(Reuters) – Iran said on Saturday it had arrested 13 adherents of the banned Baha’i faith for proselytising to children and adolescents, local media reported.
A statement by the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence unit, carried by state media, said the arrests were made in the central city of Isfahan.
It said the 13 arrested “were acting illegally and were indirectly promoting their ideological deviation by exploiting children and adolescents.” It did not elaborate.
The Islamic Republic considers the Baha’i faith a heretical offshoot of Islam.
There are an estimated five million Baha’i followers spread across more than 190 countries.
(dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com)
Comments