Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too thank the member for Canberra, Gai Brodtmann, for bringing forward this important motion about the terrible persecution of members of the Baha'i faith in Yemen and Iran. I'd like to pay tribute and acknowledge the Baha'i communities of Canberra and surrounds, and thank you for honouring us with your presence here in this chamber.

As many of the previous speakers have noted, Baha'ism is a global religion based on the teachings of Baha'u'llah. It embraces the key tenants of many of the world's religions and sees a pathway for humanity to unite in creating a just and peaceful society. Baha'ism is built on the fundamental idea that we are all as one, equals regardless of background or belief. This principle of equality, along with the key tenants of harmony, human rights and the elimination of poverty and prejudice, form the foundation of the Baha'i belief system.

In my own home city of Newcastle there is a vibrant and dynamic Baha'i community that I have had the privilege to get to know. I'd like to make special mention of Tom Jones, the volunteer Baha'i chaplain at the University of Newcastle. Tom has been relentless in his pursuit of justice for Baha'i people facing persecution in Iran. He has brought to my attention on many occasions his grave concerns. He is also, as are many people in the Baha'i community, active in the Hunter Interfaith Network and the UN associations of Newcastle and the region. So they're people who are very thoughtful, insightful and great contributors to the community of Newcastle. In Australia, the followers of Baha'ism are free to practice their religion without hindrance. In doing so, they contribute greatly to the diversity and richness of the communities in which they live.

Regretfully, this is not the case everywhere. In Iran, where Baha'ism is the largest non-Muslim faith, with around 300,000 adherents, followers face a cruel and repressive regime of discrimination and violent oppression. As I mentioned earlier, Baha'ism is a religion of peace. It poses no threat to the regime and does not align itself with any opposition movement. Despite this, the Iranian government has maintained an official policy of persecution against Baha'is since the Iranian revolution in 1979. The ultimate goal of this is to eliminate the faith entirely. Iranian Baha'is have been subjected to violence, harassment and torture. They regularly find themselves on the receiving end of economic attacks that shackle their businesses or stop them earning an income. Licence applications are rejected, government jobs aren't opened and access to education at schools and universities is denied. There have been assaults, vandalism, beatings, arson and numerous suspicious deaths.

Since 2005 more than 800 Baha'is have been arrested or detained solely for the faith they practice. This includes the many teachers who have been jailed for their involvement in the Baha'i education program. In 2008, all seven leaders of the national Baha'i leadership group were imprisoned on spurious charges like 'disturbing national security' or 'spreading propaganda against the regime'. Despite an international outcry, the sentences stood. As the member for Wills noted earlier, while six have now been released—after finishing their sentences, I might add—one, Afif Naeimi, is still in jail even though he has ongoing health problems. In 2016 the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, described the Baha'i as 'the most severely persecuted religious minority' in Iran.

Australia does raise these issues regularly in the UN Human Rights Council, but things are getting worse, not better, for the Baha'i followers. Indeed, persecution has now spread to Yemen, with evidence suggesting that Iranian authorities are involved. In January this year, a death sentence was passed on Baha'i Mr Hamed bin Haydara solely for the religion he practises. I join with the member for Canberra, indeed all the speakers supporting this motion, in our call for fair and just treatment of Baha'is in Iran, in Yemen and everywhere they live.

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