Iran Press Watch

Two more arrests in Karaj

editor — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 07:01:18 +0000

Two Bahais from Karaj, the brothers Saman and Eshkan Nadiyyeh-ye Azani ( سامان بادیه‌ای آرنی و اشکان بادیه‌ای آرنی ), have been in detention in Karaj for about two weeks. It is reported that they were tried today (November 30.)It is not known where they are being held. Eshkan was able to contact their family after about 7 days in detention, but there has been no word from Saman. Saman was arrested previously, about 4 years ago, and has been free on bail.

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Source English: Sen’s daily http://wp.me/pNMoJ-1yl

Source Persian: http://www.hranews.info/1389-01-27-05-24-07/14198-1.html

Hungarian Folk Singer, Ms. Márta Sebestyen, on Human Rights in Iran

editor — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:00:11 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hungarian Folk Singer, Ms. Márta Sebestyen [see IMDb and "The English Patient"]

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Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X6imnXH2BI

Mrs. Goncz Kinga, Member of European Parliament

editor — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 09:51:27 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Prominent Hungarians for Human Rights in Iran” is a project to show solidarity to people in Iran who because of their beliefs, political views, journalistic integrity, defense of the rights of women and championing of human rights are being persecuted. The Project is motivated by a firm conviction that human rights violations are always unacceptable. By bringing to light human rights abuses by the Iranian government to its own people, we strive to create a situation where these crimes receive sustained international attention and cannot be concealed.

This project gives voice to the imprisoned lawyers, artists, members of different religions, women, human rights activists, political prisoners, and anyone who strives to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQaLfkScUjA

Foad Khanjani’s condition serious

editor — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:38:29 +0000

[chrr.biz, 15 Nov 2012] A day after undergoing surgery for internal bleeding and a cyst in the abdomen, the health condition of Foad Khanjani (فواد خانجانی) is a cause for grave concern. On the night following his surgery, the officers from Rajai Shahr prison who were responsible for guarding him in the hospital shackled him hand and foot throughout the night and subjected him to religious insults, with the result that his blood pressure rose and his condition deteriorated.

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source: english: Sen’s Daily http://wp.me/pNMoJ-1y3

persian: http://www.chrr.biz/spip.php?article19354

UN expert troubled by “climate of fear” in Iran

editor — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:13:49 +0000

Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday 24 October. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe.

[BWNS, 31 Oct 2012]

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations expert on human rights in Iran has told the General Assembly that he is “deeply troubled” by the situation in the country, describing a “climate of fear” where journalists, human rights defenders and minorities face wrongful arrest and imprisonment with little hope of legal due process.

Ahmed Shaheed reiterated his call for the immediate release of all “prisoners of conscience” in Iran, highlighting the current incarceration of more than 40 journalists and some 30 human rights defenders.

In his report, Dr. Shaheed also expressed alarm at the general lack of due process rights in Iran. Of some 99 former prisoners he interviewed, “approximately 60 percent reported the use of prolonged solitary confinement, 80 percent stated they were beaten, and over 60 percent alleged they were denied access to a lawyer.”

In interactive discussions held on 24 October, several national delegations specifically raised the situation of Baha’is, expressing concern over Iran’s persecution of religious minorities. Dr. Shaheed responded by saying that Baha’is particularly face persecution because they are not recognized by the Iranian government as a religion, which leads to discrimination in such things as education.

At a seminar held two days earlier at the International Peace Institute in New York, Dr. Shaheed described Baha’is as “the most persecuted religious minority in Iran,” noting that they face a whole range of discrimination – from being unable to practice their faith to being denied access to basic services.

UK parliament debate

In London, also on Wednesday 24 October, United Kingdom members of Parliament from across the political spectrum held a debate at Westminster Hall, focusing on the Iranian government’s systematic persecution of Baha’is and other religious minorities.

Alistair Burt, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office, said that “any state can treat its religious minorities in this way is shocking and all the more so given the religious underpinning of the current regime and its oft-stated claim to respect human rights.”

Mr. Burt said the United Kingdom will continue to support Dr. Shaheed “in his crucial role of investigating human rights violations and seeking genuine engagement from Iran to address international concerns.”

Naomi Long, MP for Belfast East, said the persecution of Baha’is reflects the “wider persecution of other religious and cultural minorities in Iranian society.”

“The situation is clearly grave,” she said, “and the treatment of the Baha’i community is an indicator of the lengths to which the Iranian authorities are willing to go in the persecution of religious and cultural minorities.

