[PROVISIONAL TRANSLATION FROM PERSIAN]

[Translator’s notes appear in square brackets.]

[Personal information has been redacted.]

[The excerpt below is from the section of the article that pertains to the Bahá’í Faith]

[Adapted from website:] HRANA – Human Rights Activists News Agency

[Date:] 13 October 2024

A Narrative of More Than Four Decades of Deprivation of Higher Education for the Bahá’ís of Iran

Khat-e Solh Monthly – The right of access to education is one of the fundamental principles in achieving social justice and individual and collective progress. However, this basic right in Iran after the Islamic Revolution was seriously violated for Bahá’ís, the largest religious group among Iran’s non-Muslim citizens. With the beginning of the “Cultural Revolution” in the spring of 1980, extensive changes began in the country’s educational system, leading to the closure of universities and major transformations in student admission policies. In this context, Bahá’ís were among those citizens who, because of their beliefs, were deprived of the right to study at universities; a deprivation spanning more than four decades, which continues to this day.

The following article, while examining how the deprivation of education for the Bahá’ís of Iran began and continued, also looks at the history of the Cultural Revolution, its impacts on the country’s educational system, and the government’s treatment of Bahá’ís in the field of education. It further considers the government’s deceptive methods in creating obstacles to the entry of Bahá’í citizens into universities, and the effects of this in limiting educational and social opportunities for them, as well as the efforts of Bahá’ís to gain access to education and the widespread suppression of those efforts.

The Introduction of the Cultural Revolution

Only one week after the victory of the Revolution, on 19 February 1979, the newspaper “Kayhan,” in a report entitled “Fundamental Changes in Universities”, announced that the administration of universities had been taken over by special “committees”. According to this report, Muslim students at the National University of Iran had demanded the preparation of a list of “undesirable elements” in order to “purge” them. These students also requested the formation of an assembly composed of students, professors, and “qualified” staff to take over the management of the university. (1)

On 21 August 1979, the request from the Ministry of Guidance to the prosecutor general of the country for the closure of 41 newspapers and magazines was published in the press of the time. (2) During this period, public libraries were purged, research was halted, and severe and widespread censorship dominated the printing, publication, and translation of books.

Spring 1980 began at a time when Ruhollah Khomeini devoted part of that year’s Nowruz message to the universities and emphasised the necessity of “creating an Islamic revolution in universities throughout the country”, “turning the university into a healthy environment for the development of higher human sciences”, and “purging lecturers connected to the East and the West”. (3)

These events, one after another, paved the way for the beginning of one of the most influential events of the turbulent post-revolutionary period, namely the “Cultural Revolution” in June 1980. At that time, in order to manage the revolution, by order of Ruhollah Khomeini, the Cultural Revolution Headquarters was formed, and universities across the country were closed for more than two and a half years with the aim of reforming the educational system in line with the “ideals of the revolution”.

Ruhollah Khomeini and the Policy of Suppressing Bahá’ís

After the Cultural Revolution, Bahá’ís were among the groups which, under the label of “perverse sects”, were placed on the list of individuals who had to be expelled from universities. As a result, thousands of Bahá’í professors and students, solely because of their belief in the Bahá’í Faith, were banned from attending the country’s universities. This event, however, was not surprising for those who had been familiar for decades with the writings and speeches of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Cultural Revolution. He had repeatedly made clear in his writings his hostility towards Bahá’ís and the principles and teachings of this faith.

In May 1963, while attempting to instill a sense of concern among the masses that Islam was in danger, Ruhollah Khomeini warned the government against employing Bahá’ís in “sensitive positions” in the army, cultural affairs, and other ministries, and called on clerics to express hatred towards the equality of women and men, which is among the fundamental principles of the Bahá’í Faith, and to prevent the involvement of women in social activities. (4)

In his Ashura speech on 3 June 1963 at the Fayzieh School of Qom, referring to ideas such as equality of rights between women and men and universal and compulsory education, he also warned Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was seeking to implement cultural reforms in the country, that these were “the views of Abdul-Bahá”, the eldest son of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, which had been injected into his thinking. (5)

The “Cultural Revolution” and the Removal of Bahá’ís from Higher Education

Finally, 30 months after the start of the Cultural Revolution and the closure of universities, on 18 December 1982, the country’s institutions of higher education reopened, and the first nationwide entrance examination was held. At that time, belief in Islam or one of the religions explicitly mentioned in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic was stated as a general condition for registration to participate in the examination, and in the religion column of the registration form, only four options existed: Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Bahá’í applicants, because they did not follow these religions, either added a fifth option titled “Bahá’í” to the form with a pen or left that section unanswered.

The question of religious belief was added to university registration forms despite the fact that according to Article 23 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, “investigation of beliefs is forbidden, and no one may be harassed or questioned merely for holding a belief.” The continuation of this unlawful trend for two more decades led to Bahá’ís’ not receiving examination admission cards and thus being deprived of education.

The Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education, Education Under Suppression

Following the prevention of Bahá’ís from studying in the country’s official universities, the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) began its work in May 1987 through the generous efforts of a number of Bahá’ís, with the aim of meeting the educational needs of Bahá’í youth. The classes of this university were held in the homes of Bahá’í students and their professors, specialists and academics who after the Revolution had been dismissed from work because of their belief in the Bahá’í Faith.

These self‑sacrificing efforts, which attest to the profound importance of acquiring knowledge and learning in the Bahá’í Faith, are founded on the belief that the value of education lies not only in individual growth but also in the cultivation of individuals who can act as constructive agents in the advancement and building of a just and progressive society. Such voluntary actions, of course, did not remain safe from the sharp blade of the government’s oppression and were repeatedly subjected to various forms of repression.

In October 1998, during widespread and organised raids on the homes of a number of professors and students in Tehran and other cities, at least 36 members of the academic staff were arrested, and all university equipment including books, computers, fax machines, and photocopiers were confiscated from more than 500 homes. (6) After that, due to security considerations, much educational material gradually began to be provided online.

In May 2011, continuing the series of organised and coordinated raids on the homes of educational, administrative staff and students, the homes of more than 30 Bahá’í citizens in Tehran, Karaj, Shiraz, and Isfahan were attacked, and 14 individuals were arrested solely for collaboration with Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) (7) and sentenced to prison terms of two to five years.

Education as an Empowering Right

Access to education is not only considered one of the primary rights of human beings, but also a tool for recognising and attaining other rights. The United Nations Committee on Economic and Social Rights refers to education as an “empowering right”; a right that provides the foundation for individual and social growth.

The Islamic Republic prevents Bahá’ís in various ways from entering university and studying, while being among the signatories of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to Article 2, all human beings, without any distinction, are entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration, and Article 26 speaks of the public right of access to higher education.

Moreover, Iran signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on 4 April 1968, accepted it “without reservation” on 24 June 1975, approved it through the National Assembly and Senate, and ultimately committed itself to observing it from 3 January 1976. Although the signing and approval of this covenant predates the victory of the 1979 Revolution, adherence to it is binding on successive governments. (8)

According to Article 13, paragraph 2 of the covenant, educational institutions and programmes must be accessible to all, and this access includes three characteristics: physical and economic accessibility and non-discrimination.

“Incomplete File” as a Method for the Systematic Removal of Bahá’ís from Education

The government’s policy of depriving the Bahá’ís of Iran of education took on another form from 2004 to 2020. During the government of Mohammad Khatami, and with the aim of reducing international pressure regarding the violation of Bahá’í rights, the National Organisation for Educational Testing announced that the religion option referred to the selection of the religious studies examination of applicants. With this explanation, Bahá’í applicants, by selecting “Islam” on the registration form, succeeded in receiving entrance cards for the national examination.

However, issuing examination cards for Bahá’í applicants did not lead to their admission into universities. At that time, Bahá’ís who obtained the necessary rank for university entry ultimately encountered the option of “incomplete file” on the testing organisation’s website and were deprived of higher education.

It seems that the government, in order to absolve itself of the accusation of systematic violation of Bahá’í educational rights in international forums, in a few limited cases allowed some Bahá’í students to enter university, but in most cases these individuals were expelled at various stages before completing their studies.

The “Archive of Bahá’í Persecution Documentation in Iran”, a website managed by the Bahá’í community, contains numerous documents indicating the efforts of Bahá’í students to reclaim their rights; many letters, with hope for justice, were addressed to the head of the National Organisation for Educational Testing, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, the Article 90 Commission, the Administrative Justice Court, and other competent authorities. In most cases, the responses were officials’ indifference, insult, and threats of arrest. In some cases, students were told that “Bahá’ís have no right to study.”

Such statements are based on the resolution of 25 February 1991 of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, according to which Bahá’í citizens must be deprived of university education “whether at entry or during study, if it is established that they are Bahá’í”. Under the heading “general position of Bahá’ís in the state system”, Clause 3 states: “The system’s treatment of them must be such that their path of progress and development is blocked.” (9)

In addition, in 2006, the Bahá’í International Community discovered a confidential letter from the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology instructing Iranian universities to expel any student whose Bahá’í identity is discovered. The disclosure of this letter, stamped “Confidential” and sent to 81 universities in Iran, occurred while government representatives had repeatedly publicly claimed that there was no discrimination in Iran’s educational system and that Bahá’ís were free to study.

As one example, in late 2005, simultaneously with the publication of news of the expulsion of Bahá’í students from Iranian universities, in a report published by Reuters, the spokesperson of Iran’s mission to the United Nations, in response to a journalist’s question, firmly stated that “no one in Iran is deprived of education because of their religion.” (10)

“Rejected for General Eligibility” as the Continuation of the Ruthless Policy of Suppression

From October 2021, “rejected for general eligibility” replaced “incomplete file,” and Bahá’ís who had been deprived of education for decades once again found themselves faced with the closed doors of universities. The “rejection” of Bahá’í applicants due to lacking general eligibility was another example of the fact that merely believing in the Bahá’í Faith renders individuals unqualified to enter university. In this way, thousands of Bahá’í youth, while being deprived of pursuing their interests and developing their talents, were denied the opportunity to participate in building their homeland Iran, which they love deeply. Over more than four decades, the government’s tactics for depriving Bahá’í youth of education have been accompanied by changes, but the ruthless policy remains firmly in place: “blocking the path of progress and development of a benevolent and homeland-loving community that constitutes the largest religious minority in Iran.”

Footnotes:

1- Cultural Revolution 1980 and Academic Restrictions in Iran, Iran Human Rights Documentation Centre, 19 February 2020.

2- Forty Years Ago on This Day: 21 August 1979, Foundation for Historical Research and Encyclopaedia of the Islamic Revolution.

3- From the Cultural Revolution Headquarters to the Islamic Revolution Council, Imam Khomeini Portal.

4- Sahifeh of Imam Khomeini, Volume 1, p. 230.

5- Sahifeh of Imam Khomeini, Volume 1, p. 247.

6- Closed Doors: Comprehensive report of the campaign depriving the Bahá’ís of Iran of higher education, Bahá’í International Community (BIC), 2005.

7- Bahá’ís’ Educational Programme Targeted by Attacks, statement of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC), 25 May 2011.

8- Haqani, Milad, Iran Denies Education Rights to Bahá’ís, Western Journal of Legal Studies, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2014.

9- The Bahá’í Issue, ASOO website, 2 January 2017.

10- Messages and handwritten notes of the Universal House of Justice, Payamha website, 9 September 2007.