Events
United Nations Human Rights Day
Date and Time
Friday, December 8, 2017 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Description
You are warmly invited to attend a program in observance of UN Human Rights Day, offered to you by the Baha’i Faith Community and The Institute for Global Education. The program will include a video in the Education Is Not A Crime series, highlighting the plight of the Baha’is in Iran to pursue a higher education. Music by Persian singer AVA and reflections from a former BIHE student will also be part of the program.
Education Is Not a Crime raises awareness of the discrimination against the Bahá’ís, who believe in ideals such as the equality of men and women, peaceful nonviolence, and universal education. The Bahá’ís, Iran’s largest religious minority, are denied access to higher education. Thousands of Bahá’ís are currently studying through an underground education system known as the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE). Not a Crime is working to stop the human rights abuse of young people barred from studying because of their beliefs and is encouraging universities worldwide to admit Iranian Bahá’í students. This work has evolved into the world’s largest street art and human rights campaign, which raises awareness about education apartheid by the government of Iran against tens of thousands of Bahá’ís. Mark Ruffalo of The Avengers, Rainn Wilson of The Office, Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and rights activist, and Shirin Ebadi, also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, have spoken against the persecution of the Bahá’ís. Now, nearly 100 universities—including Stanford and Yale—currently accept the BIHE certificate.