In his concluding remarks, Mr. Burt called upon the Iranian government to embrace values such as mutual respect and tolerance. “Iran has a shameful record of detentions of human rights defenders, journalists and bloggers, and seems callously ready to use tools such as the death penalty in order to intimidate,” he said. “The quiet determination of the Baha’is to co-exist peacefully with fellow Iranians as part of a diverse and tolerant Iranian society should be embraced by Iran’s government.”

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Source: http://news.bahai.org/story/928

New UN Report on Iran: Systematic Violations of Human Rights and a Culture of Impunity

editor — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:58:38 +0000

The report was published today in New York for distribution to the UN General Assembly. Shaheed is scheduled to present its contents at the Third Committee of the General Assembly on October 24, 2012, at which time the Iranian delegation will have an opportunity to respond

UN Special Rapporteur Calls for Immediate Release of All Political Prisoners and Prisoners of Conscience, and a Moratorium on Executions.

(October 11, 2012) Cataloguing “a wide range of human rights violations,” UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran Ahmed Shaheed released his third report today. The Iranian government has thus far failed to cooperate with the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and to address the issues raised in his two earlier reports.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran welcomed this latest UN report and called on the Iranian government to seriously engage with the Special Rapporteur and allow him immediate access to the country. The Campaign also called on related UN mechanisms, including Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, and member states of the UN General Assembly, to take further steps to address the dire situation of human rights in Iran.

In the Conclusions and recommendations section of the report, the Special Rapporteur states that he has so far “catalogued a wide range of human rights violations” and “asserts that these violations are products of legal incongruities, insufficient adherence to the rule of law, and the existence of widespread impunity.”

The Special Rapporteur also concludes, “The submissions and interviews considered for this report provide a deeply troubling picture of the overall human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including many concerns which are systemic in nature.”

Continuing with his conclusions, the Special Rapporteur refers to the importance of perpetuating “a culture of tolerance” and asks the Iranian government to prevent discrimination against women and girls, as well as ethnic and religious minorities. He specifically asks the Iranian government to comply with international standards for the minimum age of marriage for girls.

In his latest report, Ahmed Shaheed renews his request for an extensive, impartial, and independent review of Iran’s 2009 post-election violence and calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. The Special Rapporteur also urges a moratorium on all capital punishment, especially that of juveniles, pending demonstration of fair trial standards.

Before the 23-page report was finalized, a copy of it was submitted to Iranian authorities for their response, according to UN protocol. Unlike the two previous reports, where instead of responding to the report Iranian authorities questioned the Special Rapporteur’s mandate and his character, they did respond to this most recent report in the allotted time. However, Iranian officials did not address the specific instances of violations of human rights, attempting instead to discredit the resources used to prepare the reports, as well as statements made by human rights defenders, international organizations, and victims of human rights violations.

According to the report, Iranian authorities have referred to the report’s conclusions as “based on unfounded claims.” Iranian authorities stated that the Iranian Constitution guarantees the rights of all Iranians regardless of their gender, religion, ethnicity, and race. They further claimed that the instances documenting a lack of due process are “fabricated,” as, according to the Iranian officials’ interpretation, Iranian laws prohibit prisoner abuse and use of forced confessions, and facilitate access to legal consultation.

The Special Rapporteur characterized the Iranian government’s failure to review the numerous, specific cases of violations of human rights as indicative of “a culture of impunity.”

In response to the claims raised by Iranian authorities, the report states that Iran does indeed have a legal framework and the required mechanisms for respecting human rights. Shaheed emphasized, however, that the existence of such mechanisms does not discredit the testimonies of the 221 individuals he interviewed between November 2011 and July 2012. He also expressed regret about the Iranian government’s failure to note and review the numerous instances of human rights violations cited in the report.

In the Note by the Secretary-General introducing the report, it is noted the report does not contain all instances of human rights violations, but rather “an overview of the prevailing human rights situation, with a focus on systemic issues that pose obstacles to the ability of the Islamic Republic of Iran to comply with its international obligations.”

The Special Rapporteur reviewed 124 cases of human rights violations between February and July 2012, conducting 99 interviews with relevant individuals inside and outside the country. Seventy-five of these interviews were given by people with first-hand experience of violations, and the remaining twenty-four were provided by reliable sources or eyewitnesses of human rights violations.

