Mr. BONKER. We have some distinguished witnesses today, the first being one of the most distinguished Members of the Congress who also serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Mr. Derwinski and our colleague, Mr. Stark, have been in the forefront of advancing the cause of the Baha'is. They have brought this subcommittee's attention to their plight. I think it is only appropriate that our leadoff witness is the Honorable Edward J. Derwinski, from the State of Illinois. Please proceed. STATEMENT OF HON. EDWARD J. DERWINSKI, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS Mr. DERWINSKI. I ask unanimous consent to insert a complete statement in the record, along with related material, and then I will just summarize it. Mr. BONKER. Yes; your official statement will, of course, be included in the record. Mr. DERWINSKI. I appreciate your special interest in the case of the Baha'i community and I should like to point out that the world was forewarned of this tragedy. As soon as Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Iran, the Baha'is realized that they would bear the brunt of a great deal of prejudice, and they, unfortunately, were correct in their analysis. My first contact goes back to the first weeks after the Ayatollah returned to Iran, when, as a matter of a systematic policy, the Baha'i leaders and their members were subjected to arrests, disappearance, and their cemeteries had been desecrated. This has not been something with just a local or even regional scope-this was obviously planned, and that fits the definition to genocide, an effort to stamp out this religious community. As you pointed out, too, they are an unusually mild people, in the sense of their religious beliefs and practices, and they really do not constitute a threat to any regime. It is obvious that what we have here is a systematic effort to wipe out this religion, and it is one of the great tragedies of our time. The fact that it is a small group, the fact that they are not too widely known means that they are neglected by much of the media. I think it is unfortunate, but I think your subcommittee, which I was, incidentally, pleased to serve on for a number of years, has performed a very valuable task in taking up this specific case. I would like to point out that the Baha'is actually face extinction in Iran. Now, Mr. Chairman, you did note that we have very little leverage with that government. Very few governments have leverage with that government presently in Tehran. I don't know if the recent military developments along the Iran-Iraq border will produce some stability or further fanaticism in the area. The facts of life are that the Government of Iran is operating the present government as if it were totally apart from community nations, and until we can find some lever, probably economic at some point, there is not much we can do. I would hope our full committee might take a look to see if we can arouse some legitimate interest at the United Nations. I have written to the Secretary-General. I first wrote to Mr. Waldheim, and since then to his successor, asking that the United Nations take an active look at this tragedy. It would seem to me most fitting for the world body to look after the plight of this religious minority. With that, Mr. Chairman, I again commend you and your colleague, Mr. Hyde, for your special interest in this particular hearing, and I would hope we will help generate some public awareness and interest in this issue. [Mr. Derwinski's prepared statement and attachments follow:] PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. EDWARD J. DERWINSKI, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS Mr. Chairman, I am pleased that you are holding hearings and concentrating on the issue of the Baha'is. I believe that this ongoing tragedy which the Baha'i community is suffering in Iran is a story that has not been told vigorously and often enough and is, in fact, one of the great tragedies of our times. The Baha'i community called my attention to their fears in Iran shortly after the radical regime of the Ayatollah Khomeini took control in that country. At this point, I would like to have inserted in the record the letter I received on February 15, 1979, from Glenford E. Mitchell, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States. I have been concerned with the plight of Iranian members of the Baha'i faith for some time. On June 26, 1981, I appealed to Kurt Waldheim, then Secretary General of the United Nations, for his help in alleviating their suffering. May I insert a copy of that letter in the record at this point. The U.N. Subcommission for Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities voted 15 to 0 in condemnation of the Iranian persecution of the Baha'is. On July 24, 1981, I addressed the House, denouncing the cruelty and excesses of the Iranian regime and calling for particular attention to the continued persecution of the Baha'is. On September 15, 1981, I placed in the Congressional Record a column by Professor Firuz Kazemzadeh entitled "For Baha'is in Iran, a Threat of Extinction." I ask that these items be included in the record at this point. I also asked you as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations to hold hearings on the situation of the Iranian Baha'is, and I am very pleased this is now being done. There are relatively few Baha'is in the United States. The attention of the media is now riveted on the situation in the Falkland Islands and other world trouble spots, and the internal tragedy the Baha'is and other victims of the Ayatollah's regime face is all but forgotten. Again, Mr. Chairman, I commend you for holding these hearings and helping to present this story on behalf of a truly innocent and suffering people, the Baha'is. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ'ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES FLD 271979 536 HERIDAN ROAD, WILMETTE, ILLINOIS 80001 · (312) 256-1100 • CABLE: BAHA'I WILMETTE 15 February 1979 Mr. Edward J. Derwinski Dear Mr. Derwinski: Recent events in Iran have raised fears for the future of religious minorities, particularly the largest of them the Bahá'í community. Since last September a number of anti-Bahá'í outbreaks occurred in various cities, towns and villages with some deaths and a great deal of injury to persons and properties. The campaign directed against the Bahá'ís has reached the shores of The Bahá'í community in Iran, like Bahá'í communities everywhere, Very truly yours, NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF Glenford E. Mitchell Secretary CLEMENT J. ZABLOCKI, WIS., CHAIRMAN L. MOUNTAIN, N.C. DANTE B. FASCELL, FLA. BENJAMIN S. ROSENTHAL, N.Y. GERRY E. STUDDS, MASS. MICHAEL D. BARNES, MD. GEO. W. CROCKETT, JR., MICH. BOB SHAMANSKY, OHIO SAM GEJDENSON, CONN. WILLIAM S. BROOMFIELD, MICH. EDWARD J. DERWINSKI, Sh LARRY WINN, JR., KANS. ARLEN ERDAHL, MINN. OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, MAINE JOHN LEBOUTILLIER, N.Y. JOHN J. BRADY, JR. CHIEF OF STAFF Congress of the United States House of Representatives Washington, B.C. 20515 June 26, 1981 Attached is a copy of an appeal to you from by the regime for adherence to their faith. We appeal to you to do everything in your power Sincerely, EDWARD J. DERWINSKI, M.C. 2 D Mica DAN MICA, M.C. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ'ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES 536 SHERIDAN ROAD, WILMETTE, ILLINOIS 60091 · (312) 256-4400 · CABLE: BAHA'I WILMETTE 16 June 1981 The Honorable Edward J. Derwinski House of Representatives Dear Mr. Derwinski: We send herewith for your kind and immediate attention a copy of the urgent appeal we addressed yesterday to Dr. Kurt Waldheim, SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations, in the wake of the worsening persecution of the Bahá'í community in Iran. Given the gravity of the plight of our co-religionists, we respectfully request your support of our appeal to the Secretary-General for purely humanitarian reasons and in affirmation of America's traditional role as the champion of human rights. Please be assured of our thanks and best wishes. Very truly yours, NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF Glenford E. Mitchell Secretary |