Source: The Grand Rapids Press
http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/06/local_bahai_community_holds_vi.html
Shawn Eshragh, of Cascade Township, has a personal interest in Iran's persecution of the Bahai community, but he believes everyone is affected.
His cousin, whom he described as "an extremely gentle, knowledgeable person," was executed in 1981 in Iran just for being a Bahai, he said.
Today, Eshragh's native country still denies Bahai believers the basic rights of education, voting, employment, legal representation and gathering. All seven national Bahai leaders were imprisoned last year and are charged with crimes punishable by death. About 200 Bahai believers have been killed since 1979.
About 5 million Bahai worldwide believe all the major religions are God's revelation to humans and that the latest revelation came from the prophet Baha'u'llah, a 19th-century Persian who preached that God is breaking barriers of humanity's unity.
The local Bahai community recently held a vigil with about 25 people to pray for the prisoners and raise awareness of Iran's often violent attempts at squashing a faith based on peace.