Iran
(2004)
The Constitution declares the "official religion
of Iran is Islam, and the doctrine followed is that of Ja'fari (Twelver)
Shi'ism." The Government restricts freedom of religion.
There was no substantive change in the status of respect
for religious freedom during the period covered by this report. Members
of the country's religious minorities--including Sunni and Sufi Muslims,
Baha'is, Jews, and Christians--reported imprisonment, harassment, intimidation,
and discrimination based on their religious beliefs. Government actions
created a threatening atmosphere for some religious minorities, especially
Baha'is, Jews, and evangelical Christians.
The U.S. Government makes clear its objections to
the Government's treatment of religious minorities through public statements,
through support for relevant U.N. and nongovernmental organization (NGO)
efforts, as well as through diplomatic initiatives among all states
concerned about religious freedom in the country. Since 1999, the Secretary
of State has designated Iran as a "Country of Particular Concern"
under the International Religious Freedom Act for its particularly severe
violations of religious freedom.
In December 2003, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution
58/195 on the human rights situation in the country that expressed serious
concern about the continued discrimination against religious minorities
by the Government.
Section I. Religious Demography
The country has a total area of approximately 631,660
square miles, and its population is approximately 69 million. The population
is approximately 99 percent Muslim, of which approximately 89 percent
are Shi'a and 10 percent are Sunni, mostly Turkomen, Arabs, Baluchs,
and Kurds living in the southwest, southeast, and northwest. Sufi Brotherhoods
are popular, but there are no reliable figures available regarding the
size of the Sufi population.
Baha'is, Jews, Christians, Mandaeans, and Zoroastrians
constitute less than 1 percent of the population combined. The largest
non-Muslim minority is the Baha'i community, which has an estimated
300,000 to 350,000 adherents throughout the country. Estimates on the
size of the Jewish community vary from 20,000 to 30,000. This figure
represents a substantial reduction from the estimated 75,000 to 80,000
Jews who resided in the country prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution.
According to U.N. figures, there are approximately 300,000 Christians,
the majority of whom are ethnic Armenians and Assyro-Chaldeans. There
also are Protestant denominations, including evangelical churches. The
U.N. Special Representative reported that Christians are emigrating
at an estimated rate of 15,000 to 20,000 per year. The Mandaeans, a
community whose religion draws on pre-Christian gnostic beliefs, number
approximately 5,000 to 10,000 persons, with members residing primarily
in Khuzestan in the southwest.
The Government estimates the Zoroastrian community
at 35,000 adherents. Zoroastrian groups, however, cite a larger figure
of approximately 60,000. Zoroastrians mainly are ethnic Persians and
are concentrated in the cities of Tehran, Kerman, and Yazd. Zoroastrianism
was the official religion of the pre-Islamic Sassanid Empire and thus
played a central role in the country's history.
Section II. Status of Religious Freedom
Legal/Policy Framework
The Government restricts freedom of religion. The
Constitution declares the "official religion of Iran is Islam and
the doctrine followed is that of Ja'fari (Twelver) Shi'ism." All
laws and regulations must be consistent with the official interpretation
of the Shari'a (Islamic law). The Constitution states that "within
the limits of the law," Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians are
the only recognized religious minorities who are guaranteed freedom
to practice their religion; however, members of minority religious groups
have reported imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination
based on their religious beliefs. Adherents of religions not recognized
by the Constitution do not enjoy the freedom to practice their beliefs.
This restriction seriously affects adherents of the Baha'i Faith, which
the Government regards as a heretical Islamic group with a political
orientation that is antagonistic to the country's Islamic revolution.
However, Baha'is view themselves as an independent religion with origins
in the Shi'a Islamic tradition. Government officials have stated that,
as individuals, all Bahai's are entitled to their beliefs and are protected
under the articles of the Constitution as citizens; however, the Government
has continued to prohibit Baha'is from teaching and practicing their
faith.
The Government rules by a religious jurisconsult.
The Supreme Leader, chosen by a group of 83 Islamic scholars, oversees
the State's decision-making process. All acts of the Majlis (legislative
body, or Parliament) must be reviewed for conformity with Islamic law
and the Constitution by the Council of Guardians, which is composed
of six clerics appointed by the Supreme Leader, as well as six Muslim
jurists (legal scholars) nominated by the Head of the Judiciary and
elected by the Majlis.
