One Simple Question. Is Education a Crime?

Is Education a Crime? Education is a crime in Iran. But we can change that.

Join the ‘Education Is Not a Crime’ campaign.

Find out more and leave your message.

‘Education is Not a Crime’ is a new campaign featuring voices of support for Iran’s Baha’is from around the world.

The campaign centres around the fact that Iran’s government stops Baha’is from teaching or studying at public universities, so the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) was established in 1987 as an informal university to give young Baha’is a chance to learn.

The Baha’is are Iran’s largest religious minority and more than 200 Baha’is were executed between 1979 and 1987, after the Islamic revolution, and over 100 Baha’is are currently imprisoned because of their faith. Baha’is today are still routinely harassed, denied livelihoods, arrested, and jailed on false charges.

The story of the persecution of Iran’s Baha’is, and the creation of the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education, are the subject of the film To Light a Candle, produced by the Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Maziar Bahari. The film uses personal stories and dramatic archival footage to explore the persecution of the Baha’is and the role of their peaceful resistance in Iran’s democratic movement, but To Light a Candle was just the beginning, as this new campaign, ‘Education is Not a Crime’, aims to support Iran’s Baha’is by featuring voices of support from around the world.

The campaign has been endorsed by a string of Nobel laureates and other prominent figures around the world and they’re asking everyone to get involved!

You can find out more about the campaign by going to the Education Is Not A Crime website.

The awesome site allows you to watch uploaded video messages by the global community speaking out against what’s been happening, and you can also upload your own message too!

Click here to find out how you can get involved and help.

You can also watch the trailer for the film To Light a Candle and find out if the film is screening near you here.

Posted by

Naysan Naraqi

Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.