá'í News reported that in recent years, there have been at least 400 instances of economic discrimination against the Bahá'í community by Iranian officials, and 'these discriminations have mainly occurred illegally and in violation of existing laws.' According to this report, under Iranian trade laws, those with activity permits can declare up to 15 days of closure per year and must inform the authorities about any closures exceeding that. However, Bahá'í businesses are sealed 'solely due to their closure during the Bahá'í holy days.' Meanwhile, Bani Dougal, the senior representative of the Bahá'í community at the United Nations, described the sealing of numerous Bahá'í businesses as evidence of 'the emptiness of Iranian officials' claims of no discrimination against the Bahá'í community in Iran.' Dougal stated, 'We call on the international community to condemn these unjust acts and urge the Iranian government to take fundamental, immediate, and significant actions to end and remedy these discriminations.' The Bahá'í Community expressed sorrow over the sealing of more than a hundred Bahá'í shops, noting that the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, and some Iranian lawyers like Abdolkarim Lahiji and Shirin Ebadi have recently called for 'an end to such repression,' and the Bahá'í Community had also requested the Iranian president to stop the economic repression of Bahá'ís. On September 7, the Bahá'í Community sent an open letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, urging him to end the 'economic repression of Bahá'ís' in Iran. This human rights advocacy group criticized the 'economic apartheid' against Bahá'ís in Iran and accused Iranian officials of 'deliberate policies' and 'organized discrimination' against Bahá'ís. The letter stated that the economic inequality faced by Bahá'í citizens in Iran is a 'deliberate policy' of Iranian officials. It mentioned the dismissal of Bahá'í employees from the public sector and the imposition of numerous restrictions on them in the private sector, their deprivation from a wide range of jobs, confiscation of property, harassment of business owners, and the closure of their shops as part of the Iranian government's policies towards Bahá'ís. The letter also criticized the 'deprivation of Bahá'í youth from continuing education or other sports, cultural, and artistic activities,' assessing the economic consequences of these deprivations as 'severe.' A few days ago, the Bahá'í International Committee released a 122-page report stating that since Hassan Rouhani's presidency in Iran, thousands of articles and writings against Bahá'ís have been published, 151 individuals have been arrested, and nearly 400 instances of economic and educational discrimination have been reported. The Bahá'í International Committee accused Rouhani's government of worsening the situation of these citizens despite its commitment to addressing inappropriate treatment of religious groups and minorities in Iran. According to the Associated Press, the committee stated that over the past three years, since Rouhani took office, more than 20,000 hate-filled propaganda pieces against Bahá'ís have been published in Iranian media. The report mentioned the arrest of 151 Bahá'ís and about 390 instances of educational and economic discrimination against adherents of this faith in Iran. International organizations, including the United Nations and human rights advocacy groups, have repeatedly published reports and criticisms regarding the status of Bahá'ís in Iran, their repression and arrests, and the obstruction of their education and businesses. In Iran, several religious reformers have criticized the 'oppression' against Bahá'ís, and some academics and intellectuals have expressed 'shame' over the government's treatment of them, while civic groups have formed to address some of the discriminations against them. These comments and actions have also faced harsh reactions from the judiciary and security forces. The Islamic Republic does not recognize the Bahá'í faith, and senior government officials have repeatedly spoken against it. In this regard, the Bahá'í Community reported that since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration, over 860 Bahá'í believers have been arrested over nearly 11 years, with 275 ultimately convicted and imprisoned. The Bahá'í Community states that Iran is home to nearly 300,000 of its believers and has repeatedly urged the international community to increase its efforts to prevent the repression of Bahá'ís in Iran.