The report indicates that the Special Rapporteur reviewed several documents related to the subject of human rights, including Iranian laws pertaining to the issue, national and international reports, content published in the media, and reports by non-governmental organizations and human rights defenders.

The Special Rapporteur’s report is presented in six sections: I. Introduction, II. Methodology, III. Civil and political rights, IV. Economic, social and cultural rights, V. Rights of the child, and VI. Conclusions and recommendations.

Section III, civil and political rights, which comprises the majority of the report, includes a variety of sub-sections: Freedom of expression and the right to information, Freedoms of assembly and association (Human rights defenders), Freedom of religion (Baha’i community, Christian community, Dervish community), and Administrative justice (The revised Islamic Penal Code; Rights of due process; Independence of the legal community; Situation in prisons; Torture, cruel and degrading punishments and executions).

According to the new rules of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, UN reports like the Special Rapporteur’s must be around 10,000 words in length. Previously, the Special Rapporteur included details of various cases in report appendices. But according to the new rules, the appendices are now also included within the 10,000-word limitation. In this report, therefore, the Special Rapporteur announces the implementation of a website to present all the information and details used to compile the reports, as well as responses submitted by Iranian authorities. The website will soon be available at: http://www.shaheedoniran.org/english/reported-cases/index.1.html.

The present report places special focus on systematic trends and legal impediments which violate the legitimate rights and liberties of Iranian citizens. Details of specific cases are expected to be placed on the above-mentioned website.

In paragraph 12 of the report, the Special Rapporteur expresses concern that “some elements of the Press Law and more recent legal developments undermine the rights to freedom of expression and to information. Despite legal provisions for public press trials in ‘the presence of a jury’, dozens of journalists have unanimously maintained that their trials were conducted behind closed doors, and that trial deliberations were always undertaken by judges and not juries.”

The report also discusses the issue of “blasphemy,” one of the subjects addressed by the new Islamic Penal Code. According to the report, “Article 263 of this law states that any person that insults the Prophet of Islam or other Great Prophets shall be considered as sabb al-nabi and punished by death.” The Special Rapporteur states that “acts of insult and defamation do not constitute ‘serious crimes’ for which the death penalty may be permissible” according to Iranian laws. “Despite attempts to refine the Code’s blasphemy provisions, the law remains vague on what constitutes an ‘insult,’” the report continues. The Special Rapporteur states that the general reference to “insults” in the Islamic Penal Code without specific manifestations is inconsistent with Iran’s international commitments.

In paragraphs 14 through 17, the Special Rapporteur discusses limitations imposed pertaining to Internet crimes and banning websites under different reasons. The report refers to 19 “netizens,” including four men sentenced to death, Vahid Asghari, Ahmad Reza Hashempour, Mehdi Alizadeh Fakhrabad, and Saeed Malekpour. The report states that witnesses reported all four men were psychologically tortured to deliver forced confessions.

The Special Rapporteur indicates that in his March report (PDF), he highlighted that more than 150 journalists fled Iran after the 2009 presidential election, but that according to recent reports this number could be as high as 400. He also reported in March that Iran “had detained more journalists than any other country in 2011. Of those detained, it is estimated that 50 per cent were kept in solitary confinement at some point during their detention; 42.8 per cent were forced into exile in 2010-2011; and half were serving sentences between 6 months and 19.5 years in prison on charges such as ‘working with hostile governments,’ ‘propaganda against the state,’ and ‘insulting religious sanctities.’”

In paragraph 21 of the report, the Special Rapporteur reflects the growing concern regarding “independent journalists and employees of Radio Farda and the BBC, who allege that their family members are frequently arrested, detained, interrogated and subjected to intimidation for the purpose of placing pressure on them to cease their reporting activities, or to solicit information. During interviews for this report, a BBC employee reported that his/her family member was detained and ordered to contact and encourage him/her to resign from the BBC. In another case, a family member of a BBC employee was reportedly arrested and pressured to contact the employee in London, who was subsequently subjected to an online interrogation.”

The case of Mohammad Shokrayeh, a Qazvin cartoonist who drew a cartoon of a Member of the Parliament and was sentenced to 25 lashes, is noted in paragraph 22 of the report. The prosecution and sentencing of Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof are also mentioned.

The report also covers prosecution of human rights defenders and their sentences of 6 months to 20 years in prison for their activities. Interviewees told Shaheed of their detention and imprisonment and the interrogations of their family members and friends.

