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Show Baha'i Seeks Iran Study In the aftermath of the execution ex-ecution of seven of their coreligionists co-religionists in Iran on June 14, the local Baha'i community of Bountiful has joined its National Na-tional Spiritual Assembly in appealing to Dr. Kurt Wal-dheim, Wal-dheim, secretary-general of the United Nations, to send a representative to Iran to investigate inves-tigate the condition of the persecuted Baha'i community and to take steps to alleviate the plight of its members. IN ITS message to the Secretary-General, the local Baha'i community expressed concern for the justice and righteousness of nol recognizing recogniz-ing the largest minority religious reli-gious group in Iran. The L'niled Stales Baha'i Assembly said the supreme judicial council of Iran approved the executions on the basis of trumped-up charges, including corruption, lighting God and His messenger, messen-ger, and collaboration with world Zionism. "These charges hear no relation whatsoever what-soever to reality." the Baha'i National Assembly asserted, "But serve as a refrain in the shrill rhetoric being used by the Shiite clergy in their fanatic opposition to the Baha'i Faith, which they regard as a heresy." THE BAHA'I National Assembly called the attention of Mr. W'aldheim to the treat of stimmaiA executions laced h the scores of prominent Baha'is now being held in Iranian Ira-nian prisons. It said that thousands of appeals to Iranian Ira-nian authorities had been made by Baha'is of more than 3(H) countries and dependencies, dependen-cies, but nothing had resulted from these pleas. Reports of the persecution of the Baha'is of Iran oxer the past two ears have consistently consis-tently cited the confiscation of all Baha'i properties, the ex-piopration ex-piopration of the financial assests of Bahu'i-ow ned establishments, estab-lishments, the destruction of private dwellings, the wholesale whole-sale dismissals ol Baha'is from their jobs, the desecration of Baha'i cemeteries, and the demolition de-molition of the holiest Baha'i shrine in Iran, a place of pilgrimage pil-grimage lor all the Baha'is of the world. The executions of Baha'i leaders are a recent development de-velopment in the assault on Iran's Baha'i community. "SHAKEN AND distressed by the dark fate rapidly enveloping en-veloping the entire community of our beleaguered coreligionists." co-religionists." the Assembly plaintively wrote. ""We ur gently appeal lo you. Mr. Secretary-General, immediately to lend Ihe full weigh! of your influence lo arranging lo send a special representative or a United Un-ited Nations commission lo Iran at the earliest possible moment to ascertain the condition condi-tion of the Baha'is and to take forthright measures to lift the oppression burdening this peace-loving, law-abiding people." The Baha'i Faith originated in Iran in IS44 and has been opposed lo a heresy ever since by the Moslem clergy. Mean-while. Mean-while. Ihe religion has developed de-veloped a worldw ide following with adherents in more Ihn 100.000 localities around the world. The founder of Ihe religion. reli-gion. Baha'u'llah. was exiled . from his native Iran because of his teachings, including the unity un-ity of Ihe w orld's religions, the oneness of all Ihe races of man-' kind, the equality of men and women, and the necessity of establishing a world government govern-ment lo ensure universal peace. |