From a Brookfield living room, prayers for peace, freedom

Local Baha'is hope speaking out will help those in Iran

By ALAN HAMARI

Posted: June 23, 2009 |(0) Comments

Hot tea and warm smiles greet the visitors to Robert Malouf and Manijeh Khorshidi's Brookfield home on a muggy Friday evening.

The friends come from all over - New Berlin, Delafield, Sussex - and their faces light up when they are welcomed with a handshake and a hug.

As the roughly dozen or so people find places to sit on couches and folding chairs in the living room, Robert addresses his friends and asks Manijeh to start with a prayer.

The rest of the group follows, pausing for reflection after each verse is read.

The gathering, which ends with food, more tea and socializing later on, offers a glimpse into the Baha'i faith, the world's youngest independent religion and one that has more than 5 million followers worldwide.

Founder is divine messenger

Baha'i was founded in the 19th century by Baha'u'llah, a Persian nobleman whom Baha'is believe is the most recent in a succession of divine messengers that includes Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Christ and Muhammad.

The main teaching of Baha'i faith is that humanity is one race destined to be unified into one global society. Baha'i belief consists of several key principles, including the abandonment of all forms of prejudice, equality between men and women, the harmony between religion and science, and the independent investigation of truth.

Another key tenet is the prohibition of Baha'is from participating in politics, meaning they cannot oppose any government - like that of Iran, which has imprisoned, tortured and even killed Baha'is over the last century and a half.

"We wish for them enlightenment," Robert said of the faith's persecutors. "To live in darkness is not our destiny."

Baha'is persecuted in Iran

Robert and Manijeh usually hold devotional gatherings once a month at their home, but tonight's meeting is special. The group is sending their prayers to seven Baha'i leaders in Iran who have been jailed without formal charges or access to their lawyers for more than a year.

Local Baha'is also are writing to members of Congress, urging support from the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate for two resolutions that call for the release of the Baha'i leaders and other prisoners.

Baha'is have been persecuted in Iran for more than 100 years, and it's only because of the efforts and publicity from world political bodies and groups like the United Nations that they have not been eradicated, Malouf said.

Iran's Baha'i community used to number about 600,000, but that number has dwindled to 300,000, he said.

"We try and let others know about that oppression," Malouf said.

Revolution forced departure

Khorshidi has seen the persecution of Baha'is firsthand. She was born into a Baha'i family in Iran and shares stories of the taunting, humiliation and violence visited upon her and her relatives.

Her father, a teacher, was fired four times because of his faith and was eventually imprisoned for 14 years for his beliefs. His captors beat him so severely he eventually lost sight in one eye.

Khorshidi left Iran after the 1979 revolution, traveling to England, California and New York before ending up in this area, where she is a practicing dentist. Her sister and mother also live here.

"I realized I had to pursue my life in the West," she said. "There was no way back for me."

But she said keeping her faith was easy, because wherever she went, she was welcomed by the Baha'i community.

"It was as if I was home," she said.