Former member of Hojjatieh sends his apologies to Baha’is
[Editor: Bahram Moshiri interviews Mr. Abbas Mazaheri, a former member of Hojattieh [a clandestine anti-Baha’i group — see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hojjatieh]. The interview is in Persian. In response to Moshiri’s question regarding his release from prison and his time with Hojjatieh, Mr. Mazaheri says “Today, before I begin, I owe some apologies. I owe an apology to my honourable and dear Baha’i friends. I spent the most exciting years of my youth, from 16 to 21, fighting against the Baha’is. I am ashamed of this, and I hope that my dear and honourable Baha’i countrymen will forgive me.” (Transalation by Iran Press Watch). You can watch the entire interview on Youtube.]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrqWj8iwjeM[/youtube]
Source: Bahram Moshiri (www.bahrammoshiri.com) talk shows in Persian, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrqWj8iwjeM
April 13, 2010 1:13 pm
What is “hojjatieh”?
April 13, 2010 3:34 pm
Wikipedia: Hojjatieh is a semi-clandestine traditionalist Shia organization founded in Iran in 1953 with permission of Ayatollah Borujerdi. Its major premise is that the most immediate threat to Islam is the Bahá’í Faith which they believe must be eliminated. In 1955, a systematic program carried out by the government and clergy destroyed the national Bahá’í Center, confiscated properties and made being a Bahá’í punishable by up to 10 year prison. The group flourished during the 1979 revolution that ousted the Shah. but was forced to dissolve by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1983 over theological and governance differences. The current president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is rumored to be an advocate of Hojjatieh. (Baha’is have faced death, denial of rights to work, education and freedom of worship and massive harassment and intimidation, since its beginnings in Iran in 1844. Persecutions have intensified once again in recent years under Ahmadeinejad).
April 13, 2010 8:57 pm
The hojjatieh are an Iranian religious organization dedicated to defaming and otherwise impinging upon the Baha’i Faith in Iran. They have existed for many years, but have had a more visible presence lately under the current Iranian leadership.
However they perceive the Baha’i Faith, there is always hope. Like Mr. Mazaheri in the article above, they can be made to see reason once they begin to think independently about the fruits of this tree. Thank you Mr. Mazaheri, God bless you for this heartfelt apology.
October 23, 2014 1:35 am
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