We Are Not the Enemy
A Bahá’í student recalls the story of her family’s escape from the regime in Iran, following the illegalization of their faith
Personal story by Mona Ghorbani-Aghdam
“Mona! Mona! Look over here,” my mom yelled in my direction. The sound of her sweet and soft voice overpowered every other person in the auditorium.
I remembered her struggling to hold the camera upright in her tiny hands to snap the moment before I walked across the stage. I prepared my whole life for this: The moment I received my associate degree from Bellevue College.
Suddenly, the struggles and challenges I went through to earn a two-year degree in eight years weren’t a big deal anymore. I reminded myself why I was doing this in the first place — for myself, my family and, most importantly, the many Bahá’í students in Iran who continue to be denied of their higher education in Iran.
APRIL 21, 1988
The year of my graduation marked a 30-year anniversary since my family fled Iran.
“Nasim! Sahar!,” my mom yelled.
Her high-pitched scream sounded like nails on a chalkboard, unlike her usual sweet voice. My father recalled his heart racing at what seemed like 140 beats per minute, as he heard my mother yell my sisters’ names at the top of her lungs.
The driver of the caravan hauling my parents and two sisters to Pakistan had just hit a pothole, throwing my sisters out of the trunk of the cramped vehicle occupied by two other families.
My parents fled Iran, escaping the country they loved so much and called home, because they were Bahá’ís.
THE BAHA’I FAITH
The Bahá’í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded in the 1860s by Bahá’u’lláh, a Persian nobleman deemed a prophet by practicing Bahá’ís. Bahá’u’lláh taught us that all religions represent progressive stages in the revelation of God’s will, leading to the unity of all people and faiths.
Despite our hope for coexistence, my people have historically experienced discrimination and have been unable to openly practice our religion.
The Bahá’í Faith is the largest non-Muslim religious minority excluded from Iran’s constitution.
The Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed Shi’i Islam as its state religion and recognizes only Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism as other true religions acknowledged by the government, according to social research conducted at John Hopkins University.
A QUIET GENOCIDE
When the Islamic Regime was implemented in 1979, so was the illegality of my religion. My mother’s side of the family, who were Bahá’í, were treated as targets in their homeland, they recalled.
The longest two days of my grandmother’s life, she remembered, happened when my 16-year-old uncle went missing.
Her worries were brought to a sudden jolt when they found his body in the backyard of my great-grandmother’s house.
Still, my family told me, the police never bothered to find out who killed him. An autopsy was never conducted.
My family members knew in the back of their minds, it was made to look like a suicide. My grandmother and my 18-year-old uncle were later thrown into jail for nine months — both accused of the murder.
This was a common scene for the Bahá’ís in Iran at that time.
According to the Bahá’í International Community, the level of discrimination against Bahá’ís in Iran is still ongoing. There are currently 97 people of the Bahá’í Faith who are in prison because of their religious practice.
RIGHTS TO EDUCATION FOR ALL
Universities in Iran have a reputation for discriminating against the students of the Bahá’í Faith by revoking their rights to higher education. Many Bahá’ís are currently living this nightmare.
Ayatollah Bojnourdi, a high-ranking cleric and a former member of the Supreme Judicial Council, stated the following in 2014 about Bahá’ís in Iran.
“They still have human rights but they cannot use privileges such as going to university in Iran.”
Currently, one option exists for Bahá’í students in Iran. The Bahá’í Institute of Higher Education was founded in 1987 by Bahá’í professors from universities who lost their jobs due to the Regime. The professors volunteered their time to support and educate young Bahá’í men and women in secrecy at the homes of the Bahá’í community members.
According to the institute, the school aspires to make its services accessible to all Iranians, irrespective of their religious affiliations.
Even with the option to not disclose religious backgrounds on applications, universities in Iran continue to make it very hard for Bahá’í students. In 2018, approximately 60 Bahá’í students were barred from entering university, according to an article on Bahá’í International Community.
These students passed the national university entrance examinations, but the university board claimed they had “incomplete files” or their name was never found in the registration.
THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
My parent’s escape from Iran was not the easy way out. They spent the next two years in Lahore before they were given the stamp of approval to move to the U.S.
They were able to unite with other Iranian Bahá’ís who fled the country; some of whom were close family friends.
My parents were the first in our families to arrive in the U.S., in turn, I grew up watching the rest of my family members walk through the gates at Sea-Tac Airport. I was only nine years old when my grandma and uncle arrived in the states. I remember seeing the relief and joy on my mom’s face, it was a look that I will never forget — seeing her mom for the first time after 13 years.
JUNE 15, 2018
Crossing the stage in my graduation ceremony at Bellevue College, I felt that same sense of relief and joy as my mother did. The diploma isn’t just a piece of paper to me. It’s a reminder of my identity.
My diploma means many different things to me: the blood, sweat and tears of my family and ancestors; the Bahá’í students who are sneaking out to study for their exams; and the many Bahá’ís around the world fighting for equality.
As I left the auditorium following my graduation, I heard the sound of laughter, children crying and students talking on their phones while looking for their families.
I took a deep breath of fresh air, overwhelmed with emotions.
“I am so proud of you, Mona!” my mother said in her sweet, soft voice.
