Iran
(2005)
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
reporting period. Members of the country's religious
minorities--including Sunni and Sufi Muslims, Baha'is,
Zoroastrians, 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, support for relevant
U.N. and nongovernmental organization (NGO) efforts,
as well as 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 U.N. 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. In the fall of 2004, the
U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution condemning
the human rights situation in Iran.
Section I. Religious Demography
The country has an area of approximately631,660
square miles, and its population is an estimated 69
million. The population is approximately 97 percent
Muslim, of which an estimated 89 percent are Shi'a and
8 percent are Sunni, mostly Turkmen, 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.
According to the country's most recent
official national census, taken in 1996, there were
an estimated 59.8 million Muslims, 30,000 Zoroastrians,
79,000 Christians, and 13,000 Jews, with 28,000 "others"
and 47,000 "not stated."
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. Credible
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.
Unofficial estimates indicate an Assyrian Christian
population of approximately 10,000. 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 approximately 30,000 to 35,000 adherents;
however, Zoroastrian groups cite an estimated 60,000
adherents. Zoroastrians mainly are ethnic Persians 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 these recognized
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 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 not as
Muslims, but as an independent religion with origins
in the Shi'a Islamic tradition. Government officials
have stated that, as individuals, all Baha'is 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 tricameral government structure
is ruled over by a supreme religious jurisconsult, or
"Supreme Leader." This 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 approved by the Majlis.
The Ministry of Islamic Culture and
Guidance (Ershad) and the Ministry of Intelligence and
Security (MOIS) 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, two seats for the
country's Armenian Christians, and one for Assyrians
and Chaldeans. There is also one seat 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 of
Iran's minority religions, including Sunni Muslims,
are barred from being elected President.
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, may be punishable
by death; however, there were no reported cases of the
death penalty being applied for apostasy during the
reporting period. 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. 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,
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. This approval requirement sometimes
imposes significant translation expenses on minority
communities.
The legal system discriminates against
religious minorities, who receive lower awards than
Muslims in injury and death lawsuits and incur heavier
punishments. In January 2005, the Expediency Council
approved appending a Note to Article 297 of the 1991
Islamic Punishments Act, authorizing collection of equal
"blood money" (diyeh) for the death of Muslims
and non-Muslims. 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
five and a half million (8 percent of the population),
consisting mostly of Turkmen, 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. Sunnis 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 members
of ethnic minorities. Sunnis cite the lack of a Sunni
mosque in Tehran, despite the presence of over 1 million
adherents there, as a prominent example of this discrimination.
Sunnis also have cited the lack of Sunni representation
in appointed offices in provinces where they form a
majority, such as Kurdistan province, as well as their
reported inability to obtain senior governmental positions.
In addition, Sunnis have charged that the state broadcasting
company, Voice and Vision, airs programming insulting
to them.
In April 2004, Sunni Majlis representatives
sent a letter to Supreme Leader Khamene'i decrying the
lack of Sunni presence in the executive and judiciary
branches 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 Muhammed, 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 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 excluded or 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 were more acute when Baha'is were caught
communicating with or sending monetary contributions
to the Baha'i headquarters.
Baha'is were banned from government
employment. In addition, Baha'is were regularly denied
compensation for injury or criminal victimization.
The Government allows recognized religious
minorities to establish community centers and certain
self-financed cultural, social, athletic, or charitable
associations. 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
were not allowed to bury and honor their dead in keeping
with their religious tradition. Baha’i graveyards
in Yazd and other cities have been desecrated, and the
Government did not seek to identify or punish the perpetrators.
Public and private universities continue to deny admittance
to Baha'i students. In July 2004, for the first time,
Baha'i applicants were permitted to take part in the
nationwide exam for entrance into state-run universities.
However, for those students who passed the exam, "Islam"
was pre-printed as a prospective student's religious
affiliation on the form authorizing their matriculation.