The Ministry of Islamic Culture and Guidance (Ershad)
and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security monitor religious activity
closely. Adherents of recognized religious minorities are not required
to register individually with the Government; however, their communal,
religious, and cultural events and organizations, including schools,
are monitored closely. Registration of Baha'is is a police function.
The Government has pressured evangelical Christian groups to compile
and submit membership lists for their congregations, but evangelicals
have resisted this demand. Non-Muslim owners of grocery shops are required
to indicate their religious affiliation on the fronts of their shops.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
By law and practice, religious minorities are not
allowed to be elected to a representative body or to hold senior government
or military positions; however, 5 of a total 270 seats in the Majlis
are reserved for religious minorities. Three of these seats are reserved
for members of the Christian faith, one for a member of the Jewish faith,
and one for a member of the Zoroastrian faith. While members of the
Sunni Muslim minority do not have reserved seats in the Majlis, they
are allowed to serve in the body. Members of religious minorities, including
Sunni Muslims, are allowed to vote. All religious minorities suffer
varying degrees of officially sanctioned discrimination, particularly
in the areas of employment, education, and housing. The Government does
not protect the right of citizens to change or renounce their religious
faith. Apostasy, specifically conversion from Islam, can be punishable
by death; however, there were no reported cases of the death penalty
being applied for apostasy during the period covered by this report.
Members of religious minorities, excluding Sunni Muslims,
are prevented from serving in the judiciary and security services and
from becoming public school principals. Applicants for public sector
employment are screened for their adherence to and knowledge of Islam.
Government workers who do not observe Islam's principles and rules are
subject to penalties. The Constitution states that the country's army
must be Islamic and must recruit individuals who are committed to the
objectives of the Islamic revolution; however, in practice no religious
minorities are exempt from military service.
University applicants are required to pass an examination
in Islamic theology, which limits the access of most religious minorities
to higher education, although all public school students, including
non-Muslims, must study Islam. During the period covered by this report,
for the first time Baha'i students were allowed to participate in the
nationwide college entrance examination that determines who may attend
state-run universities, although none actually had received admission
to a university at the end of the period covered by this report. The
Government generally allows recognized religious minorities to conduct
religious education for their adherents. This includes separate and
privately funded Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian schools; however,
official Baha'i schools are not allowed. The Ministry of Education,
which imposes certain curriculum requirements, supervises these schools.
With few exceptions, the directors of such private schools must be Muslim.
Attendance at the schools is not mandatory for recognized religious
minorities. The Ministry of Education must approve all textbooks used
in coursework, including religious texts. Recognized religious minorities
may provide religious instruction in non-Persian languages, but such
texts require approval by the authorities for use. This approval requirement
sometimes imposes significant translation expenses on minority communities.
The legal system also discriminates against religious
minorities who receive lower awards than Muslims in injury and death
lawsuits and incur heavier punishments. In 2002 the Sixth Majlis approved
a bill that would make the amount of "blood money" (diyeh)
paid by a perpetrator for killing or wounding a Christian, Jew, or Zoroastrian
man the same as it would be for killing or wounding a Muslim; the bill
ultimately was passed by the Guardian Council. All women and Baha'i
men were excluded from the equalization provisions of the bill. According
to law, Baha'i blood is considered "Mobah," meaning it can
be spilled with impunity.
Sunni Muslims are the largest religious minority in
the country, claiming a membership of approximately 10 million (10 percent
of the population) consisting mostly of Turkomen, Arabs, Baluchs, and
Kurds living in the southwest, southeast, and northwest. The Constitution
provides Sunni Muslims a large degree of religious freedom, although
it forbids a Sunni Muslim from becoming President. Sunni Muslims claim
that the Government discriminates against them; however, it is difficult
to distinguish whether the cause for discrimination is religious or
ethnic, since most Sunnis are also ethnic minorities. Sunnis cite the
lack of a Sunni mosque in Tehran, despite the presence of over 1 million
Sunnis there, as a prominent example of this discrimination. Sunnis
also have cited as proof of discrimination the lack of Sunni representation
in appointed offices in provinces where Sunnis form a majority, such
as Kurdistan province, as well as the reported inability of Sunnis to
obtain senior governmental positions. Sunnis have also charged that
the state broadcasting company Voice and Vision airs programming insulting
to Sunnis.
