Baha\'i man arrested for illicit relationships in Iran

 

(Reuters) - An Iranian Baha\'i missionary has been arrested in northern Iran for allegedly having an illicit sexual relationship, the semi-official Fars news agency said on Monday without giving a source.

The man, identified by Fars only as P.P., is accused of seducing women to have illicit sexual relationships with him, the agency said, a punishable offence in Iran which implements strict sharia, Islamic law.

\"The man is an active Baha\'i missionary ... His case is being investigated by the judiciary,\" it said. Judicial officials were not available to comment.

The Baha\'i faith was founded in Iran in the 19th century and activists say more than 300,000 adherents live in Iran today. Iran\'s Shi\'ite government considers the faith a heretical offshoot of Islam.

http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-51311420100906

Tehran - A man belonging to the Baha’i religion was arrested in northern Iran, accused of pushing women into having sex with him, a newspaper said Monday on its website.

The man, identified by the Javan daily only as PP, was arrested in the Caspian Sea province of Golestan, where he was allegedly known for missionary work.

Baha’ism, a monotheistic creed promoting the unity of all religions and mankind, is not recognized or allowed to be practiced in Iran, whose official religion is Shia Islam. Baha’i missionaries are arrested and detained, unlike Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian missionaries, whose faiths are recognized and protected by the government.

Javan said PP was accused of seducing women and girls and having sex with them.

Extramarital sex in Iran is forbidden, and if the two people are unmarried, they could face a death sentence of stoning.

No further details were given by the conservative daily, and there had been no official confirmation of the report by the judiciary.

TEHRAN, Sep 06, 2010 (AFP) - A Baha’i missionary has been arrested in northern Iran for indulging in \"illicit relationships,\" hardline newspaper Javan\'s website reported on Monday.

It identified the detainee by only his initials, P.P., saying he was arrested in the Islamic republic\'s northern province of Golestan.

The newspaper which is close to Iran\'s Revolutionary Guards did not provide a source, but added that the case was being investigated by the judiciary.

The Baha’is, who are barred from higher education and government posts in Iran, are regarded as infidels and have been persecuted both before and after the country\'s 1979 Islamic revolution.

www.bahaism.blogspot.com