Bahai Incest case in Peru, 2004:
http://gaybahai.yuku.com/forum/viewtopic/id/423
This is a situation that Ive been acquainted with since March of last
year. After long consideration of how to publish it, I have, in the
end, opted to tell the tale with identities disguised.
Shirin is a young Bahai woman of Iranian descent, living in a country
in the developing world. Her father was, at the time this story
began,
Chairman of the NSA in that country. I have called her non-Bahai
friend Buddy, rather than give him a name that would indicate
ethnicity.
Shirin claims that her father forced her into an incestuous
relationship
from the time she was 13 years old. At 18, in the year 2000, she ran
away, but he found her again, and again made advances. She told him
that if he didnt stop, she would publicly accuse him. He then
threatened to institutionalize her. Frightened by this accusation,
and
desperate to stop the abuse, she made a videotape telling her story.
The next day, Shirin disappeared.
Her friends found this videotape and began asking questions about
where
she was, and eventually staged public protests demanding to know her
whereabouts. Shirins disappearance was widely publicized; the story
appeared in at least two newspapers, and appeared nightly on t.v.
while
she was gone -- and she and her family gave an interview after she
reappeared. Her friend Buddy was at the forefront of efforts to find
her, and he reports that a Continental Counsellor told him that it
was
none of his business where she was, and discouraged her friends from
seeking her. At one point, it was claimed that she had gone to
another
country. This person is no longer a Counsellor, but has been on the
special commission set up to deal with the case, and is currently on
the
NSA, so I cannot tell if her removal from office was as a result of
mishandling the initial crisis, or not.
Shirin told me that her grandmother phoned her and asked her to come
over, reporting a family emergency, but when she arrived, her father
was
there with armed men, falsely claiming to be policemen, who accused
her
of being involved with drugs. She was taken to a drug rehab facility,
and kept there for over two weeks. A drug test was taken, which
proved
negative. Shirin told me that the conditions there were crowded and
unhygienic, and I have evidence that this facility has been involved
in
at least one other kidnapping.
Then, the police arrived at the facility, and asked her if she was
there
against her will. While they were willing to release her, they were
generally unsympathetic, and she described her experience with them
as
another hell. A forensic examination was done on her, as well as
another drug test. However, one of the cops scolded her for her
accusations, saying that even if he abused her, she should stay
silent
because hes still your dad. The district attorney refused to
prosecute the case, citing lack of evidence.
According to Shirin, two Bahai Counsellors, and an NSA member who
headed up the special commission set up to deal with her case tried
to
persuade her to return to her fathers home. It was this aspect, more
than anything, that convinced me to take up this case. I was utterly
horrified and appalled. No decent human being, on hearing a young
girl
accuse her father of sexually abusing her, would essentially tell her
to
shut up and go home. At best, this reveals a profound ignorance
concerning the realities of incest, and at worst, a callous disregard
for Shirins safety.
I asked why they were so set on her going home, she was, after all,
18
and in college, and an age at which young people often begin living
on
their own. She said that the only reason they gave was that the
Universal House of Justice wanted it. Shirin resisted this pressure,
and continues to live on her own, but complains of harassment from
her
family, and that they have done everything they can to blacken her
name
in the Bahai community.
The Bahai administration seems to have had three concerns: that no
more bad publicity about the Bahai Faith occur because of this case,
that Shirin be reconciled with her family and the Bahai community,
and
that she be able to move on with her life after this incident.
Strangely, they blame her for the publicity that occurred while she
was
locked away. During the period last spring while I was in contact
with
Buddy and Shirin, a Counsellor and NSA members were still trying to
get
her to forgive her family. I have been told of two NSA members who
appear to be willing to believe the charges of abuse -- and that was
only after long exposure to the case and the behavior of this family.
(One of them, after telling Shirin that she believed she was abused,
was
removed from the special commission and forbidden to have contact
with
her.) Nothing in the evidence indicates that her accusation against
her
father was at all taken seriously by the NSA as a whole or the UHJ.
The UHJ has taken a distant attitude, regarding it primarily as a
private family difficulty. The only action taken against Shirins
father was that he was asked to resign from the NSA. This,
apparently,
was not intended as a sanction, because he was again elected in 2003,
and the UHJ asked him to resign again. Haifa also provided funds for
Shirins psychotherapy, for at least a year, and possibly longer. I
was
told that this had ended by last summer, and her doctor continues to
treat her pro bono.
In March of last year, Buddy contacted me, at first asking questions
about Bahai administrative procedure. As time went on I agreed to
help
in publicizing the case.
I was only in contact with Shirin through a handful of emails, but I
was
in continuous contact with Buddy through most of the spring and
summer
of 2003, and again during these past few weeks. My impression of
Shirin is that she was bright and articulate, although angry and
frightened. Shirin constantly spoke of her need for justice, even
begging me to seek it on her behalf if her family kidnapped her
again,
or killed her. The impression that Buddy gave was conflicting: He
would depict her as vulnerable, depressed and anxious, and unable to
cope with stress. Yet, when he reported her actions, I saw someone
with
tremendous strength -- Shirin was able to resist the pressures from
her
family, from numerous highly-placed Bahai officials, and to go before
the NSA with a list of demands in her hand. I dont think Ive ever
seen anyone stand up to the administration in the way this young girl
has. Experts in sexual abuse say that victims seldom lie about what
they experienced, especially over a sustained period of time. Her
psychiatrist reports that she is making excellent progress in her
therapy, and is performing at the top of her class at University.
