Bahai Parents Not Allowed to Bury Their Child

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Source: Alliance for rights of all minorities (facebook page)

Tabriz_

It has been over one week since the twelve-year old, Mahna Samandari has passed away but her parents have not been allowed to bury her. Mahna’s parents who suffer from physical handicaps are not only grieving the loss of their daughter but are devastated from “regulations” that deny them the right to burying their child in the local cemetery of Tabriz.

Before the Islamic revolution the Baha’i community in Tabriz had acquired a cemetery that was later confiscated by the government authorities. Until the 2011 the community was able to bury their dead in the cemetery until August of 2011 when the authorities announced that they no longer allow Baha’i interments. In the past three years at least twenty Baha’i individuals were denied burial in this cemetery. As an alternative, authorities are suggesting a burial ground in Urumia or the city of Miandoab, located at least 60 minutes outside of the city. Common sense and religious laws prohibit remote burial grounds, especially for Samandaris who are physically disabled.

Mahna suffered from a form of paralysis that impaired the use of her hands. Despite her handicap, she pursued her passion for art and painted with her mouth. A gifted artist with determination, Mahna obtained the first prize in art in a national competition.

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4 Responses

  1. Sohrab

    November 2, 2014 2:14 am

    Tof be rooye jomhuri eslami va lanat bar in hokoomat ke vaseye 35saal hich kodoom hoghoogh bashar mardom haye irani nadaran bekharate in akhoonda. Komak az keshvarha mesle Amrika kojast, chetori mitoonan to in doro zamooneh haroomzadeha in kararo anjom bedan?

    Reply
  2. Bill

    November 4, 2014 3:40 pm

    Clearly, the authorities know the Baha’i teachings on this subject. They have explicitly created a situation in which Baha’is would be forced to violate the Baha’i burial requirement not to transport a body more than an hour’s travel time from the place of death. If that is not discrimination and abuse, I don’t know what is.

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