So Iran wants to get on better terms with the rest of the world, does it?
That's the word from Tehran, where Iranian leaders are said to be looking for trade and development partners in the West in the hope of reviving an economy ravaged by a decade of war and misrule.That makes this an opportune time to press for civilized treatment of Iran's largest religious minority, the Baha'is.
This peaceable people, whose doctrine teaches obedience to government authorities, has suffered vicious persecution since Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979.
Scripps Howard News Service recently reported that some 30,000 members of a Baha'i community of 350,000 have fled. Many of those who stayed have been expelled from universities or lost their jobs, pensions and property. Over 200 Baha'is, including teen-age girls, have been executed because of their religious beliefs.
Iran craves respect for its national dignity but accords Baha'is the legal status of "non-persons." While none have been executed since 1988 and only a handful of Baha'is are among the country's thousands of political prisoners, their religious practice remains forbidden and their church's property has never been returned.
Iranians wondering why their government is spurned in much of the outside world should start by exploring the concept of freedom of conscience.