Tehran's Reaction to US Report on Religious Freedom Violations in Iran

On Thursday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected the US State Department's report on the suppression of religious freedoms in Iran, calling it 'political' and 'interventionist.' Marzieh Afkham, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated on Thursday, October 15, that 'the stereotypical report from the US State Department repeats accusations and claims that the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly declared to be completely false on various occasions.' According to her, this report is prepared in line with 'America's interventionist policies and efforts to create religious and sectarian discord in Iran' and is therefore 'lacking credibility and legal standing.' The recent US State Department report, which examines the level of religious freedoms in various countries in 2015, accuses the Islamic Republic, alongside Saudi Arabia, of imposing religious restrictions on its citizens and practicing discrimination in this regard. The report addresses various cases of executions and imprisonments in Iran for charges such as 'propaganda against Islam' and 'waging war against God,' and mentions minorities like Bahá'ís and Sufis who are under severe repression by the Islamic Republic. However, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry claims that all religious minorities in the country enjoy similar citizenship rights. Ms. Afkham stated, 'Religious minorities, including Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, are recognized in the Iranian Constitution and are free to perform their religious ceremonies and act according to their personal status and religious teachings, and other minorities not recognized by law also enjoy all citizenship rights like others.' She ultimately accused the United States of 'religious intolerance,' pointing out that 'the US State Department published this report while international bodies have expressed concern over the rise of Islamophobia in this country, and insults to Muslims in the speeches of American politicians have increased.' The US State Department report states that the comments and actions of government officials have created a threatening atmosphere against all non-Shiite Iranians, especially against Bahá'ís, and that state-controlled media, as well as printed publications, continue an anti-religious minority campaign. In this context, eight Christian converts were arrested in Karaj, and Mawlawi Abdolhamid protested the destruction of a Sunni prayer house in Tehran. It has been seven years since the imprisonment of Bahá'í community leaders in Iran. Mehdi Mousavi and Fatemeh Ekhtesari were sentenced to long-term imprisonment and flogging. Keyvan Karimi, an Iranian documentary filmmaker, received 223 lashes and a six-year prison sentence.