Welfare Ministry Backtracks; Ban on Employing Religious Minorities in Kindergartens Amended
One day after protests against the ban on employing religious minorities in kindergartens, Iranian media reported that the ban has been amended.
According to ILNA news agency, Massoudi Fareed, the social deputy of the Welfare Organization, announced on Tuesday, June 5, that following an order from Mohammad Shariatmadari, the Minister of Cooperation, Labor and Social Welfare, the “ban on employing religious minorities in kindergartens” has been amended.
This official stated that the use of religious minority personnel in all extracurricular programs in kindergartens is permitted, while at the same time saying that in kindergartens where Muslim children are present, “Muslim educators are used for teaching religious concepts.”
Earlier, Iranian media had reported on the ban on employing religious minorities in kindergartens, and the Zoroastrian representative in the Islamic Consultative Assembly had described the ban as “discriminatory” in a letter to the Labor Minister.
Religious minorities in Iran face human rights violations and inequality. As stated in a section of the 2018 World Human Rights Report released by the U.S. State Department, human rights violations in Iran were also noted.
The United States has repeatedly condemned the suppression of followers of religious and faith minorities—including Baha’is, Dervishes, Christian converts, and even Sunni Muslims—by the Islamic Republic regime.
Source: Voice of America
