Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes with concern the long standing religious persecution of members of the Baha'i Faith in Iran;

(2) expresses alarm at the raids on Baha'i homes and businesses and the increase in court cases against Baha'is since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic;

(3) calls on the Iranian Government to ensure that Baha'is enjoy the same rights as other citizens and that their belief and practice are not criminalised;

(4) supports the 16 December 2020 resolution of the United Nations General Assembly which called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to uphold the human rights of all its citizens;

(5) condemns the recent Iranian court judgments upholding the confiscation of homes and lands belonging to 27 Baha'is in the village of Ivel; and

(6) further calls on the Iranian judicial authorities to ensure that these lands and homes are restored to their rightful owners, and that no other Baha'i citizens have their properties confiscated due to their religion.

On behalf of the Baha'i community in Australia I move this private member's motion calling for an end to the systematic persecution of Baha'is in Iran. The freedom to practise one's chosen religion is a fundamental right that forms the core of our democratic beliefs in Australia. As we speak a bill guaranteeing religious freedom is about to be introduced into this parliament during the current session. Our society allows freedom of religion, free from persecution, intimidation and harassment. It is our sincere hope that international religious tolerance will spread like a light throughout the world. It is incumbent upon us as elected representatives in a free society to call upon foreign governments around the world, including in countries such as Iran, to respect freedom of religion and to allow their citizens to worship freely and peaceably with tolerance. In raising public awareness of this issue, it is hoped that world attention will be focused on addressing this grave injustice.

Baha'is have remained peaceful and active members of Iranian society. They pose no threat to the government. They are not aligned with any political ideology or opposition movement, nor do they engage in subversive activity or violence. Baha'is have turned to those legal recourses available to them and sought to create their own opportunities for education and economic growth despite efforts by authorities to deny their rights. Their response to persecution has been characterised as 'constructive resilience'.

Baha'is in Iran are frequently subjected to raids on their homes or workplaces, confiscation of property, arrests and long periods of solitary confinement and interrogation. They are tried on spurious charges—such as membership of an illegal organisation, acting against national security or propaganda against the regime—and sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years. Under the presidency of Hassan Rouhani, the Baha'i International Community documented at least 676 arrests of Baha'is and summons to prison. In the past year alone, there have been over 47 arrests. The law is being used to forcibly confiscate and sell the lands owned by Baha'is. Lands belonging to Baha'is in the provinces of Semnan, Roshankooh and Ivel have been confiscated. Additionally, since 2016 at least 491 Baha'i owned shops have been closed.

In moving this motion for an end to the systematic persecution of Baha'is by the government of Iran and, more broadly, an end to persecution of Baha'is by governments across the world, I urge all governments to consider the potential contributions that can be made to society by allowing Baha'is to freely practise their religion—free from persecution, intimidation and harassment. International monitoring constitutes a vital safeguard for the protection of Baha'is in the community. Whenever this issue is publicised, discussed in parliaments or raised with Iranian officials, it sends a signal to the Iranian government that it is being held to account for its actions. We call upon the Iranian government, specifically, to allow Baha'is to freely practise their faith, to not be subjected to arrests and imprisonment for their beliefs, to earn a livelihood, to access higher education and to not be subjected to hatred and discrimination as a result of misinformation about their beliefs.

There is a strong Baha'i community in Western Australia, in particular in the northern suburbs of Perth. I have been fortunate enough to meet many Baha'is living in my electorate and the surrounding suburbs. Through my association with the local Baha'i community over a number of years, I have observed its members as being peaceful, tolerant and family orientated. The religion could not be described as fundamentalist or extremist in nature. Rather, it is very moderate in its nature. As I have become more familiar with individual members and their local spiritual assembly, what greatly impresses me, generally, about the Baha'i community in Australia is the ability of its members to integrate and assimilate into Australian society. (Time expired)

Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion. I thank the member for Moore for bringing this motion to the House to highlight the, unfortunately, ongoing persecution of members of the Baha'i faith in Iran. The people of the Baha'i faith in my electorate of Wills and across Australia are deeply concerned about their brothers and sisters in faith in Iran—as they should be. Since 1979, the government of Iran has made it official policy to discriminate against and persecute members of the Baha'i community, Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority. In 2016, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, described the Baha'i as 'the most severely persecuted religious minority' in Iran. The Australian parliament, in 2012 and 2015, condemned the persecution and treatment of members of the Baha'i faith in Iran.

Last year, the Baha'i people in Iran faced new and increased oppression through Iran's national ID program. The national ID card now requires people to identify with one of four religions—Islam, Christianity, Judaism or Zoroastrianism. Anyone who does not, including the Baha'i people, are denied an ID card, effectively rendering them a nonperson, at least in the administrative sense. Without this card, a person in Iran can't get a drivers licence, passport or work permit, open and use a bank account or enter into a contract. These are basic rights, which are being denied to a group of people based on their religious faith. This change has forced Iranian Baha'i to either lie about their religious identity or be blocked from essential services.

I'm also extremely concerned about the reports of violent home raids, of being barred from education, of Baha'i homes being set on fire, of relatives being detained in crowded prisons rife with coronavirus or, worst of all, of arbitrary executions by the authorities. And then to have loved ones' graves desecrated adds a further level of pain to the Baha'i people.

Australia is a democracy, and I believe it has a responsibility to call out these types of human rights abuses across the world whenever we see it. I, along with some of my colleagues last year, wrote to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, to express our concern about the ongoing persecution of the Baha'i. I've also met with the Iranian ambassador and expressed to him the Australian Baha'i community's deep concerns.

In December last year Australia at the UN General Assembly co-sponsored a resolution which highlighted the human rights situation in Iran and the situation of the Baha'i community. We, as elected leaders in a pluralist democracy that holds the value of equality before the law high, regardless of one's ethnicity, faith or gender, must speak up for people around the world who are being denied their rights on the basis of ethnicity, faith or gender.

The Baha'i community has been a part of our diverse nation for a century, for 100 years. We have a duty to the community here in Australia and to the Baha'i in Iran. Whether we are speaking in support of democracy in Myanmar or Hong Kong, speaking out against the persecution of the Uighurs, speaking up for the rights of self-determination for Palestinians or the Rohingya people who have been forced into IDP camps, or the Kurdish community in northern Syria, it's something that I've tried to do as an elected representative since I was elected back in 2016. I've always tried to do this as part of our democracy and as part of our responsibilities and obligations in this place. Because, frankly, what we say in this place has real meaning, real impact. We are representatives in a democracy—one of the oldest continuous democracies in the world—and that comes with a degree of responsibility for all of us, regardless of our political persuasion. As such, and alongside many of my colleagues who are speaking on this motion today, I join the member for Moore and my colleagues across the aisle who've spoken up about this issue, the persecution of the Baha'i people, many, many times in this chamber, in this place. We will continue to do so because what we say is a matter of solidarity and we are standing in solidarity with the people of the Baha'i faith who are suffering persecution in Iran. I know that it might not change things overnight, but what we say here does give the people of the Baha'i faith in our Australian community some solace that we are standing side by side with them in their time of need. We will continue to do so for as long it takes.

Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't get to say this enough in this chamber and other places, but I agree with the member for Wills when he says these things. I want to thank the member for Moore for bringing this to the attention of this parliament and the member for Wills for his contribution because what he says is absolutely 100 per cent right.

This nation, if it is to exist or have any purpose in the world in which we live, must demand not just equality for those of us who happen to live here but equality and justice for all people, no matter where they may be. Sometimes that is easier said than done. Sometimes it means that we find ourselves in conflict with what we would like to do versus what we have to do. But allow me to be clear: this is not one of those instances.

The members of the Baha'i community who live in Iran have been persecuted for too long, for too often by an atrocious and authoritarian regime for no other reason than the fact that they fear them. They fear what they stand for. They fear their ideas. They fear their belief. And this world should not have a single person, wherever they may live, persecuted because of who they are, what they believe or what they stand for.

I am incredibly privileged to have one of the houses of worship of the Baha'i faith in the area that I have the honour to represent. To say that the Baha'i faith is one of the great faiths of this world is no exaggeration, with its belief in unity, peace, love and harmony. During the COVID lockdown, so many of us were worried about what it meant for ourselves and our families. The Baha'i faith undertook a project to understand what it meant for the entire community, not just for the members of their community but for our entire nation.

It would be inappropriate for me to go through this speech without recognising Natalie Mobini, the director of the Office of External Affairs; Shephalie Williams, one of the managers of the Office of External Affairs; Dr Fiona Scott, the national secretary of the Baha'i association; and Mr Chris Heggie of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'i of Australia. These people, along with so many others in their community, put together a program that ensured that not only their community were kept together, but so many other members of the Australian community were able to make it through isolation and the challenges of lockdowns and the pandemic.

What would the Iranian regime have to fear from such a belief and such actions? Deputy Speaker, both you and I know the answer to that. Authoritarians hate people who show that peace and love have a place in this world. It has always been, and thus will it always end up being. That is why what the member for Wills said is true--what we say here matters; what we do here matters even more. We must make it clear that we will not allow people in Iran or any other part of the world to be persecuted simply for who they are. Religion should never be used by any country as a tool of isolation, as a tool to persecute or demonise someone or justify the unjustifiable treatment before the law.