This action precluded Baha'i enrollment in the country's
state-run universities since a tenet of Baha'ism is
to not deny one's faith.
In principle, but with some exceptions,
there is little restriction of or interference with
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 in conformity with the schedule of other schools,
several Jewish schools must remain open on Saturdays,
which violates Jewish law.
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 Jews 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
experienced 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 propagates an interpretation
of Islam that effectively deprives women of some rights
granted to men. Gender segregation is enforced generally
throughout the country without regard to religious affiliation
and can be burdensome for those who do not follow strict
Islamic religious codes; 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. Showing pictures
of women in the media, including foreign women, who
are not dressed in accordance with conservative Islamic
dress norms, is prohibited by law. There are penalties,
including flogging and monetary fines, for failure to
observe norms of Islamic dress at work
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.
Although a male can marry at age 15
and above without parental consent, the 1991 Civil Law
states that a virgin female, even over 18 years of age,
needs the consent of her father or grandfather to wed,
unless she is willing to go to court to get a ruling
allowing her to marry without this consent.
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.
Many female Muslims are seeking to
eliminate laws and practices that discriminate against
women, arguing that relegating women to a lesser status
due to, interalia, their being considered "deficient
in reason" is not a precept of Islam, but rather
a non-Islamic accretion to Islamic practices.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
The property rights of Baha'is 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. 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 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.
The Government harassed the Baha'i
community by arbitrarily arresting Baha'is, charging
them with violating Islamic penal code Articles 500
and 698, relating to activities against the State and
spreading falsehood, respectively. Often, the charges
were not dropped upon release and those with charges
still pending against them reportedly feared rearrest
at any time.
In February 2004, 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. In June 2004, the house of Mizra Buzarg-e-Nuri,
father of the faith's founder, 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.
In July 2004, a Baha'i optician in
Hamadan was reportedly kidnapped and brutally attacked
by five individuals, who threatened him with death if
he did not recant his faith and convert to Islam. Local
authorities were unwilling to pursue the case and a
local judicial official told him "it would cost
him dearly" if he chose to pursue his complaint
against the assailants.
In November 2004, for the first time,
the Baha'i community wrote an open letter to the government
of the Islamic Republic, addressed to President Khatami,
seeking an end to Baha'i-focused human rights and religious
freedom abuses. Numerous anecdotal reports indicated
a marked increase in government persecution of Baha'is
after this letter. Much of this anti-Baha'i activity
focused on Yazd, presumably due to Yazdi Baha'is having
presented Yazd intelligence-security officials with
a copy of the letter.
In December 2004 and January 2005,
nine Baha'is in Yazd were arrested and briefly detained,
with their homes searched and some possessions confiscated.
On January 14, authorities summoned, questioned, and
released another Yazd Baha'i, and four days later on
January 18, four individuals came to his home and beat
him with batons, inflicting severe injuries to his face,
back, and arms. The same individuals, equipped with
batons and communication devices, also attacked the
home of another Baha'i later that day. On that same
day, these same persons went to the home of a third
Baha'i and attacked him with batons, causing serious
head wounds. This third Baha'i was attacked again on
January 25; on January 27 his shop was set on fire.
On February 2 and 3, the Baha'i cemetery
in Yazd was destroyed, with cars driven over the graves,
tombstones smashed, and the remains of the interred
left exposed. Two days later, a gravestone was removed
and left in front of a Baha'i's home, along with a threatening
letter. The Baha'i community filed a complaint with
authorities at the national level, but no action was
taken. These events coincided with the launch of a campaign
of defamation against the Baha'i Faith in government-controlled
media.
In February, two Baha'is were released
from prison after serving almost 15 years on charges
related to their religious beliefs.
In March, a series of Baha'i arrests
and imprisonments began throughout the country. In Tehran
on March 6, intelligence officials arrested and took
into custody three prominent Baha'is, and another was
arrested and imprisoned on March 16. Agents conducted
prolonged searches of their homes and confiscated documents,
books, and other belongings. They were all detained
without charge, and released after having posted bail.