In April Sunni Majlis representatives sent a letter
to Supreme Leader Khamene'i decrying the lack of Sunni presence in the
executive and judiciary branch of government, especially in higher-ranking
positions in embassies, universities, and other institutions. They called
on Khamene'i to issue a decree halting anti-Sunni propaganda in the
mass media, books, and publications; the measure would include the state-run
media. The Sunni representatives also requested adherence to the constitutional
articles ensuring equal treatment of all ethnic groups.
The Baha'i Faith originated in the country during
the 1840s as a reformist movement within Shi'a Islam. The Government
considers Baha'is to be apostates because of their claim to a valid
religious revelation subsequent to that of Mohammed, despite the fact
that Baha'is do not consider themselves to be Muslim. Additionally,
the Baha'i Faith is defined by the Government as a political "sect,"
linked to the Pahlavi regime and hence counterrevolutionary. A 2001
Ministry of Justice report demonstrates that government policy continued
to aim for the eventual elimination of the Baha'is as a community. It
stated in part that Baha'is would be permitted to enroll in schools
only if they did not identify themselves as Baha'is, and that Baha'is
preferably should be enrolled in schools with a strong and imposing
religious ideology. The report also stated that Baha'is must be expelled
from universities, either in the admission process or during the course
of their studies, once their identity becomes known.
Baha'is may not teach or practice their faith or maintain
links with coreligionists abroad. The fact that the Baha'i world headquarters
(established by the founder of the Baha'i Faith in the 19th century,
in what was then Ottoman-controlled Palestine) is situated in what is
now the state of Israel exposes Baha'is to government charges of "espionage
on behalf of Zionism." These charges are more acute when Bahai's
are caught communicating with or sending monetary contributions to the
Baha'i headquarters.
Baha'is are banned from government employment. In
addition Baha'is are regularly denied compensation for injury or criminal
victimization.
The Government allows recognized religious minorities
to establish community centers and certain cultural, social, athletic,
or charitable associations that they finance themselves. However, the
Government prohibits the Baha'i community from official assembly and
from maintaining administrative institutions by actively closing such
Baha'i institutions. Since the Baha'i Faith has no clergy, the denial
of the right to form such institutions and elect officers threatens
its existence in the country.
Broad restrictions on Baha'is undermine their ability
to function as a community. Baha'is repeatedly have been offered relief
from mistreatment in exchange for recanting their faith. Baha'i cemeteries,
holy places, historical sites, administrative centers, and other assets
were seized shortly after the 1979 Revolution. No properties have been
returned, and many have been destroyed.
Baha'is are not allowed to bury and honor their dead
in keeping with their religious tradition. In 2002 the Government offered
the Tehran Baha'i community a plot of land for use as a cemetery; however,
the land was in the desert and had no access to water, making it impossible
to perform Baha'i mourning rituals. In addition the Government stipulated
that no markers be put on individual graves and that no mortuary facilities
be built on the site, making it impossible to perform a ceremonial burial
in the Baha'i tradition.
Baha'i group meetings and religious education, which
often take place in private homes and offices, are curtailed severely.
Public and private universities continue to deny admittance to Baha'i
students.
Over the past several years, the Government has taken
a few positive steps in recognizing the rights of Baha'is as well as
of other religious minorities. For example, in recent years the Government
has eased some restrictions, permitting Baha'is to obtain food-ration
booklets and send their children to public elementary and secondary
schools. In 1999 President Khatami publicly stated that persons should
not be persecuted because of their religious beliefs. He vowed to defend
the civil rights of all citizens, regardless of their beliefs or religion.
Subsequently, the Expediency Council approved the "Right of Citizenship"
bill, affirming the social and political rights of all citizens and
their equality before the law. In 2000 the country began allowing couples
to be registered as husband and wife without being required to state
their religious affiliation. The measure effectively permits the registration
of Baha'i marriages. Previously, Baha'i marriages were not recognized
by the Government, leaving Baha'i women open to charges of prostitution.
