LYNNE Klap led the release of seven white doves, while seven kites flew high, to mark Race Relations Day in Civic Square on March 21.
Lynne, who has been a Bahá’í for 28 years, says this was to remind us of seven Bahá’ís (known as the Yaran-i-Iran or ‘Friends in Iran’) who are imprisoned in Iran for their religious beliefs.
“Lots of people around the world are imprisoned for their faith so some people may think why would New Zealanders be remembering this, but there was a wave of Bahá’í who came to Wellington and now live here in fear for their families in Iran,” Klap says.
Around 300 Bahá’í live in Wellington.
Last year, Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, expressed concern for the release of the Yaran stating: “NZ calls on the Government of Iran to protect the fundamental rights of all its citizens, and to end its ongoing and systematic persecution of the Bahá’í.”
Despite United Nations calls for the Yaran to be released, the seven imprisoned Bahá’ís, who cared for the needs of the 300,000 Baha’i community, remain in jail. They are Mrs Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr Jamalu’d-Din Khanjani, Mr Afif Na’imi,Mr Sa’id Rida’i, Mrs Mahvash Sabet, Mr Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr Vahid Tizfahm.
The Bahá’í Faith is based on the teachings of its founder - Bahá’u’lláh who was born in Iran in 1817. He taught that there is one God, that all religions are essentially one religion, because they have come from the one God.
Klap says that this year’s Race Relations Day theme ‘People in Harmony’ is a core Bahá’í belief.
“It’s about people in harmony who want to make unified communities,” she says.
“I was attracted to the faith because the core of the faith is the celebration of unity in diversity. It was inclusive not exclusive.”
Each year, March 21 is observed as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The date recalls the killing at Sharpeville in South Africa in 1960, and is dedicated by the United Nations to the elimination of racial discrimination. New Zealand signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1966.
On March 10, The Human Rights Commission’s annual Review of Race Relations in New Zealand was released, highlighting NZ’s priorities for race relations.
Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres says: “It is time to examine whether there are still systemic or institutional barriers to racial equality that need to be addressed to make other interventions more effective.”
The report highlighted positives in New Zealand’s race relations including the growth of te reo Maori, Parliament reflecting the cultural diversity of the country, and the settling of historical claims for breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, but the report noted that last year’s ‘three strikes’ legislation and the removal of prisoners’ right to vote were in breach of human rights and will impact disproportionately on Maori.
This week Race Relations Day events continue: Neighbours Day Aotearoa, March 26-27 (page 4) and Global Fest at Capital E, March 27.