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Raids on Bahai Institute for Higher Education in Iran

Raids on Bahai Institute for Higher Education in Iran

The following email is circulated by the AAAS Scientific Freedom, Responsibility and Law Program on behalf of the sender.  The contents were not independently verified by AAAS.

Dear professors,

Last Sunday, the faculty, staff, and students of the Bahai Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) (
http://www.bihe.org/ ) in Iran were attacked in a number of raids, arrests and laboratory/classroom shut downs. People of the Bahai Faith are banned from attending universities in Iran. The BIHE was developed in the 80s to provide higher education for young Bahai students who are denied of a college education. The university is internationally recognized and provides classes in literature, history, art, biology, chemistry, etc. Over 30 people affiliated with the university were arrested on Sunday and incarcerated without any sign of release. This attack has not been reported anywhere in the mainstream media.

I am writing you this email to raise awareness regarding this issue within our university. I hope that you will find it in your heart to pass on this information to your immediate community and allow this injustice to be known. The right to learn is a human right that should not be punished in order to achieve a political or religious agenda, and needs to be protected. A powerful article written by a BIHE faculty member, Dr. Behrooz Sabat entitled "Thou Shalt Not Learn!" can be read here:
http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/7881#more-7881.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Khanh Ngo
IPiB Dissertator