Children of Baha'i marriages had not been recognized as legitimate and
therefore were denied inheritance rights.
While Jews are a recognized religious minority, allegations
of official discrimination are frequent. The Government's anti-Israel
policies, along with a perception among radical Muslims that all Jewish
citizens support Zionism and the State of Israel, create a hostile atmosphere
for the small community. For example, during the period covered by this
report many newspapers celebrated the one-hundredth anniversary of the
publishing of the anti-Semitic "Protocols of the Elders of Zion."
Jewish leaders reportedly are reluctant to draw attention to official
mistreatment of their community due to fear of government reprisal.
In principle, but with some exceptions, there is little
restriction of or interference with the Jewish religious practice; however,
education of Jewish children has become more difficult in recent years.
The Government reportedly allows Hebrew instruction, recognizing that
it is necessary for Jewish religious practice. However, it strongly
discourages the distribution of Hebrew texts, in practice making it
difficult to teach the language. Moreover, the Government has required
that several Jewish schools remain open on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath,
in conformity with the schedule of other schools in the school system.
Since working or attending school on the Sabbath violates Jewish law,
this requirement has made it impossible for observant Jews both to attend
school and adhere to a fundamental tenet of their religion.
Jewish citizens are permitted to obtain passports
and to travel outside the country, but they often are denied the multiple-exit
permits normally issued to other citizens. With the exception of certain
business travelers, the authorities require Jewish persons to obtain
clearance and pay additional fees before each trip abroad. The Government
appears concerned about the emigration of Jewish citizens and permission
generally is not granted for all members of a Jewish family to travel
outside the country at the same time. According to the U.N. High Commission
for Refugees' (UNHCR) background paper on the country, the Mandaeans
are regarded as Christians and are included among the country's three
recognized religious minorities. However, Mandaeans regard themselves
not as Christians but as adherents of a religion that predates Christianity
in both belief and practice. Mandaeans enjoyed official support as a
distinct religion prior to the Revolution, but their legal status as
a religion since then has been the subject of debate in the Majlis and
has not been clarified. The small community faces discrimination similar
to that faced by the country's other religious minorities. There were
reports that members of the Mandaean community experience societal discrimination
and pressure to convert to Islam, and they often are denied access to
higher education. Mandaean refugees have reported specific religious
freedom violations and concerns such as being forced to observe Islamic
fasting rituals and to pray in Islamic fashion, both in direct violation
of Mandaean teaching.
Sufi organizations outside the country remain concerned
about government repression of Sufi religious practices, including the
constant harassment and intimidation of prominent Sufi leaders by the
intelligence and security services.
The Government enforces gender segregation in most
public spaces and prohibits women from interacting openly with unmarried
men or men not related to them; however, as a practical matter these
prohibitions have loosened in recent years. Women must ride in a reserved
section on public buses and enter public buildings, universities, and
airports through separate entrances. Violators of these restrictions
face punishments such as flogging or monetary fines. Women are prohibited
from attending male sporting events, although this restriction does
not appear to be enforced universally. Women are not free to choose
what they wear in public, although enforcement of rules for conservative
Islamic dress has eased in recent years. Women are subject to harassment
by the authorities if their dress or behavior is considered inappropriate
and are sentenced to flogging or imprisonment for such violations. The
law prohibits the publication of pictures of uncovered women in the
print media, including pictures of foreign women. There are penalties,
including flogging and monetary fines, for failure to observe norms
of Islamic dress at work.
The law provides for segregation of the sexes in medical
care. Only female physicians can treat women; however, women reportedly
often receive inferior care because of the imbalance between the number
of trained and licensed male and female physicians and specialists.
Legally, the testimony of a woman is worth only half
that of a man in court. A married woman must obtain the written consent
of her husband before she may travel outside the country. The law provides
for stoning for adultery; however, in 2002 the Government suspended
this practice.
All women, regardless of their age, must have the
permission of their father or a living male relative to marry. The law
allows for the practice of Siqeh, or temporary marriage, a Shi'a custom
in which a woman or a girl may become the wife of a married or single
Muslim male after a simple and brief religious ceremony. The woman has
to consent to Siqeh, which is a civil contract between two parties,
and each party stipulates the condition under which he or she enters
into the agreement. The bond is not recorded on identification documents,
and according to Islamic law, men may have as many Siqeh wives as they
wish. Such wives usually are not granted rights associated with traditional
marriage.
