Stuart Henry (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As Australians living in a democratic country with basic fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, the right to protest and practise our religious beliefs freely, without fear of reprisal, the concept of persecution for practising a faith that promotes peace, tolerance and harmony is a foreign concept. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and many people practising the Baha’i faith in Iran have undergone torture, abuse and humiliation, simply because they choose to practise this faith that they believe in, which differs from that of the undemocratic government of Iran.

I had the opportunity earlier this year to meet with some members of the local spiritual association of the Baha’is of Swan, which forms part of my electorate of Hasluck. This local spiritual association comprises 150 practising members, and their horrific stories of torture and unimaginable atrocities left me compelled to rise today and support this private member’s motion that has been moved by the honourable member for Cook.

The basic fundamental principles of the Baha’i faith are abandonment of all forms of prejudice, equal rights and opportunities for both men and women, universal education, encouragement of high moral standards in personal life, and the responsibility of each person to search independently for the truth. These basic principles are hardly a justifiable excuse to persecute and intimidate those who continue to practise this faith against the will of the Iranian government.

Within Iran there are over 300,000 members of the Baha’i faith, which constitutes the largest religious minority within the country. The members of the Baha’i have never attempted to challenge the authority of the government, and they continue to remain uninvolved in politics and the political system, yet the Iranian government refuses to recognise the legitimacy of this faith and continues to deny them basic fundamental rights.

Since the present Iranian regime came to power in 1979, their main aim has been to repress the faith and prevent it from developing further. In 1993, the United Nations Human Rights Commission uncovered a memorandum that had been written in 1991 by the Iranian Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council and signed by the Supreme Leader. It detailed specific and direct methods for dealing with the faith in order that ‘their progress and development be blocked’. Based on this secret memorandum, which was presumably not meant to be released to the outside world, the Baha’i youth practising in Iran have been prevented from attaining higher education for up to 25 years. Since the revolution in 1979, Baha’is have been prevented from gaining employment and pensions and have lost the right to inherit property. Historical sites of great importance to the faith have been destroyed beyond repair, and cemeteries and holy places relevant to Baha’is have been seized and have not been returned.

One of the most disturbing stories that came from my meeting with the local Baha’i members was the possibility of the revival of the Hojjatieh Society. Originally founded in 1953 to eradicate the Baha’i faith, there are now serious concerns that this organisation has been revived by the government of Iran. The increasing persecution that is being committed against the Baha’i faith has escalated since the present regime came to power, which has seen more than 200 Baha’is unnecessarily killed, hundreds imprisoned for no apparent reason and businesses closed, confiscated and destroyed. Basic fundamental rights that all humans should be entitled to have been removed from Baha’i believers, and the persecution appears to be continuing to escalate.

The United Nations General Assembly continues to adopt annual resolutions that condemn the human rights abuses that occur throughout Iran, but it has no apparent effect on the attitude of the Iran government. By raising this issue on the world stage and speaking out against the atrocities that are presently occurring, the Baha’i faith in Iran has been able to continue as a religious organisation. In doing so, their believers are taking unimaginable risks and literally taking their lives into their own hands—something that the majority of Australians have never had to contend with.

Australia has always prided itself on the fact that we are a tolerant nation and welcome beliefs, faiths and religious practices that differ from Christianity. As part of the international community, we have, at the very least, a moral obligation to raise this worsening situation, and I urge in the strongest possible terms the United Nations Human Rights Commission to increase their dealings with Iran over these well-publicised concerns that exist regarding Iran’s human rights situation. Every human has the right to practise a faith of their choosing and should not be persecuted for doing so, as appears to be occurring in Iran. I call on Iran to stop this unjust persecution of all minorities.

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