In his Op-ed on the persecution of Baha’is in Iran, Hamid Dabashi wrote that American Muslims are in a unique position to speak out for Baha’is in Iran:
Since the terrifying events of 9/11, American Muslim communities have endured much religious and racial profiling and suspicion, as they have seen the terms and icons sacrosanct to their faith maligned and ridiculed in Western Europe, North America and Australia.
Multiply that experience many times and extend it back to the late 19th century and that would be the experience of the Iranian Baha’is, trapped inside their own homeland, banned from or exercising the terms of their own sacrosanct principles.
The experiences of Muslims as a minority here in the United States, or in Europe for that matter, gives them a unique position to raise their voice against the abuse of non-Muslim minorities in Iran and the rest of the Muslim world.
Of course Aziz has been doing a great job at raising awareness on the plight of Iranian Baha’is.
Dan, 
razib and 
aziz 5:49 am on September 17, 2009 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I’ve long been fascinated with the Baha’i (though of course not in a theological sense). They are kind of the Unitarians of the muslim world, in teh best sense. And I have always LOVED that temple. its gorgeous.