On March 8, one of the Baha'is previously
arrested and briefly detained (for having distributed
the open letter from the Baha'i community to President
Khatami), received a three-year sentence and was incarcerated
in Evin prison. Another Baha'i previously arrested and
detained, was tried in absentia and given a one-year
sentence for the same alleged offence. Neither of these
men had access to lawyers nor to any form of legal counsel.
On April 25, five more Baha'is were
arrested and imprisoned, all members of farming families
whose properties had been confiscated in the village
of Kata, when they obeyed a summons and came to the
court for hearings concerning their grievances. On May
3, four more Baha'is from Kata answered a similar summons
and appeared before a court in the same province. The
judge asked them if they would relinquish their property,
and the four Baha'is responded that they would not do
so because the homes and land had belonged to their
forefathers. The judge ordered their arrest and detention.
Legal action was taken on their behalf, and on May 30,
all nine farmers were released from prison after a business
license had been used as collateral.
On May 16, eight Baha'is were summoned
to appear before the office of the Public Prosecutor
in the city of Semnan, and the next day another Baha'i
in that city received a similar summons. They were charged
with "creating anxiety in the minds of the public
and those of the Iranian officials" and distributing
"propaganda against the government of the Islamic
Republic of Iran" for having distributed copies
of the November 2004 open letter to various Iranian
officials. When they arrived at the Prosecutor’s
office on May 18, they were asked to post bail for their
release. Concerned that this could lead to further arrests
and bail demands affecting other Baha'is, they declined
to do so. They were detained and subsequently freed
on May 20 2005, with the understanding that they would
appear for a hearing at a later date.
In total, between March and Juneapproximately
35 Baha'is were arrested, charged, and released pending
trial, with the charges typically being "causing
anxiety in the minds of the public and of officials,"
and "spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic
of Iran." By the end of the reporting period, Mehran
Kawsari and Zabihullah Mahrami, the latter of whom was
arrested in 1995 and convicted of apostasy in 1996 because
of his adherence to the Baha'i Faith, were the only
two Baha'is remaining in jail due to charges relating
to their beliefs. Mahrami continued to serve his life
sentence, which was commuted from a death sentence by
President Khatami in 1999. There were also 36 Baha'is
released on bail and awaiting trial.
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 the law and is
punishable by the death penalty, although it is unclear
whether 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
of 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 2004, there were
reports of the arrest of several dozen evangelical Christians
in the north, including a Christian pastor, his wife,
and their two teenage children in Chalous, in Mazandaran
Province. Many of those arrested were released later
in May, and the pastor and his family were released
in July, after six weeks in detention. One press source
reported that authorities ordered those jailed to stop
meeting for worship and to "stop talking about
Jesus."
On September 9 2004, security officials
raided the annual general conference of the country's
Assemblies of God Church, arresting approximately 85
religious leaders gathered at the church’s denominational
center in Karaj. After fingerprinting and questioning,
authorities released all but 10 pastors later that day.
Of these, nine were released on September 12. Assemblies
of God Pastor Hamid Pourmand, a former Muslim of Assyrian
Christian background who converted to Christianity nearly
25 years ago and who led a congregation in Bushehr,
was the only detainee not released. In November 2004,
Pourmand, who was also a non-commissioned officer in
the Army, was moved to a military prison. In late January
2005 he was tried in a military court on charges of
espionage. On February 16 he was found guilty of espionage
and sentenced to 3 years, and was transferred to Evin
Prison to serve his sentence. A military appeals court
subsequently affirmed the verdict and the sentence.
As a consequence, Pourmand faced automatic discharge
from the army and forfeit of his entire income, pension,
and housing for his family. In mid-April, Iranian authorities
abandoned preliminary hearings against Pourmand before
a Tehran General and Revolutionary Court on two separate
charges of apostasy and proselytizing, both capital
crimes, reportedly after news of his trial leaked out
to the international press. In early May, he was transferred
from Tehran to his home city of Bushehr to stand trial
in a General and Revolutionary Court on these charges.
