Baha'i Persecution in Iran, Egypt, Noted in State Dept. Religious Freedom Report

September 22, 2008

Author: Staff Writer

Source: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States

http://www.bahai.us/node/554

The U.S. Department of State's 2008 International Religious Freedom Report, released on Sept. 19, calls attention to the grave persecution faced by Baha'is in Iran, as well as the discrimination against Baha'is in Egypt, who continue to be denied government-issued identity cards.

“During the reporting period, respect for religious freedom in [Iran] continued to deteriorate,” the report stated, as government “rhetoric and actions created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-Shi'a religious groups, most notably for Baha'is... Government-controlled broadcast and print media intensified negative campaigns against religious minorities, particularly the Baha'is.”