Faezeh Hashemi's Reaction to Recent Attacks: It's Important to Pay the Price

While Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Discernment Council, criticized his daughter for meeting with a Baha'i community leader in Iran, Faezeh Hashemi stated that her family has faced even greater pressures in recent years and that it is important to pay the price. Recently, photos of several civil activists, including Nasrin Sotoudeh, Zhila Baniyaghoub, Sajedeh Arab Sarakhi, and Mahsa Amrabadi, alongside Fariba Kamalabadi, a Baha'i community leader who was released on leave from prison, were shared on social media. However, the photo of Faezeh Hashemi, a former member of the fifth parliament and daughter of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, with this Baha'i council member has sparked widespread reactions. Following the publication of a photo of Faezeh Hashemi, the editor-in-chief of the banned newspaper 'Zan' at Fariba Kamalabadi's home, conservative figures and media have criticized this action and called for a response from the head of the Expediency Discernment Council. In this context, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani stated in an interview with the 'Jomhouri Islami' newspaper published on Tuesday, May 17, that 'Faezeh has made a serious mistake and must correct and compensate for it.' Meanwhile, Faezeh Hashemi, in response to the reactions regarding her photo with Fariba Kamalabadi, told the Persian section of 'Euronews' that she has committed no wrongdoing and is not regretful. She stated: 'I went to see Ms. Kamalabadi because she was my cellmate, and we lived together for six months. After eight years, she was on leave for five days, and this visit is very ordinary and trivial.' Faezeh Hashemi was imprisoned for six months in 2012 and was also banned from social, political, and journalistic activities for five years. The editor-in-chief of the banned newspaper 'Zan' added: 'The Islamic Republic, by imprisoning me, caused this acquaintance and connections and opened another window in my life. I have often said I loved this prison and it was a very valuable experience for me.' She emphasized: 'I have not done anything wrong that I need to hide or be worried about. They asked if we should take a photo? I said, take it, what's the problem? I have not done anything wrong and I am not used to hiding; our family is not like that at all, and many believe that the hardships we endure and the costs we pay are due to our honesty and simplicity, that we cannot be liars and pretend. I am not regretful now either.' This former member of the Iranian parliament pointed out that 'the reactions to her meeting with a Baha'i community leader are not due to religious concerns,' stating: 'My view of the reactions they show is not a religious one; I do not believe they do these things because of religion or have religious concerns. If they had religious concerns, they would correct their behavior and not commit so much injustice in the name of religion.' Faezeh Hashemi also noted that 'this is not the first time' her father and family have been under pressure, asserting: 'This wave will pass; I am not worried; if it doesn't pass, it doesn't matter; we must pay the price.' According to the European Baha'i community, about 300,000 Baha'is live in Iran, but the laws of the Islamic Republic do not recognize Baha'ism as a religion, and Baha'is in Iran are deprived of the right to education in universities and employment in government positions. The Baha'i community states that since the 1979 revolution, more than 200 Baha'is have been killed by the Iranian government, and thousands of Baha'is have been arrested and subjected to harassment. Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamal al-Din Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeed Rezaei, Behrouz Tavakoli, Vahid Tizfahm, and Mahvash Sabet were members of a group called 'Yaran' that was arrested in 2008. The Yaran group was responsible for managing the Baha'i community in Iran. In recent years, UN special rapporteurs on human rights, the European Union, the United States, and several international human rights organizations have criticized the ongoing discrimination and violation of the rights of Baha'is in Iran.