Shiraz – Mr. Afshin Ehsanian, Mr. Fraham (Hadi) Masoumi, and Mrs. Haleh Hushmandi, who were among the 54 youth arrested on 29 Urdibehesht 1387 (19 May 2006) for teaching disadvantaged children, along with Mr. Vahdat Dana and Mr. Keyvan Karami, all of whom are from Shiraz and are free on bail, have been subpoenaed to present themselves to the Court on 18 Aban 1388 (9 Nov. 2009).
[Source: Baha’i World News Services in Persian; Translated by Iran Press Watch ]
November 9, 2009 8:03 pm
Baha’is are not presently allowed to be employed as teachers in Iran, so they gave their time for the sake of God: in the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education for home classes (300 homes were raided); in the tutoring project with the permission of the parents (53 Baha’is arrested); and teaching their own children(hundreds of families have had their books confiscated).
Baha’is have received praise from historians for helping start modern education in Iran since the 1870’s, but now history books are carefully controlled, and every effort is made to prevent Baha’is from being valuable to their country. But their example of not accepting the identity of ‘victim’ has true power.