Faezeh Hashemi and Nasrin Sotoudeh Visit Baha’i Prisoner

Zob Ahan

Elite Member
Feb 4, 2005
17,476
2,231
#1
[h=1]Faezeh Hashemi and Nasrin Sotoudeh Visit Baha’i Prisoner[/h]BY EDITOR · MAY 13, 2016

Source: en.iranwire.com
Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani (in chador) meets with Fariba Kamalabadi
The photograph has popped up everywhere across social networks. It shows Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, in her usual outfit of a black chador and a colorful headscarf sitting next to Fariba Kamalabadi and her family. Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh is there too. A portrait of Abdul Baha, the leader of the Baha’i faith in the early 20th century, can be seen in the background. “This was my duty as a human being,” Faezeh Hashemi told IranWire. “I had to visit Fariba.”
Fariba is a member of Yaran — the Friends of Iran group — which oversaw the activities of the Baha’i community after the Islamic Republic shut down the Iranian National Baha’i Spiritual Assembly. But eight years ago, all members of the group were arrested. Each of them received long prison sentences of up to 20 years. Last year, an appeals court reduced their sentences to 10 years.
Many who have spent time in Evin Prison know about Fariba Kamalabadi and her heart-rending story. At the time of her arrest, her daughter was 13 years old. When her daughter received her high-school diploma, Kamalabadi was in prison. And she was still in prison when her daughter married and gave birth to her own child.
This week, on May 10, prison authorities granted Kamalabadi temporary freedom, her first furlough for eight years. She was told she would have five days to reunite with her children, kiss her grandchildren, browse through their photographs, and hear their stories from the years she missed.
Over the last few years, as the arrest and jailing of civil rights activists, lawyers and journalists has increased, the situation for the Baha’is of Iran has become more public. People are familiar with what they have gone through, and support for them has grown, and become more vocal. Since Kamalabadi’s release, many people have paid her visits, including non-Baha’is who have become friends with her or have heard her story. Dozens of photographs of her next to Faezeh Hashemi, the human right lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, her husband, the graphic artist Reza Khandan, and journalists Zhila Bani Yaghoub, Bahman Ahmadi Amouee, and Mahsa Amrabadi have appeared online, and a video has been widely shared. In it, the journalist Sajedeh Arabsorkhi talks about her memories of the wedding day of Fariba Kamalabadi’s daughter. At the time, Arabsorkhi was in prison with Kamalabadi. “It is so difficult to talk about those memories without crying,” she said.
The video also shows visitors hugging Kamalabadi, and saying, “In prison, she was our support. We hope that someday she will be our support outside prison too.”
But it is probably the photograph of Kamalabadi with Faezeh Hashemi that has attracted the most attention. She too remembers Kamalabadi in prison. For six months, they were cellmates at Evin Prison.
“This Behavior is not Islamic”
IranWire asked Faezeh Hashemi if her view about the Baha’i community changed after she spent time in prison. “In prison I was cellmate with a number of people, and I came to know them from close-up,” she said. “My relations with Fariba and others were friendly. I see this as a human rights issue. I believe that Baha’is should be allowed to enjoy all human rights, just like other citizens. They have no rights. It does not matter that I am a Muslim and they are Baha’is, or which religion is good and which one is bad. This is not the question. The question is human rights. and unfortunately certain sections of our society are denied basic rights. This is not acceptable — and Islam does not accept this discrimination either. There are many statements in Islam and Koranic verses that refer to this. We have the advice of Imam Ali gave to his companion, which says you have to observe the right of those who do not share your faith. So what we see here is not Islamic behavior. This is what we are witnessing in the Islamic Republic.”
Hashemi was not the only individual who changed her views after serving a prison sentence. Filmmaker and former conservative journalist Mohammad Nourizad also became aware of the treatment of the Baha’i community while he was in prison. After getting out of prison, he tried to tell their story. When Faran Hesami and her husband Kamran Rahimian were imprisoned for teaching at the underground university the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), he went to their home, kissed the foot of their five-year-old child and asked for forgiveness. He visited young Baha’is who were denied a college education, kneeled before them and apologized to them. He started a personal initiative called Peace and Friendship and visited Baha’i families. He posted the stories he heard and photographs on his blog. In 2012, he made a short film entitled We Have Murdered People in which he mentioned the plight of the Baha’is in Iran.
Like him, Faezeh Hashemi is taking steps to end the discrimination against the Baha’is. “Whenever I am somewhere with government officials and others I try to bring up this subject. I have done it many times,” she said.
But how do people react when they hear these sentiments from the daughter of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is currently chairman of the Expediency Council? “When they speak and give their personal opinion, they agree that this is an injustice. But they can’t do anything about it,” Faezeh Hashemi said. “It seems that a more powerful authority wants these policies. Mr. Rouhani himself faces obstacles, and Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani is also under enormous pressures.”
“Of course the question of human rights does not apply to the Baha’is only,” she said. “There are large segments of society that face the same problems. Unfortunately there is an attitude of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ in the Islamic Republic, which has led to these kinds of problems — the violation of human rights is a serious problem among them. Besides the Baha’is, many other people live under difficult conditions. besides the Baha’is but the situation of the Baha’is is more difficult than the others.”
Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was also a cellmate of Fariba at Evin for two and a half years. She finds it encouraging that in recent years public opinion has become more attuned to the issue of human rights. “I think we will be able to go beyond the perception of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ and leave it behind,” she said.
Public opinion is learning
But Sotoudeh points out that violations of the human rights of the Baha’is continue. Their businesses are closed, they are banned from attending higher education, they face arrests and long prison sentences. “The Baha’i community is still under pressure. But now the media, technology and social networks are ending the indifference of public opinion towards these sufferings. I hope this a prelude for the public to use its power and force the government to respect the rights of all Iranian citizens including the Baha’is.”
Would she have visited Fariba Kamalabadi as a human rights activist even if she had not been a cellmate of hers? “Yes, I would have,” said Sotoudeh without hesitation. “But I cannot deny that in those two and a half years when we shared the same painful experience we forged special bonds between us. But in any case, the pain she suffered was because of her beliefs and her faith. I would have definitely visited her anyway.”
May 14 is the anniversary of the arrest of Kamalabadi and her colleagues. Sotoudeh hopes it will be much more this year, and that all seven of the Friends of Iran group are freed. That will be an occasion to celebrate, she said.