Women have the right to divorce, and regulations promulgated
in 1984 substantially broadened the grounds on which a woman may seek
a divorce. However, a husband is not required to cite a reason for divorcing
his wife. In 1986 the Government issued a 12-point "contract"
to serve as a model for marriage and divorce, which limits the privileges
accorded to men by custom and traditional interpretations of Islamic
law. The model contract also recognized a divorced woman's right to
a share in the property that couples acquire during their marriage and
to increased alimony rights. Women who remarry are forced to give up
custody of children from earlier marriages to the child's father. The
law allows for the granting of custody of minor children to the mother
in certain divorce cases in which the father is proven unfit to care
for the child.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
In February authorities initiated the destruction
of the tomb of Quddus, a Baha'i holy site. Local Baha'is attempted to
prevent the destruction through legal channels, but the tomb was destroyed
in the interim. The Baha'is were not allowed permission to enter the
site and retrieve the remains of this revered Baha'i figure. On June
27, the house of the father of the faith's founder, Mirza Buzarg-e-Nuri,
was destroyed without notice. The house was confiscated before by the
Government and was of great religious significance because the founder
of the Baha'i faith, Baha'u'llah, had lived there.
According to the National Spiritual Assembly of the
Baha'is of the United States, since 1979 more than 200 Baha'is have
been killed, 15 have disappeared and are presumed dead, and more than
10,000 Baha'is have been dismissed from government and university jobs.
The Government continued to imprison and detain Baha'is based on their
religious beliefs.
During the period covered by this report, one Baha'i
was serving a prison sentence for practicing his faith. He was convicted
of apostasy for being a Baha'i in 1996, but his death sentence was commuted
to life imprisonment by President Khatami in 1999. His property and
assets reportedly were confiscated because his family members were Baha'is.
In May 2003, a Baha'i prisoner was released following a visit by the
U.N. Human Rights Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. In February
two Baha'is held for practicing their faith were released after serving
their full 15-year sentences.
The Government harasses the Baha'i community by arresting
Baha'is arbitrarily, charging them, and then releasing them, often without
dropping the charges against them. Those with charges still pending
against them reportedly fear rearrest at any time.
According to Baha'i sources in the United States,
since 2002 23 Baha'is from 18 different localities were arbitrarily
arrested and detained for a short time because of their Baha'i faith.
None of these persons was in prison at the end of the period covered
by this report.
Government action against Baha'i education continued
during the period covered by this report. The property rights of Bahai's
are generally disregarded, and they suffer frequent government harassment
and persecution. Since 1979 the Government has confiscated large numbers
of private and business properties belonging to Baha'is. According to
Baha'i sources, an Islamic Revolutionary Court rejected the appeal of
a Baha'i to return his confiscated property on the grounds that he held
Baha'i classes in his home and had a library of over 900 Baha'i books.
Numerous Baha'i homes reportedly have been seized and handed over to
an agency of Supreme Leader Khamene'i. Sources indicate that property
was confiscated in Rafsanjan, Kerman, Marv-Dasht, and Yazd. Several
Baha'i farmers in the southern part of the country were arrested, and
one who was jailed for several days was only freed after paying a "fine."
Authorities reportedly also confiscated Baha'i properties in Kata, forced
several families to leave their homes and farmlands, imprisoned some
farmers, and did not permit others to harvest their crops. In one instance,
a Baha'i woman from Isfahan, who legally had traveled abroad, returned
to find that her home had been confiscated. The Government also has
seized private homes in which Baha'i youth classes were held despite
the owners having proper ownership documents. The Baha'i community claims
the Government's seizure of Baha'i personal property and its denial
of Baha'i access to education and employment are eroding the economic
base of the community.
It has become somewhat easier for Baha'is to obtain
passports in the last 2 to 3 years. In addition some Iranian embassies
abroad do not require applicants to state a religious affiliation. In
such cases, it is easier for Baha'is to renew passports.
