Iran arrests members of Baha’i faith on spying charge

Members of the Baha’i faith hold a vigil on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach after seven coreligionists were arrested on charges of spying for Israel and sentenced to 20 years in jail, June 19, 2011. (AFP)

• Iran’s intelligence ministry said that the suspects were linked to the Baha’i center in Israel, where the religious group’s international headquarters are located
• In 2013, Iran’s top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iranians in a fatwa — a religious decree — to avoid all dealings with members of the banned Baha’i sect

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Iran’s intelligence ministry arrested several members of the Baha’i faith on spying charges, state TV reported Monday.
The ministry said in a statement that the suspects were linked to the Baha’i center in Israel, where the religious group’s international headquarters are located, and had collected and transferred information there.
It is rare for the ministry to report the arrests of members of the Baha’i. The report did not say how many had been detained. State TV footage showed one of the suspects saying he was being monitored by agents of the ministry.
The detentions raised concerns about potential crackdowns on followers of the religion. Members of the faith in Iran complain about occasional mistreatment and prosecutions in Iran.
Iran already bans the Baha’i, a religion founded in the 1860s by a Persian nobleman considered a prophet by his followers. Since the 19th century, many Iranians have converted to the Baha’i sect.
In 2013, Iran’s top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, urged Iranians in a fatwa — a religious decree — to avoid all dealings with members of the banned Baha’i sect. It supported similar fatwas in the past by other clerics.
Iran allows non-Muslims such as Christians and Jews to worship but has strict laws against seeking conversions to other religions.