Eritrea: Treatment of Bahai members and the position of the Bahais regarding conscientious objection to military service (2000 to August 2004)

According to David Barrett's World Christian Encyclopedia (2001) cited on the Adherents.com Website that provides statistics on faith adherence by country, the Bahai community in Eritrea comprised 1,198 members in 2000 (10 Nov. 2001).

The International Religious Freedom Report 2003 states that Bahais exist in "very small numbers" in Eritrea, without giving details on their numbers (18 Dec. 2003, Sec. 1).

Treatment of Bahai faith members

The International Religious Freedom Report 2002 lists Bahais as a religious group whose practice has been restricted as a result of a government decree issued in May 2002 that officially recognized four religions, Orthodox Christian, Muslim, Catholic, and Evangelical Christian, and that called on other minority groups to register in order to maintain their practice (7 Oct. 2002, Intro.).

Human Rights Without Frontiers, in a report dated 14 April 2003, specifically identified the Bahai faith as one of the minority religious groups that needed to register with the government's Religious Affairs Department. The International Religious Freedom Report 2003 similarly reported that despite the Bahais' having "submitted a complete registration application" to the Eritrean authorities, as of the end of 2003 the latter had not given them approval to practise their religion (18 Dec. 2003, Sec. 2).

The same report, as well as Human Rights Watch's 26 January 2004 report on human rights issues in Eritrea, refers to registration delays of over one year. Similarly, Human Rights Without Frontiers points out that Eritrean authorities have "refused since ... May [2002] to grant official status to any group apart from the four 'recognized' religions ..." (7 May 2003).

Although not mentioning the Bahai faith, various sources reported that members of minority religious groups had seen their worship institutions closed by the government (International Religious Freedom Report 2003 18 Dec. 2003, International Religious Freedom Report 2002 7 Oct. 2002, HRW 2003, HRWF 29 July 2004, ibid. 7 May 2003, ibid. 14 Apr. 2003, AI 1 June 2004, Freedom House 7 July 2004). Furthermore, they have not been allowed to meet in either churches or private homes (International Religious Freedom Report 2003 18 Dec. 2003, Freedom House 7 July 2004, HRWF 29 July 2004, ibid. 2 Apr. 2004). However, according to Amnesty International, minority religious groups "had been informally allowed to continue" while waiting for their registration approval (2004).

The International Religious Freedom Report 2003 is the sole source consulted that refers to Bahai members as targets of governmental abuses on account of religious grounds and states that

[t]he Government harassed, arrested, and detained members of non-sanctioned Protestant religious groups locally referred to collectively as "Pentes," reform movements from and within the Coptic Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and adherents of the Baha'i faith. There were also numerous reports of forced recantations and physical torture (18 Dec. 2003, Intro.).

Bahai faith's view on conscientious objectors to military service

The following directive authored by Shogi Effendi, described as the "Guardian of the Baha'i faith and interpreter of its teachings" (The Bahá'í World Website n.d.) until his death in 1957, presents the Bahai view of "military duties that [may] necessitate the taking of life" (Directives from the Guardian 1973a):

132: MILITARY SERVICE

"As there is neither an International Police Force nor any immediate prospect of one coming into being, the Bahá'ís should continue to apply, under all circumstances, for exemption from any military duties that necessitate the taking of life. There is no justification for any change of attitude on our part at the present time" (ibid.).

However, specifically referring to conscientious objection to military duties, Directive 144 entitled " Pacifism" states that

"with reference to the absolute pacifists, or conscientious objectors to war; their attitude, judged from the Bahá'í standpoint is quite anti-social and due to its exaltation of the individual conscience leads inevitably to disorder and chaos in society. ... The Bahá'í conception of social life is essentially based on the subordination of the individual will to that of society.

... The other main objection to the conscientious objectors is that their method of establishing peace is too negative. Non-cooperation is too passive a philosophy to become an effective way for social reconstruction" (ibid. 1973b).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Adherents.com. 10 November 2001. "Religion by Name Index: Bahai Faith." [Accessed 16 Aug. 2004]

Amnesty International (AI). 2004. "Eritrea." Amnesty International Report 2004. [Accessed 16 Aug. 2004]
_____. 2003. "Eritrea." Amnesty International Report 2003 [Accessed 16 Aug. 2004]
_____. 1 June 2004. "Urgent Action: Eritrea: Fear of Torture." (AFR 64/006/2004.) [Accessed 16 Aug. 2004]

The Bahá'í World Website. n.d. "The Guardianship." [Accessed 16 Aug. 2004]

Directives from the Guardian.1973a. "Directive 132: Military Service." Bahá'í Reference Library Website. [Accessed 16 Aug. 2004]

_____ .1973b. "Directive 144: Pacifism (Bahá'í View of)." Bahá'í Reference Library Website. [Accessed 16 Aug. 2004]

Freedom House. 7 July 2004. "African Union Urged to Press Eritrea to Release Christians." [Accessed 16 Aug. 2004]

Human Rights Watch (HRW). 26 January 2004. "Eritrea." [Accessed 16 Aug. 2004]
_____. 2003. Human Rights Watch World Report 2003. "Eritrea." [Accessed 16 Aug. 2004]

Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF). 29 July 2004. "Eritrean Pastors Still Jailed Without Charges." [Accessed 29 July 2004]
_____. 2 April 2004. "Christian Families Jailed for Praying Together." [Accessed 5 Apr. 2004]
_____. 7 May 2003. "Eritrea Arrests, Conscripts More Protestant Conscripts." [Accessed 7 May 2003]
_____. 14 April 2003. "Eritrea Jails 170 Protestants." [Accessed 14 Apr. 2003]

International Religious Freedom 2003. 18 December 2003. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. [Accessed 13 Aug. 2004]

International Religious Freedom Report 2002. 7 October 2002. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. [Accessed 16 Aug. 2004]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral source: The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada did not respond to a request for information within time constraints.

Publications: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2003, One Country (the on-line newsletter of the Bahá'í International Community).

Internet sites, including: AllAfrica, Bahá'í World News service, The Bahá'í Community of Canada, Bahá'ís of the United States, BBC News, European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI), Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Internet Search Engine: Google.