Gone with no trace of his whereabouts, Houshidar Etehad of North Richmond shared the story of how his first cousin went missing in Iran because of his religion — Bahá’í .
Mr Etehad’s first cousin and best friend, Saeid Abedi, was arrested last week from his home with both his wife and son bearing witness to the arrest.
With no information on his cousin’s whereabouts or status, Mr Etehad said the incident had caused his whole family major distress.
‘‘The government soldiers ran in, destroyed the house and arrested him because they found out he was part of the Bahá’í association in Iran,’’ Mr Etehad said.
‘‘I worry a lot about his health because he is going blind in both eyes. He needs proper treatment or else he will never be able to see again. To make things even worse, his wife is dying from cancer and I’m a million miles away while the family that I love is falling apart.
‘‘My family took him in when we were children because both his parents had died. We were raised together and he is the closest person to me other than my immediate family. I feel like a part of me is missing now, and there’s not a minute that goes by where I don’t think about what he is going through at the moment.’’
For hundreds of years, Bahá’ís in Iran have been persecuted solely because of their religion, with things taking a turn for the worse after the Islamic Republic of Iran was established in 1979.
Since then, more than 200 Bahá’ís have been executed or killed, hundreds more imprisoned and tens of thousands deprived of jobs, pensions, businesses and educational opportunities because they are seen as a threat to Islam.
Having lived in the Hawkesbury for less than a year, Mr Etehad said he was grateful to be able to openly practise his religion in the area, which he described as ‘‘heaven on earth’’.
‘‘There will never be peace for Bahá’ís in Iran and that’s why my wife and I are so thankful to live in such a safe and welcoming area where we are treated equally,’’ he said.
Almost 20,000 followers were killed by authorities in the mid-1800s and in the 1900s Bahá’í literature was banned, marriages were not recognised and many were demoted or fired from their jobs.
‘‘The 300,000 members of the Bahá’í community are suffocating both economically and socially, solely because of religious hatred. Holy places, shrines and cemeteries have been confiscated, vandalised or destroyed.’’
The government continues to persecute Bahá’ís throughout Iran.