Islamic Republic of Iran proclaims Shi’i Islam as its state religion, and recognizes only Judaism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism as other true religions. The three minority faiths are legitimized by the Constitution and accorded certain legal and political rights. The Baha’is, however, Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority, are not mentioned in the Constitution and have the status of unprotected infidels. Since the onset of the Islamic revolution in the fall of 1978, more than 200 Baha’is, mostly leaders of the community, have been put to death. Baha’i institutions have been disbanded, community properties confiscated, holy places demolished, and cemeteries desecrated. Baha’is have no civil rights. They cannot hold government jobs, enforce legal contracts, practice law, collect pensions, attend institutions of higher learning, and openly practice their faith.
