Baha’is believe in the power of prayer and you’ll find Baha’is and their friends, throughout the world, getting together to pray. This is often referred to as a ‘devotional gathering’ or ‘devotional meeting’, and they happen in diverse settings, whether in cities or villages.
With the recent premiere of Changing the World, One Wall at a Time, a documentary that details the world’s largest street art campaign, we thought we’d share more images of some of the amazing murals that adorn different corners of the world. This street art for education equality campaign, titled Education is Not a Crime, or #Notacrime, aims to raise awareness of the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran, and in particular, their denial to access forms of higher education.
Art by Tatyana FazlalizadehNasim by Rone Nasim is a 29-year-old Iranian woman, an art student and photographer, and a Baha’i. The Australian artist Rone painted this portrait of her on the side of the Storefront Academy at Park Avenue and 129th Street in Harlem. Nasim was a student in the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education – the “underground university” that Baha’is created in Iran, because they’re banned from higher education – when, in 2009, Iran erupted into days of protests over the rigged reelection of then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Nasim was out taking photos when she was arrested and briefly detained by the authorities. She was held for a few days and government agents tried to force her to falsely confess that she and other Baha’is were responsible for the protests – she refused. Nasim was released but she decided to leave Iran. Today she is completing her art studies at UC San Diego.Art by LmnopiArt by Ou35Gentle Hearts by Ricky Lee Gordon “How can we let such a human rights violation exist in today’s world? How can we have not realised that the suffering of one is the suffering of all?” Ricky Lee Gordon’s piece – his second for the Not A Crime campaign, after his mural in Cape Town, South Africa – launched the campaign’s 2016 series of murals across Harlem in New York City. His idea of “Gentle Hearts” – the young people whose rights have been violated, in Iran and anywhere – resonated with community members and with George Faison, owner of the Faison Firehouse Theatre, on which the mural was painted.In Salvador, the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia, the artist Eder Muniz (the calango) has painted a vivid and enchanting mural in defense of the Baha’is of Iran.Art by MarthaliciaThree murals: “Educate, Elevate, Empower” by Joe Dreher, “Watch Me Learn” by Charmaine Minniefield and “Paragraphalizer” by Fabian WilliamsThe Australian duo Krimsone & Scott Nagy’s latest mural on Bondi Beach.Franco the Great’s “Knowledge is Power” Franco “the Great” Gaskin is a Harlem legend. He has painted murals and roll-down gates across the neighbourhood – especially on 125th Street – for 30 or 40 years. His piece for the Not A Crime campaign, a message of education equality for people of all backgrounds, was a landmark for the project; a local celebrity helping raise awareness about the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran.
#Notacrime is an initiative of Maziar Bahari, an Iranian Canadian journalist, filmmaker and human rights activist, who although not a Baha’i himself, feels that the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran (Iran’s largest religious minority) is emblematic of many of the problems the country faces. You can read our interview with Maziar about Changing the World, One Wall at a Timehere, or listen to his conversation with Rainn Wilson on our blogcast.
In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.
Hi Jörg, Thanks for your question. If you would like to use these images, please reach out to the team at #NotaCrime directly via their social media platforms listed at the bottom of this post. Thanks for asking!
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I am very impressed from the pictures under the topic “Notacrime” Is it possible to use these pictures for noncommercial purposes? (I live in Germany)
kind regards
Jörg
Jörg Weidemann (June 6, 2023 at 5:18 PM)
Hi Jörg, Thanks for your question. If you would like to use these images, please reach out to the team at #NotaCrime directly via their social media platforms listed at the bottom of this post. Thanks for asking!
Sonjel Vreeland (June 6, 2023 at 9:20 AM)