Iraq's Baha'is Continue to Face Persecution, Social Exclusion
Despite recent efforts by religious authorities to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding, Iraq’s Baha’is are still subject to persecution and exclusion.
Iraq is one of the main starting points of the Baha'i religion. Baha'u'llah, the founder of the religion, spent 10 years in Iraq, where he announced his religious call. This occurred in the Radwan garden in Baghdad, which is said to be on the banks of the Tigris River in what is currently Baghdad Medical City. The Baha’i religion was preceded by a heavy presence of the followers of Bab (another central figure to the Baha'i religion) in Iraq, most notably Tahirih Qurratu l-`Ayn, the most prominent female figure among them.
Ever since its establishment, the Baha'i religion has been facing pressure and persecution in the Middle East at large, and in Iraq in particular. Many of its followers have been killed and its holy sites destroyed. Baha'is have been subjected to investigations and persecution during different periods. A number of provocative writings have been produced against Baha'is, supporting violence against them. They have been accused of a variety of charges, ranging from undermining religion to preaching atheism, pornography and being the fruit of colonialism and Zionism, and the list goes on.