Besides helping Shirin in her quest for justice, I felt that
publicity
would be a kind of protection for her -- that her family would not
dare
hurt her in any way, if they knew that I would broadcast any
disappearance far and wide. It was largely publicity that got her
released from the drug rehab center in the first place, and I thought
publicity would serve as a way of ensuring that nothing further would
happen along these lines. I was quite frank in my opinion that the
possibility that she would get any substantial action from the Bahai
institutions was remote. I couldnt guarantee her justice; I could
only
promise that the injustice with which she was treated would not
remain
unknown.
Ill state here publicly that, even now, if Shirin is again forcibly
institutionalized or she should disappear or any harm come to her, I
will place all evidence I have on this case on my website.
It is only right that the Bahai institutions should take a strong
stand
against child sexual abuse, and avoid even the appearance of
countenancing such a horrible crime, and it was in protest against
their
lack of action, and the pressures they were placing on Shirin, that I
intended to publicize the case.
While preparing for the article, I continually emphasized the need
for
solid evidence, and was given a great deal of material. Aside from
collecting evidence for my article, Shirin put her efforts into
recording conversations that would reveal the wrongdoing on the part
of
her father, family, and Bahai officials. This was entirely her idea,
although I sympathize with this desperate attempt, on the part of a
powerless person, to be heard and taken seriously. I should make it
clear, here, that my role was primarily supportive, and I left all
major
decisions in her hands. My view is, that when you are dealing with
someone struggling with a feeling of powerlessness, that you must try
to
give them a sense of confidence and control. I explicitly asked
Shirin
what she wanted, what justice would mean to her, and told her that I
would not do anything that she didnt want me to do.
A little over a week ago, Buddy sent me an urgent message saying that
Shirin was preparing to confront the NSA with her collection of tapes.
Shirin went to the NSA with a list of demands that are basically
calculated to force the NSA to keep her family away from her,
including
what amounts to a restraining order, and financial arrangements that
would make the NSA the middle-man between Shirin and her father. She
told them she had audio tapes of her conversations with the
Counsellors,
NSA members, and her family members, and implied that they would be
released to the media if action was not taken. From what Ive been
told
of their contents, these audio tapes can be used to both to prove the
abuse, and the mishandling of her case by Bahai officials.
Both Shirin and Buddy seem to have quite exaggerated expectations
about
what the NSA could do for her. The NSA cannot guarantee that her
family
would stay away from her; they are not a police force. The Bahai
Faith
is a religious organization that only has control over the membership
status of adherents; these kids are treating it as if it were a civil
court. Her mistake, in my opinion, is in naively believing that
taking
her complaint through Bahai channels, as Bahais are exhorted to do,
will somehow result in justice. Buddy is clearly confused by the
administrations charge of blackmail. In his mind, Shirin has simply
brought evidence to a body empowered to make a decision. But through
the broken English in his emails reporting on their response, I am
already seeing the familiar terminology of Bahai denial, where
ill-intentioned persons are simply trying to bring the Faith into
disrepute out of inexplicable malice.
Shirin particularly wanted me to say that she loves the Bahai Faith,
and Bahaullah, but that her family and NSA have done such terribly
wrong things to her that she must speak out about what has happened.
The current situation is that Shirin is planning to release her story
to
the media within the next few days, and the NSA working out its own
strategy, which involves a legal complaint against Shirin, and
getting
other NSAs to write letters of support to this countrys government.
The
position of the Faith is somewhat precarious, and the government
could
simply dissolve the Assembly in the wake of a scandal such as this.
The
last meeting she had with the NSA was very brief, and it seems to be
taking the view that it should present itself as not attaching too
much
importance to the situation, although the evidence clearly indicates
the
contrary. Buddy also reports that at least some NSA members are
looking
for a way to have her declared insane and committed to an institution.
I believe Shirins story. Although I am no expert in such matters, her
account, and even her behavior is quite consistent with that of other
sexual abuse victims I have known. I also find it very hard to
believe
that a young girl would fabricate such a story, at such tremendous
personal cost, and maintain it for over three years. There is no
doubt
in my mind that she is an incest victim that has been further
victimized
by a corrupt criminal justice system, and a Bahai administration that
is more concerned about its reputation than the well-being of this
young
woman.
Karen Bacquet
link this story:
groups.google.com/groups?...net&rnum=1
Post by Covenant BreakerRaped Daughter Convinces Court to Hang Baha'i Father
TEHRAN (FNA)- A follower of Baha'i faith was hanged in northeastern
Iran after a local court sentenced him to death for raping his
daughter.
Despite western media reports, sources said that Houshang Khodadad was
convicted in a criminal court after his daughter sued him for sexual
harassment and rape.
They also stressed that Khodadad had not been executed for religious
beliefs.
Baha'ism is considered as a heretic religion in the Islamic Republic,
but Tehran tolerates followers of the religion. Yet, new converts are
prosecuted as converting from Islam to any other religion is
considered as an act of heresy in Islam which requires capital
punishment.
Khodadad was not a convert, sources said, adding that he was a
registered follower of Baha'ism.
"He raped his own daughter a while ago, and he was imprisoned in (the
northeastern city of) Torbat Heydarieh and was later hanged (after
being tried and convicted) in a case raised by his daughter," sources
said.
Khodadad had confessed not only to his adulterous relationship with
close relatives, including his daughter, but also sodomy with one of
the inmates when he was in prison.
Baha'ism allows adultery with family members and relatives, except
one's stepmother.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8710141780
Also Appeared on Reuters Websitehttp://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-37272920090103