The report also extensively discusses freedom of religion, addressing the situation of Baha’i, Christian, and Dervish communities in Iran.

The cases of Arab and Azeri ethnic minorities are also addressed in the report.

In the Conclusion and recommendations of the report, the Special Rapporteur emphasizes that there is a serious need for an explicit definition of vaguely worded crimes such as “acting against national security.” The report calls on the government to “guarantee the space for public criticism or advocacy through peaceful activities.”

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Source: http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2012/10/shaheed_report/

“Illegal” Education Triumphs Over Religious Persecution

editor — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:53:38 +0000

In late June 2012, a professor at Georgia State University (USA), offered to have his public relations class write articles for Education Under Fire. At the beginning of July, his students began a series of interviews with various individuals associated with the BIHE and Education Under Fire. Here is the first…

“Illegal” Education Triumphs Over Religious Persecution

Morgan Scroggs, Public Relations Student, Georgia State University
an interview with BIHE administrator and former student Mojdeh Rohani

A group of students are seated, scattered around a small living room. Barely a sound is made as they collectively pray and make the decision to take their test without the supervision of their teacher. They diligently begin, and not one considers cheating or asking a fellow student for answers. They are not motivated by grade point average, scholarship money, or a degree conferral. They attend class in different homes each day, never know who their professors are, and have no official recognition or accreditation. The threat of being discovered, arrested, or even tortured lurks just outside the door of the livingroom they sit in. This is education for the sake of pure knowledge. Mojdeh Rohani remembers the moment as a deep experience. To her, it proved that education was the sole reward as a student in theBaha’i Institute for Higher Education – a university that was, and still is, illegal in the eyes of the Iranian government. Mojdeh is a Baha’i and a former student of the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education – an underground university of makeshift classrooms and volunteer professors in Iran. She attended the university from 1989 to 1995, and suffered constant persecution and oppression from the Iranian government as did countless other families and youth of the Baha’i.

Her voice is friendly, but reserved. Having been in the United States over ten years now, she speaks perfect English with a poignancy and attention to detail that many native speakers have not even mastered. “I was a psychology major. If I had a choice, I would have gone to university for medicine. To become a doctor was my first choice, but of course that wasn’t possible. You could study biology, but I knew that down the line there was not an option for me to be a physician. What came closest for me to being a physician and being able to help people was psychology.”

Education has always been important to her. Under the threat of being arrested, tortured, or even executed, Mojdeh pursued her undergraduate degree in secret from the Iranian government. She shared the experience with many of her childhood friends, choosing to attain knowledge and a future denied them by an Islamic government that persecuted those of her faith. “Just to be a student at BIHE was dangerous; it was dangerous for everyone involved. Basically we did not have permission from the government because the government did not want the Baha’i youth to be educated.”

The Iranian government meant to destroy the Baha’i community. After the revolution in 1979, the government began systematically persecuting the Baha’i community for their beliefs in universal peace and progressive religion. Mojdeh, then seven years old, remembered how her family – and the families of her friends and relatives – suffered confiscation of property, dismissal from employment, arrest, and execution for their beliefs.

“We started to see what would happen – schools were out for many months during the revolution, boys and girls were separated in schools, and then the war broke out between Iran and Iraq shortly afterward. This affected, of course, all Iranians, but we had additional layers of being persecuted for our religious beliefs, and the denial of education was just one of the things that the Baha’i’s were deprived of as youth.” Baha’is could not work; they were all released from their jobs. Property was confiscated, as well as money. “For my own family – and many others – my father was a member of the administrative body of the Baha’i Faith. It was a group of nine people. Many of this group were arrested and executed; my father was one of them.”

Mojdeh’s determination to be educated and to overcome the oppression shown towards her faith led her to join the underground university, and shaped her decision to pursue a degree that would allow her to be of service others. She began to question her life, her happiness, success and future. “All of those things lose meaning and then you create new meaning for yourself – I guess at least, that’s how it was for me. It very much affected the choices I made in life – to be a part of human rights work, not just for my own group and my own experience. I think if we only focus on what matters to us, we cannot make a difference in the world. It really makes a difference for us to think of everyone’s issue as if it was our own, and hopefully this way we can make a change, or a dent.” The simple act of spending time with friends became something important. Mojdeh played piano and started a music therapy program during her time in the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education. She found happiness in helping others, and worked hard to make that part of her life. “When you live in a situation like I did, every little thing you have you take advantage of it – and you don’t take it for granted. It wasn’t the mentality that I am the victim here, though in many ways we were being victimized, it gave us more a perspective of a survivor. We bonded together and appreciated just what we could get. You create something for yourself, you knew you were doing something important. Those type of activities and work gave me happiness.”

