MP Ken Weetch Says Many Of The Baháʼí Community In Ipswich Fear That Their Sect Is Facing Extinction By Iran's New Islamic Regime

Appeal to the Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, to bring the plight of the Baháʼís to the attention of the United Nations.

A group of people of the Baháʼí Faith arrive at a house in Ipswich. They are welcomed in and sit in the lounge together. Anglia TV reporter Marcus Powell explains that members of the Persian Baháʼí Faith have long been at odds with the Iranian regimes, and they have established separate communities in other countries around the world. They faced discrimination under the Shah of Iran, and the Revolution has brought more fundamental conflicts. They are denounced as heretics as they respect all gods, not just the God of Islam, and they treat women and men as equals. In Iran they are banned from work, from education and may even lose their official identity. In the UK, members of the Baháʼí Faith can hold their spiritual meeting and speak their minds. Shiva Cooper says there are hundreds of Baháʼís in prison in Iran with many are under severe torture, and children are deprived of an education. Translated documents from Iran show how Baháʼís are removed from their jobs. A man and woman sit with their backs to the camera for anonymity as they still have family in Iran. The woman was previously imprisoned and faced a renewed threat. The woman speaks in her own language and Shiva Cooper translates her statement that there were about 80 Baháʼís in the prison, the youngest a girl of 17 and the oldest a woman of 57. They faced physical and mental torture under pressure to deny their faith. Labour MP Ken Weetch is seen in his office with a painting of the Palace of Westminster on the wall. He is appealing to Sir Geoffrey Howe, the Foreign Secretary, to bring the plight of the Baháʼís to the attention of the United Nations. He stresses the urgency of the situation, comparing it with the plight of the Jews facing extinction in Germany under Hitler. Mr Weetch says the Baháʼí community in his Ipswich constituency tell him of threats of torture, death, molestation, destruction of property and serious indignities. On the desk in front of him are papers about the situation, including a leaflet titled ‘Torture – the anguish of the Baháʼís in Iran’. This short video was made to be shown in a news story on Anglia Television early evening news / magazine programme About Anglia.

Keywords

Baháʼí Faith; Religions; Iran; Islam; Interpreters; Repression; Torture

Additional Description

The Baháʼí Faith teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Ken Weetch served as Labour MP for Ipswich 1974 – 1987.