Since posting my earlier blog on 24 August 2006, entitled "Abandoning University to Return to High School," I have learned something very interesting. The young Romanian Muslim journalist, who changed her religion in preparation for her upcoming marriage to a Christian Orthodox colleague, has actually been granted this right by virtue of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18, and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Article 9(1), which both state that "everyone has the right...to change his religion or belief." And our young journalist should certainly have this freedom, which the Bahá’í International Community is trying with all its might to obtain on behalf of Bahá’ís in Iran, all denied this very right, in spite of the fact that Iran is a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In fact, any Iranian who changes his religion from Islam to the Bahá’í Faith is considered an "apostate," and there have been many forms of punishment throughout the 164-year history of this faith, including execution, imprisonment, loss of employment, to mention but a few.
But let us come back to our young journalist. Had she been Iranian, living in Iran, choosing to change her religion to the Bahá’í Faith, incidentally the one adopted some years ago by her husband-to-be, they would bothhave been found guilty of apostasy, and may have been subject to some form of harsh punishment. Many Iranian Bahá’ís are faced with this accusation today. The former Muslim journalist might even have been offered clemency by the Islamic Revolutionary government, in exchange for recanting the Bahá’í Faith, and returning to her Muslim Faith. Such offers are frequently made by the government to Iranian members of this most recent divine revelation, which spread from that country throughout the world, to become the second most widespread faith, surpassing every religion but Christianity in its geographic reach, in a little over eight score and four years.
It is fortunate for our young journalist that she is not an Iranian living in Iran, as she could be executed for changing her religion from Islam to another faith or belief. Her fiancé would fare much better in Iran as the authorities highly encourage recantation from the Bahá’í Faith.