Although the Institute did not have a graduate degree program at the time, Mojdeh knew she wanted to continue her education. Eventually, she was able to travel to Cyprus as an escort for her mother who had spent two years attaining a medical passport. Mojdeh remained in Cyprus for eight months while her mother traveled to the United States for treatment. Finally, at the age of 23, she decided to apply for asylum. She volunteered with the Red Cross to help with other cases of Iranians seeking refuge, and then spent another four months in Austria before coming to the U.S. Mojdeh applied to five American universities, using her transcript from the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education and a personal essay about her experiences there. She was accepted to all of them. She chose a master’s program in social work from Boston University.

“The outcome will be good. I do not know if it will be in our lifetime. There will be a lot of pain and agony before we do, but hopefully we will get there. I think what matters to me always is that about 20,000 Baha’i’s have been killed, and if something matters that much to people who were so successful and accomplished in life, but they were willing to give their lives for … I would just encourage others to see what it is that we see, and how we can reach the ultimate goal of peace and learning to live together.” Mojdeh now teaches as an adjunct professor in a proper classroom. She coordinates a program for refugees and immigrants that want to pursue education in social work, and works full-time at a non-profit organization where she manages a torture treatment program. The threats of arrest and torture no longer lurk outside her classroom door.

For questions and comments, email us at info@educationunderfire.com.

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Source: Education Under Fire newsletter, 18 Oct. 2012

http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=72062a3601dc1d394bbb5b9ae&id=4ca4150eed&e=be8bbaa5d4

14 arrested in Gorgan, 4 in Minudasht, 2 more sought

editor — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:43:26 +0000

[PCED, 17 Oct. 2012] In an update and correction of the previous report of the arrest of Shahnam Jadhbani ( شهنام جذبانی ) and his wife Shohreh Samimi ( شهره صمیمی ) in Minudasht, Golestan Province, and Navid Mu`allemi and his wife Kamelya Bidelyan ( نوید معلمی و کاملیا بیدلیان ) in the provincial capital, Gorgan, PCED reports that these four were in fact arrested in Minudasht, and adds the names of those arrested in simultaneous raids on Bahai homes in Gorgan. The arrests, by agents from the Ministry of Intelligence, were made without a judicial warrant. Bahai homes homes were searched, with the seizure of computers, books and family photo albums. The names of those arrested in Gorgan are given as Parivash Shoja`i, Bhenam Hosseini, Nazi Tahqiqi, Houshmand Dehqan, Farhad Fahenadzh, Fahrnaz Tabayanian and his wife Fahrmand Sana’i, Shayda Qodousi, Shiva Rouhani, Mitra Nouri, Hana Aqiqiyan, Kamal Kashani, Puna Sana’i, Soudabeh Mehdinezhad and Mariyam Dehqan ( پریوش شجاعی(فنائیان)، بهنام حسنی، نازی تحقیقی(خلخی)، هوشمند دهقان، فرهاد فهندژ، فرحناز تبیانیان و همسرش فرهمند سنایی، شیدا قدوسی، شیوا روحانی(موهبتی)، میترا نوری(موهبتی)،هنا عقیقیان، کمال کاشانی، پونه سنایی، سودابه مهدی نژاد و مریم دهقان. ). Agents also raided the home of Rufiya Pakzadan and Maral Roushani ( روفیا پاکزادان و مارال روشنی ) and seized some of their personal effects, but did not arrest them as they were not home. There were also raids on other Bahai homes, including those of Siamak Sadri, Foad Fahandezh and Katarin Sana’i ( سیامک صدری،فواد فهندژ و کاترین سنایی ), in which some belongings were confiscated. In some of the raids, the agents’ behaviour was violent, with insults and beatings and even damage to the house. The reasons for the arrests, and the whereabouts of those arrested, are still unknown.

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Source:

Original Persian: http://www.edu-right.net/from-anywhere/human-rights/1117-gorganbahai

Translation (above) by Sen’s Daily: http://sensday.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/14-arrested-in-gorgan-4-in-minudasht-2-more-sought/

Shahnaz Ranjbar Oladi detained

editor — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:28:02 +0000

[hra-news.org] Iranian Baha’i, Shahnaz Ranjbar Oladi, was summoned by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and detained by a court warrant.