 

artavile

IPL Player
Oct 18, 2002
3,660
2
MD, USA
#2
Apparently this has really pissed off the establishment and she is in hot water yet again. This was almost as significant as her protest during AN's re-selection, it seems she is the only one with balls in Rafi family.
 

artavile

IPL Player
Oct 18, 2002
3,660
2
MD, USA
#5
I also should have mentioned, that based on her actions, she is the only Bache-akhoond that I am aware of with some decency gene in her.
"But Ms. Hashemi told Euronews that she was “not sorry at all.” Discrimination in name of religion and the oppression of the Bahais are wrong, she said. “We are oppressive in Iran not only toward these but toward many,” she said to the agency. “We should correct our behavior.”

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/19/world/middleeast/iran-bahais-kamalabadi-hashemi-meeting.html
 

kambujiyeh

IPL Player
Oct 18, 2002
2,662
44
#6
Had not seen this before. Respect to Faezeh for her courage. It does take a lot of balls to spit in the face of the government. I remember the first time I experienced discrimination. It was 1974 or 75 and at that time I lived in Isfahan. Like most kids we were playing goal kochik on the street and as usual the weather was hot as can be. My parents were not home and I was locked out, so after the game I was super thirsty and asked our neighbor Jamshid if I could have some water. Jamshid was a real tall kid. Must have been around 6 foot tall at the time and was a real decent person. He of course said no problem and proceeded to go to his house to get me some water. Now another neighbor who I really admired name Hamid ran to me and said don't drink the water, it is Najes. Hamid was already in high school and a bit older than me, so you could say I looked up to him. Anyway, I was puzzled. When Jamshid brough me the water, I inspected it all around. I still remember clear as day, the glass was your typical blue colored glass. It was filled to the rim and had lots of crushed ice in it. I smelled it. Looked inside for impurities. Checked the outside. Nothing I tell you. So I drank the water, thanked Jamshid and handed the empty glass to him. After I walked away, Hamid approached and scolded me as to why I drank the water. He said "nagooftam najeses" in typical Isfahani accent. I looked him straight in the eye and said "nah baba, tamizeh tamiz bood". I really thought he was saying the water or the glass was going to be dirty. I had no idea why he would say not to drink the water. So he said "baba in ha Bahai hastan. Najesan. Digeh az in bad dast beh hichi az in ha nazan". I was shocked. Had no idea what was going on. I asked my mother later on what was the big fuss and she explained that because these super nice folks that had always been so nice to everyone, were considered to be najes because they were different.

