Description
Since the advent of the Baha'i Faith in 1863, its founders and followers have faced severe and systematic persecution in the country of its origin -- Iran. And now, having been established as a belief system that strives for the betterment of society around the globe, the Iranian Baha'i community has become the target of a violent campaign endorsed and carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran. While the state-sponsored acts of terror against the country's largest religious minority continue, members of the Baha'i Faith adhere to a strict code of nonviolent practices that has allowed them to survive in a land where they are deprived of basic citizens' and human rights. This documentary reveals two dimensions of the persecution of the Baha'i community: first, it illustrates what it means to be a victim of religious discrimination by depicting the personal story of Fariba Kamalabadi, who was imprisoned in 2008 and currently serves a twenty-year sentence; and second, the film explores the specific teachings and practices that the Baha'i community has adopted to maintain unity and to be resilient under these circumstances. Thus, the film explores, in the light of sociological and philosophical studies, the historical and political implications of nonviolent theory as a means of social change through the narrative of the Baha'is situation Iran.
