Baha'i Cemetery Destroyed in Iran

I checked my emails and RSS feeds this evening (having had a busy, internet-free morning) to find this story from the Baha'i News Service about the bulldozing of a Baha'i cemetery in near Najafbad in Iran. Yeah, that's right, bulldozing a cemetery. Destroying over a hundred graves. My mind is well and truly boggled. Did they want to make sure that they were all dead? More likely it is intend to upset and anger the Baha'i community of Iran, yet another tragic event as part of the Iranian government's ongoing plan to persecute and strangle the Baha'is in that country (read a translation of the memo outlining this policy (pdf)), including denial of education (more here), arbitrary arrest, covert surveillance, and state-sponsored media propaganda.

Thankfully I am not alone in my outrage. Several Baha'i bloggers have commented on this, including Wendi Momen, Barney Leith, Bilo, and Omid T. I would like to number myself among them in being both saddened and dismayed by these reprehensible actions of the Iranian state.

In spite of this, the Baha'is of Iran remain steadfast and resolute, determined to make not just their country, but the entire world a better place. After reading about the events reported above, I stand with them.