2018 Feb 201- |
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), an NGO working to promote the right to freedom of religion or belief of all and raising awareness about the persecution of Christians and other religious groups around the world, published a shocking report that revealed the influence of religious persecution on religious minority children. In its Faith and a Future report, CSW focused on the situation of religious minority children in educational settings in Burma, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan. The report scrutinized three common acts of persecution in the educational setting specifically bias, discrimination and abuse.
In Iran, bias can be seen across various educational materials in the country. School textbooks were focused on the Shi'a Muslim perspective and were silent on any other religions. This had an adverse effect on religious minorities. Children belonging to the Bahá'í religion were denied access to schools and often access to higher education. Bahá'í children that were lucky to be enrolled in schools were not free to learn or partake in their religious belief. According to the CSW report, a memorandum from the Iran government stated that Bahá'í children 'should be enrolled in schools which have a strong and imposing religious [Shi'a] ideology.' The situation for children partaking in higher education is no better. According to Article 3 of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council's student qualification regulations (1991), students were to be expelled if they were found to be Bahá'í. Only Muslim or students belonging to recognized religions were allowed to take the national enrolment exam. The report further alleged that some Bahá'í children had been subjected to physical abuse at schools. [Iran Press Watch 18838] |
* Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Human rights; - Persecution, Education; - Persecution, Education; - Persecution; Human rights; Faith and a Future (CSW); Iran |
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