According to HRANA reporters (The Human Rights Activists News Agency), A Baha’i citizen, residing in Qa’em-Shahr (a city in north of Iran) by the name of Shahnaz Ranjbar Oladi was summoned to the intelligence office end of September.

Shahnaz Ranjbar was interrogated on Sep 29th and was ordered to come back the next day to continue the session. On September 30th, she went to the same Intelligence office where she was interrogated again. Afterwards, the Intelligence agents called her husband and informed him of the arrest of his wife. They said that she was not cooperating with the office and is detained by the judge order.

Last month, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence had searched Shahnaz Ranjbar’s home and left the house after destroying picture’s with religious content; and confiscating her computer and religious books.

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Source (Persian): http://www.hra-news.org/1389-01-27-05-24-07/13722-1.html

The Gardener (Documentary – Iran)

editor — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:31:58 +0000

[variety.com 11 Oct. 2012] By RICHARD KUIPERS

A Makhmalbaf Film House production. (International sales: M-Line Distribution, Seoul.) Produced by Makhmalbaf Film House. Directed, written by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.

With: Maysam Makhmalbaf, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Ririva Eona Mabi, Paula Asadi, Guillaume Nyagatare, Tjireya Tjitendero Juzgado, Ian David Huang, Bal Kumari Gurung. (Farsi, English dialogue)

Exiled Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf and his son Maysam debate the personal and political roles of religion in entertaining docu “The Gardener.” Taking their cameras into the magnificent gardens of the Baha’i Faith’s headquarters in Haifa and Akka, Israel, father and son gather testimony from followers of the peace-promoting denomination and combine it with their own reflections to produce a stimulating and highly accessible cinematic conversation. Although theatrical exposure will be limited following the pic’s world premiere at Busan, the docu looks certain to enjoy a long fest life, and is a perfect fit for niche broadcast outlets.

Bagheban [i.e. Gardner in Farsi]

Announcing in voiceover narration that he does not subscribe to Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Baha’i or any other religion, Mohsen chooses to film in the epicenter of a worldwide faith claiming 6 million members. Baha’i originated in Persia 170 years ago, and its adherents suffer persecution and exclusion in contempo Iran. Central to Baha’i is the need for peace, and the proposition that its founding figures, the Bab and Baha’u'llah, are but the most recent in a line of messengers, like Jesus and Buddha, who have delivered the word of God.

Wisely giving auds just the basics of Baha’i to get the ball rolling, Makhmalbaf Sr. decides on a filming strategy. He will look for positive aspects with his camera, and Maysam will probe for negatives. From time to time, a third camera will film them discussing their findings.

The simple technique works wonderfully well. For Mohsen, this means spending time with Eona, a believer from Papua New Guinea whose dreams have come true with a job tending the garden at Haifa. Elsewhere, Maysam hits a funny snag when he encounters an extremely enthusiastic woman who relates her story of discovering Baha’i, and joyously makes hard-to-criticize statements such as, “We are all flowers of one garden and leaves of one tree.”

Expanding their lively debate on the pros and cons of Baha’i, Mohsen and Maysam consider the question of religion’s role in peace, war and politics. Mohsen finds that faith is such a powerful force, it is worth having for the good it can create. Sticking to the devil’s advocate role assigned by his dad, Maysam declares whatever good there might be in religion has been corrupted beyond repair by groups such as the Taliban.

Leaving the garden to expand on his thoughts, Maysam enters Jerusalem. While filming devotees praying at the Western Wall, he pessimistically wonders how it came to be that one of the most sacred sites in Judaism is located so close to the similarly important Al-Asqua mosque of the Islamic religion.

With their civilized discussion and amusing asides about the making and marketing of docus, the Makhmalbafs succeed in entertaining and engaging auds who are interested in the question of why people seek religion, and are willing to listen to all sides of a story.

Color-saturated lensing of superb foliage is pleasing to the eye, although frequent grainy, black-and-white aerial shots of the garden don’t add much to the experience. Subtle, well-positioned music by Paul Collier rounds out a pro tech package.

Camera (color/B&W, HD), Maysam Makhmalbaf; editor, Maysam Makhmalbaf; music, Paul Collier; sound (Dolby Digital), Asad Rezai. Reviewed at Busan Film Festival (Gala Presentations), Oct. 8, 2012. Running time: 87 MIN.

Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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Source: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117948531/