I swear on all that is holly, that was the moment that I made up my mind about religion. Even after the revolution, with all the attempts to force us to become more religious, I would not fall for any of that. A couple of years later, after the revolution, I was living in a different part of the town and attending Samad Behrangi HS. I again witnessed first hand how they would kick our fellow Bahai students out of school for no freaking reason. Looking back I sometime feel ashamed that I could not have done anything more. But more shameful of the average person who outwardly were excellent folks, but deep down had these societal prejudices based on ignorance. Even for people that lived right next to them :( Sadly, after all these years the issue seems to be more prevalent than ever :(
 
Last edited:

Zob Ahan

Elite Member
Feb 4, 2005
17,476
2,231
#7
Had not seen this before. Respect to Faezeh for her courage. It does take a lot of balls to spit in the face of the government. I remember the first time I experienced discrimination. It was 1974 or 75 and at that time I lived in Isfahan. Like most kids we were playing goal kochik on the street and as usual the weather was hot as can be. My parents were not home and I was locked out, so after the game I was super thirsty and asked our neighbor Jamshid if I could have some water. Jamshid was a real tall kid. Must have been around 6 foot tall at the time and was a real decent person. He of course said no problem and proceeded to go to his house to get me some water. Now another neighbor who I really admired name Hamid ran to me and said don't drink the water, it is Najes. Hamid was already in high school and a bit older than me, so you could say I looked up to him. Anyway, I was puzzled. When Jamshid brough me the water, I inspected it all around. I still remember clear as day, the glass was your typical blue colored glass. It was filled to the rim and had lots of crushed ice in it. I smelled it. Looked inside for impurities. Checked the outside. Nothing I tell you. So I drank the water, thanked Jamshid and handed the empty glass to him. After I walked away, Hamid approached and scolded me as to why I drank the water. He said "nagooftam najeses" in typical Isfahani accent. I looked him straight in the eye and said "nah baba, tamizeh tamiz bood". I really thought he was saying the water or the glass was going to be dirty. I had no idea why he would say not to drink the water. So he said "baba in ha Bahai hastan. Najesan. Digeh az in bad dast beh hichi az in ha nazan". I was shocked. Had no idea what was going on. I asked my mother later on what was the big fuss and she explained that because these super nice folks that had always been so nice to everyone, were considered to be najes because they were different.

I swear on all that is holly, that was the moment that I made up my mind about religion. Even after the revolution, with all the attempts to force us to become more religious, I would not fall for any of that. A couple of years later, after the revolution, I was living in a different part of the town and attending Samad Behrangi HS. I again witnessed first hand how they would kick our fellow Bahai students out of school for no freaking reason. Looking back I sometime feel ashamed that I could not have done anything more. But more shameful of the average person who outwardly were excellent folks, but deep down had these societal prejudices based on ignorance. Even for people that lived right next to them :( Sadly, after all these years the issue seems to be more prevalent than ever :(
Welcome back mate. You are the 4th alumni of Samad Behrangi High on this site. What a small world.
Yours truly & Sly & Alila & now you.
 

kambujiyeh

IPL Player
Oct 18, 2002
2,662
44
#8
Zobahn jan that is awesome indeed. Maybe we were classmates and did not know it :) I went to Kar for 1st and 2nd grade, then to Setareh Sobh were I was for 3 and 4th. 5th i went to Peeshro in tehran and Pouya for 6th. I went back to Isfahan the next year to Farabi and finally when they built Samad Behrangi I went there. Small world indeed. I also lived very close to the school. I think the name of the road was Zartosht Street. It is so long ago I don't really remember :(
 

Fatso

Captain
Oct 1, 2004
8,122
205
#9
Had not seen this before. Respect to Faezeh for her courage. It does take a lot of balls to spit in the face of the government. I remember the first time I experienced discrimination. It was 1974 or 75 and at that time I lived in Isfahan. Like most kids we were playing goal kochik on the street and as usual the weather was hot as can be. My parents were not home and I was locked out, so after the game I was super thirsty and asked our neighbor Jamshid if I could have some water. Jamshid was a real tall kid. Must have been around 6 foot tall at the time and was a real decent person. He of course said no problem and proceeded to go to his house to get me some water. Now another neighbor who I really admired name Hamid ran to me and said don't drink the water, it is Najes. Hamid was already in high school and a bit older than me, so you could say I looked up to him. Anyway, I was puzzled. When Jamshid brough me the water, I inspected it all around. I still remember clear as day, the glass was your typical blue colored glass. It was filled to the rim and had lots of crushed ice in it. I smelled it. Looked inside for impurities. Checked the outside. Nothing I tell you. So I drank the water, thanked Jamshid and handed the empty glass to him. After I walked away, Hamid approached and scolded me as to why I drank the water. He said "nagooftam najeses" in typical Isfahani accent. I looked him straight in the eye and said "nah baba, tamizeh tamiz bood". I really thought he was saying the water or the glass was going to be dirty. I had no idea why he would say not to drink the water. So he said "baba in ha Bahai hastan. Najesan. Digeh az in bad dast beh hichi az in ha nazan". I was shocked. Had no idea what was going on. I asked my mother later on what was the big fuss and she explained that because these super nice folks that had always been so nice to everyone, were considered to be najes because they were different.

