VZCZCXRO2541
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAK #0521/01 0981303
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081303Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9339
INFO RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 5604
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000521 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: CVIS PREL PGOV PHUM SOCI SCUL TU IR
SUBJECT: Religious Minorities in Iran: From the Privately Content 
and Publicly Cautious to the Persecuted 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:   In a continuation of Embassy Ankara's vignette 
reporting based on interesting insights from Iranian visa 
applicants, we interviewed a number Iranians recently from various 
religious minorities in Iran, including from the Jewish, Armenian, 
Baha'i and Zoroastrian communities, as well as a convert to 
Christianity. The Iranian Jews and Armenian-Christian applicants 
told us that as long as they act prudently and keep a low profile, 
they can lead quietly successful lives in Iran.  On the other hand, 
members of the Baha'i and Zoroastrian faiths face employment 
challenges, while converts from Islam to Christianity face brutal 
government persecution if their conversions become publicly known. 
End Summary. 
 
Iranian Jews: Low Profile Allows for "normal" life 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) In the course of several immigrant visa interviews 
conducted with members of Iran's Jewish community, they painted an 
overall positive picture of their living condition in Iran, albeit 
in part due to their prudence with official matters.  All of the 
Jewish applicants were employed in business professions such as in 
textiles and merchandise sales. Multiple Jewish businessmen noted 
that they were professionally successful, financially well off, and 
lived relatively normal lives among the Iranian community as a 
whole. At the same time, two Jewish businessmen mentioned that they 
had to be extra cautious not to make even the slightest mistake in 
violation of any laws or regulations, or risk exposing themselves to 
disproportional scrutiny and harassment.  Further, one applicant 
feared the Jewish community would become an easy target for 
retribution for what he believed would be a likely Israeli attack 
this year against Iran's nuclear program. He explained this fear was 
one of his reasons for deciding to immigrate to the United States. 
 
Iranian Armenians claim Positive Treatment 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Every applicant from Iran's Armenian minority described 
positive and in some cases excellent living conditions and treatment 
at all levels.  One professional Armenian applicant claimed 
conditions in Iran were better for that community than in Armenia. 
She explained that in Iran, Armenians are considered by the regime 
and the general public to be a more trustworthy group than the 
majority Muslim population and even other Christian groups.  For 
example, she noted that Armenian mechanics and merchants are noted 
by most Iranians as being more honest and therefore attract more 
business.  Consequently, she described the Armenian community as 
being very affluent compared to other Iranians. She further said 
that Armenians were treated noticeably better than Muslims "on the 
street" in terms of kindness shown by the community.  Also 
noteworthy is that she mentioned that Iranian Armenians pay the same 
taxes and do the same military service as their Muslim counterparts. 
 
 
Baha'i and Zoroastrians face more scrutiny 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Anecdotes about living conditions from the Iranian Baha'i 
and Zoroastrian applicants tended to be more mixed. Baha'i 
applicants -- not part of a recognized minority community in Iran 
--all claimed, to our surprise, that their lives in Iran were 
content and relatively free from government interference but they 
did not seem as positive about their situation there  as  Jewish and 
Armenian  applicants. Indeed, some complained of difficulties 
finding work due to their religious convictions.  For example, they 
explained that they were prohibited from government work including 
military service. Most tended to be self-employed and explained that 
self-employment, and keeping a low public-profile, was usually the 
best option for them to lead tolerable lives due to both government 
and general community wide disapproval of them.   Zoroastrian 
applicants were slightly more positive about their situation in that 
they said they lived comfortably in Iran and were generally accepted 
by the community. Many Zoroastrians proudly presented cards which 
identified them as members of the Zoroastrian community - a 
recognized minority group. On the other hand, they also seemed to 
face some issues with employment. 
 
Christian Converts face Daunting Conditions 
 
 
¶5. (SBU)  A female Iranian convert to Christianity described to us 
how she and other converts face daunting conditions. During her IV 
interview the applicant explained that fifteen years ago, due to her 
conversion to Christianity, she and her previous husband were taken 
to a prison in Sari in Mazanderan Province.  They were immediately 
separated and taken into solitary confinement in the basement of the 
prison.  Her husband was physically and psychologically tortured 
while she was primarily psychologically tortured, but also was 
"slapped in the face." 
 
¶6. (SBU) She noted that the authorities were trying to break down 
their spirits so they would renounce their conversion.  The 
 
ANKARA 00000521  002 OF 002 
 
 
interrogators kept asking why she converted, to which she replied it 
was a matter of faith. They responded with more psychological and 
light physical torture such as keeping them in the dark, as well as 
making them lean against walls without being able to sit down for 
long durations of time.  After 45 days they were released, but they 
were not allowed to leave Sari. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Eventually they were authorized to leave for her husband's 
hometown, but en route they got into a terrible accident with a 
large bus in which her husband was killed and another relative had 
major injuries to her jaw. Although she would not implicate the 
government with absolute certainty, many friends and relatives 
believe the accident was caused by authorities in an effort to get 
rid of them.  After the accident, she was permitted to return to her 
hometown under condition that she would not have any public 
Christian activities.  From that point on she formed her own secret 
home church based on the New Testament, through which many family 
members secretly converted. During the interview with CONOFF, she 
seemed genuinely concerned for their safety in Iran. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Comment:  These accounts from the visa applicants, though 
anecdotal, all supported the same conclusion: that for some 
religious minorities living in Iran, one necessary condition for 
living a "normal" Iranian life is to maintain a low public profile 
and adhere carefully to the regime's social standards and legal 
regulations.  For some minorities - like the Armenians we spoke to - 
this approach appeared to allow for a decent life, while for others 
- like the Baha'i and converts from Islam to Christianity - even 
keeping a low profile is not always enough to avoid scrutiny, 
discrimination, and, for some, intense pressure. 
 
Jeffrey