The right to freedom of religion, freedom of belief, and freedom of expression are universal human rights that cannot be selectively observed or used by different governments when it suits them. It is part of the millennial program that all members of the United Nations signed up to, that we as a nation signed up to and that the Iranian regime signed up to. They must be true to their agreements. The Morrison government, the Australian government, continues to have a strong stand in support of a just, fair and legal treatment of all faiths in Iran, including the Baha'i community but especially the Baha'i community, for they have been singled out too often.

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

I'm very pleased to rise to contribute to this motion recognising the people of the Baha'i faith and acknowledging their ongoing contributions to our society. Thank you to the member for Moore for moving this motion and to all members who have spoken on this motion today. I would also like to recognise the people of the Baha'i faith who aren't able to join us in the chamber today. Ordinarily, this chamber would be full for such an occasion. But I know that many of those people will be watching from their homes. I want to acknowledge you today. I note that this month marks the centenary of the death Abdu'l Baha. People the world over are remembering his life and work and all those amazing people who came to know him.

The Baha'i faith is one of peace and inclusion, as we've heard from many of my colleagues today. It recognises the value and worth of all religions and sees the inherent unity of all people. It actively rejects the damaging scourge of racism, prejudice and discrimination. At a time when we see communities and countries across the globe splinter, fracture and fragment through hatred and division, it is clear that there is much to learn from the Baha'i faith and the belief system they have. The people in the Baha'i faith come from all walks of life and represent many sectors of our community.

In my electorate of Newcastle, there is a vibrant and deeply committed Baha'i community. It's a welcoming group of wonderful people. I particularly want to take time today to acknowledge the contribution of Tom Jones, who, sadly, passed last year, from the Baha'i community. Tom was a long-time volunteer Baha'i chaplain at the University of Newcastle. He led the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'i in Newcastle. He was an incredibly determined advocate and stood up, always, to be counted in the face of intolerance, discrimination, prejudice and, indeed, the persecution of Baha'i people overseas. I'm so grateful for Tom's advocacy for and efforts with the Baha'i community both in Newcastle and on an international level. I'd also like to acknowledge the work of the current secretary of the Newcastle Baha'i community, Joanne Tonkin, for her incredible hard work and dedication and that of the team that she leads.

I'm glad that Australia is a place where all people can practise their faith freely. Regrettably, this isn't the case everywhere. Last time I rose in this place to speak on the Baha'i, I reflected on the appalling treatment of Iran's 300,000 Baha'i followers. Despite the economic and health crisis afflicting Iran, the systemic program of persecution against the entire Baha'i community has increased in its intensity over the past year. The number of pending court cases against the Baha'i has steadily increased during the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of Baha'i owned shops remain sealed by authorities, depriving thousands of a viable income. The entire public sector and numerous professions remain blocked to the Baha'i. University studies remain inaccessible. The authorities have leveraged the internet to spread hate speech about the Baha'i, their faith and their beliefs to various segments of the society.

A recent alarming development which occurred in late 2020 was the final and binding court decision which determined Baha'is' ownership of their own homes and farmlands in the village of Ivel to be illegitimate. Numerous Baha'i families who had farmed their land for generations in this village in the province of Mazandaran had their homes destroyed and their property confiscated for sale to other villages.

In recent months, the Iranian government's decades-long campaign of hate speech and propaganda against the Baha'i in Iran has reached new levels, increasing in both sophistication and scale. Australia must always—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

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Notwithstanding the vile ongoing campaign I was referring to against the Baha'i in Iran, Australia must continue to robustly defend the human rights of the Baha'i wherever they face persecution across the world. That is our responsibility and that is the job we must do.

Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I start by commending the member for Moore, who is my neighbour in the northern suburbs of Perth, for bringing this motion forward. I'm sure that the member for Moore, like me, has been warmly welcomed by the local Baha'i community in the northern suburbs and has experienced their hospitality and their warmth, as I have. I have stood in this place several times now to speak about the Baha'i faith and the beauty of the Baha'i faith and many times I have quoted or selected quotes from the founder of the Baha'i faith, Baha'u'llah. It's getting to the point where I'm struggling to find new quotes, although there are many. I found this wonderful quote that I thought I would read in the chamber today. It is from the Tablets of the Divine Plan:

Consider the flowers of a garden. Though differing in kind, color, form, and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm, and addeth unto their beauty. How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruits, the branches and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and color! Diversity of hues, form and shape, enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof.

It's such a beautiful quote, and I thought it a very apt quote for the topic that I wish to speak on this evening and the motion that the member for Moore has brought forward. I chose this quote because it represents the wonderful people of Cowan and the wonderful diversity that exists within the Cowan community and, indeed, within Australia and, certainly, within the world. But it also expresses the wonderful diversity that I have found among members of the Baha'i faith.

