On Scapegoating, Ethnic Cleansing, and Canaries: The government of Iran on trial
Uploaded on July 9, 2008 by mlxndrsc on flickr
Baha'is are the canaries in the coalmine for Iran, according to one headline. The systematic attempts at the suppression of Baha'is there constitute an effort at ethnic cleansing. The article below "from a highly respected Canadian journalist" represents one of the best responses to date of the trial of the seven Baha'i leaders, as readers of this blog and my own frequent review of what's showing up online tell me. -gw
The Baha'i religion has been officially banned in Iran since 1979. But now, in a textbook case of scapegoating, Iran's theocratic leaders are blaming the Baha'is for stirring up all the unrest sweeping the country today.
They are even accusing them of stockpiling firearms, which seems ludicrous given the peaceful nature of the religion.
But in an ominous nod to even more persecution ahead, Tehran argues that the Baha'is are doing this in conjunction with Israel, which is really directing the whole conspiracy.
The potential for "cleansing," which is inherent in this kind of scapegoating, is why it is so important for the international community to stay on top of a trial that just started in Tehran:
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