Baha'is of Iran

To whom it may concern,

Often America's economic and geopolitical interests conflict with our more ideal, moral founding. On various occasions and with various leadership, these conquests have often devolved into imperialism. It is one of these founding pillars, the freedom of religion, that I fear we are resigned to defend on the international stage. The Baha'is of Iran, a small religious sect, are currently undergoing persecution in Iran. In fact, they have been consistently persecuted since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. With so much on the agenda between America and Iran, will this watershed case regarding human and religious rights be overlooked when this administration begins its direct diplomacy with Iran? Can the sanctions placed against Tehran be used to develop religious tolerance in this country?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP