Editorial, September 16, 2014.
The latest story in Iran’s government-approved media is that Bahais are up to no good in an extensive park on the Western outskirts of Tehran, on the road to Kharaj, known as the Vardavard gardens. A google search at 17.30 GMT today found 408 media sites expressing their concern at Bahai activities in the area, in identical words. The stories have two different titles: “The Vardavard gardens are a safe place for immoral Bahai activities” [example] and “A place for having sex with girls, on condition of becoming a Bahai.” [example]. With respect to the latter: if Iranian society is full of young men and women who want to have sex with strangers, wouldn’t they simply find one other without needing to become Bahais? And find a nice mullah who will make sex with strangers all right and proper, by giving them a sigheh marriage for an hour or two?
According to the story, the Bahais attract converts through allowing immoral acts with Bahai women and girls, and therefore they are always on the lookout for safe places. In fact they are even attracting homosexuals! They have a big property in the area of the park, with lots of rooms and a pool and sound-proofing, where they have cocktail parties for boys and girls together. One of the sites even has a photograph: 
The camera doesn’t lie. Not only are there Bahais drinking beer and cocktails, there are women without hejab, the doors to the street are wide open, and there are no crowds of basij and hezbollah on motorcycles. Tehran is not what it used to be.
The parties are promoted in social media, and people pay 250,000 tumans each (75 euros, 100 US dollars) for a place for some nice debauchery. After they’ve debauched a few times, little by little, they are attracted to learn about the Bahai teachings. The stories end with a call for the authorities to crack down harder on the Bahais. I would have thought that it would be sufficient to close the supposed mansion of depravity, and let the kids go to university. It keeps them off the streets.
What’s going on? My guess is, a developer with good connections wants to build on the park. He really should have researched the Bahai view on chastity and drinking alcohol before launching this story. And next time, choose a park that has at least some shrubbery.
Short link: http://wp.me/pNMoJ-26R
Older items can be found in the archive, here. Even older news is here.
Sen's daily 
While I appreciate this article is written in an attempt to show the absurdity of these claims. It is worth pointing out that the Baha’i teachings promote living a chaste life which discourages promiscuity and drinking alcohol. Also, the Iranian Baha’is are severely prejudiced against form cradle to grave. Even after death their graveyards are desecrated. They are not allowed to study, marry, work in Government and are constantly, harassed, imprisoned and sometimes killed.
Comment by Joe Walshe — September 17, 2014 @ 18:16 |