Iran religious minority MPs under pressure to travel to New York with Ahmadinejad

Washington, 24 August (WashingtonTV)—Parleman News, a Persian-language news website affiliated to the Line of the Imam pro-reform, minority faction in Iran’s Majlis [parliament], reports today that “the representatives of religious minorities in the eighth Majlis” have been placed under “extreme pressure” to accompany President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his trip to New York.

A source close to the Majlis deputies for religious minorities, told Parleman News that these pressures have increased with the approach of Ahmadinejad’s trip to New York to take part in the annual United Nations General Assembly session.

The source said that the reason behind this pressure is “Ahmadinejad’s intention to display at the UN General Assembly session that there is religious freedom in Iran.”

Religious minorities that are officially recognized by the Islamic Republic of Iran are represented by a total of five deputies in the Majlis. The Zoroastrian and Jews have each got one deputy; Armenian Christians of the north and south of the country have a total of two deputies and the Assyrian and Chaldean Christians in the country are represented by one deputy.

The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize the Baha’i faith.

Source: Parleman News, in Persian (www. Parlemannews.ir)

http://televisionwashington.com/floater_article1.aspx?lang=en&t=1&id=13349