I swear on all that is holly, that was the moment that I made up my mind about religion. Even after the revolution, with all the attempts to force us to become more religious, I would not fall for any of that. A couple of years later, after the revolution, I was living in a different part of the town and attending Samad Behrangi HS. I again witnessed first hand how they would kick our fellow Bahai students out of school for no freaking reason. Looking back I sometime feel ashamed that I could not have done anything more. But more shameful of the average person who outwardly were excellent folks, but deep down had these societal prejudices based on ignorance. Even for people that lived right next to them :( Sadly, after all these years the issue seems to be more prevalent than ever :(

I knew pricks like that growing up. Almost all ended up being the "enlightened" anti-religion types in the future. Pricks then, pricks now.
 

Zob Ahan

Elite Member
Feb 4, 2005
17,476
2,231
#10
Zobahn jan that is awesome indeed. Maybe we were classmates and did not know it :) I went to Kar for 1st and 2nd grade, then to Setareh Sobh were I was for 3 and 4th. 5th i went to Peeshro in tehran and Pouya for 6th. I went back to Isfahan the next year to Farabi and finally when they built Samad Behrangi I went there. Small world indeed. I also lived very close to the school. I think the name of the road was Zartosht Street. It is so long ago I don't really remember :(
Kam jan my brother went to Farabi. I think you may be a couple of years older because when I went to Samad Behrangi (10th grade probably 1982) they had just changed the name to Beheshti and wasn't brand new. I only stayed at that high school for a year because the new principal didn't allow me to re-register the next year because I was on the "black list" for going to parties. My cousins went to Setareh Sobh. I remember they taught French there. My uncle lived walking distance to the school on Shahdejh (now Freiburg) right by the pigeon tower. Those years were just the start of the oppression and khafaghan. Even though they were bad times we had our fun. There was a girl's high school down the road and I met my first true girl friend there. Speaking of Bahais I remember they once called 5 classmates and took them out of the class and 3 of them never returned. I think they didn't recant their religion.
 

Sly

Elite Member
Oct 18, 2002
28,748
878
#11
and finally when they built Samad Behrangi I went there.
What year was that? They only built the HS or the whole school at the same time? In my time the whole school was named Shahid Beheshti and the classes were from first grade until the end of HS! I never encountered any problems with Bahai people though! We had 1 in our class.

I guess I'm a bit younger than you guys.
 

Zob Ahan

Elite Member
Feb 4, 2005
17,476
2,231
#12
What year was that? They only built the HS or the whole school at the same time? In my time the whole school was named Shahid Beheshti and the classes were from first grade until the end of HS! I never encountered any problems with Bahai people though! We had 1 in our class.

I guess I'm a bit younger than you guys.
It was Samad Behrangi before I moved there.
 
Oct 18, 2002
2,662
44
#13
What year was that? They only built the HS or the whole school at the same time? In my time the whole school was named Shahid Beheshti and the classes were from first grade until the end of HS! I never encountered any problems with Bahai people though! We had 1 in our class.

I guess I'm a bit younger than you guys.
This was 1980-81. Just before and immediately after the start of the war. At that time they started to kick Bahai kids out of class, which pissed off a lot of folks. One of the guys was named Farhad who i was friends with. I remember he used to come to school and watch us from the outside :( There was a soccer field which we were forced to use during afternoon prayer. Funny story: For some reason everyone started to get into fish tanks and Aquariums. I personally loved the fish tank when I used to drool over the fish tank that the dry cleaner (used to be across from Peykan Dealership) used to have. Anyway we would trade fish when they would ask us to pray :) The school confiscated so much fish from us that they had a lot of the aquariums in the chem lab turned into fish tanks. MOFOs then sold these fish to make money :)
 

Sly

Elite Member
Oct 18, 2002
28,748
878
#14
This was 1980-81. Just before and immediately after the start of the war. At that time they started to kick Bahai kids out of class, which pissed off a lot of folks. One of the guys was named Farhad who i was friends with. I remember he used to come to school and watch us from the outside :( There was a soccer field which we were forced to use during afternoon prayer. Funny story: For some reason everyone started to get into fish tanks and Aquariums. I personally loved the fish tank when I used to drool over the fish tank that the dry cleaner (used to be across from Peykan Dealership) used to have. Anyway we would trade fish when they would ask us to pray :) The school confiscated so much fish from us that they had a lot of the aquariums in the chem lab turned into fish tanks. MOFOs then sold these fish to make money :)
The school was built 80-81??!! The whole school? So then it was quite fresh when I moved there in 82-83!!! At that time it was called Shahid Beheshti though!
 

