Iran’s New Era of Economic Opportunity — But not for Baha’is

Prominent business leaders and academics have joined together to support economic freedom for Baha’is in Iran. 

In a letter to the supreme leader, 54 business executives and influential academics expressed alarm at the Iranian government’s persecution of Baha’i businesses. 

The letter, which was sent at the end of April, urges the Iranian government to stop closing Baha’i-owned businesses and “to allow Baha’i citizens full participation in Iran’s economic and social life.” 

“Since October 2014, at least 80 Baha’i-owned businesses in Kerman, Rafsanjan and Sari were sealed by Iranian authorities because their owners had temporarily closed their doors in observance of a Baha’i holy day,” the letter reads.  

CEOs from major economies around the world — including the United States, India and Brazil — said it was important to raise awareness of the situation for Baha’i business leaders, who have been prevented from running businesses due to government pressure. 

“It hurts the owners of the businesses involved, but it also hurts their customers and employees,” said Bryan Graham, an Associate Professor of Economics at Berkeley and one of the petition’s signatories. 

Since the nuclear deal last July and the gradual lifting of sanctions against Iran, there has been a revival of interest in potential business opportunities in Iran. But at the same time, a whole section of Iranian society has been barred from benefitting from the new era of economic freedom. “Right now the spotlight is on Iran,” said Bayan Towfiq, the founder of Flowroute, a US-based telecommunications company. “The suppression of Baha’is is blatant, and in some cases, strengthening. The purpose of this petition is to have an awareness of the wider picture as we form a closer relationship with Iran.”

Towfiq and his colleagues contacted influential business leaders and asked them to sign the petition, aiming for the strongest impact possible. “The petition is about business, so we approached CEOs around the world and prominent academics,” he said. The signatories also included economic experts and analysts. 

“It’s clear that Iran has tremendously talented people,” said Graham, who has taught a number of Iranian students over the years. “It would be better for everyone if they joined the world community and guaranteed some basic human rights for all their citizens.”

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Iranian government has persistently, and often brutally, restricted the influence of Iran’s Baha’i community. It bans Bahai’s from pursuing further education and engaging in religious practices, and sabotages Baha’i businesses. “There are lots of brilliant business leaders in Iran,” said Towfiq. “Some are Baha’is who want to create value and give back to the community there.”

For Iran, the re-entry into the global market is crucial, a much-needed freedom that will not only boost the economy but also restore opportunities for citizens who have endured hardship for years. 

But, as the letter to Ayatalloh Khamenei makes clear, this economic freedom needs to be available to all in order for Iran to truly prosper. 

“Business can be a tremendous force for good, helping to build strong communities and prosperous nations,” the letter says. “But the opportunity to do business must be open to everyone.” The signatories reiterate that the Iranian economy will continue to suffer until all Iranian citizens, including Baha’is, are free from discrimination, including in the business world.

“In many ways the government's actions are shortsighted for Iran moving forward,” Bayan Towfiq said. But the actions of Iranian citizens also matter. “Time will tell whether citizens of Iran will choose to forget the problems of their fellow citizens, as their own chances of economic recovery improve.”

Although corruption in Iran is rife, as Iran emerges from life under sanctions, it has an opportunity to rebuild the economy in a way that will benefit large sections of the country. But while the government continues its policy of banning Baha’is from business, the Iranian economy will suffer, and the Iranian people will be denied progress and prosperity.

Read the letter and the names of the business leaders and academics who signed it.

Read more: 

"You Baha'is Have no Place in this Country"

The Baha'i Blacklist