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After decades of suppression, Baha'is celebrate publicly in Baghdad

Baha'is are celebrating a religious event publicly in Baghdad for the first time in their history in Iraq, as they gathered to commemorate the bicentennial of the birth of Baha’i faith founder Baha'u'llah.
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Baghdad — On Nov. 30, Baha’is celebrated the bicentennial of the birth of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha’i faith, in a ceremony in Baghdad attended by representatives from the Iraqi parliament, the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR), the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, civil society as well as media activists.

This is considered the most prominent ceremony where Baha’is officially announced themselves for the first time in 47 years, as the Baathist Revolutionary Command Council issued Decree No. 105 in 1970 to ban Baha’i activities. As a consequence, Baha’i administrative institutions in Iraq were dissolved and any activity where Baha’is declared their religious identity was punishable by imprisonment.

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