BAHA'IS
SIR,—We should like to bring to the attention of your readers that since Professor Zeine wrote you about the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran an Iranian Cabinet Minister has em- phatically denied to the correspondent of a leading London newspaper that the Baha'is are involved in politics. He declared that strong action would be taken to prevent fanatical Muslims attacking the Baha'is during the Muslim months of Muharram and Safar, which begin on August 18, when religious emotion in Iran reaches its greatest height.
This statement followed an appeal by the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations against the continued attacks on Rebels. Orders were given for more than 600 Baha'i centres to be occupied and for Baha'is to be dismissed from government employment. Murder, arson, rape and other atrocities by mobs, unpunished and sometimes even encour- aged by officials, followed.
It remains to be seen whether the Iranian Government's actions will be as good as the Cabinet Minister's words. The Shahanshah and his government can scarcely expect Western opinion to pay much attention to its claim of religious tolerance so long as it sides with the diminishing number of fanatics in Iran and refuses to recognise a group which not only constitutes the largest religious minority in the country, but contains a disproportionately large number of the most trustworthy of the Shah's subjects.—Yours faithfully,
JOHN FERRABY, Secretary National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the British Isles 27 Rutland Gate, London, SWZ
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