Prayer and Action for the Friends in Iran

Mirzá 'Alí-Muhammad-i-Varqá and his son, Rúhu'lláh

My God, Whom I worship and adore! I bear witness unto Thy unity and Thy oneness, and acknowledge Thy gifts, both in the past and in the present. Thou art the All-Bountiful, the overflowing showers of Whose mercy have rained down upon high and low alike, and the splendors of Whose grace have been shed over both the obedient and the rebellious.

O God of mercy, before Whose door the quintessence of mercy hath bowed down, and round the sanctuary of Whose Cause loving-kindness, in its inmost spirit, hath circled, we beseech Thee, entreating Thine ancient grace, and seeking Thy present favor, that Thou mayest have mercy upon all who are the manifestations of the world of being, and deny them not the outpourings of Thy grace in Thy days.

All are but poor and needy, and Thou, verily, art the All-Possessing, the All-Subduing, the All-Powerful.

– Bahá’u’lláh

The seven Bahá’ís in Iran who supervised the affairs of the Faith in that country until their arrest in early 2008 will go on trial on charges of “espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” These spurious charges are the latest in a continuing effort by the clergy and government of that country to harm the entire Iranian Bahá’í community and are an example of the lack of religious freedom and exists with regard to other religions.  How can you help?

Hold your own prayer gatherings.

Organize prayer gatherings in your community, in consultation with your Local Spiritual Assembly, for the safety of these Bahá’í leaders and for the improvement in the deplorable lack of religious freedom in Iran. Contact your Muslim, Christian, and Jewish friends, interfaith groups, and others concerned about religious freedom in Iran. Be sure to avoid discussion or involvement in partisan politics.

Contact your Congressional Representatives. This can be done online at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

Photo courtesy of www.bahai-biblio.org/

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