“Non-Muslims Have Never Been Harassed Under Islamic Regime,” says Iranian Supreme Leader

“Non-Muslims Have Never Been Harassed Under Islamic Regime,” says Iranian Supreme Leader
By Jeremy Reynalds, Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service (jeremyreynalds@gmail.com)

IRAN. (ANS. FEB. 22 2015) In a meeting with religious minority representatives in parliament, the Iranian Supreme Leader claimed there is no history of harassment of non-Muslims under our Islamic Republic regime.

 

In fact, according to a story by Mohabat News, he went even further.  Seyyed Ali Khamenei  said that based on Islamic teachings, followers of other religions should be treated with justice and fairness.

 

He added, “Muslims in Europe and America face death threats. There is a great propaganda campaign against them, and their places of worship are under constant attack.”

 

He claimed, “Such treatment of non-Muslims is nonexistent in the history of our Islamic regime. Even our hotheaded conservative youth do not allow themselves to attack a non-Muslim.”

 

Such claims of tolerance of non-Islamic faiths by the Iranian Supreme Leader are made while a large number of religious minorities have been imprisoned and executed since the establishment of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

 

According to Mohabat News, even religious minorities that are recognized in Iran's constitution have been harassed, persecuted and marginalized since the early days of the Islamic Revolution. That  has led to a mass migration of many religious minorities, especially Jews and Christians.

 

A few years ago, Karen Khanlarian, the then representative of the Armenian-Iranian community in Iran's parliament, raised concerns regarding the declining number of Christians in Iran. 

 

He said, “ The Armenian community is shrinking in the country. Our population is now down to 60-70 thousand.”

 

Khanlarian added, “We have had a slight drop in the number of Armenians leaving the country in the past few years, but this trend still continues amongst our community. The most popular destinations are Western Europe, the United States and Canada.”

 

In 1979, when the Islamic Revolution took place, the Armenian-Iranian population was around 180,000.

 

Comparing this number to the new census of the community, 60 percent of Armenian-Iranians have left the country. There has been a significant drop in the Iranian Jewish population as well.

 

Mohabat News said several United Nations special reports and resolutions have condemned the violation of Human Rights, especially the violation of the rights of religious minorities. 

 

In addition,  Ahmad Shaheed, the UN's Special Rapporteur for Iran, wrote in his report, “At least 307 religious minorities are being held in Iran's prisons for their faith, including 136 Bahais, 19 Dervishes, 50 Christians, 90 Sunni Muslims, and two Zoroastrians.”

 

In addition, Open Doors’ 2014 World Watch List ranked Iran among the ten countries where Christians are persecuted the most.  Its 2013 list put Iran in the 9th spot, but in 2014 Iran was moved to the seventh spot. 

 

Christians are prosecuted because of their faith, and those Christians coming from an Islamic background are imprisoned and threatened with execution.

 

In the case of Bahais, Mohabat News said, they are denied all their social rights. Many Bahais have been executed since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution based on their faith.

 

Even Sunni Muslims cannot enjoy the least amount of freedom. Like Christians and other religious minorities, Sunnis are not allowed to build a mosque of their own in Tehran, the capital.

 

Iranian laws, which are heavily based on Islamic law (Sharia), consider leaving Islam apostasy, which is punishable by death.

 

For more information about Mohabat News, visit www.mohabatnews.com