The Government vigilantly enforces its prohibition
on proselytizing activities by evangelical Christians by closing their
churches and arresting Christian converts. Members of evangelical congregations
have been required to carry membership cards, photocopies of which must
be provided to the authorities. Worshippers are subject to identity
checks by authorities posted outside congregation centers. The Government
has restricted meetings for evangelical services to Sundays, and church
officials have been ordered to inform the Ministry of Information and
Islamic Guidance before admitting new members to their congregations.
Conversion of a Muslim to a non-Muslim religion is
considered apostasy under Iranian law and is punishable by the death
penalty, although it is unclear that this punishment has been enforced
in recent years. Similarly, non-Muslims may not proselytize Muslims
without putting their own lives at risk. Evangelical church leaders
are subject to pressure from authorities to sign pledges that they will
not evangelize Muslims or allow Muslims to attend church services.
In previous years, the Government harassed churchgoers
in Tehran, in particular worshippers at the capital's Assembly of God
congregation. This harassment has included conspicuous monitoring outside
Christian premises by Revolutionary Guards to discourage Muslims or
converts from entering church premises, as well as demands for the presentation
of the identity papers of worshippers inside. In May there were reports
of the arrest of evangelical Christians in the northern part of the
country, including a Christian pastor and his family in Mazandaran Province.
The pastor's family and two other church leaders who had been arrested
earlier were reportedly released on May 30. Although the pastor reportedly
was a convert from the Baha'i Faith, a number of those arrested in raids
on house churches were converts from Islam. The pastor and another Christian
leader were released from custody in early July.
In 2000, 10 of 13 Jews arrested in 1999 were convicted
on charges of illegal contact with Israel, conspiracy to form an illegal
organization, and recruiting agents. Along with 2 Muslim defendants,
the 10 Jews received prison sentences ranging from 4 to 13 years. An
appeals court subsequently overturned the convictions for forming an
illegal organization and recruiting agents, but it upheld the convictions
for illegal contacts with Israel with reduced sentences. One of the
10 was released in February 2001 and another in January 2002, both upon
completion of their prison terms. Three additional prisoners were released
before the end of their sentences in October 2002. In April 2003, it
was announced that the last five were to be released. It is not clear
if the eight who were released before the completion of their sentences
were fully pardoned or were released provisionally. During and shortly
after the trial, Jewish businesses in Tehran and Shiraz were targets
of vandalism and boycotts, and Jewish persons reportedly have suffered
personal harassment and intimidation. There were no reports of vandalism
or similar harassment during the period covered by this report.
In 2002, the group Families of Iranian Jewish Prisoners
(FIJP) published the names of 12 Jews who disappeared while attempting
to escape from the country in the 1990s. The families continued to report
anecdotal evidence that some of the men were in prisons. The Government
never has provided any information regarding their whereabouts and claims
that it has not charged any of them with crimes. FIJP believes that
the Government has dealt with these cases differently than it has with
other similar cases because the persons involved are Jewish. The families
of the missing individuals reported that government officials claimed
they lacked the authority to discover whether the missing individuals
were being detained.
Numerous Sunni clerics have been killed in recent
years, some allegedly by government agents. While the exact reason for
their murders are unknown, most Sunni Muslims in the country belong
to ethnic minorities who historically have suffered abuse by the central
Government.
There were no reports of government harassment of
the Zoroastrian community during the period covered by this report;
however, the community remains unable to convene a Spiritual Assembly
to manage its religious affairs for fear of official retaliation, and
there were reports of discrimination in employment and education. In
June Zoroastrians were able to make, apparently without government interference,
their annual pilgrimage to one of the holiest sites in their faith,
the temple of Chak-Chak (near the city of Yazd).
The Government carefully monitors the statements and
views of the country's senior Shi'a religious leaders. It has restricted
the movement of several Shi'a religious leaders who have been under
house arrest for years, including Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri,
who was released from 5 years of house arrest in January 2003.
The Special Clerical Court (SCC) system, established
in 1987 to investigate offenses and crimes committed by clerics and
which the Supreme Leader oversees directly, is not provided for in the
Constitution and operates outside the domain of the judiciary. In particular
critics alleged that the clerical courts were used to prosecute certain
clerics for expressing controversial ideas and for participating in
activities outside the area of religion, including journalism.
