1955 22 May 195- |
The dome of the National Bahá'í Centre in Tihrán was demolished with the personal participation of several high-ranking army officers. The Haziratu'l-Quds had been taken over on the 7th of May. The publication of the pictures of the demolition encouraged a widespread outburst of persecution of Bahá'ís throughout Iran. [BW18:391; Archives of Bahá'í Persecution in Iran]
After the coup in 1953 the Shah was indebted to the clergy for their support and so they were given a greater latitude to persecute the Bahá'ís. In an attempt to show his gratitude the Shah sent a high ranking officer to ask if they had any special requests and they called for the Bahá'í Centre in Tehran to be destroyed. The army occupied the Centre and high-ranking officers and clerics jointly demolished the dome. [Towards a History of Iran's Bahá'í Community During the Reign of Mohammad Reza Shah, 1941-1979 by Mina Yazdani.]
For pictures see BW13:293–4.
Photo. |
Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Destruction; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Tehran, Iran; Iran |
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