ChaharMahal

Elite Member
Oct 18, 2002
16,563
261
#15
I was talking a handy-man to iran who actually seemed quite modern.

he was like did you hear Faezeh Coverted by Bahai Faith (Agha shenidi Faeze dokhtar hashemi bahiee shod?)

I was like no dude she simply visited her buddy.

but it goes to say what a brilliant misinformation campaign Iran's intelligence officials run.
 
Oct 18, 2002
2,662
44
#16
The school was built 80-81??!! The whole school? So then it was quite fresh when I moved there in 82-83!!! At that time it was called Shahid Beheshti though!
Sly jan,

I am not sure if the school was recently built or was being renovated? There was also a mosque nearby that was also being built/renovated if I am not mistaken. We must have just missed each other, as I left/ran away late 1981. I think the next year they might have changed the name to Beheshti cause he was still alive in 81 and was killed in summer or fall (if my memory serves me correctly).
Anyway that was a LONG time ago man. Honestly the only thing I remember from that school year is the amount of fucking fish the school confiscated of me alone :( Top notch Guppies with long tails and a bunch of black and dotted Mully:) Another item that i remember is that we had a class where we were learning to draw. The objective was to draw two parallel lines very close to each other where a shape was created. The only thing was that the lines never crossed each other. I had a classmate at the school who also went to Setareh Sobh with me, and his name was Shahram Khosravi. Maybe you guys knew him :)

One more thing. Every cool kid had one of those Suzuki 80 or the Yamaha silver one. Man how I wished I could get one. It was around 10,000 tomman at that time. I so wanted to get one of the green Suzukis :( Anyway thinking of this made me remember the good times. I remember one of my classmates who died during the war. His name Ali Ranjabar :( Ali's father worked for my dad at the Bank e Tejarat. I know a lot of kids from Isfahan who died in that war :(


https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjDrL3KqqXNAhXEZiYKHZucA40QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bikepics.com%2Fmembers%2Fhappybike%2F80ds80%2F&psig=AFQjCNGDzDYnYKBcH7Gtyvn1RUEbqsWxiQ&ust=1465918622988035
 
Last edited:

ChaharMahal

Elite Member
Oct 18, 2002
16,563
261
#17
the "Bahaiee" Faith and and "Islam" will probably forever have an uneasy relationship.

however, I hope differences fizz out just like in America Christians have gradually embraced Mormons.

It will be much harder in "Islamic" world but I think it can happen.

I remember my own grandpa was just fine embracing his Bahaiee cousins. and may be these family relations can make it a bit easier.

and he could whitewash it for akhoonds by saying belakhre dar sonat peyambar khanevadeh mohem hast.
 
Oct 18, 2002
2,662
44
#18
Kam jan my brother went to Farabi. I think you may be a couple of years older because when I went to Samad Behrangi (10th grade probably 1982) they had just changed the name to Beheshti and wasn't brand new. I only stayed at that high school for a year because the new principal didn't allow me to re-register the next year because I was on the "black list" for going to parties. My cousins went to Setareh Sobh. I remember they taught French there. My uncle lived walking distance to the school on Shahdejh (now Freiburg) right by the pigeon tower. Those years were just the start of the oppression and khafaghan. Even though they were bad times we had our fun. There was a girl's high school down the road and I met my first true girl friend there. Speaking of Bahais I remember they once called 5 classmates and took them out of the class and 3 of them never returned. I think they didn't recant their religion.
Zob Ahan jan, when did your cousin go to Setareh Sobh? I was there around 1976-77. I actually have a picture from my class. In fact the only school picture I have :( Later on I found out that the husband of our principal was executed because of his supposed ties to SAVAK. That school had a real sad history. Many years before I went there there was an accident where the roof of the school crashed on the kids and killed a few of the students. We were once standing in the morning assembly for the usual exercise, singing the anthem and having someone randomly check our freaking nails :) when we saw a little kid staring at us from the old corridor of the school. We were surprised because he was dressed differently and not attending the assembly. So we started to get the attention of the teachers to come over and by the time we looked at the spot, the kid was no where to be found. The Mashdi at our school then told us to go to class and they canceled the assembly. We had no idea what the reason was, but our teacher said that we had just seen a ghost of the kid who died during the accident and shows up once in a while. I get sad when I think of it now, but I was scared shit less when I was a kid :)