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Persecution in Iran

1979-present · Iran (Iran)

After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Bahá'ís of Iran, the country's largest religious minority, face systematic persecution: more than two hundred are executed in the 1980s, properties and cemeteries are confiscated or destroyed, and believers are barred from universities and public employment. The campaign continues, documented year by year by United Nations rapporteurs.

Tagged: Persecution Bahá'í Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice

The Event

Date
1979-present (exact)
Also called
Persecution of the Iranian Bahá'ís
Era
The Formative Age; Standard periodization of Bahá'í history
Location
Iran; today Iran
Traditions
Bahá'í
Streams
Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice

How the Tradition Tells It

The Iranian government characterizes its measures as law enforcement against espionage and illegal organization; United Nations rapporteurs and the community characterize them as religious persecution. The record follows the documented acts, which are not in dispute.

Primary Sources

  • The tradition's own record of the event.

Secondary Sources

  • MacEoin, Denis. The Messiah of Shiraz: Studies in Early and Middle Babism. Leiden: Brill, 2009.
  • Momen, Moojan. The Baha'i Faith: A Beginner's Guide. Oxford: Oneworld, 2008.
  • Shoghi Effendi. God Passes By. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1944 (the community's own history, cited as such).
  • Smith, Peter. An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
  • Warburg, Margit. Citizens of the World: A History and Sociology of the Baha'is in Britain and North America. Leiden: Brill, 2006.

Provenance: HIST-1114; confidence 0.95; accessed 2026-10-28.

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