Iranian Baha’i Forced to Choose Between Exile and Imprisonment

Iranian Baha’i Forced to Choose Between Exile and Imprisonment

A Baha’i man in Mahabad, Iran, is being forced to choose between exile and imprisonment, due to his religion.

Saman Missaghi, a 31 year old man in Iran, was reported yesterday to have been arrested in Mahabad, Iran, for being a Baha’i.

Missaghi was detained by a revolutionary guard who had been living in his house as a tenant. The guard also confiscated his property.

An anonymous source said that Missaghi will be released if he pays his bail and “leaves Iran immediately, never to return.”

Missaghi is one of at least 323 Baha’is currently imprisoned for their religion.

The Baha’i Faith originated in Iran, then Persia, in 1844. Since the faith’s founding, Muslim clergies have persecuted and killed Baha’is due to their belief that Baha’is are apostates from Islam.

Today, Baha’is continue to be persecuted in several Muslim-majority countries including Iran, Yemen, Egypt, and Pakistan. Persecution in these countries often happens with support from the Iranian government.

This is an ongoing story, and Conatus News will continue to report any updated news on Missaghi.

Tara is a journalist and campaigner based in San Francisco, US

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