On May 28, that court acquitted Pourmand on apostasy
and proselytizing charges, and he was sent back to Tehran's
Evin Prison to serve out the remainder ofhis 3-year
prison sentence.
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-owned businesses in
Tehran and Shiraz were targets of vandalism and boycotts,
and Jews reportedly suffered personal harassment and
intimidation. There were no reports of vandalism or
similar harassment during the reporting period.
Numerous Sunni clerics have been killed
in recent years, some allegedly by government agents.
While the exact reason for their murders is 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 reporting
period; 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
2004, Zoroastrians were able to make, apparently without
government interference, their annual pilgrimage to
one of the holiest sites of 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. Several Shi'a religious leaders have
been under house arrest for years, including Grand Ayatollah
Hossein Ali Montazeri, who was released after 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.
On February 6, the special clerical
court agreed to the conditional release (parole) of
prominent dissident cleric Hojatoleslam Hassan Yussefi
Eshkevari; he had served two thirds of his 7-year sentence
and was therefore eligible for parole under the law.
The cleric had been arrested in 2000, charged with the
capital crimes of apostasy and "corruption on earth,"
in conjunction with speeches he had made in a 2000 conference
on reform in Berlin.
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 Muhammed, based on a speech
in which he challenged Muslims not to blindly follow
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' imprisonment, 2 of which were
suspended, and 5 years of additional "deprivation
of social right" (meaning that he could not teach
or write books or articles). His time served was counted
towards his 3-year sentence; the court converted the
remainder of the time 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. Also, Baha'is
were repeatedly offered relief from mistreatment in
exchange for recanting their faith.
Abuses by Terrorist Organizations
There were no reported abuses targeted
at specific religions by terrorist organizations during
the reporting period.
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.
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 reporting period, many newspapers celebrated
the one-hundredth anniversary of the anti-Semitic publication
"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.
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
anti-Semitism on the part of the Government and within
society.
In December 2004, the country's Sahar
1 TV station began airing a weekly series titled "For
You, Palestine," or "Zahra's Blue Eyes,"
set in Israel and the West Bank. Produced in Farsi and
subsequently translated into Arabic, this series depicted
Israeli government, military, and civilian personnel
harvesting organs from Palestinian children for the
benefit of Israeli officials. Other anti-Semitic series
shown on state-run Iranian television during this period
included "The People of the Cave," a supposedly
historical drama series, and "Al-Shatat."
"Al-Shatat," originally broadcasted by Hizbullah's
Al-Manar TV channel, portrayed the Jewish people as
being responsible for most the world’s problems,
via their conspiring to achieve political and economic
domination over the world.
In April, Ayatollah Hossein Nouri-Hamedani,
one of the country's leading religious authorities,
told a group of clerics that "one should fight
the Jews and vanquish them," to prepare the ground
and to hasten the advent of the Hidden Imam.
On April 13, Representative Maurice
Motamed, who represents Jews in the Majlis, complained
that Iran's state television was broadcasting anti-Semitic
programs. According to the press, Motamed claimed that
"insulting Jews and attributing false things to
them in television serials over the past 12 years has
not only hurt the feelings of the Jewish community but
has also led to the emigration of a considerable percentage
of the Jewish community." Motamed also claimed
that repeated complaints about this problem have not
had the desired effect.
The Government's anti-Israel policies
and the trial of 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 themselves 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 reporting
period. Sufis were also targeted by the country's intelligence
and security services.
In June 2003, an interfaith delegation
of American Christians, Jews, and Muslims traveled to
meet with religious, political, and cultural leaders.
In April 2005, an interfaith delegation of Muslims,
Christians, and Jews paid a return visit to the United
States, attending an interfaith conference in Washington,
D.C.
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.
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 |