I first came across the Baha'i faith from a fellow student studying with me at the American University in Cairo, when I was at university there, and learnt then, all those years ago, about the Baha'i faith and about the ongoing persecution of people of Baha'i faith in Iran. Pluralism and diversity—of culture, of thought, of political leanings and, of course, of faith—are the hallmarks of Australian democracy. Pluralism and diversity are valued within the Baha'i faith. There are many, many more quotes that I could have chosen that express the peace, the love, the harmony and the unity that are core tenets of the Baha'i faith, as many of the previous speakers have also alluded to. Considering the love of diversity, the openness of the Baha'i faith, the openness with which members of the Baha'i faith community have welcomed me, as a Muslim, and other members of parliament of different faiths, it is quite astounding that we are standing here today to speak about their persecution in Iran and the inability of such a gentle and peaceful people of faith to practise their faith in Iran.

Like other members who have spoken today, I welcome the 16 December resolution by the United Nations calling on Iran to uphold the rights of all its citizens. Recognising and accepting different faiths and the plurality of faith—and not just accepting but going beyond acceptance, going beyond tolerance, to respecting different faiths and the plurality of faith—is a basis of universal human rights. It is a cornerstone of Australian democracy. Freedom of faith, freedom to practise one's faith, freedom to choose what you want to believe in, is, of course, a basic human right. Like other members here, I call on the Iranian regime to end its continued discrimination against and persecution of people of Baha'i faith and I lend my support to the Baha'i community in Australia.

Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm so pleased to rise to speak in support of this motion today. I thank the member for Moore for his initiative and acknowledge the work of many others in this place, including the member for Wills and the member for Newcastle. I'm proud to represent a strong Baha'i community on the border, in Albury-Wodonga. Recently I met with local leaders Ben Metagi and Vita Bayani to hear how the Baha'i community has fared during the COVID pandemic, and I was inspired by efforts throughout their community to come together and support one another. The community held weekly and fortnightly Zoom meetings to keep in touch, share prayers, offer support and honour the idea of family and friendship, which is so fundamental to their lives. Ben and Vita also spoke of the timely publication of Light & Mercy, a compilation of Baha'i texts about mental health and resilience during difficult times.

When restrictions eased, the community also organised day trips across the region to museums and other social events so families and friends could connect again. Ben also told me proudly that nearly 100 per cent of the Baha'i community on the border had been vaccinated. That is just a remarkable effort. The principles of the Baha'i faith were central to this accomplishment, particularly the idea of unity and the importance of placing the community ahead of oneself. What a beautiful message to convey to this Chamber.

I also had the opportunity to speak with Ben and Vita about this motion and the desperate situation the Baha'i community in Iran finds itself in. Baha'is, who are Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority, are routinely arrested, detained and imprisoned in Iran. The Baha'i are barred from holding government jobs, and their shops and businesses are routinely closed or discriminated against. Many are unable to attend schooling, and those who try to organise education for the Baha'i informally are often arrested and detained too.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives

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The persecution and human rights abuses are countless. Since the formation of the Islamic republic in Iran in 1979, tens of thousands of Iranian Baha'is have lost homes, jobs, pensions, savings and businesses, and they've seen their shrines and cemeteries desecrated. It's difficult to imagine the true impact of this persecution, and it was heartbreaking to hear Ben and Vita convey the situation in Iran.

Earlier this year I was pleased to co-sign an open letter from members of this place to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, calling out the treatment of the Baha'is in Iran, particularly the rise in violence against farmers at the village level. The global Baha'i community have also led powerful campaigns to have the situation in Iran exposed in the United Nations General Assembly and Human Rights Council and have worked with other international human rights NGOs on advocacy campaigns, speaking on behalf of their sisters and brothers in Iran who cannot speak up without fear of reprisal.

The Baha'i are peaceful and non-violent. In Iran the Baha'i work tirelessly for the betterment of their society, despite ongoing persecution. This faith and resilience is powerful, and I respect it deeply. Ben shared this passage with me to read in parliament: 'The Iranian Baha'i deeply love their homeland despite all the suffering they have endured. Regardless of the restrictions imposed upon them, they fulfil their spiritual and social responsibilities. Through participation in constructive discourse with neighbours, co-workers, friends and acquaintances, they nonetheless continue to contribute to the advancement of their nation and their people.' What a powerful message to convey to this House.

I want to thank Ben and Vita once again for sharing these messages from the Baha'i community in Albury-Wodonga with me and this parliament. I also want to acknowledge Dr Hamid Golshan, who was unable to attend our meeting due to work commitments as a doctor at Albury-Wodonga hospital. He felt the full brunt of the local COVID outbreak only weeks ago.

The Baha'i give so much to our border communities, and it is my pleasure and honour to recognise their contributions and their message on behalf of the Baha'i community in Iran. I commend this motion to the House.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.