It's that time of year again with colleges opening across the country. Millions of students will continue their pursuit of a college degree. Just imagine for a moment though if you were told you were not allowed to go to college, simply because of your faith.
That is exactly what happens to members of the Baha'i Faith in Iran. The Baha'i’s are a religious minority in Iran that advocates unity and peace.
The government of Iran bars members of the Baha'i Faith from going to college or even holding certain employment. That alone tells you the Baha'i’s are a persecuted minority in Iran.
But it gets much worse. Recently, seven leaders of the Baha'i Faith were sentenced to 20 years in prison (according to CNN, the sentences were just reduced to 10 years). The Iranian government accuses them of spying and spreading "corruption on earth."
The British Foreign Secretary William Hague reacted to the initial sentencing, stating:
"This is a shocking example of the Iranian state’s continued discrimination against the Bahá’ís. It is completely unacceptable.The Iranian judiciary has repeatedly failed to allay international and domestic concerns that these seven men and women are guilty of anything other than practising their faith. It is clear that from arrest to sentencing, the Iranian authorities did not follow even their own due process, let alone the international standards to which Iran is committed."
Nava Ghalili is a multimedia journalist who works for Fox 43 News in York, Pennsylvania. 
She is also a member of the Baha'i Faith. She took the time to answer a few questions about the crisis of the Baha'i’s in Iran. Most importantly, she answers how anyone can take action to help the Baha'i’s.
You have worked as a journalist in the United States and also Australia. But back in Iran would you have had the same opportunities in journalism as a member of the Baha'i Faith?
You know, I think we should first feel so blessed to be living in a place where we have the freedom to express our feelings and thoughts, our beliefs. It’s such a great part of being human, being able to seek the truth for ourselves and share this with others.
Article comments
1 - Pukirahe
Thank you for asking and answering clearly about the persection of the Baha'is in Iran. I have visited Iran in 1968, and I sincerely love the Iranians and the Iranian culture. I am praying that the present leaders will rethink about the glory of Iran.
2 - Randall Dighton
Please note: the correct links to the official Baha'i website and the current situation of the Baha'is of Iran are:
www.bahai.org
news.bahai.org/iran
There are no apostrophes in the URLs.
Thank you.
3 - Ruvy
I couldn't help but notice that you managed to avoid mentioning that the Baha'i make their world headquarters in Haifa, Israel. Yeah, William - ISRAEL. Think about that for a minute before you tell us about all the poor Arabs in the world again.
4 - Edward
With regard to Ruvy's comment about the Baha'i Faith and its international headquarters and sacred shrines being in Israel: It is true and a consequence of the exile and imprisonment of the Founder of the Baha'i Faith in 1868 by the rulers of the Ottoman empire. He and a small band of followers and family were exiled from Edirne in Turkey to Akka (present day Akko), near Haifa, where they were imprisoned in an army barracks and later confined to the citadel of Akka until at last allowed some local freedom of movement. It culminated a period of 40 years of exile and imprisonment, from 1852 to 1892. Because the present day nation of Israel was founded in 1948, eighty years after 1868, there is clearly no historical linkage. However, the present-day relationship between the Baha'i community and the government of Israel is cordial.