Laws based on religion have been used to stifle freedom
of expression. Independent newspapers and magazines have been closed,
and leading publishers and journalists were imprisoned on vague charges
of "insulting Islam" or "calling into question the Islamic
foundation of the Republic." In 2002, academic Hashem Aghajari
was sentenced to death for blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, based
on a speech in which he challenged Muslims not to follow blindly the
clergy, provoking an international and domestic outcry. In February
2003, his death sentence was revoked by the Supreme Court, but the case
was sent back to the lower court for retrial. He was retried in July
2003 on charges that did not include apostasy and was sentenced to 5
years, 2 of which were suspended, and 5 years of additional "deprivation
of social right" (meaning that he cannot teach or write books or
articles). His time served was counted towards his 3-year sentence,
with the remainder of the time being converted by the court to a fine.
Forced Religious Conversions
There were no reports of forced religious conversion,
including of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally
removed from the United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens
to be returned to the United States. However, a child born to a Muslim
father automatically is considered a Muslim.
Abuses by Terrorist Organizations
There were no reported abuses targeted at specific
religions by terrorist organizations during the period covered by this
report.
Section III. Societal Attitudes
The continuous presence of the country's pre-Islamic,
non-Muslim communities, such as Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians,
has accustomed the population to the participation of non-Muslims in
society; however, government actions continued to create a threatening
atmosphere for some religious minorities.
The Jewish community has been reduced to less than
one-half of its prerevolutionary size. Some of this emigration is connected
with the larger, general waves of departures following the establishment
of the Islamic Republic, but some also stems from continued perceived
anti-Semitism on the part of the Government and within society.
The Government's anti-Israel policies and the trial
of the 13 Jews in 2000, along with the perception among some of the
country's radicalized elements that Jews support Zionism and the State
of Israel, created a threatening atmosphere for the Jewish community
(see Section II). Many Jews have sought to limit their contact with
or support for the State of Israel out of fear of reprisal. Recent anti-American
and anti-Israeli demonstrations have included the denunciation of "Jews,"
as opposed to the past practice of denouncing only "Israel"
and "Zionism," adding to the threatening atmosphere for the
community.
Sunni Muslims encounter religious discrimination at
the local, provincial, and national levels, and there were reports of
discrimination against practitioners of the Sufi tradition during the
period covered by this report. Sufis were also targeted by the Country's
intelligence and security services.
In June 2003, an interfaith delegation of U.S. Christians,
Jews, and Muslims traveled to the country to meet with religious, political,
and cultural leaders.
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
The United States has no diplomatic relations with
the country, and thus it cannot raise directly the restrictions that
the Government places on religious freedom and other abuses the Government
commits against adherents of minority religions. The U.S. Government
makes its position clear in public statements and reports, support for
relevant U.N. and NGO efforts, and diplomatic initiatives to press for
an end to government abuses.
From 1982 to 2001, the U.S. Government co-sponsored
a resolution each year regarding the human rights situation in the country
offered by the European Union at the annual meeting of the U.N. Commission
on Human Rights (UNCHR). It passed every year until 2002, when the United
States did not have a seat on the commission, and the resolution failed
passage by one vote. The U.S. has supported a similar resolution offered
each year during the U.N. General Assembly until the fall of 2002, when
no resolution was tabled. The U.S. Government strongly supported the
work of the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Iran and called
on the Government to grant him admission and allow him to conduct his
research during the period of his mandate, which expired with the defeat
of the resolution at the UNCHR in 2002. There also was no resolution
on the country at the UNCHR in the spring of 2003. In 2003 the Canadian
Government introduced a resolution censuring the country's human rights
policies, which was passed by the U.N. General Assembly. The U.S. remains
supportive of efforts to raise the human rights situation whenever appropriate
within international organizations.
On numerous occasions, the U.S. State Department spokesman
has addressed the situation of the Baha'i and Jewish communities in
the country. The U.S. Government has encouraged other governments to
make similar statements and has urged them to raise the issue of religious
freedom in discussions with the Government.
Since 1999, the Secretary of State has designated
Iran as a "Country of Particular Concern" under the International
Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious
freedom.
Sources: U.S. State Department - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |