As many of you know, I am a member of the Baha'i' Faith. It is a large part of who I am, and defines my everyday life in many ways. It is a religion that promises world peace, and views the world and its peoples as one human race and one family. It is a religion that actively seeks to unite the world by eliminating prejudice and promoting equality between all people - regardless of their religion, race, class, age or gender.
The Baha'i Faith is the largest religious minority in Iran; and under the current Iranian political regime, it’s illegal to be a Baha’i. On May 14th, 2008, a group of Baha'is were arrested for no apparent reason, and have been imprisoned with no charge. The only grounds for their arrest is that they are Baha'i's (you can read more about the arrests here ); they have yet to be released.
I am writing this rather long post (which I appreciate you reading if you've even gotten this far) because it is important to me. Not only did my mother chose my name after hearing of one of the young martyrs in the 1980s, Shirin Dalvand; but as a half-Iranian Baha'i' my family members on the Iranian side have been persecuted for their beliefs, and they were lucky enough to make it out of Iran alive after the revolution. Many Baha'i's remained in Iran; and continue to be persecuted, imprisoned, and have many of their rights taken away.
One of the things I love most about being a Baha'i' is that our community is like family. They may not be immediate family, but you can meet a Baha'i' anywhere around the world, and always feel at home. It took me way too long to write in to my representative, and then I realized "If this were my immediate family- my father, mother, aunt, grandparent, friend etc...I'd do it in a second!" I promise it will take less than 5 minutes; and it can make a difference!
So, whether you are a Baha'i' or not; or if you simply care about the well being of others, I urge you to contact your representative using the message below, and ask them to cosponsor House Resolution 1008. To determine your representative and send a message, please go to http://www.house.gov/
Dear Congress man/woman ________,
I urgently ask you to cosponsor H. Res. 1008.
The Bahá'í Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions. Founded in Iran in 1844, it now has more than five million adherents in 236 countries and territories. Bahá'ís come from nearly every national, ethnic and religious background.
Recent reports indicate that seven members of the Bahá'í community are currently in prison. Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm were arrested in Tehran on 14 May 2008, by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence. They are members of the national coordinating group of Bahá'í in Iran, an informal body that was formed with the knowledge of the government to assist the 300,000-member Bahá'í community in the country. Another member of the same Committee, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, has been arrested in Mashhad in March 2008 and is reportedly still detained.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter, and for cosponsoring H. Res. 1008.
Sincerely,
(Your Name and contact information)
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