U.S.: Iran severely restricts freedom of religion

Iran Focus: London, Sep. 16 – The United States Department of State accused Iran on Friday of “severely” restricting freedom of religion.

Iran Focus

London, Sep. 16 – The United States Department of State accused Iran on Friday of “severely” restricting freedom of religion.

“There was a further deterioration of the extremely poor status of respect for religious freedom during the reporting period, most notably for Baha’is and Sufi Muslims. … There were reports of imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based on religious beliefs”, the State Department said in its annual International Religious Freedom Report 2006.

The report said that Iran’s theocratic government had created a “threatening atmosphere” for nearly all religious minorities.

It chastised Tehran’s “harsh and oppressive” treatment of religious minorities.

Since 1999, the Secretary of State has designated Iran as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious freedom.