Religious toleration in Iran – Fariba Kamalabadi in Evin Prison, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani on death row

Wed, 15 May 2013 03:46:00 GMT

Source: jeffweintraub.blogspot.com --- Tuesday, May 14, 2013
In a recent item I posted on Religious toleration in Saudi Arabia – The dangers of text-messaging while Shiite , which was based on a report from an Iranian news service about the persecution of Shiites in Saudi Arabia, I noted in passing that the Islamic Republic of Iran doesn't have a sterling record of its own when it comes to freedom of conscience in general or freedom of religion in particular. There is not even the pretense of granting non-Muslim religions legal or cultural equality; certain religious minorities, like the Baha'i , are persecuted with special ferocity; Muslims who convert to Christianity may be charged with apostasy and face possible execution; and so on. But there is no question that, overall, there is much more religious toleration in Iran than in Saudi Arabia (a country routinely described as our "ally" and as a quintessentially "moderate" Arab power). Everything is relative. Yes, everything is relative. Here are two random cases that illustrate the present state of religious toleration in Iran. => Vargha Taefi , an Iranian Baha'i living in Australia, writes about " The anguish of separation " from his mother, jailed for her religion in Iran. (Thanks to Norman Geras for the tip.) I am a financial adviser, aged 29. I live in Melbourne with my wife. We are surrounded by great friends, fabulous food and coffee. We enjoy all the buzz and life of this vibrant city. My situation looks good from the outsid ...